CES 2012: iPhone app scratches an itch for wannabe DJs
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
What does it take to be a pro DJ? It used to be two turntables and a microphone. Not so anymore. It’s not unusual to see iPads and iPhones instead.
DJ really doesn’t mean disc jockey these days; it’s more apt to call them digital jockeys.
Pro equipment can get really pricey and take a few trips from the truck to set up.
But IK Multimedia has an app that may put the power of a pro DJ in your pocket.
At CES in Las Vegas, the company announced that it will soon release DJ Rig, an iPhone app that brings smooth transitions, scratching, sampling and beat matching to the party.
The app includes features found in other DJ apps such as access to the on-board iPhone music library and playlists, auto-sync technology, interactive waveform display and auto looping.
What makes IK Multimedia suggest this app may be a game-changer are features such as detection and adjustment for volume and cross-fading equalizing, a sync mode that detects beats per minute from external devices in real time and automatically syncs the tempo of internal decks to external decks. It has an on-the-fly sampler and live sampling capabilities.
And, if you want to go a little old school, the new DJ Rig app has a scratching engine that is supposed to emulate the behavior of real decks. The app also promises to include several output configurations, so you can adapt to different audio setups.
The regular version will cost about $10; there will be a scaled-down free version, expandable through in-app purchase. A universal iPad app is also in the works.
Among other coming-soon announcements for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad from the company out of CES: a mobile mixer (iRig Mix, $100), a live-performance stompbox guitar/bass interface (iRig Stomp, $60) and a compact voice-recording mic (iRig Mic Cast, $40).
-- Michelle Maltais in Las Vegas
