Hands On: Djay Pro (OS X)

Thanks to numerous technological advances over the past 40 years, the tools -- and skills -- needed to cut and mix music together in a live environment has been drastically reduced. What used to require multiple record decks, crossfaders, and not to mention a large library of vinyl records, has been reduced down to a single piece of software that can run on a laptop. Algoriddim, a company that has become well known for its iOS DJ apps, recently released a new Pro version of its desktop app Djay. Built specifically for OS X, Djay Pro takes full advantage of 64-bit processing, multi-core track analysis, and Retina displays, but does it do so in a way that is accessible to anyone? We have spent the last few weeks digging around the app to find out.

The first time you open Djay Pro, you will be presented with an interface that feels totally manageable. Everything is neatly organized, and with a quick glance you can quickly find all of the most important controls. Under the hood, however, are a ton of additional options that can be added to the interface to further expand functionality. With just a few clicks, panels with controls for audio effects, cue points, and loops can be accessed, along with a customizable sampler.

The interface is effectively split into two unique areas: the top half, where you will find your audio decks and DJ controls, and the bottom half, where the library can be found. By default, the software will be launch into the Turntable layout, which gives you two decks -- beautifully rendered to look like classic record players -- to work with. As sharp as this view looks, we quickly moved away from it in favor of the two deck Horizontal Waveform view. When it comes to really seeing how songs sync up rhythmically, the waveform views provide a lot more visual information. Along with our preferred view, Djay Pro also offers a Vertical Waveform view, as well as a four deck variant with both vertical and horizontal layouts.

Being new to the DJ environment ourselves, we greatly appreciated the simple interface that first greeted us. It didn't take long to understand what each control was used for, which let us quickly get some music going and begin messing around with mixing different songs together. As we became more comfortable, we slowly started introducing new panels, which essentially turned the entire experience into a self-learning tutorial.

One of the most-touted features in Djay Pro has to be its tight integration with Spotify. Down in the bottom left hand corner of the software is a little iTunes icon, which when clicked brings up a small menu with an option to switch to Spotify. After logging into a registered Premium account, Spotify's entire library of streaming music instantly becomes available to use within Djay Pro. We were a little unsure of how streaming files would work in this particular music environment, but kept an open mind. The developers promised that the same technology allowing its iOS apps to perform similar functions on a 3G network was at work, and after a bit of testing we came away rather impressed.

Using Spotify tracks is really as simple as using any locally-stored files. The track browser lets you search through Spotify's entire collection, while different filters can be used to view the current Top 100, Spotify created playlists, personally created playlists, and more. Exclusive to Spotify songs, and powered by Echo Nest, the app also features a "Match" feature that provides recommendations for other songs that might go well with what is currently playing. We were big fans of this feature, as it provided a jumping-off point when we became stuck for new ideas.

After finding the desired track, it simply needs to be dragged to the desired deck, and it will then load with a full waveform preview. We tried this on both our home Wi-Fi connection, and that of a busy Starbucks in downtown Toronto, and found that in both cases songs loaded almost instantaneously. Songs can be seamlessly mixed and matched from a local iTunes library and Spotify, making the line between local files and streamed content nearly invisible.

While there is an argument that streamed audio will be of a lower quality than most local files, there is no denying that access to such a vast library for someone just dipping their proverbial toes into the DJ world is a huge plus. The catch here is that this only works with Spotify. If you are a subscriber to a different audio streaming service, then you will either have to forego this feature or switch subscriptions. We really hope to see support for streaming services expand in the future, but aren't expecting to see it happen anytime soon.

Thanks to its large controls and ample keyboard shortcuts, the app is really easy to use as a standalone product. Everything can be accessed with a few mouse clicks or keyboard presses. Though after a bit of use, we can see how important external hardware still is to this particular art form. As easy as it is to access the controls you are looking for, there is a fairly significant time lag -- in most cases -- of having the thought and getting the cursor to the exact right position. Luckily, Djay Pro includes fantastic MIDI support and will work right along side a wide range of popular MIDI controllers. It also features an easy-to-use MIDI Learn system that makes it easy to map any hardware to individual actions within the app.

Original post:
Hands On: Djay Pro (OS X)