It looks like we’re only at the beginning of seeing the uptake of Wii as an input device for gaming. As it’s a bluetooth device there’s numerous hacks that tie it up to a PC. Businesses are capitalizing on this and developing immersive training experiences. Perhaps that killer app is just around the corner?

Wii and Second Life

Taking the basics of how the Wii could be used in Second Life, MIT research fellows have been creating business models to cut the cost of training by using Second Life and Wii as an immersive learning center. For large corporations, this means not having to send trainees to expensive on-location courses. As a footnote, there is also the possibility to tape a Wii controller to a plastic steering wheel and use it to practice driving. Hook this up to Google Earth and you can drive Paris to Dakar without leaving your sofa.

Wii and finger tracking

Oddly, reversing the Wii and using it as a static infrared camera taped to the top of your TV means you can use the Wii controller to sense finger movements. Look out for the cameo of a pack of cards as a prop. This is what the new generation of mad professors look like:
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/0awjPUkBXOU" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Where would this work best? I’m thinking for design and music software. As it is, visualizations for plugin VST sound effects already have the look down. They just lacked the input device.
OK, time to go watch the Minority Report to find out why all the comparisons are made (am I the only geek on the planet who hasn’t seen the film?)

ok, i had a million other things i was meant to be doing this friday, but hell – the rest of france ‘faire le pont’ (have taken an extended holiday after all soul’s day) so i can allow myself to get a little sidetracked.

back in the day i remember looking up websites that had wedged/notched diagrams showing you the basic structure of dance music and talking about getting records in tune. that was in the days before youtube. now we have ellaskins, an english guy named jonathan, fervently and eloquently taking us through all kinds of elements of dj’ing. from describing what is rare groove, through to showing how to mix with pitch controls and what’s visually my favourite, illustrating dance music structure with his son’s lego. enjoy:

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/aDnc_NjgQZw" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

although he focusses on vinyl/cd djing these are excellent tutorials for new digital dj’s or those making the transition from the vinyl/cd world towards the possibilities of digital.

hellishly expensive at over $2,500, but for some reason i keep getting drawn back to this piece of kit. designed with ableton and traktor in mind (they’ve included overlays and pre-programmed midi maps for both), the xone 3d seems to be about the only piece of kit that combines mixer, midi fader/knob controllers and jog wheels.

they are pro’s in the mixer market and have been working hard on the digital front (the xone:92 mixer is actually emulated in traktor) and at the moment have the most engaging piece of kit. the product ships with a lite version of ableton and if you want to know how this works, check out remix mag’s detailed review.

i am awaiting an offering from pioneer in this realm – the one thing i would like to see is something akin to a midi version of the cdj 1000. how far off am i? oh well, in the meantime i can dream that one day i get to this level:

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/7OU4c75I74c" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

So, you’ve got your beat-matching all figured out but occasionally still throw the odd clanger when trying to blend a couple of tracks. Chances are you’re putting one key on another that just don’t go.

Unless you’ve got Stevie Wonder’s ears, you may have a few problems trying to figure out what key a particular track is in. Fear not, oh digital DJ because now there are tools that can help you on your way.

Mixed in Key
For a little over $50 this smart little app will scan mp3 and wav files and show you which songs are harmonically-compatible. They also provide an excellent how-to guide that talks you through the basics.

Camelot Sound
Slightly different approach here. This site maintains a database of tracks together with their harmonic key. Great for the more mainstream end of the spectrum.

More resources from the Whippinpost
Latest developments in this area and some links to further resources.

I thought I had already talked about this somewhere on this site but could find no trace. Apologies if this is old news.

These are the sites I generally scour in search of new music (primarily electronic, some indie):

Beatport: New house/techno releases

Bleep: More leftfield electronica – especially as this site is run by Warp records

MP3 Sugar/Legal Sounds: Run by future Russian music moghals

Lest you forget, the netlabels on Archive.org are ripe with fresh talent more interested in getting out there than making a quick buck. My personal fave of the moment has to be Unfoundsound.

A little bit cheeky, this one. But if you often come across tracks you like on Myspace that you can’t download, try out this feature:

http://myspacemp3.org/

Thanks to Beatmixed for the heads-up on this gizmo.

It’s hard to find a steady path to tread between the nay-sayers and hyper-evangelists in this ever-changing world. Never more so than in the world of DJ’ing, where it appears, after more than 20 years, we could be coming towards the end of the 1210 era.

After vinyl: the CD?

But what will come next? While the Pioneer CDJ 1000 seems to be adopting the same position in the CD DJ market that Technics held with vinyl, can we really expect the CD to enjoy the longevity of the black plastic 12″? After all part of the reason vinyl stuck around so long was due to distribution: it was the medium of choice for specialist dance music shops. For the digital DJ unconcerned about looking cool with a record bag round the Boho district of town, shopping online is an attractive proposition. High-quality mp3s can be purchased from anywhere in the world relatively cheaply (forget the exhorbitant ‘import’ price tag).

Even though the latest CD players (inc. Pioneer’s) can handle mp3 playback allowing you to take a whole night’s worth of records on a handful of CDs, you have to be prepared to go through the act of burning CDs (two copies of each if you want the possiblity to mix from any track to any other).

The pure digital DJ

If you’re thinking there’s enough plastic in the world and have no romantic attachment to the 11.5cm CD, then another option is to go down the complete digital road. Although this industry is still in its infancy, innovators such as Richie Hawtin, Coldcut and Sasha have been championing this technology for some time.

A common setup is to have some kind of USB midi controller that you connect to a laptop via a standard USB cable. The controller can be anything from faders through to a time-coded piece of vinyl that sends a control sound back to the computer. For the software, there’s custom DJ software, or the more advanced sequencers such as Ableton Live. Across the board, what you end up with is a package that can be highly mobile – you need little more than a laptop loaded with all your mp3s and some form of controller.

Hardware controllers

What controller you use largely depends on how you mix. If you’re more into seamless beat mixing, then faders will probably do, for the turntablist, a time-coded piece of vinyl on a regular deck may fit the bill.

Native Instruments produce high-end digital equipment and software for musicians, producers and DJs. The Traktor Scratch is based on technology they originally produced for Stanton. It’s essentially a box that sits between the turntable/CD deck and the laptop that receives a signal from time-coded CD/vinyl. As you scratch, or alter the pitch, the signal sent to the box changes, and this is used to adjust playback. So for instance, using an existing pair of 1210s it’s possible to directly control mp3s on your laptop.

Rane’s Serato Scratch offers essentially the same, although this product has attained a high following in the hip hop world.

M-Audio’s X-Session Pro offers knobs and faders to control playback. More aimed at the more value-conscious end of the house music playing market, the contoller is ideal for performing long fades and mucking around with EQ levels.

A newer entrant on the scene (released early in 2007) is the VCI-100 DJ Midi Controller from Vestax. This hybrid device contains both jog wheels and faders, and is no wider than your average laptop. Vestax has long been a producer of high-end DJ gear including turntables and mixers so you can expect this equipment to live up to their high standards.

Software contenders

For the DJ, the software market can be less confusing. You have the choice of the bespoke DJ products, or to use a specialized sequencing package. Your options can be limited depending on what hardware you choose.

Tracktor DJ Studio is, as the name suggests, built squarely for the DJ. The interface can be cumbersome, but is packed full of features, with a mixer modelled on the Allen & Heath Xone:92. Many controllers ship with the lite version of the product which will help Native Instruments in its quest to dominate this market.

Virtual DJ produced one of the first products to put the waveforms side-by-side, making it instantly easier to mix by sight, as well as by sound. The interface is generally well laid out and the performance of the software is one of the highlights.

Ableton Live is a multi-track editing tool that revolutionized the industry by introducing a different way of interacting with samples – the ability to quickly move the blocks around a vertical grid. No more messing around with tricky waveforms. This product is squarely aimed at sample-driven dance music and hooking it up to a midi controller has become the kit of choice for many digital DJs including John Digweed and Laurent Garnier.

The future

As with any new industry, it can be worth waiting to see what wins out as the king pin – the de facto industry standard. Pick your bandwagon before you jump. After all, is it really worth a vinyl DJ training on anything other than a pair of Technics given that this is what you’ll be presented with in most bar/club settings?

However, the digital DJ space can remain a lot more open allowing different DJs to pick their tools of choice. After all, if it’s just a laptop bag and a controller you need to hook up to the club’s amp, you can get out on the road with any kit you like. With different setups allowing you to interact with sounds in a different way, the emergence of the digital DJ could well signal a true revolution.

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