AR-enhanced vinyl disk lets you scratch sans turntable
By Ross Miller 
posted April 28th 2009 4:02AM
posted April 28th 2009 4:02AM
posted April 28th 2009 4:02AM
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but what if I just wanna play back? oh well it's still a very neat concept.
Being a Dj for over 10 years and knowing that 90% of (hiphop/trance/house) dj's use SSL (serato scratch live) i can tell you as this stands right now, completely useless.
IF they develop it, it might become more interesting but it would still need a turntable of somesort.
A cool concept.
Go to learn Scratching skills please !!!
So that camera has what about 60fps? That's by far not precise enough for any serious user. Nice gimmick, sure, but nothing more.
My ears are bleeding after listening to that video
I dunno. The technology isn't groundbreaking by any means, and I don't like the application of it either. It's unique and kinda cool but overall it's just pointless.
eh, it's been done, with just a sheet of paper too
It sounds like the signal/language that the decepticons spoke in the Transformers movie (Michael Bay version). Its an interesting concept, but it doesn't seem like it can actually be used in a real world DJ set up. If his rotation of the Album actually controlled the speed of playback then it would be going somewhere. I'm sure a few revisions of this project will yield something cool.
Also that was cool how the AR marker changed to the album cover art as it was recognized by the camera on screen.
This particular demonstration was pretty underwhelming, but I see a lot of potential in the concept. If the webcams built into laptops were as good as or better than the one used in this demo, anyone could DJ on the go using only their laptop and an AR marker, which could be just a piece of paper. That's a hell of a lot more portable than any traditional turntable setup.
So what, you're supposed to scratch with your piece of paper and use a separate bit of kit for your faders/knobs? Just give me some faders/knobs and I'll scratch with a fader....that's portable too. (and better)
I'm pretty sure faders and knobs could be emulated with software on the laptop, especially if it has a multitouch trackpad. And how could a fader be more portable than a piece of paper? Is there a fader that is more portable than a laptop and has a integrated DAP? (Anyone who is thinking about an iPhone/iPod Touch can just shut up. We don't want to hear it.) I'm not a DJ and I don't claim to be an expert on the subject, but your comment just doesn't make sense to me.
This is NOT A NEW CONCEPT or new technology and it is so ridiculous!
There are tons of advanced softwares that imitates vinyl scratching that have been available for a LONG TIME and more are coming up everyday: Traktor, Traktor Duo, Final Scratch, etc, etc, etc. Some with virtual turntables, some with actual physical vinyl discs, any variation you want, it has already been done and available for a while!
Was this "inventor" asleep the last 5 years?
I could be wrong, but I think the ability to control the beat across a three-dimensional space is new.
Furthermore, there were a few technologies of reading vinyl disc grooves and pits with laser beam and convert and decode this signal into the original analogue wave form all the way back in the 1980's. Then all it takes is making the software able to read and convert the converted digital audio signals in real time forward and backwards with the proper pitch and time stretch codes, and put it through another D/A converter, which was already widely available in all CD mixers back in the early 2000's. There is nothing new here except using the crude video camera for capture of the groove and pits information. So what is so great about this whole effort???
Yeah, the camera picks up on the grooves in the record. Well done on missing the entire point.
And does anyone remember RCA's vinyl video discs back in the 1980's? This was a vinyl video disc that used a diamond needle just like audio vinyl discs except the grooves and pits were of compressed digital signals instead of analogue signals found on audio vinyl discs. This was a competitor against Pioneer's Laser Discs, which was an optical medium just like CD. It was acutely quite popular for a while before it was wiped out by Pioneer, then DVDs wiped out Laser Discs, etc.
So reading vinyl grooves and pits, digital or analogue signals, by a light medium or even by old fashioned diamond stylus, is OLD NEWS...
*sigh* The camera isn't reading the record at all. The record could well be anything. That white bit of paper in the middle of it with black bits is what it's reading. The camera makes note of it's position and adjusts mp3 playback accordingly.
The vinyl is entirely superfluous, it could well be a CD or a bit of paper.
So while you are correct that no new technology is being used to actually playback the record - you've missed the point that a new CONTROL system has been created. Admittedly this sort of thing has been done before, but as far as I'm aware it's application to audio is entirely new.
Sure . . . you're saying that before Compact Disc, we had a digital video player.
Cite your source for RCA CEDs being digital.
Neat concept; kinda cute. Too bad it sounds TERRIBLE! I couldn't wait for it to stop.
To those who put their time into this:
Serious about this? Daft pricks!
Got beer moneys for making this? Genius!
virtual dj already does this with a webcam.....
This is one of the winners of the Gorilla Pod?
I'm sorry to be a naysayer, but this is fucking stupid.
A real DJ would never be able to use such a monstrosity. Nor would he want to.
@ capnshiner
and all those other people - - who have no idea what theyre talking about
I am also a dj I play at various clubs while in college
I am also a turntablist ( a scratch dj)
- - - it makes no sense to scratch on a non-moving platter or on a piece of paper.
THis destroys the whole feel of a turntable and scratching. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO A SCRATCH OR A MIX DJ. The reason why we sitll use 12 year old TECHNICS turntables is because love the low wow and flutter and the 2 kg torque . . . even though WAY WAY WAY Better turntables have been made such as the pdx series by vestax.
THE INDUSTRY STANDARD IS SERATO SCRATCH LIVE . . . with a dash of traktor . . on the side
THIS iS AS USELESS as an ipod dj player . . . no serious dj would ever have any use for this. It makes no sense because traktor and serato do a 29830928390283092832 times better job of what this concept could ever do
even the cdxs by numark or the tascam roller thing does a better job
THis is useless . . . and will never amount commercially to anything
it is a garrage project that is fun to look at and nothing more
also you cannot use . . . . . fader nobs on a multitouch track pad
that is ludicrous 99% of scratching is derived from the tactile feel of an actual knob moving back and forth at ridiculous speeds with percission
its like trying to play a multitouch violin - it would be one of the dumbest concepts ever . .
any person that has ever scratched in their entire life will understand that it is impossible to scratch seriously on a multitouch surface
ABSENT - - the new midi and scratch controllers by stanton (which do feature a touch interface) and are more a novelty than a serious consumer item . . . this is plane stupidity.