Vestax has teamed up with software maker Algoriddim to produce an entry level all-in-one digital DJ controller that will be sold exlusively in Apple stores throughout the US and Canada. This release, along with the massive push for DJ Hero, officially marks the entry of controller DJing in the consciousness of the mainstream market.

PRICE: $249.95 (includes Djay 3)

RELEASE DATE: November 8th in all Apple Stores (US and Canada)

KEY FEATURES:

• Built-in soundcard
• Touch-sensitive jog wheels
• Mic input
• Mix record function
• Discrete headphone output
• USB power
• Dimensions: 14”(w) x 9.5” (h) x 1.5”(d)
• Controller Weight: 3.2 lbs

IN THE BOX:

• Spin (DJ MIDI controller)
• Microphone
• USB Cable
• Algoriddim Djay 3 Software with license key

CONTROLLER

Vestax is a well established manufacturer of DJ mixers with more than 15 years of experience in the field. The company created the VCI-100, which was the first respectable DJ MIDI controller in the market and set the standard for this new product type. Vestax refined the concept of an all-in-one controller with the VCI-300 and now created Spin, an basic entry-level version of both controllers with less expensive parts. All three of the mentioned controllers are paired with specific pieces of software that match their hardware functions.  The VCI-100 is paired with Traktor and offers the most features, FX controls and a higher build quality. The VCI-300 offers fewer features but a more spacious layout that matches Serato Itch.  The Spin controller enters the market with the most basic feature set, offering a simple way to spin two tracks using the consumer targeted Djay software.

SOFTWARE

Algoriddm’s Mac-only software, Djay, pairs up with the Spin controller. While Djay is very limited in advanced features and functions, it does offer the basic controls required for DJing in a very simple interface. The graphical design plays off the turntable paradigm, allowing you to drag music files directly from iTunes onto the two decks, which spin the artwork and can be physically “scratched” with the mouse or controller.

SOFTWARE FEATURES:

• Drag-and-drop iTunes interface
• Automatic tempo and beat matching
• Mix recording
• Beat-matched looping
• Auto-gain

• Live microphone input with pitch and echo effect
• Audio effects: speed change, reverse, time-stretching, pitch-shifting, echo, reverb, Audio Units
• Export history of played songs as iTunes playlist or PDF
• Cover artwork on virtual vinyl
• Supports all major audio formats, including MP3, AAC, WAV, AIFF, Audio-CD and songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

• Mac OS X 10.4 or higher
• Intel processor (1.8GHz or faster recommended)
• 1GB of RAM

THE INSIDE SCOOP

DJ TechTools got an exclusive sit-down with the VP at Vestax, Charles Ono, to ask him a few questions about the Spin project.

• Q: Are the jog wheels and soundcard the same quality found on the VCI-300?
• A: No; they are different from those on the 300.
• Q: Will the buttons and faders feel similar to the VCI-300?
• A: They are a little lighter but fairly similar.
• Q: Is this product MIDI-compliant and usable with other software?
• A: It is a full MIDI controller. I am sure that the folks at TechTools will come up with something cool!
• Q: Does Algoriddim have any plans on expanding the Djay software features, or will it remain a simple interface?
• A: They are showing signs of becoming a solid player in digital DJing. The look and feel of the software really matches the Apple feel and will probably stay that way, but they have some great stuff up their sleeves.
• Q: When will it be available in other countries?
• A: Right now this product is exclusive to Apple in the US and Canada. It may be available in other markets some time in the future.
• Q: What do you see this product and DJ hero doing for the controller market?
• A: The controller market is still very young and growing. It’s now considered one of the major platforms in the pro DJ market, but it has not entered the general population’s awareness yet. This product and DJ hero will bring the awareness of controller technology to a much wider audience who has no idea about the available technology.

TAKE AWAY THOUGHTS

The spin controller is an easy choice for the entry-level DJ. It offers a simple way to begin spinning your iTunes files without a lot of fuss. DJs looking for a good controller may consider using this as a lower-cost alternative to the VCI-100/300, but keep in mind you certainly get what you pay for. The jog wheel, faders, buttons, knobs and plastic case all reflect the price and are certainly much more consumer quality than pro.

While many hardcore fans of this site may see these latest developments as a watering down of the craft and art of controllerism, we welcome such products with open arms. They may not be the most progressive DJ controllers out there, but products like Spin create an easy path into the realm of greater creativity. DJ Hero and now Spin are going to help introduce a wide range of people to the power and fun of playing with music you love.

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It’s official: The first DJ controller manufactured by Native Instruments is going to be available in February for  $229. It’s called the Kontrol X1 and is the same controller shown in the Ritchie Hawtin video we posted several weeks back. The X1 is aimed at serving the needs of professional DVS DJs who need MIDI control over loops and FX, or pure digital DJs who use an analog mixer and want compact control over Traktor’s decks. The X1 is a dedicated 2-deck controller with FX, loops, loading and transport controls for 2 decks, but it lacks mixer controls, much like our newly released Oxygen 8 mapping that serves similar purposes.

DJs who want a dedicated deck controller in a small form factor have surprisingly few options on the market today. The Faderfox series of controllers, one of the first dedicated DJ MIDI controllers on the market, has retained a dedicated following of pro and hobbbyist DJs over the years due largely to a lack of competition. The X1 may offer the first good candidate to replace  the Faderfox, offering dedicated functionality and software-level interaction for a plug-and-play experience with Traktor Pro. Read on for more info on NI’s first digital DJ controller.

ALL HANDS ON DECK

According to the press release, the X1 connects to Traktor via a “dedicated high-resolution protocol, resulting in a level of precision and responsiveness beyond what regular MIDI-based controllers can provide, and allowing for true plug-and-play operation with no setup or special configuration required.”  The  controller is also MIDI compliant, so you can use it with other software or re-map the controlls for other purposes in Traktor. The X1 starts up in a dedicated communication mode, but can be switched into sending MIDI on the fly by pressing SHIFT+ MIDI in the center of the unit. This would disable control to Traktor and enable MIDI control over other MIDI-learned Traktor functions or a different software entirely.

We initially thought the dedicated protocol could not be configured in the same way as midi but NI has told Dj TechTools that in fact both modes can be customized to suit the users personal needs.

The X1 can be doubled up to provide control over all 4 decks in Traktor but would require a soundcard like the NI Audio 8 DJ, which can route 4 decks of audio out to an external mixer. From the official press release:

“The functionality and layout of TRAKTOR KONTROL X1 was carefully engineered and fine-tuned based on extensive artist feedback and usability testing in order to combine a versatile feature set with maximum ease of use.”

NI worked long and hard on putting as much function in a small space as possible without blowing up the size of this controller, so many functions are double- or triple-layered on a single knob or button. For example, the center encoders are used for track searching: outside scroll, loading (push) or track seek (outside + Shift).

For those bringing the X1 into a club, chances are high it will fit into the booth. The depth of the controller is roughly equilvilant to a turntable and the width is small enough to fit between most components. An optional carrying case ($49) doubles as a riser, bringing the controller height up to mixer level.

Not just a Traktor controller, NI also has plans to make it work with competing Scratch Live.

“The X1 also comes with a carefully designed set of parameter assignments for the Serato Scratch Live® system, matching the relevant features of the software to the controller in an ideal way without any individual setup effort. A special Scratch Live overlay for the X1 is also available.”

ESSENTIAL DATA:

• Release Date: February 2010
• Price: $229 / 199 €.
• Ships with: Traktor LE and is upgradeable to Pro for $139
• Plug and Play operation with LE and PRO
• Optional Case available for $49/ 39 Euros

more info from nativeinstruments.com

REAL-LIFE TEST

DJ TechTools got exclusive access to test the X1 early in its production cycle. We are happy to report that the knobs, encoders and buttons are all good quality and well made. The endless encoders in particular have a really nice feel and are large and grabbable. The buttons have bright, visible LEDs, and are of a medium resistance. Not as playable as our famous arcade buttons, but comprable to the buttons on the VCI-100SE. The plastic case is robust and professional, and the black aluminum top plate gives the controller a nice pro look without too much weight.

Q&A WITH NI

We asked the senior DJ product developer at NI, Friedemann Becker, about his X1 project.

1) Tell us more about the “dedicated high-speed protocol” the X1 uses with Traktor Pro. How is this superior to MIDI or HID?

The central advantage is that using our own protocol gives us total freedom in how we let the controller interact with Traktor, without having to work around any artifical limitations. We can use parameter resolutions that are as high as the individual parameter requires it to be. Looking at the potentiometers on the X1, their physical resolution is 12-bit, and the software effectively recognizes 500 increments from the minimum to to maximum position. This is much finer than the smallest increments you can effectively create when turning the knob with your fingers. We could have an even higher resolution for faders or other elements with a longer travel. Our own protocol even allows us to attach precise time stamps to controller input events, and much more. It’s important for us to be not limited in what we can add in the future.

2) Is there any particular interaction between controller and software that the X1 provides thanks to this protocol that would not be possible with MIDI?

The X1 is totally plug-and-play with zero configuration for multiple units, and we were able to design a very tight bidirectional integration between the software and hardware. For example, when two tracks in Traktor go out of sync, we are able to make the sync button on the controller flash to communicate this in a very intuitive way.

3) How do these advantages carry over when using the X1 as a controller for other DJ software?

When you use the X1 and its MIDI mode to control other software besides Traktor, you won’t of course get the same level of integration. But even when you use it as a pure MIDI device it is still a highly capable controller with a very functional layout, so I think it will get a lot of interest from users of other DJ software too.

4) For DJs who don’t have an analog mixer, how do you recommend they use this controller?

The X1 is really primarily designed to be used with a hardware mixer, and be part of a typical club setup that many Traktor users play on. But you will also be able to activate an optional layout where the upper section of the X1 controls the EQs and channel faders instead of the effects. You don’t have crossfader control with this, but it is still a nice way to use the X1 as an all-in-one controller in a more casual environment.

5) Now that NI has released its first DJ controller, can we expect more in the future?

Yes, the X1 is definitely just the beginning and you will see more DJ hardware from us in the future.

As big proponents of harmonic mixing, the DJ TechTools staff started out with a simple question: which program that analyzes a song’s key gives the most accurate results? To find out, we looked up the keys using sheet music for a selection of 50 pop/rock songs and then analyzed those songs using four key-detecting apps: BeaTunes 2, Mixed In Key 4, MixMeister Fusion and Rapid Evolution 2. Read on to find out the results.

THE KEY MAKERS

For our 50 test songs comprising recent hits and vintage classics (in MP3 and AAC formats), I took the keys from the digital sheet music site MusicNotes.com and compared those keys with each software program’s results. The Camelot System wheel was used to determine if an analyzed key was not correct but compatible with the actual key. The Camelot System assigns all keys an alpha-numeric value; and for example, keys compatible with 4A are 3A, 5A and 4B: plus or minus one number or the same number with a different letter. Scroll all the way down for tables with all the specific results.

TAGTRAUM INDUSTRIES BEATUNES 2

Correct: 14 (28%)

Compatible: 18 (36%)

Incorrect: 18 (36%)

What else it does: BeaTunes 2 is an excellent complimentary program for iTunes. It helps you clean up your iTune Library by finding and correcting errors in the artist, album, title and other tags; searching for and adding other metadata such as album artwork, organizes songs with a color-coding system; determines BPM automatically or manually; and more. All of its changes are reflected in iTunes as well.

Price: $31.95 US for Mac or Windows

MIXED IN KEY 4

Correct: 15 (30%)

Compatible: 18 (36%)

Incorrect: 17 (34%)

What else it does: Not much besides tempo and key analysis. Its preference options for adding BPM/key to the file name, as well as different ID3 tags, are great.

Price: $58 US for Mac or Windows

MIXMEISTER FUSION

Correct: 7 (14%)

Compatible: 14 (28%)

Incorrect: 29 (58%)

What else it does: MixMeister Fusion is a full-feautred, professional-level DJ software for creating and editing DJ mixes or DJing live with a digital audio workstation-style, timeline-based interface. A couple of the many notable features include mixing up to 8 tracks as once and support for VST effects.

Price: $329.95 for Mac or Windows (key detection also available in Mixmeister Studio for $199.95)

MIXSHARE RAPID EVOLUTION 2

Correct: 15 (30%)

Compatible: 14 (28%)

Incorrect: 21 (42%)

What else it does: RE2 is an intelligently designed DJ utility made to use both and preparation for and during your sets. Besides tempo and key detection, it includes tap tempo and a software MIDI keyboard for you to work out BPM and key yourself, normalizing,time/pitch shift processing, live audio input analysis, key lock and more. You can save Mixouts, where you comment on mixes between particular songs. In addition, the MixShare website hosts a large harmonic mixing forum and a database of track information for hundreds of thousands of songs shared by RE2 users.

Price: Free for Mac or Windows (donations encouraged)

IMPERFECT HARMONY

It should be said that this test can only provide a look at the accuracy of each of these programs relative to each other, rather than an assessment of the overall accuracy. I was surprised at the number of incorrect readings for each program. I’ve seen some other similar tests with higher percentages for Correct and Compatible readings, so there may some particularly difficult songs in my test batch.

However, we can tell that that Mixed In Key 4 has the better numbers by a razor thin margin. MixMeister only gave out minor key results for some reason, which really hurt its stats.

Because Mixed In Key, BeaTunes and Rapid Evolution were statistically comparable, it comes down to which of those programs’ other features you want, as well as perhaps price.

My personal favorite is Mixed In Key, because it gives your results in the alpha-numeric Camelot System values — which is easier for mixing — processes files quickly and gives you some good options for how you want the key and BPM information to be added to the file name and to the file’s tags. However, it doesn’t do much more than key and BPM analysis, and it costs the most of the top-performing three.

As a free download, Rapid Evolution 2 gives you many interesting features besides key and tempo detection. and it makes up for not giving you the Camelot System numbers (User error: you CAN get the Camelot Sytem numbers in RE2 in the Keycode field.) You can look at only songs that are in a compatible key range, as well as similar in style and tempo.

*Listed Key source: Musicnotes.com

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 2 years over 2 years this month since DJ TechTools was originally created. We made a few minor changes over that time, but the design has basically remained the same, as DJ TechTools grew from 10 visitors a month to 200k.  Well, the hour has finally come to make a few changes to our favorite DJ space. With the help of an amazing designer/coder, Tommy the wiz kid, we have started updating the site and improving the way it works. The webstore got a complete makeover, and our blog is now wider, cleaner and hopefully easier to navigate. This is not the end of the changes; we plan on fine-tuning the site  into a well-oiled machine of digital DJ brilliance. YOUR HELP IS NEEDED! Please provide feedback in the comments on things you like/don’t like or suggestions on how we can make the design better. It’s your site too, so let’s all pitch in to make it as good as possible.

BEFORE AND AFTER

In case anyone gets a case of nostalgia: Here are some shots to remind you of how much we really did need a face lift.

In the  battle for portable  MIDI controllers that will fit in front of your laptop and not bust your budget, there are 2 clear contenders: the Korg NanoSeries and the new Akai Laptop Series of controllers. To help you decide which controller might be the strongest, we pit them against each other in a battle of performance. Read on to learn who won our mini MIDI prize fight.

MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT

Akai LPK25 Vs. Korg NanoKey

Tale of the Tape

Round 1: Build Quality

Both controllers can take a beating, but the aesthetic choices of the LPK25 make it a much more attractive and robust-looking controller. The extra height also means you might actually be taken seriously playing on the keys, while the nano key is truly a glorified computer keyboard with large black and white keys.

Round 2: Features

The LPK boasts one of the only clear features of these minimal devices. Its equipped with a fully-functional arpeggiator with tap tempo, 4 types of arpeggiation and 8 different note values. The NanoKey is the only keyboard with pitch bend capacity, and both have the ability to move up or down the full octave range. The LPK has a sustain button for great expression, while the Nano has a mod button for single-direction modulation.

Both controllers boast velocity sensitivity, but just as with the pads, the accuracy of that sensitivity is very different on each of these controllers. The Akai keyboard has a clear range of velocities, making it easy to play soft or loud notes, while I found it impossible get the Korg to play anything lower than 40% velocity.

Round 3: Performance

The key difference in performance is the keyboard layout and feel of each controller. The Akai is obviously structured in a more traditional keyboard layout and does look and feel like a real keyboard, including the ability to naturally  play chords, which is significantly more difficult on the NanoKey. The NanoKey on the other hand has the same key action as a typical laptop keyboard. It’s responsive, but hardly the feel you want while playing a musical keyboard. For $40 street price, the NanoKey is a decent value, and an inexpensive way to get a mini keyboard, but a $20 bump in price on the Akai LPK25 provides what I’d judge to be a 200% increase in performance.

Winner

This was an easy fight to predict from the outset,  as the smaller and less robust NanoKey got seriously beat up by the larger and more mature LPK25. Both controllers offer an inexpensive and portable way to get a MIDI keyboard but only one — the LPK — actually gets the job done.

TITLE FIGHT

Akai LPD8 VS. Korg NanoPad

The Tale of the Tape

Round 1: Build Quality

The LPD8 wins this round hands down. Even though they are both plastic controllers, the Akai feels like it will take more of a beating, and the pads are more sturdy and playable. Even the knobs on the LPD — although short — felt like they could take some serious turning. My biggest gripe with the NanoPad is the X/Y pad, which over time became defective. Hard button presses or pressure would send eratic data from the X/Y pad, even if my hand was nowhere near it.

Round 2: Features

The combination of an X/Y pad and 12 pads is a nice layout for controllerism and cue-point juggling. Without 6 pads per deck, it would have been hard for me to pull off my popular we will rock you routine on YouTube. The LPD8, while lacking the fun-to-play-with X/Y, comes back with a nice punch of its own: 8 knobs for greater analog control and flexibility. It’s a toss up on which feature set is really better. For sampler playback and volume control in Serato Scratch Live, the LPD8 is a clear winner, but for 5 cue points and a play toggle, the NanoPad is nearly perfect.

While both controllers profess to have velocity sensitiviy, the Nano’s velocity is not very playable and really only offers mid and high ranges. The LPD8 offers a much truer velocity range, with sensitivity down in the lowest values.

The LPD8 also features an interesting  feature called CC mode, where you can play 8 analog CC’s with the pads — offering a creative way to work with FX through the pads.

Round 3: Performance

Performance is synonymous with joy of use and reliability, and in both of these departments the Akai really shines. The backlit pads light up orange when you strike them and are a lot of fun to play. They are also MIDI programable, so you can get LED feedback for things like stored loops, cue points or active FX. The Nano’s pads are firm and playable, but don’t have the same feel or size as the LD8, which are comparable to most of the other Akai pad products. The 8 knobs, while not full size, were remarkably playable and sturdy for such a low-profile product. Korg attempted the same thing on its NanoKontrol, and had much less impressive results. The only drawback of knobs with a low height is that they can only be manipulated with the finger tips — not with the full fingers. This results in a tweak-able feel and not a real performance action.

The X/Y pad on the Nano is a lot of fun to play with, and when applied to FX creates great results. Unfortunately my X/Y  pad has been basically rendered useless by continuing manufacturing defects which send out random data and  mess up the mix, making the X/Y pad a nice tool to look at but not to use.

Winner

Korg’s NanoPad really struck gold with the idea of small, inexpensive controllers that are portable and easy to use. However, Akai has come in late in the game and really stolen the show with a much better-quality controller that is a clear winner in 2 out of 3 rounds. With the  prices basically the same, its an easy choice to go with the more robust and significantly more attractive Akai LPD8.

How many times have you searched through the hundreds or thousands of tracks in your library and found yourself trying to remember what a particular track sounds like? I’m sure some people will say they know every single song in their collection at all times, but that was a lot more believable when you only showed up to the club with a crate of vinyl or a book of CDs.

When you are squinting into your 13-inch computer screen at 1am in a sweaty club, with three girls tapping you on the shoulder telling you what track they want to hear for their friend’s birthday, I doubt you can still remember what that demo your friend sent you last week sounded like. You’re pretty sure it should mix well. It’s in the same BPM range and relative key as the one blasting on the dance floor, but will it really work? Was it a laid-back warm up song, or a great groove track? Did it have a solid bouncing bassline or a large woman belting out a passionate chorus? I have been in this position so many times, I devised a system that should help you to never question your next track again.

THE TRACK TYPE NUMBERING SYSTEM

The advent or DJ software made it simple to browse through and sort thousands of tracks by BPM. And back in the day, only the most persnickety DJs took the time to find a song’s key, as it had to be done with a keyboard and few hours spent playing along with each tune. Nowadays, anyone can take an extra few hours and get piece of software to analyze their entire music collection and label each file with the key of the track, in order to mix tracks harmonically. So with tracks labeled by key and BPM, DJs have great guidelines for crafting their sets.

However, let’s go back to that crucial moment when you have to decide what to play next and you’re trying to remember if the drums, bassline, basic groove and other important elements of your buddy’s new remix are exactly what you need. BPM and key tags still won’t help you in those situations, but picking the right track to play at those moments could be what ends up separating you from the pack of mediocre DJs.

When someone is describing a song that they are trying to get you to remember, the first thing you ask is, “What type of track is it?” That very question lead me to come up with what I call the Track Type Numbering System. While everyone has their own ways of describing a song, I feel like we can fit most songs in most genres (especially when it comes to dance music) into three categories, generally describing the feel or intensity of a particular song. They are as follows:

TRACK TYPE I
This is a track that is light in character. It is minimalistic in its instrumentation doesn’t have a strongly defined melody. It may be more reliant on its lighter percussive elements and rarely has any vocals besides maybe a short sample or something far from the forefront of what the listener hears. In dance music it usually uses a lot of slow building elements and never really reaches a peak of any kind. If you DJ house or drum and bass, this may be a warm up track for you or something that gets played in the first few sets of the night, but peak-hour DJs would rarely get away with dropping something like this unless they were trying to go for some extreme momentum effect of some kind. However, if you are playing deep house or a chilled-out liquid set, this may be what comprises the majority of your set.

TRACK TYPE II
This is a track that is medium in character. Its will have more energy to to it than a Type I, with stronger, more defined percussion and a flowing bassline. It is catchy, and may have some kind of defined vocals, but vocals that are usually not especially memorable to the listener. This type of track set a great groove for the dance floor, but probably won’t get people jumping up and down. You can use this track type to bridge from a Type I into a Type III to create a transitional build in energy, or to take the intensity down for a bit without clearing the floor. A trance DJ may use this type of track to set the stage before banging out some anthems, or a minimalistic tech-house DJ may play a lot of these tracks with a few Type Is peppered in to keep things from getting monotonous over the top.

TRACK TYPE III
This is a track that is heavy in character. It is full in its instrumentation and has everything going on at once. It has strongly defined drums, a fat bassline and a very catchy melody. It is extremely memorable with its big build-ups and peak-hour energy. Most people at the club may already know it, and if they don’t, they should. In some cases it may be the track people ask you about after your set. It could be the next big release from a popular producer in your genre, or a classic anthem that will have everyone singing along. Every genre has this type of track. These are sure-fire songs that you can rely on to get everyone jumping up and down.

However, approach with caution; there is no better way to spoil the night and to expose yourself as an inexperienced DJ than to relentlessly slam these out over and over throughout your set. While I could write another entire article just discussing why you shouldn’t do that, for the sake of time I can promise you that people will quickly lose interest and eventually go home.

HEAR IT, TAG IT, DROP IT

I understand that every genre is different — especially when you throw in sub-genres.A Type I track in one genre may sound like a Type II in another. But as a general rule, most songs in your collection will fall into one of these categories that is relative to the style of music you play. If you have a track that seems to fit into two types, it’s up to you where to put it. You could even give it a II/III label or something to that effect. After all, it’s your library, and you’re the one who has to quickly identify the labels in the middle of your set. Make this Track Type Numbering System work best for you.

I have seen other people’s methods for representing the feel of a track by color coding them, but I don’t think that works as well and the Track Type Numbering System because 1) you have to be able to see the album art and have the ability to change the album art, and 2) there are frankly too damn many colors and interpretations of what those colors mean. With the Track Type Numbering System, you can use your software of choice to open the file tags and type a I, II or III into the Comment tag and know exactly what they stand for. Then in Traktor or another DJ software, you can browse tracks by their Type from the Comment field.

In my own experience, and with the other DJs I have turned on to this labeling method, if you take the time to go through your collection, preview each of your songs and tag them by their song type, it will make sorting through your music far easier when you are mixing and much less of a guessing game. This way you can spend less time monitoring tracks to remind yourself what they sounded like before you cue them up. Then, after banging out that anthem that everyone was waiting for, you can sip on your beer while scrolling around for a Type II track that has that perfect groovy bassline to bring things down a bit.

Kyle Rayner previously wrote “Get More from Your Music Library” in June, 2009 and collaborated on the MixVibes CROSS review. Email him: djkylerayner at gmail.com.

This week’s “What’s in Your DJ Bag?” video with MSTRKRFT sparked some discussion on the importance of preserving your hearing as a working DJ. You can go the route of wearing professionally-made ear plugs underneath your headphones, but a growing number of digital DJs are adopting in-ear monitors (aka earphones, earbuds), which they use to monitor the master mix reliably and consistently from venue to venue. DJing with in-ears can provide excellent sound isolation from the many unwanted noises around you, as well as allow you to mix at a lower volume to protect your hearing.

Read on for a description of some trusted in-ear monitor models, as well as an interview with Bay Area veteran club-hopper DJ Solomon on his experience mixing with in-ear monitors over the last 2+ years.

STICK IT IN YOUR EAR

DJ Solomon has been rocking parties since middle school and holds down more than a dozen residencies across California and Nevada, including 10 years as the in-house DJ for the Golden State Warriors NBA team. He uses Serato Scratch Live with the Rane TTM 57SL mixer, and for the last couple years, he’s DJed exclusively with in-ear monitors.

Usually when using in-ear monitors, you’re listening to the master mix rather than the pre-fade mix, and you keep the in-ears in the whole time, so you don’t defeat the purpose of protecting your hearing.

DO YOU EVER REVERT BACK TO THE PRE-FADE MIX WHEN USING IN-EARS?

Occasionally, but for the most part I use the assistance of waveforms. In Serato, you can see if the transients are ahead or behind, and I use that as a visual reference most often. It’s definitely an option with the 57SL mixer to go back and re-check the pre-fade. You can switch from Master Cue to Program 1 and 2 Cue, with a fader between them.

But for the most part, I set up the programs, and once it’s locked in, you can hear it so much better with a master in-ear mix in both ears, versus all the echo in the club, shitty monitors that may not be properly positioned and headphones blasting in your ears. Once you get used to it, there’s no question in my mind that it’s the superior method.

HAS YOUR HEARING BENEFITTED FROM USING IN-EARS?

Absolutely. Your hearing doesn’t ever get any better. Cumulatively, it only gets worse. But i think I’ve definitely lessened the negative results of playing and DJing in loud environments 3-5 nights a week. I don’t know if I’ve arrested it, but I’ve definitely slowed down my hearing degradation quite a bit.

Photo by Nick Valinote; www.nickvalinote.com

I keep them as quiet as I’m comfortable with. I’m constantly reminding myself to turn it back down, because in-ears are just like any other monitoring source; you’ll tend to turn it up throughout the night.

Technically you can do a lot more damage with in-ears than with cans. Be very careful of checking the volume before you plug into a club mixer. If somebody else had the headphone level at 5, 6 or even 8-10, and you plug your earphones in, you could blow your ears out in one fell swoop. If you just plug straight into the mixer, you can’t really go above 1 before it’s just ear-piercingly loud. So I use an 1/8-inch headphone extension cable that I bought at Radio Shack for $10. It’s got a volume attenuator on it that I use to turn the level down, so I can use a broader range on the headphone volume on the mixer.

DO YOU PREFER THE FOAM OR RUBBER EAR PIECES FOR THE IN-EARS?

The foam has the best noise isolation, which is probably the most important factor. I use the big, yellow foam from the Etymotic ER•4 headphones. I have big ear canals, so the bigger the foam, the better. I tried getting molds done twice, and I found that I couldn’t get nearly enough isolation, so I went back to the foam.

ARE THERE DRAWBACKS TO USING IN-EAR MONITORS?

I guess it’s a little harder to plug your headphones in and use them as a mic in an emergency, which I think we’ve all done. Other than that, not much.

DO YOU HAVE ADVICE FOR DJS MAKING THE TRANSITIONS TO IN-EAR MONITORS?

Don’t be afraid to use the display technology in Serato or whatever else you’re using to help as a guide. You don’t want to rely only on that, but if it’s there in front of you on the screen, don’t be afraid to use it.

MIXING LIKE THAT, DO YOU HAVE TO KNOW YOUR RECORDS EVEN BETTER?

It depends on the DJ. There’s many DJs nowadays who don’t even know how to mix without waveforms, which is kind of sad, but it’s the state of mixing today. I know Ean’s been using in-ears and is feeling totally confident with it, which is good because I was a little worried the Serato-style waveforms were a bit of a requirement. But he’s been able to do it [with Traktor's unaligned waveforms].

When mixing out of a record or CD when transitioning DJs, it’s not too much harder if you have a bit of skill in terms of recognizing songs and beats. You can always pull one ear out, and that’s as close to old-school headphones as you can get. You don’t want to do that a lot, because then you’re exposing yourself to really loud environments.

The best thing to do is play around at home and get used to it. If you’re really comfortable at home, it’s going to be exactly the same at the club, because you are not reliant on the monitors anymore. I know from travelling to DJ booths all over the country and world a lot of monitor setups are really difficult to mix with. If you have your own monitoring system, any place in the world — if you’re familiar with the mixer’s headphone setup — will be just like home.

IN-EAR MONITOR RECOMMENDATIONS

Entry Level: Future Sonics Atrio ($199 US retail)

“They’re only about 150 bucks and they sound amazing for the price,” Solomon says. “They did kind of fall apart on me, which you sort of expect it for that price point. But I used to use those Sony V700DJ headphones, and they’d break every 9 months, so it’s pretty comparable. With in-ears, you have to be really careful with crimping wires; that’s how most of those earphones go bad.”

Mid-range: Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5pro ($249 US retail)

These earphones provide excellent sound isolation when using the foam ear pieces and give you an impressive mixture of sound quality and durability at this price point. The wires are meant to bend around your ear lobe to help secure the fit and make it easier to pop them in and out of your ears.

High-End: Shure E5c ($549 US retail)

“I’ve been using the E5 for about 9 months, and they’re a total workhorse,” Solomon said. “They’re really doing great. Their wires are pretty heavy duty.They’re really well -wrapped in a rubbery plastic, which I think helps the durability.”

Note: Unfortunately, Shure has discontinued the E5c, although some are still available for sale online. Shure has replaced them with the SE530 Earphones ($549), which we have not tried.