traktor scratch

Revised DJ software and digital vinyl systems offer enhanced creative versatility and usability, include new range of DJ audio interfaces

Native Instruments today announced the new TRAKTOR generation, which establishes the next level of power and ease-of-use with its TRAKTOR PRO 2 software and TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2 digital vinyl system. Based on versatile new software features and a revised audio interface line, the new product generation expands the lead of Native Instruments’ TRAKTOR range and gives DJs even more creative possibilities.
Pricing and availability:

The new TRAKTOR generation is based on a revised high-visibility GUI for intuitive operation under all conditions, and now offers up to four powerful Sample Decks as well as the unique Loop Recorder. While each Sample Deck can add up to four simultaneous samples or loops to the mix, the Loop Recorder allows DJs to capture audio from various sources on the fly and drop it back into the mix at any time, opening up creative techniques far beyond conventional DJing.

A further major innovation of the new TRAKTOR generation is the new "TruWave" technology. By displaying tracks and samples in all four decks with high-resolution multi-colored waveforms, it gives deep insight into the spectral properties of the music, visualizing both individual rhythmic elements as well as general sonic characteristics. With four selectable color schemes, an extra-wide zoom range and subpixel-accuracy waveform rendering, TruWave allows DJs to read their tracks visually for even more intuitive mixing.

The leading synchronization features in TRAKTOR have been further expanded with a new "SoftSync" function that provides a unique combination of convenient automatic beat-matching and hands-on control. By keeping the tempo of multiple tracks in sync without manipulating the phase, SoftSync accommodates the widest possible range of mixing techniques both in TRAKTOR PRO 2 and in TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2. The effect selection of TRAKTOR has also been expanded with four additional types that offer unique ways to create dramatic breakdowns and other typical performance effects, including a tape delay emulation and the new "Bouncer", increasing the arsenal to an unparalleled assortment of over 30 algorithms.

The timecode-controlled TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2 combines the new software generation with the new TRAKTOR AUDIO 10 interface, which offers additional I/O, improved signal chain monitoring and a versatile new bypass functionality over the previous AUDIO 8 model. With its true analog "Direct Thru" functionality that can be controlled directly from the TRAKTOR 2 software, TRAKTOR AUDIO 10 allows for easier switchovers between DJ sets and is ideally suited for club installation.

Most features of the new TRAKTOR generation can also be found in the new TRAKTOR DUO 2 versions, which offer a classic two-deck configuration with additional dual sample decks and a compact effect selection at an especially affordable price, with TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO 2 including the new TRAKTOR AUDIO 6 interface.

For the TRAKTOR KONTROL S4 system, the new TRAKTOR PRO 2 will replace the originally included TRAKTOR PRO S4 software. All KONTROL S4 owners will receive a download upgrade free of charge.


All products within the new TRAKTOR PRO 2 generation will be available
in stores in April 2011.

Pricing:
TRAKTOR PRO 2 – $229
TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2 – $669
TRAKTOR DUO 2 – $119
TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO 2 – $399

dj flight cases

The HardBody PRO CD Player/Mixer case is ideal for DJ’s who want to protect their CD player OR mixer when going to/from gigs. Sized to fit most all DJ CD players and mixers and featuring our award winning Duro-Shock xEVA shells, the HardBody PRO safely stores away your CD player OR mixer from damage. The inside of the case features SLAPPAs .5" thick super-cush padding on every panel and comes with 2 additional pad inserts for smaller players/mixers. A honeycomb frame provides additional case stability, and steel "O" rings are riveted into the frame. The HardBody PRO comes with our PRO-Grade shoulder strap which features industrial strength alloy clasps and an air-vent shoulder pad. Finished in our "Strike" print on the inside and out, the HardBody PRO is a great looking, protective case.

SL-CDJ-01 FEATURES:
Molded Duro-Shock xEVA HardBody shell provides
ultimate protection for DJ CD players or DJ mixers
Steel reinforced "O" rings for shoulder strap (included)
Honeycomb Frame provides extra case stability
SLAPPA "Strike" print on inside and outside of case HardBody shell
Industrial Strength zippers and alloy zipper pullers

Battle declares top DJ

On Wednesday, March 9, the Adopt-A-Heart organization hosted their first annual "Go DJ" Battle in the Olson Auditorium.
Playing to a capacity crowd, DJ Yeti, Thoed Off, Super Jay, and Kickflip battled it out through five rounds of competition for the title of "Best DJ at Sam Houston State."
The competition was centered around raising funds for Mariano Thomas, an Adopt-A-Heart candidate that the Sam Houston State chapter is currently sponsoring.
"Our organization has been around for five years," Allyssa Bogan, junior and president of the organization, said. "Each year, we elect a critically ill candidate and spend the entire school year raising funds for that individual – as well as raise awareness for the student body."

Five rounds were set in place for the competing DJ's, who were challenged with building mixes around genres such as old school beats, h-town songs, and then given five minutes to perform their set in front of the estimated 350 students in attendance.

Anticipations ran high among the competitors.

"My thought on all of this is to go at it like I usually do" said DJ Thoed Off. "Just gotta go out there and give it my all."
By the end of the night, DJ Kickflip, aka sophomore Colton Cornett, came out on top as the winner of the contest.
Nearly $1000 was raised from the competition – a major success for the program.
DJ Yeti said it best, "For Adopt-a-Heart to give us this opportunity to DJ for this cause – well this is definitely a great thing."

Best Of Past Year 2010

Top Tracks:

Extravaganza – Soul Clap
Stay In Love – Nicolas Jaar
In My System (Jef K System Mix) – The Gathering
Since You Looked Into My Eyes – Kabale Und Liebe
Jazz Tango (Original Mix) – El Mundo & Satori
Club Lonely (J.Cub Remix) – Lil Louis
Deja Vu (Musaria Mix) – Larry Heard
The Maze (Part 1) – Stefan Goldmann
Un Dia (Reboot Remix) – Juana Molina
Tournicoti (Original Mix) – Julian Jeweil
Yeah feat. Guest Of Nature – Deniz Kurtel
Sliding Away (Johnny D Vocal Mix) – 2020 Soundsystem
Vampire Night Club feat. Seth Troxler – Art Department
You Might Lose It (Kerri Chandler Kaoz 623 Remix) – Makam
Crystalised (Jamie Jones' Booty Mix) – The XX
Cooper – Christian Burkhardt & Einzelkind
Strange Neighbors – Marco Faraone & Arado
Definition (Nic Fanciulli Remix) – Loco Dice
Forget The World (Ft Beckford) – Zev
It's 2 Late 4 U & Me – Moodymann
What They Say – Maya Jane Coles
The Secret – Joris Voorn
Snorkel – Lati & Maetrik
Nous Sommes – MMM
Tribute – Livio & Roby
Rejekt – Dubfire


Top 10 Record Labels:

Cocoon
Crosstown Rebels
Desolat
Wolf and Lamb
Drumcode
Hot Natured
Leftroom
Bpitch
Hypercolour
Remote Area
Sci + Tec


My Top 10 DJ Sets:

Vath, Villalobos, Dubfire, Carola, Loco Dice, Hawtin B2B – Timewarp
Villalobos b2b Carola - Amnesia Terrace
Sven Vath - Creamfields
Matthias Tanzmann – DC10
Visionquest - Mint Club
Seth Troxler - Space Terrace
Magda – Ushuaia
Dubfire – Global Gathering
Matt Tolfrey - Wherehouse
Livio & Roby - Sankeys

Top 5 Live Sets:

Kollectiv Turmstrasse - Amnesia Terrace
Nicolaas Jaar - Spektrum
Marc Houle - Stealth (Zleep)
Reboot - Maimarkthalle (Timewarp)

Touch-screen DJing

Although DJ’s across the world strongly disagree with the idea that turntables and additional gear should become digitized in live performance, we’re going to describe a concept and a prototype DJ mixing tool that rely on touch-screen technology. Unlike the iPad and iPod solutions that are on the market, these 2 are yet to become more widely spread due to current prices of larger touch-screens and surfaces.

Designer Gerg Kaufman came up with an idea of a supremely slick touch-screen interface concept for his senior thesis project at the Kansas City Art Institute. The idea behind Multi Touch Light Table creation is that it could allow any traveling DJ to carry their entire equipment kit in a carry-on and use the songs on a touch-screen surface. Some of the problems that may occur can be related to versions of software available (regarding available features and design itself) or the limitations if the equipment vendors do limit available platforms for their gear.

The interface design is simple and relies on multi-touch and gestures. Unlike other concepts out there, this design is rather intuitive once you get a hang of its possibilities. Beat-matching, which can be really complex, can be accomplished by a couple taps with a single finger on the desired turntable.

Futuristic DJ Console

What you see on the picture above is a futuristic DJ console concept that was designed by Matthew Blythman. It has a platform that allows a 4-way competition amidst DJs with just one console. Other features include a virtual turntable, BPM controls as well as the all important play/cue functions, and the program will ensure songs played by all four DJs will be of the same beat. So what do you think about this concept Mr DJ's?

Hellfish

Owner of Deathchant records and beat master extraordinaire Hellfish has produced some of the most amazing futuristic dance music of the last few years. It’s easy enough to make abstract bollocks but the dancefloor requires a little more production nous & understanding of the dancefloor. Combining this with abstract bollox (which he surely does) is a most difficult trick. He cut his production teeth back in the day with releases on Moving Shadow, Dance Bass and his own Bogwoppa records. (Let’s forget about the happy hardcore years) which brings us up to ‘96 when he launched Deathchant & pioneered the hardcore techno vs hip-hop sound in a way even now few can match.

DJ Producer

Real Name:
Luke McMillan
Profile:
Bath based U.K. techno/hardcore techno DJ, DJing since 1989, recording since 1994.

Frontman for experimental hardcore techno label "Rebelscum" and frequently records with Julian Cobb aka DJ Hellfish (owner of Deathchant records), and French hard techno DJ Emanuel Dauchez aka Manu Le Malin. Also in the past produced Drum and Bass on High Octane records as Suspicious Circumstance.
In 2005 he came under European managment from the Dutch The Third Movement record label / DJ agency. He DJs all across Europe on a regular basis.

PIONEER | DJ Media Controllers | DDJT1

The DDJ-T1 easily connects with a user’s laptop via USB for quick “plug-and-play” capability with TRAKTOR Pioneer DDJ-T1 Edition DJ Software. For further convenience, the controller also comes with a computer dock that allows a laptop’s keyboard to slip directly under the controller, bringing the monitor closer to the DJ, providing fast visuals of song information while mixing. The device adopts Pioneer’s “P-LOCK Fader Cap,” designed to prevent the fader caps from slipping.

Features:

Plug and play USB connectivity with 4-channel deck control
Included TRAKTOR Pioneer DDJ-T1 Edition DJ Software
Specially designed user interface
Optimized controller for highest quality sound
P-LOCK Fader Cap lock mechanism design
Premier built-in sound card

Equipments of dj

DJ equipment may consist of:
Sound recordings in a DJ's preferred medium (e.g., vinyl records, Compact Discs, computer media files, etc.);
A combination of two devices (or only one, if playback is digital) to play sound recordings, for alternating back and forth to create a continuous playback of music (e.g., record players, Compact Disc players, computer media players such as an MP3 player, etc.);
A multiple Sequencer which can mix MIDI tracks with Digital Audio;
A sound system for amplification or broadcasting of the recordings (e.g., portable audio system, PA system) or a radio broadcasting system;
A DJ mixer, which is an electronic (usually 2- or 4-channel) audio mixer usually equipped with a crossfader used to smoothly go from one song to another, using two or more playback devices;
Headphones, used to listen to one recording while the other recording is being played to the audience; and
Optionally, a microphone, so that the DJ can introduce songs and speak to the audience.
Other equipment could or can be added to the basic DJ setup (above), providing unique sound manipulations. Such devices include, but are not limited to:
Electronic effects units (delay, reverb, octave, equalizer, chorus, etc.). Some club DJs use a sub-harmonic synthesizer effect which either doubles low frequencies with energy added an octave lower or synthesizes harmonics such that the impression of a very low bass sound is added to the mix.
A computerised performance system, which can be used with vinyl emulation software to manipulate digital files on the computer in real time.
Multi-stylus headshells, which allow a DJ to play different grooves of the same record at the same time.
Special DJ digital controller hardware can manipulate digital files on a PC or laptop;
Samplers, sequencers, electronic musical keyboards (synthesizers), or drum machines.
Several techniques are used by DJs as a means to better mix and blend recorded music. These techniques primarily include the cueing, equalization, and audio mixing of two or more sound sources. The complexity and frequency of special techniques depends largely on the setting in which a DJ is working. Radio DJs are less likely to focus on music-mixing procedures than club DJs, who rely on a smooth transition between songs using a range of techniques.
Club DJ turntable techniques include beatmatching, phrasing, and slip-cueing to preserve energy on a dancefloor. Turntablism embodies the art of cutting, beat juggling, scratching, needle drops, phase shifting, back spinning, and more to perform the transitions and overdubs of samples in a more creative manner (although turntablism is often considered a use of the turntable as a musical instrument rather than a tool for blending recorded music). Professional DJs may use harmonic mixing to choose songs that are in compatible musical keys.