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The Daily Grind: What two games would you combine?
Even though we all have our favorite games, that doesn't mean we don't have other games that we look at with longing. There's not enough time in one day to play Star Trek Online, Guild Wars, City of Heroes, Fallen Earth, and Vindictus on a regular basis, which means picking and choosing between the games that you like the best. But what would make life even easier is if you could mash some of those games together to give yourself the parts of game A and the parts of game B that you like in one marvelous stew. It probably won't ever happen, naturally, but some part of you has to wonder what it would be like to take a pair of old or new favorites and produce a single game that's more than the sum of its parts. So what two games would you like to toss in a blender together? Would you like to mix Guild Wars with Fallen Earth, porting shooting mechanics and intricate crafting into a traditional class-based setting? Mix Final Fantasy XI with World of Warcraft, combining changing classes with talent specs? If you could mix two games together, which two would it be and how? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
algoriddim's djay now on iPhone / iPod touch, iPad version updated
Algoriddim, maker of the djay app, has gotten in touch to let us know that it has updated djay for iPad to version 1.1 -- introducing some exciting new features -- and to announce an all-new version of djay for the iPhone and iPod touch. djay is a virtual, touch screen DJ setup with a realistic turntable and mixer interface that lets you mix, spin, cue and scratch your tracks straight from your iPod music library. We took a closer look at djay for the iPad and the Mac late last year and were very impressed with the results. According to the specs, it looks like those results will transition nicely over to the iPhone version of the app. Algoriddim has also updated the iPad version of the app with stability fixes and some new features, including looping, multiple cue points and BPM library browsing. There's also added compatibility for Bluetooth audio devices and extended support for AIFF and WAV files, but this requires iOS 4.3 For the full list of improvements and features click here, or if you already own the app, head on over to the Updates section of the iOS App Store on your iPad -- the new version will be waiting for you to download. djay is available now on the iOS App Store at US$9.99 for the iPhone version and US$19.99 for the iPad version. Click past the break for a promo video of djay for the iPhone.
Tascam Portastudio for iPad could make you a four-track superstar all over again
If you've never experienced the joy of conveying four precisely-played tracks onto a single, rattly plastic cassette tape, prepare to see what you've been missing. The iconic Tascam Portastudio is coming to iPad in a very virtual way, a $10 app that presents a simplified replication of the original's decidedly more tactile controls. You can mix four inputs to stereo output, which is stored on a pretend cassette -- and can then share via iTunes or Soundcloud, which is rather more useful than a picture of a tape. It's available right now for the iPad only, with no plans for a release on any other platform. Yeah, boo.
Be a turntable hero with djay for iPad
An iPad app might not be enough to convince a seasoned DJ to go iPad-only, but then, a medium-sized, multi-touch surface can only come so close to replicating a turntable, right? With djay for iPad (US$19.99 on the App Store), algoriddim has not only impressively mimicked traditional decks, they've added features that your average DJ setup doesn't have. Plus, they made it easy enough for even the most inexperienced music-lover to rock their next party. Our own Victor Agreda recently gave us a great rundown of djay for iPad's predecessors, djay for Mac and djay Remote for iPhone. A quick recap: djay on the Mac gives you two turntables and a crossfader, BPM analysis and automatic syncing, an "Automix" feature for effortless and seamless playback and plenty of extra goodies. djay Remote on the iPhone lets you control a significant number of those features, but not all of them. The combination is really fun, but the iPhone app doesn't do anything without a locally-networked Mac running djay. Enter djay for iPad.
AirJ app threatens to make decks and drum machines obsolete, but only if you look this serious (video)
If the only thing holding you back making masses of gorgeous people pulsate to the beat is a lack of hardware, it's time to check out AirJ, said to be hitting the App Store soon. How exactly it works is something of a mystery at this point, but you can tell from the video streaming below that the idea is to do for DJing what the Air Guitar Rocker did for real strumming. It looks like you might need two iPhones to make this magic happen, but that's still cheaper than a set of Technics -- though whether or not you'll still need actual technique remains to be seen. [Thanks, Mike S.]
Algoriddim's djay Remote app available now
One of my favorite apps at Macworld Expo this past February was actually Algoriddim's djay 3 -- it's DJing software for the Mac that had a surprising amount of new features and fun UI elements even in one of the oldest and most-traveled of music software functions. One of the things I got to see during the hands-on was a tester version of an iPhone app they were working on, and now that app is finished and out on the App Store. The price is US$4.99, which is actually a little high for a satellite application -- you must be running djay 3 on your Mac, and while there is a free trial, it would have been nice if they'd just released the iPhone app as a free add-on to the $50 app. But as you can see, it's a full controller for the app -- they have the vinyl artwork included, you can set cue points and tweak FX and audio levels from right within the app. Also, you can queue songs up for an Automix directly from the iPhone (if, say, you happen to be at a party and don't have time to run upstairs to your computer to add a little more music to the playlist). The app works over WiFi, and note again that you must have the djay 3 software running on your Mac -- this is basically a remote for that app. But if you do a lot of DJing from your computer and want to get even more remote, setting this up on your iPhone seems like a great solution.
Hercules supports diminutive scratchers with two-deck DJ Console Mk4 controller
We've certainly heard this "world's smallest" claim before in the world of DJ controllers, but as components shrink and plastics get thinner, we aren't shocked to see one company leap-frogging another. According to Hercules, its new DJ Console Mk4 is "the most portable and most compact 2-deck DJ controller with built-in audio for PC and Mac," checking in at 10.4- x 7.3-inches and weighing just 3.3 pounds. Making its musical debut at Musikmesse 2010, this controller boasts a pair of stereo outputs (one for mixing, one for previewing tracks), a duo of analog inputs, the ability to hum along on USB power alone and a bevy of knobs / faders for those who actually know what they're doing with a pair of platters spinning in front of them. It's slated to ship this June in the UK for £179.99 ($268), though no US availability seems planned at the moment. Update: Good news! Hercules pinged us to say that the unit will be out in America this June with an MSRP of $199. %Gallery-89119%
Scratching the surface: DJ'ing with your Mac
It's Saturday night and you're out and about painting the town red, or whatever color it is that towns are painted these days. Whether you end up at a night club, a lounge or a bar, there's a good chance there's going to be a DJ spinning up some tunes at the venue. And there's a good chance that you'll see a glowing Apple in front of the DJ, as said DJ may be accompanied by a MacBook or MacBook Pro. If you've ever looked into doubling your Mac as a virtual turntable, then this post may help you scratch the surface -- err, vinyl.
Touchtable mixer takes conventional PMP design for a wiki-wiki-twist
Not that we haven't seen turntable capabilities shoved into production and concept devices alike before, but there's something curiously seductive about this one. Dreamed up by Sir Thomas Mascall, the Touchtable is a pocket-sized PMP that boasts a digit-friendly surface meant for scratching, mixing and all manners of interacting. Aside from playing back your favorite MP3s, this bugger can (in theory, anyway) also mix jams on the fly, cue outputs and even connect with a second Touchtable wirelessly in order to establish a more traditional DJ setup (at 1:8 scale). Plug it into a PC, and now you've got a MIDI controller. Pop that source link if you're looking for a few more images and details, and feel free to contact your local VC if interested in seeing this fast-tracked to the commercial realm.
Count The Beats: Interview with a mixing engineer
In the last year I've spent a fair amount of time doing some recordings. In particular, I've been working on some of my own material. Having invested a large amount of time and money into pre production and the actual recording sessions, what started out as a small bedroom demo soon escalated into something much more than that (I'm sure you know what I mean). It soon became apparent that I was going to need someone with a bit more experience and 'know how' when it came to post production, and in particular, mixing. After calling in some "favours," and reaching as far as I could into the "industry," as such, I was introduced to Mr. Stephen Harding. An exceptionally talented musician, producer, and up and coming mixing engineer. To my delight, I discovered that not only is he a pretty nice guy, he is also darn good at mixing, and he's a fan boy of all things Apple too! Amongst all our post production endeavors, Steve and I managed to sit down with a cup of tea and some rich tea biscuits to talk Macs, set-up , plug-ins, outboard gear and the art of approaching a mix backed by the stability of Mac OS X. Read on for some wise words on mixing, but be forewarned though, as is becoming customary in the Count The Beats series, there is some pretty heavy tech talk ahead. However, it does make for some juicy reading. Don't forget, if you don't understand, just nod your head and pretend you do like the rest of us! Enjoy.
Amidio's Touch DJ app stuffs a turntable into your iPhone (video)
Not kosher with getting a handset tailor made for DJing? How's about transforming your existing iPhone into that very device when the mood strikes you? Hailed as the first true DJ MP3 iPhone / iPod touch app in the world, Amidio's $19.99 Touch DJ program (available now) enables users to independently manipulate two MP3 or M4A files, including scratching, looping, positioning, equalization, effects and pitching. The "visual mixing" requires all sorts of tapping and sliding, but the on-screen UI seems pretty elegant from what we've seen. The only real knock on this is that there's currently no way to get music from the iTunes library into the program; instead, you'll be forced to reload tracks into the app's own MP3 library. Still, for those looking to ditch the hard case and waltz in with a pocketful of boogie, this ain't a half bad option. Check the demonstration vid after the break.
Count The Beats: Hey DJ, play us a song...
Here in the UK, it's getting pretty chilly on the willy compared to a month ago, or so. The warm memories of the summer are slowly dwindling to the reality of earlier, darker evenings (the clocks have just gone forward) as well as tentative first visits from our old friend Jack Frost. Generally speaking, the cold grasp of winter is steadily fastening on us (or not). But we are blessed with a few heart warming occasions over the winter season (Christmas, New Years Eve etc) that make the cold, well, a little less nippy on the bone. One of these such occasions is, of course, Guy Fawkes night (Remember remember the 5th of November...) And, to me, that means one thing, HOUSE PARTY! And what does a great house party need? An authentic DJ. So when I heard my main man Dan the DJ couldn't make the party (or at the least lend me his decks) I turned to the next best thing, Sonorasaurus - the first complete deejay setup for the iPhone / iPod Touch. At this point you may be wondering what a DJ app has to do with 'Count The Beats', or, in fact making music on an Apple platform, but it quite literally has everything to do with it. Come on, we all know that deejays are real musicians too, right?
DJ Mouse eliminates 'the science of mixing music' with a jog wheel
Looking for a way to liven up those house parties of yours? Winamp playlist feeling a little passe? iTunes "Genius" feature not really so smart? A company called DJ-Tech has got the answer, and it's the DJ Mouse. What separates an input device for turntablists from one for the unwashed masses, you ask? Is it the "high-definition jog wheel," the one that integrates with the Deckadance software to "let you spin platters intuitively?" Why, yes, it is! But it's also so much more. Don't forget the Scratch button, without which there would be no "direct scratch mode." As the ad says, you too can "become a DJ in one minute, without the science of mixing music." Available for $79 -- but make sure you don't go anywhere before you peep the truly amazing commercial after the break. And take that, Grandmaster Flash! [Via OhGizmo!]
Stanton's T.55 and T.92 USB turntables take vinyl to MP3 sans fuss
We've already seen a number of mainstays in the turntable game crank out decks that easily archive vinyl records to MP3, and now we've got a new pair from Stanton making that same claim. The T.92 and T.55 USB turntables each feature USB and S/PDIF outputs and come bundled with Cakewalk Pyro Audio Creator and Audacity software. On the hardware front, you'll find an S-Shaped tone arm for lower distortion and reduced record wear along with a built-in DSP with key lock for controlling tempo without affecting pitch. As for differences, the T.55 is a belt-drive turntable that features a straight tone arm, while the T.92 touts a high-torque direct drive motor. Check 'em both right now at popular music retailers across the globe for $299 (T.92) and $199 (T.55). Full release is after the break.
Sony expands Muteki family with DJ-style LBT-DJ2i XROSS FADE music system
Man, we didn't even know the Muteki moniker was still in existence. Nevertheless, Sony has just added a big, bad member to said congregation with the LBT-DJ2i XROSS FADE. This rather beastly music system packs 450 total watts of power, a CD player, AM / FM tuners, a line-in jack, a pair of 2-way shelf speakers, a dual 7-inch subwoofer enclosure and the ability to convert CDs / radio to MP3 files. And that's just the beginning. Aspiring DJs will also find a bundled cross-fader with monitor cue and a built-in two-channel mixer, and the iPod-lovin' interface ensures that you'll never have to touch your PMPs once they're mounted. There's also a USB recording function to save mix sessions to a USB device in ATRAC MP3 format. Too bad this setup will cost you half a grand when it ships next month. Check the full release after the cut.
Hercules Mobile DJ MP3 finally available for $99
If you've done anything other than mash F5 (or similar) at Hercules' website the past few seasons, you've likely forgotten all about that sub-$100 Mobile DJ MP3 that surfaced over a year ago. For whatever reason, the thing is just now shipping, but we suppose obnoxiously late is better than never, right? Dubbed the world's "first wireless digital mixing mini-controller," it's available as we speak in black or white hues for $99.99. Release is posted in full after the jump.
The Pacemaker: 'world's first' pocket-size pro DJ system
Watch out NuMark, 'cause there's about to be a new product on the scene to challenge your iDJ line of mixers -- and not only does this one rock 120GB of internal storage to obviate the need for a pair of iPods, it's actually small enough to fit in your pocket. The upcoming Pacemaker from European start-up Tonicum -- set to be unveiled tomorrow -- promises to contain all the necessary features for bringing your mixing skills on the road, including a crossfader, dual 3.5-millimeter stereo jacks, direct-to-hard drive recording, and a multifunction touchpad for adjusting bend and pitch, among others. No bells or whistles like an FM tuner or color screen on this patent-pending player, but with both Mac and Windows support, we have a feeling that the Pacemaker is going to develop a small but dedicated following. Check out some more angles as well as an annotated diagram in the gallery below... %Gallery-2964%
Hercules Mobile DJ MP3 mixes it up sans wires
While it's not like we really needed another ho hum digital mixer to go along with all the others, Hercules' Mobile DJ MP3 does manage to differentiate itself from the (oftentimes far superior) competition by cutting the proverbial and literal cords. The somewhat chintzy looking machine is designed to be highly portable in nature, as it features a lightweight shell and gets power from a pair of C batteries. Specs wise, you'll find "two decks for mixing, scratching, and synchronizing the MP3 or WAV files stored on the PC," twin LCD screens for track information, built-in loops / "special effects," and wireless functionality thanks to the included dongle that plugs into your laptop or desktop. Essentially, the unit assumes your sound system is wired up to the corresponding computer, and any mixing you do gets beamed back to the PC and subsequently blasted out to the four people who actually showed up for your shindig. Nevertheless, Hercules can get your next party started without fancy cabling and a whole lot of dough, as the Mobile DJ MP3 will set you back just £59 ($119).[Via Gearlog]
Stanton DJ unveils T.90 USB turntable
If you're looking for a quality, high-torque turntable that will also let your rip your vinyl to a PC, Stanton's got a new model in its T line that should do just the trick. Besides the usual features you'd expect from one of the premiere manufacturers of pro audio equipment -- straight tone arm, two start/stop switches, S/PDIF out -- the T.90 USB also delivers USB connectivity (obviously) along with extras like "Key Lock", which allows you to adjust the tempo without affecting pitch. So far price and release remain a mystery -- Stanton's PR figures all we care about are the specs -- but plan on paying a few hundred bucks for gear of this caliber whenever it does hit shelves and etailers.
djay - a "groundbreaking" audio application
djay, as you can see, is a "groundbreaking" new audio app that offers a slew DJ-oriented features to get your party started, including: Real-time audio mix transmission over Bonjour network Real-time audio mix recording iTunes Integration Automatic artwork image loading on both turntables Time-Stretching Pitch-Shifting with amazing blend effect Audio Unit Effects Support Pre-Cueing (requires multichannel sound card) Crossfade automation Magnetic tempo slider for precise beat matching GarageBand instruments integration via network AppleScriptability for mixing automation and a whole lot more. Seriously, I had to whittle out quite a bit from djay's feature list just to fit these key points into the post. I'm not a DJ myself, but checking this out sure makes me wish I was.All these features come in (what looks like) a slick package for the low, low price of $0; in fact, I can't even find a donation link at the product's site, algoriddim.net (clever). If any more DJ-capable TUAW readers check this out, please share a few words of your wisdom with the rest of the class.[via digg]
