Ms. Pinky Revised from Mastah Lee on Vimeo.

What should DJing in Ableton Live look like? How could conventional vinyl cueing and scratching be integrated with the Live environment? Serato and Ableton gave us one possible answer to that question last week with The Bridge. Their solution: use your Serato DJ set normally, and simply sync the transport of Ableton Live when the two run simultaneously.

That solution could be ideal for some users, but it falls short of what many expected, which was the ability to scratch audio elements from Live as though they were on vinyl. Scratching Live clips would seem to be the best of both worlds: you get all the live sequencing features of Live, but you can still manipulate sound as you would on a turntable.

Enter Ms. Pinky. The vinyl control system has long been a highly-precise, solid-performing alternative to better-known names. Its ace in the hole has long been open control from your own custom patches, via an external object for the graphical programming language Max/MSP. The results have ranged from custom visual performance to a vibrating chaise lounge controlled by a turntable. With Max patches now able to interact more deeply with Live through Max for Live, that opens up the chance to build your own DJ-Ableton integration.

Ms. Pinky and Max for Live user Lee Goodrich has just done that. We saw an early version of the patch last month, but a new version irons vastly expands on the integration with Live, making this a truly complete solution for digital DJing.
Post on the patch with download
Information on the update

Some of the tasty features you get:

• Set Ms. Pinky to any track and use clips in that track
• Trigger a clip as you would normally, and it cues right into Ms. Pinky for scratching (see Lee in comments for more, but do note that the catch is that Ms Pinky actually loads the original file, because clips in Live don’t yet provide access to their playhead)
• Trigger different sequences of audio clips using a pattern contained in a MIDI clip (essentially automated cueing)
• Record clips using Live’s recording facility
• Scratch away with control vinyl

In relative mode, you can proceed directly to the beginning of the next clip without back-cueing.

The net result of all of this: Ms. Pinky acts like a scratch-anything device you can drop right into your existing Live set. With clever use of sampling and re-sampling, that opens up integration with any synths or external audio sources, not just audio clips.

Ironically, this is much closer to what I had predicted the Serato – Ableton collaboration would resemble.

Lee shares some comments about his experience:

I understand the concern people have about the one big caveat of Max For Live programming (You gotta pay to play, and no free runtime limits potential casual users), but honestly I think Max for Live is a slick enough product to overcome this. Making Max For Live patches has been the most fun programming I’ve ever had, and it is amazing how much you can do and how easy it is to do it. If other programmers are having as much fun as I am, then the bevy of awesome patches that come out of this product will end up being worth paying $300 at the door.

Perhaps the only other thing I’d like to say is that I’m not actually affiliated with Ms. Pinky at all, just another customer who wanted some functionality and due to the versatility of the software was able to extend it. So big thanks to Down Low Pinkstah and whoever else has worked on Ms. Pinky to make it so easily extensible.

Thanks, Lee! It’ll be interesting to see where else this may lead.

If you start using this in your sets, let us know – and get some photos / videos / mixes / whatever.

Oh, yeah, and I want to see a vibrating chaise lounge interface inside Ableton, too.

http://www.mspinky.com/

It’s something we take for granted now, but not so long ago, the only way to scratch and cue records was with analog vinyl. Now, of course, simulating those behaviors using digital records on turntables connected to computers is commonplace. But that hasn’t stopped the question of who owns the technology from spawning legal disputes. Most recently, a suit brought by patent claimants N2IT against M-Audio was dismissed. You can read the history from the time N2IT, a two-person company, launched their first commercial digital DJing (for BeOS, no less) back in the late 90s.

In patents, “first” is everything. And while N2IT had the first commercial product, it seems that broadly speaking the concept of how to make digital DJing work was not exclusively theirs. Chris Bauer writes CDM to share documentation of his own working prototype in 1998, before N2IT shipped their product. Nor is he alone. N2IT hasn’t yet brought suit against digital DJ maker Serato, and Serato’s Steve West publicly demonstrated research at the University of Aukland which leads back to 1996, well ahead of N2IT’s own demos.

It’s well worth reading the whole article for the timeline, but the basic concept is this:

the system created the illusion that the music being heard was actually on the record. and any piece of digitised music could be ‘played’ using this one special record and the spacedeck prototype. the system was fairly crude, but was certainly a working proof-of-concept. you could also perform needle-drops, and very rudimentary scratches. both of these techniques are essential for djing with vinyl, as this is how djs cue and beat-match the records they play.
the main steps of development were as follows:
1. research timecode. it soon became evident that SMPTE timecode would probably be the easiest to work with.
2. burn CDR with SMPTE and write code to ‘listen’ to it and get the speed, direction and position of the code.
3. research and write code to manipulate the speed, direction and position of digital audio files. i used quicktime.
4. write code to playback an audio file according to the incoming timecode data
5. get acetate record (dubplate) with SMPTE timecode on it, test with the system and and fine-tune timecode reading routines
surprisingly, there were no major problems in development. this is probably due to the concept being very simple.

And while N2IT indisputably had the first commercially-available product, this could call their patent claim into question:

the granting of N2ITs patent/s is extremely contentious, as they failed to mention various pieces of ‘prior art’ in their original application, including my project/MA thesis, which they were aware of as early as 2001. patent applicants are obliged to disclose this type of information if they are aware of it.

Chris’ full article:
the spacedeck project 2009

It’s round, it’s mechanically-resistant, it’s tangible, it supports multi-touch and gestures. Yep – it’s the turntable, and outdoing it would mean reinventing the wheel, literally. And so it is that more than a few Ableton fans have wondered how they might work vinyl into their software axe of choice.

Ableton and digital vinyl vendor Serato have announced they’re doing “something,” and then announced at the beginning of October that an announcement would be announced on January 14, 2010 at NAMM. Oh, and they said it will “unleash your creativity,” which sounds good. (It’s better than, say, “Ableton and Serato’s creative partnership will unleash two dozen angry badgers,” or “if you own Ableton Live, what we will say in 2010 is that we will unleash an unspeakable, nameless evil, known only to the ancients, which shall bring about the endtimes.”)

Here’s the surprise – you likely won’t have to wait for Serato to get integrated digital vinyl control. It’s already working with Ms. Pinky, and that means more choice, more DIY possibilities, and a broader variety of ways to integrate turntables and Live.

You see, there’s this little thing called Max for Live, which allows the use of Max patches inside Live as seamless instruments and effects. And one of the best – if least-known – vinyl control systems out there has long featured Max integration: Ms. Pinky. People have already made use of VST plug-in integration, but because Max for Live also connects to the Live API for control of Live itself, the functionality of the two can be expanded.

Via our friend Luthier.Lab, we get a first look at the Ms. Pinky plug-in. And this should be just the beginning, as Ms. Pinky and its Max/MSP support could be a great construction kit for building your own solution – something that may not be possible with Serato.

Ms.PinkyforLive [Luthier.Lab - en Español]
Google Translate (which has some very funny ideas about how to translate Spanish)
Discussion on the Ms. Pinky forum

While you ponder the possibilities, it’s time for a video from Daito Manabe demonstrating that not all turntablists sound quite the same.

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:

1. It hosts VST plug-ins. One of our big complaints with too many traditional DJ apps: you’re restricted to the included effects. Deckadance wisely allows you to use VST plug-ins. Like many of you, I’m not quite ready to give up Ableton Live, though, so that brings us to our next point:
2. It will act as a VST plug-in. Drop Deckadance into any host program, and you can take advantage of its vinyl support capabilities and DJ tools while using everything you like about your host.
   
3. It has some lovely effects of its own. The Juice Pack is included. I’ve been using these with FL Studio 7 as I test that, and it’s a nice bundle for US$99. $179 with Deckadance is a great deal, too. And since they’re VSTs, you can use them even when you’re not running Deckadance, in case you want some FX love in SONAR or Live.
4. It’s cheap. US$179, or $149 during an introductory offer for May.
5. It supports lots of MIDI controllers. Now confirmed: Vestax VCI-100, Behringer BCD2000 & 3000 (though interestingly not Behringer’s DJ controller), Allen & Heath Xone:3D, M-Audio X-Session, the ugly but serviceable Hercules DJ Console MP3 & MK II, and slick EKS XP10 are all supported out of the box.
6. It supports lots of vinyl control systems. Rather than restricting you to one vinyl system, Deckadance “autolearns” the timecode used by various systems, and “has been tested with timecode vinyls & CDs from msPinky, Stanton FinalScratch, MixVibes, Serato Scratch Live, Virtual DJ & Torq.” Notably absent: NI’s upcoming Traktor Scratch. NI tells us they don’t think Deckadance will be able to reverse-engineer their timecode with support for absolute mode. We have heard, though, that absolute timecode (which allows you to needle-drop, etc.) on at least Ms. Pinky, so we’ll see if Image Line can reverse engineer NI’s system.

There are plenty of big questions here, of course, not the least being how this “autolearn” system will work and if it’s competitive with systems integrated out of the box, like NI’s Traktor Scratch. But after years of relative stagnation in traditional digital DJ systems, things are getting interesting. And, while I don’t expect this will be a huge market, I’m personally interested in ways of bringing vinyl techniques into other live performance setups in tools like Max/MSP, FL Studio, Live, through integration of plug-ins like the Ms. Pinky VST or Deckadance in VST mode.

Deckadance Product Page

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

Most surprisingly, it says that a Mac / Audio Units version is planned, in addition to the current Windows version. With the availability of Image-Line’s Poizone and Toxic III soft synths for OS X, perhaps it’s not as big a surprise as it would have been a few years ago, but it’s nice to see ImageLine pushing forward with multiple OS support (I’m guessing that a Linux/Jack port is further down the line :-).

The only glaring omission I see so far is a lack of support for FLAC files (although it does support MP3, WAV and Ogg), but I’m sure we’ll see that in a future version. No release date has been set, although Image-Line says it’s coming “real soon”. If the performance aspect is there, and if this thing has a similarly powerful workflow and rock-solid stability like it’s sequencer brethren Fruity Loops, I think Traktor (and DJ Decks, and Torq, and everything else) is in for some serious competition.

A demo is already available.

DeckaDance Sneak Preview

Ed.: This is just the sort of thing we’ve been waiting for. A full-featured DJ plug-in that works inside other apps means you can add DJ sets to your existing live sets, scratch during a performance … the lines between DJing and performance continue to blur. And an open DJ app could finally free the full-time DJs from reliance on hardware/software platforms, at just the right moment as Final Scratch customers got burned by the Native Instruments – Stanton divorce. We’ll watch this closely, for sure. -PK

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.

THAT BEING SAID, I can’t help but find myself underwhelmed by all the gee-whiz DJ stuff coming out these days. I hear that Native Instruments is coming out with something stemming from their split with Stanton, and of course, Stanton will be demoing their Final Scratch 3 system to show that they’re doing JUST FINE after the breakup, and Numark’s got their new Cue system and will undoubtedly be showing off a bunch of new, weird DJ gear aimed at markets I’m not sure exist with waaay too much overlapping functionality.

Unfortunately though, one big problem with all this stuff is a lack of interoperability. Nobody’s vinyl works with anyone else’s. Everyone’s looking for vendor lock-in to their system. A notable exception is the excellent djDecks software, which seems to be capable of using just about every vinyl control system out there. The MsPinky control plugin doesnt work great and hasn’t been updated in years, but at least there’s a plugin for it. Think NI or Stanton’s systems will be compatible? Riiight.

The sad thing about all this too is, I think the time has passed for broad interest in the DJ market. The rave subculture is dead for the most part in the US. I heard that turntables were outselling guitars for a while, but last year guitars reclaimed the mantle (I don’t have an exact quote/link for that figure, that’s just something I heard from a heavy-hitter in the industry with a vested interest in turntables being on top). Heck, even I bought a guitar last year. Ed.: DJ Market dead? That can only mean the time has come for circuit-bending, Game Boy-programming laptop musicians. Hey, where’d all the marketing people go? -PK

Where was all this cool DJ stuff when a market existed for it, when it would have made a difference? I’m old enough to remember when FinalScratch was still a BeOS project, and raves still attracted 1000-2000 people minimum, every weekend. Maybe I’m just bitter that, after I spent all those years lugging records around and the only way to be able to play a killer track was to hunt it down and buy it, now that I’ve got all these amazing (if non-interoperable) DJ options and the complete discographies of hundreds of labels on my external 1TB hard drive, there’s no longer a vibrant, thriving scene to throw down with this gee-whiz AND easy-on-the-back gear. Yeah, I can always go somewhere in Europe or the occasional club night, but folks who’ve been around long enough, if they are honest with themselves, know it’s not the same.

DJing might never be the same in less than 24 hours, but unfortunately not too many people will notice.

Wallace Winfrey is a guru of vinyl and servers, and he knows Perl better than you.

Create Digital Music’s live team coverage of the NAMM show begins tomorrow. Even if DJing turns out to be exactly the same as it is today, we promise to bring you news of the latest gear — DJ-related and otherwise. -PK

DJ Announcements at NAMM…

And the punchline is…

NAMM: M-Audio Announces Xponent. DJing Stays Pretty Much the Same.

NAMM: NI Traktor Scratch, Audio 8 DJ — You Know, for Turntablists

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.

djDecks — too hip for the room?

I can understand not covering Ableton Live. While Live has become a surprise runaway hit among DJs (and has arguably expanded the definition of what DJing is), the focus here was clearly on traditional 2-deck setups, which Live is not. But I’m surprised the Windows-only djDecks didn’t make the cut. At EUR38, this “indie” DJ app has robust features and hardware support usually found in apps costing eight times as much, time-coded vinyl support, mix recording, OGG support, library organizing, drag-and-drop from Windows Explorer, lots of build in effects … well, just read the incredible feature list.

Most notably, djDecks is the only DJ software I know of with not only full MIDI support, but compatibility with the Behringer BCD-2000, Hercules DJ Console, EKS XP10,FinalScratch, VirtualDJ, SSL and (my personal favorite) MsPinky vinyl records. And, Native Instruments, I hope you’re listening: unlike Traktor, djDecks has VST effect support. (Not that you need me to say this, of course; I think that’s been the topic of about 50% of the posts on NI’s own forums.)

The review’s definitely worth a read — just visit djDecks last; it could even be a reason to boot your MacBook into Windows XP. Live is still my top choice for creative music-making, but if I were a traditional DJ and not, well, me, djDecks would jump to the top of my list.

Fun Mac freebie

In other DJ app news, The Unofficial Apple Weblog recently spotlighted djday, a very pretty / Mac-like DJ app that’s free. Could be great fun to play with, but it’s missing some key features for hardware control, etc.; see comments.

Which DJ app would be in your round-up? (Particularly on Linux, which got left out entirely here but I know has some evolving offerings.)

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!

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 . . .

The secret to this magic is Ms. Pinky, a control record for scratching that can be used with custom software. (An object for use in the Max/MSP modular environment is included with the package.) Now, if you can figure out exactly what’s going on from these diagrams, you’re ahead of me. But it’s a fascinating way of listening to records — er, 34-track audio — er, sitting. Daito has a long resume of other projects involving avant-garde DJing and live visuals.

Related:
More turntable art installations using Ms. Pinky
Ms. Pinky Pets and Friends with links to other art and performance using the system [Ms. Pinky]