Deckadance, from the makers of FL “Fruity Loops” Studio, is now shipping. No word on the Mac version in development, but Windows, at least, is shipping now. We’re excited to try it out for all the reasons we were when we first saw it, and now we have some additional details to flesh in:

The creators of Fruity Loops aka FL Studio (Image Line software) have just announced a new DJ application called DeckaDance, and this thing looks like the answers to our prayers. We here at CDM love applications that don’t tie you into a specific controller/hardware/control vinyl solution. DeckaDance seems to have everything we’ve ever wanted in a DJ application, and not only does it support several different types of control vinyl, it actually has a learn mode to adapt itself to new types! Add the fact that it’s a VST host capable of hosting both effects AND instruments, and is capable of operating as a VST plugin as well, and I think we have something that will truly change the face of DJing (unlike some other recent products). Here’s a run-down of some of the more notable features:

1. Works as standalone or VSTi plugin
2. Hosts VSTi soft synths & FX in 8 slots
3. 8-slot sampler that samples from the decks
4. 6 inputs & 12 outputs
5. Supports Final Scratch, Serato Scratch, MixVibes and (our favorite) Ms Pinky vinyl
6. Capable of learning new vinyl control systems


7. Auto-sync

Winning the award this month for “Most Insane Project Mockup”, I give you the Plattabass. It’s a bass. It’s a record player. It has magnetic sensors embedded in the neck. And yes, that is a crossfader. Even crazier: Mobius (Ray Belden) plans to actually build this thing. We’ll be watching.

Proposed specs, courtesy Ray:

1. 2 assignable cross faders, an extreme pitch control that goes to zero RMP, a thumb worn magnet that triggers a sensor inlaid in the back of the neck
2. Three control knobs, and 2 TRS stereo outputs
3. Fender P bass neck, Basslines 1/4 pound pickups, and Fender flat-wound strings
4. Technics 1200 motor, plater , and controls
5. The experimental, spring loaded ,3 pole, zero drag stylus cartridge caddy / Bas string bridge, will be a one off custom piece of metal work
6. I will need a dsp unit that has a phono preamp built in, I was thinking I could cannibalize a Rane TTM-56

What, no built-in refrigerator for the brewskis? Can’t really see the purpose, then.

For those of you who are unbelievers, Ray says he is photographing work on a prototype as he builds it. Hopefully we’ll have photographic evidence soon.

Believe it or not, though, this isn’t the strangest project we’ve seen yet involving Ms. Pinky, the brilliant-yet-affordable control vinyl system (see CDM Ms. Pinky tag). It’s only right that it’d get built into a bass having already been used inside tree trunks and powering vibrating chaise lounges. Got an unusual Pinky project of your own? Do let us know.

Thanks, Ray and Wallace! (Close-up image after the jump.)

…because M-Audio’s front page has a countdown timer assuring us that tomorrow “DJing will never be the same”, along with a little Torq logo. I wish.

I don’t know how many times I’ve been assured by manufacturer propaganda that “X” will never be the same, but it’s got to be one of the most overused cliches around. Frankly, I’m no longer surprised by these silly ad pitches, but I’m not any less insulted.

FWIW, I happen to really love my M-Audio Conectiv. Having been a MsPinky user from day one, the Conectiv solves a lot of my problems. I used to have to set up using two external phono preamps (with their own power supplies) running into my RME Multiface, and the Conectiv eliminates a lot of the wires and almost all the hassle. The Torq software is nifty too, if a bit more busy than I like my interfaces. Given that I already had a crapload of Gen 1 - 3 MsPinky vinyl (the rewards of being a hardcore beta tester in the early days), buying an interface/DJ software system built around the pink vinyl was a no-brainer for me.

The mighty Ars Technica regularly takes on technically-intense reviews of processors and operating systems, but this time they’ve turned their attentions to something else altogether: DJ software. Dave Girard helms the review, with an exhaustive look at both basic DJ virtual decks (Disco, FutureDecks Lite, DJ1800) and full-featured software (VirtualDJ, Traktor DJ Studio from Native Instruments, and MixVibes Pro). (Thanks for the tip, Ryan Pollack!)

DJ Software for Windows and Mac OS X [Ars Technica]

The DJ apps get the full Ars Technica treatment, down to helpful figures explaining how DJing works for the uninitiated. Traktor DJ wins handily on Mac and Windows at the high end; for casual use on Windows VirtualDJ gets a nod. Girard also tests the hardware with the cheap Hercules DJ control surface / interface. This is exactly the kind of review from which I run screaming — round-ups are a total, life-sucking pain as a reviewer. (Yeah, I’m sure there’s a Logic 8 / Live 6 / Cubase SX 4 / DP 5 mega-review in my future, but in the meantime I’m going to try to keep enjoying life.)

The review also wins extra points for including an image of this business card. I wish Ashok had played my puberty party.

It’s a rare treat to see Ars doing DJ software, but there are some notable omissions.

Jesse Kriss, who created an interactive visualization on the history of sampling, is back with a new project that translates live turntable scratching into computer visuals:

Visual Scratch

At the heart of the system is the computer turntable control system Ms. Pinky, as seen here previously powering vibrating furniture and hiding out in tree trunks. Jesse uses Max/MSP to generate the scratching sounds, then hooks up a second laptop to output visuals. Processing, the open-source software that promises easy coding even for artists, handles the eye candy. You could use the same approach to generate sound, however; Processing can work as a synthesis toolkit with the help of the free library JSyn. (Or, alternatively, Max/MSP/Jitter could work on visuals — though you may still need two laptops to catch up.)

Go check out the video for an explanation of how it all works. Thanks, Jesse! Great project, and nice scratching, to boot!

Tokyo-based DJ Daito Manabe has devised a unique use for a turntable: he hooked it up to a multiple-PowerBook rig so you can scratch 34 tracks of sound or sit back in a vibrating chaise longue. I asked Daito how this works, and responded in an email that reads a bit like a poetic riddle:

Chair for the silence consists of two elements.
The first one is a chair that can provide 32 vibrations,
the second is music of 34 tracks for touch and hearing.
People can experience this by sitting in the chair and dropping the phonograph needle.

We can recognize pursuing sensual peculiarity, commonality and interaction
between sounds and vibration by this chaise longue.

The vibrations from vibrators are from 5hz to 120hz,
and sounds from headphone are from 5hz to 80hz.

34 tracks (2ch * 14) sound files are controlled by a signal from Ms.Pinky.
It means people can scratch 34 tracks by one record.

More specs and images after the jump, if that still doesn’t make sense . . .

CDM’s report on spinning tech continues . . .

New York David Ellis doesn’t treat turntables the way some of us do. His turntables get wired to custom electronics, installed in tree trunks, and shown in galleries:

Opening at Feigan Contemporary [Single-eYe-twiligghT; scroll down]

All of this is possible through the magic of Ms. Pinky, a special vinyl record / software combination that lets you control computer software using conventional turntables. (See our previous report.) Unlike mainstream DJ solutions like Stanton’s Final Scratch, this one is cheap ($100 for four discs) and comes with a Max/MSP object so you can build your own custom audio and video patches.

But, of course, what’s extraordinary about David Ellis’ work is the imaginative, visually stunning worlds into which he injects his turntables. The fact that they’re scratchable and produce equally unique sounds just it that much cooler. (Check out the specs on the art below; these are real DJ setups, not just for show.) Makes your Technics 1200s look kinda boring just sitting there, huh? Now, if I can just install my Power Mac G5 into a potted palm-cum-mural . . .

Neuromixer Pro 0.5 is here for Windows XP and Mac OS X:

Load up video, and scratch it like vinyl. Neuromixer Pro
features playback speed, range/cue points, forward/reverse, dual video
"decks", and real-time MIDI-based manipulations. The new version
features:

• Support for Ms. Pinky (so you can scratch with real vinyl!)
• Feedback video effect
• BPM counter receives MIDI clock (so you can sync your video system to your audio system — bring two laptops, I say)
• Improved previews, MIDI, preferences, etc.

Still free for now, though summer 2005 will bring the US$49.95 1.0 release — likely to be well worth it!

And if you're Japanese and are tired of listening to me speaking English, VJ Fader translated his page into Japanese.