The App Store and Mac App Store are home to plenty of apps for novice and pro DJs alike. Algoriddim’s djay 2 (read our review) and Native Instruments’ Traktor DJ are among the finest examples of how a tablet can be used to double as a virtual turntable for mixing tracks in real-time.
I’ve seen a number of DJs hook up their iPad to pro equipment and mix tracks from their iTunes library as if it were second nature. To be perfectly clear, I suck at DJing and have no interest in it.
Those who dig DJing, however, are advised to take a look at the just-updated djay 2 for the iPhone and iPad or take advantage of a time-limited discount on Traktor DJ for the iPhone and iPad. I also mention another notable discount on a similar app, Cross DJ for Mac. Jump past the break for the full reveal…
Djay 2 for iPhone and iPad has been updated with the following improvements:
- Sound: added audio limiter, no more distortion no matter how much you turn up the bass, filter, effects, etc. (turn on/off in Settings > Advanced)
- Effects: fixed volume drop
- Key detection: added setting to turn harmonic match on/off (Settings > Audio Analysis)
- Automix: many improvements including the option to select albums, to only use songs from queue, or to use current playlist selection in library as the source (e.g. history, artists, genres, etc.)
- Queue: added setting to keep songs in the queue after they are played (Settings > Library)
- New gesture: swipe down the load button to automatically play the next track from your current playlist selection
- Enhanced song loading menu: available using tap-and-hold on load button
- Various bugfixes and performance improvements
Djay 2 for iPad also adds a firmware upgrade for iDJ Pro which fixes channel swap issue and improves compatibility with iOS 7.
Here’s a video overview of some of the djay 2 features, as of last summer.
Djay 2 for iPhone and iPod touch costs $1.99 in the App Store.
The iPad edition is a standalone $9.99 download.
Both djay 2 editions require iOS 6 or later.
The Mac App Store edition of djay 2 is $19.99.
Traktor DJ (pictured above), is another premium app for DJs.
Released a year ago by German developer Native Instruments, it’s now available discounted in a time-limited sale. The iPhone/iPod touch edition is temporarily available with a cool 80+ percent discount and the iPad version is down almost 50 percent.
Traktor DJ for iPhone is now $0.99 in the App Store, down from $4.99.
The iPad edition has gone half price, from $19.99 down to just $9.99.
Both Traktor DJ editions require iOS 5.1 or later.
While we’re at it, don’t miss out on another noteworthy deal as Mixvibes’ Cross DJ for Mac gas been discounted, too, for a limited time.
Pick up Cross DJ in the Mac App Store for $29.99, down from $49.99.
The app lets you mix both audio and video, with full video output available as a $19.99 in-app purchase.
Lsat but not least, those eyeing something completely different should take a look at Pacemaker, the first DJ app with Spotify integration and a very interesting user interface.
Released earlier in February, this app lets you pick any song from Spotify’s catalog of 20 millions tracks and mix along.
You can even stream and mix two Spotify tracks simultaneously.
The best part: Pacemaker is free in the App Store.
You’ll need an iPad running iOS 7.0 or later.