I learned to mix the old school way. As soon as I could afford it, I bought two Technics 1210 turntables and the Pioneer DJM 500 mixer. That’s been my setup since the early 2000s.
I gave DJ software a try several times, but was never happy. I was frustrated with the crappy UX, and it wasn’t fun to collect MP3’s and organise them manually before I could start playing a set. So I sticked with the analog way and carrying around heavy vinyl.
That was until a few weeks ago when I tried Algoriddim’s djay Pro AI on my Mac for the first time. Everything “just worked” once I managed to connect my Traktor Kontrol S2 MK3 in MIDI mode.
Two things absolutely stand out for me:
Steaming: I can connect my TIDAL account, and start mixing literally every song released on the planet. I actually use djay Pro for ordinary listening as well, as it is much snappier than the original TIDAL desktop app. This way I can discover new tunes during the day and improve my DJ playlists, which are synced between devices, thanks to TIDAL.
Neural Mix: djay Pro AI lets me separate drums, bass, harmonic melodies and vocals. It’s a DJ’s dream come true for me, as I can create cool mixes, avoiding overlapping singing or drums.
Despite my DJ skills being a bit rusty, I managed to have a lot of fun playing at my brother’s wedding a few weeks ago. My laptop and the controller fitted in a light backpack. Happy, because it really took me years of research with many failed attempts to make the switch. 🕺
One wish though, if someone of Algoriddim is reading this. Please, add the ability to “favorite” songs in the iPhone mobile app.
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