Is the Turntable a musical instrument?

Can it work as a ‘classical’ instrument?

These were the first questions posed by idea of a Concerto for Turntables.

Gabriel Prokofiev’s Concerto for Turntables & Orchestra (Heritage Orchestra Feat. DJ Yoda) attempts to answer those questions.

Should the turntable join the instruments of the classical orchestra?

Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

via apc

Vestax has teamed up with software maker Algoriddim to produce Spin, a $249.95 entry-level all-in-one digital DJ controller that will be sold elusively in Apple stores throughout the US and Canada.

Features:

• Blend your voice into the mix through the integrated microphone input (microphone included)
• Seamless iTunes integration through djay software, allowing easy to mix, beat match, loops to effects for creating your perfect mix tape
• Simple plug-and-play setup
• Touch sensor jog wheel platters give high resolution to experience an analog feel when scratching and mixing
• Multi-channel audio system for high quality monitoring, master output and separate microphone input
• A compact and light DJ All-in-one system
• Seamless iTunes integration
• Easy-to-use drag and drop interface
• Automix and automatic tempo
• Beat detection, beat-matched looping and BPM-sync
• Auto-gain
• Sampler and visual cue points
• Live Microphone with pitch and echo effect
• Audio effects such as speed change, reverse, time-stretching, pitch-shifting and more
• Record mixes for podcasts, photo slide shows and mix tapes
• Export history of played songs as iTunes playlist or PDF
• Cover artwork on virtual vinyl
• Support for all major audio formats such as MP3, AAC, WAV, AIFF, Audio-CD and songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store

Technical specifications

• DJ USB Midi controller
• Touch sensor platters
• Headphone output
• Microphone input
• Dimensions (WxHxD): 14.0 x 9.5 x 1.5 in./35.6 x 24.1 x 3.8 cm
• Weight: 3.2 lbs./1.5 kg (Spin only)

System requirements

• Mac OS X v10.4 or later
• 1.8GHz or faster Intel processor
• 1GB of RAM

What’s in the box?

• Spin (DJ midi controller)
• Microphone with adapter
• USB cable
• djay 3 software with license key
• User manual (Set-up basic guide)
• 1/8- to 1/4-in. adapter for headphone or microphone

Official blurbage below.

Did you notice?

Spin—with its seamlessly integrated djay software—allows you to record your mixes as a high-quality audio file, for use in your latest podcast, movie, photo slide show or to make a classic “mix tape”.

Apple Recommends for…

Beginners and seasoned pros alike who want to mix tracks and playlists from iTunes on their Mac. Or iTunes users and music lovers who want to have fun with their music and explore the world of DJing.

Be your own DJ with iTunes

Spin and djay software let you easily mix all your favorite songs from iTunes. Simply drag and drop, and get creative with your own music.

Touch sensor jog wheels

High-resolution touch-sensitive jog wheels allow you to DJ like in analog mode from scratching to remixing.

Multi-channel audio system

Spin comes with high-quality sound for monitoring, master output and a separate mic input.

Compact and light

A travel friendly unit perfect for the Mac, it comes with a USB cable and djay software so you can DJ anywhere you want.

Perfectly match your music

djay’s on-the-fly beat and tempo detection allows you to easily match two songs for a perfect transition.

Find the right song

Preview and prepare the next song with headphones through Spin before playing it through the main speakers.

Automix your party

One click means hours of fun. Sit back and let Spin/djay mix your favorite iTunes playlists with seamless DJ-style transitions.

Scratch. Mix. Loop.

Discover the world of DJing. Use the featured buttons, jog wheel platters and faders to mix and scratch your songs. Every feature found on the Spin interface will allow you endless opportunities of creative DJing from loops to effects.

Record your mixes

Save your mix—for your latest podcast, movie or photo slide show, or to make a classic “mix tape.” Just push the REC button.

DJ/Producer Gaudi scratches the theremin at Techno-Tribal, “the North Bay’s largest and most epic dance party of the year.”

It looks like Gaudi dispenses with the tradition of theremin playing and takes it in a new direction.

A very cool performance from a party that does truly look epic.

Algoriddim has upgraded DJay, their mixing software for iTunes, to version 3.

Many new features have been added, including Automatic Beat and Tempo Detection, Auto-Cut Scratching, Beat-Matched Looping, enhanced Audio FX, Automix Queue, Auto-Gain and MIDI Learn.

Algoriddim DJay 3 retails for $49.95.

If you’ve used DJay 3, leave a comment!

Features:

• Automatic Beat & Temp Detection is djay’s on-the-fly song analysis that calculates the beats per minute (BPM) and exact location of each beat, laying the groundwork for a host of other features including Auto-Sync, looping and beat-synchronized effects.
• Auto-Sync djay’s automatic beat and tempo detection allows you to easily match the playback speed of two songs for a perfect transition with the click of a single button. djay calculates the volume perceived by the human ear for each song and automatically ensures that all your songs play at the same volume level. This allows you to seamlessly fade one song into the next without sudden changes in loudness.
• Real-time effects, scratching, pitch-shifting and more with solid sound quality and improved low latency. djay’s new audio engine builds upon the Mac’s extended audio support and claims to meet the highest standards in digital audio processing.
• Auto-Cut Scratching automatically applies the rhythmic pattern of the currently playing song to your scratches in real-time. Create sounds like professional scratch DJs and go beyond the possibilities of the analog world. A breakthrough in digital scratching.
• The Automix Queue lets you queue up your favorite tracks in advance. Enable Automix and let djay take care of the mixes while you cruise the party. Or use the queue to build a playlist on-the-go from your audience’s song requests. Plug in your favorite MIDI controller and easily map all features in djay to the buttons and sliders on your controller using MIDI-Learn. With Beat-Matched Looping, you can continuously loop part of a song perfectly in sync with the beat.
• Spice up your mix with djay’s new audio effects including beat-synchronized echo to various reverb types with adjustable wet/dry settings.

Adam Goldstein, aka DJ AM, was found dead today at his apartment at age 36. A drug overdose is suspected, because drug paraphernalia was found at the scene.

Goldstein is probably best known to many because of his relationship with Nicole Richie, but his scratching can be heard on tracks by Madonna, Will Smith and others.

The video, above, catches DJ AM performing with Travis Barker. Just a year ago, Goldstein and Barker were the only survivors of a plane crash which killed four other passengers.

His last statement, via Twitter, was this:

“New York, New York. Big city of dreams, but everything in New York ain’t always what it seems.”

This video, from Neurosonics Audiomedical Labs Inc., is the best music video I”ve seen in a long time.

Check it out and let me know if it leaves your head spinning.

And if you think decapitated heads belong in music videos, give this video a DIGG, below!

OT: The video that Native Instruments won’t want you to see!

Grandmaster Flash back in the Bronx, spinning strictly vinyl.

via djgrandmasterflash

Tonetable (App Store link) is a $7.99 application for DJs who want to control their digital vinyl system from their iPhone or iPod Touch.

It produces a control tone that is compatible with most digital vinyl systems such as Serato’s Scratch Live, Native Instruments’ Traktor Scratch, M-Audio’s Torq, Image-Line’s Deckadance and many more.

via inklen

Open Reel Ensemble, with String Quartet, perform Theme of Oplapscal.

The Open Reel Ensemble performs by “scratching” 4 reel-to-reel analog tape recorders.

via garudagroove:

SB Reel-to-Reel Tape Decks …… Ei Wada

Guest Player :
Violin …… Takumi Namba
Violin …… Junya Makino
Viola ……. Yoshiaki Kato
Cello ……. Rika Ishigai

Camera, Edit, and Direction …… Haruka Yoshida
Compose, Architect, and Produce …… Ei Wada (Crab Feet)

This video demonstrates how to emulate a scratch-style effect in Ableton Live 8 using the new delay Modes in Live’s Ping Pong Delay.

This is not meant to replace vinyl nor will it produce a totally authentic sounding scratch sound, but it is a Ableton Live only solution and is a nice add-on to your effects arsenal.

You can download the template at dubspot.

DJ Getdown rocks the Numark N7 at Remix Hotel Miami 2009.

via NumarkVideo

Vinyl Wax Records takes an affectionate look at vinyl LPs.

via Darren Cole:

This is a documentary I made my freshman year of college about apart of my life that I love so much and never plan to give up.

NAMM 2009 **NEW** Pioneer DJM-800 w/ Innofader Upgrade

via agiprodj:

DJ Ty got a demo of the new Innofader installed in a Pioneer DJM-800 at the 2009 NAMM Show. agiprodj.com is the exclusive provider of the Pioneer DJM-800 Innofader upgrade kit.

Stanton SCS-1d Ableton Live Scratching Demo

via agiprodj:

Craig from Stanton shows us a development tool that Stanton uses show that midi controllers like the SCS-1d can be used to scratch in Ableton LIVE.

DJ Ruthless Ramsey scratches the decks – tape decks.

Apparently, there’s a long history of tape scratching. Check out this vintage example from 1991:

Click here to view the embedded video.

via cratekings

Schaack Audio Technologies has announced the release of version 2.0 of Quad for Windows (XP, Vista) and Mac OS X.

Quad is an open-architecture DVS (Digital Vinyl System) that can be used to play & scratch up to 4 MP3s simultaneously, controlled by 1 to 4 turntables. The turntables can be connected to any soundcard (ASIO driver required on PC); thanks to Quad’s internal software Phono preamps it is even possible to connect the turntables to Line Inputs on the soundcard.

Quad is delivered with 4 Timecode Vinyls for €89 + VAT + €10 shipping. Further Vinyls may be purchased for €15 each.

An unlimited Tryout version is available for free for Mac OS X (Universal Binary) and Windows (XP, Vista). The Tryout version lets you explore most of Quad’s features but scratching tunes and changing the pitch of tunes is only possible with the Timecode discs. Please note that for the Mac OS X version an Intel Mac is recommended.

Details below.

Features

Open architecture:

• Compatible with any soundcard (Windows: ASIO driver required).
• Software RIAA Phono pre-amplification allows connecting turntables directly to Line Inputs on the soundcard.
• Nearly every parameter is MIDI controllable.
• Totally configurable audio routing.
• Easy MIDI Learn.
• Compatible with nearly all MIDI Controllers on the market (accepts CC & Note On/Off MIDI messages).
• MIDI feedback for endless rotary MIDI controllers or motorized fader MIDI controllers.
• Resizable and completely user-configurable GUI: Channels may be shown/hidden, EQ/Filter/asf. may be shown/hidden.

Total control:

• 1-4 decks may be used to control 1-4 tracks (MP3s/WAVs).
• Custom Vinyl Tracking algorithm provides a near-analog scratch experience.
• Perfect tempo-synchronization of up to 4 tracks using SYNC.
• Powerful 1-deck support (one single turntable may be used to mix up to 4 tracks).
• Virtual Zero Lock Range makes pitch 0 really 0 and virtually eliminates the “resting point” at pitch 0 on old turntables.
• Recording the mix as .WAV during mixing is possible.
• Keyboard shortcuts allow using Quad without touching the mouse.
• Preview Player for fast pre-listening of tracks on Headphones.

Advanced sound processing:

• Fresh sounding filters (X-Filter, SVF).
• 3-band Equalizers with parametric mids from 100Hz to 10kHz.
• Tempo-matched FX (Flanger, Phaser, Echo, Delay, LFO Filter, …).
• Tempo-matched Loop Samplers.
• Any audio material (real Vinyl / CDs / Mic / …) may be routed from the soundcard’s inputs into Quad for mixing and FX-processing.
• Crossfader with 3 curves.
• Support for VST plugins (Windows only at the moment).
• Look-ahead limiters on each ASIO output avoid audible audio distortions when signal becomes too hot.

Managing your tunes:

• New, improved browser.
• ID3 Tags are editable.
• Create cases of your favourite tunes and music styles.
• 4 assignable Cue Points per track.

Scratch (2001) is a documentary film, directed by Doug Pray, that looks at the birth and evolution of hip-hop disc jockeys (DJs), scratching and turntablism.

Interviewees include:

• Grand Wizard Theodore (the inventor of the scratch)
• Grand Mixer Q-bert
• Grand Mixer DXT, Z-Trip
• Mix Master Mike
• Rob Swift
• DJ Premier
• Afrika Bambaataa
• Jazzy Jay
• Cut Chemist
• NuMark
• DJ Craze
• DJ Shadow
• DJ Babu
• DJ Krush
• Madlib
• Peanut Butter Wolf

You can watch the whole thing for free; YouTube is experimenting with hosting full movies.

BestDocumentaries, via wiretotheear

yarglaaaafr freestyling on the Nintendo DS using a preview version of his project “ProteinDS”.

This video, by Livid Instruments, shows scratching with Percussa AudioCubes:

I set up four loops in an audio looper program I’ve been working on for future release by Livid Instruments. I’m using the speed of my hand gestures as detected by the four distance sensors on the audio cube to change the playback speed and direction of the loops, similar to scratching a record.

A demonstration of ammobox, a new free virtual instrument that lets you scratch audio by triggering samples asyncronously with MIDI. The turntable provides velocity and rotation control.

Creator Nathan Ramella (aka Synthesizer Patel) says:

What you see on the screen is me dropping MIDI notes into an Ableton Live MIDI loop, as each note is hit, it injects the sample into the stream allowing me to scratch it.

It should be noted that this is a pretty unique method in that it allows you to ‘latch’ sounds and hold on to them after they would have terminated due to the note-off event or the sample being over, you can then overlay samples and build up layers of them while scratching.

via remix.net