SwingDJs

The NI Audio DJ 2 is a good to very good sound card. Street price is $100 new. There is nothing below that price point that I will actually recommend at this point.

Aside from competition music, I have not used a CD at a gig since 2002.

I'm using TRAKTOR which is deck oriented (current playlist missing). I almost always add to and play from the "Preparation List" in Traktor. That is effectively my "current playlist." My MIDI controller has keys programmed to take the "next" song from the Preparation L...

There are three basic designs that cover the current state of the art in terms of software for playing music to a live audience. 1) Playlist Focused e.g. iTunes, WinAmp, Media Monkey. Obviously these programs have a lot more features than just a playlist. But the basic function is to play songs, one...

A "PA Manager" is going to be a better buy. You can get a full digital system with a compressor, limiter, parametric EQ, crossover, and much more for around $300. I have/use/like the Behringer DCX-2496. This has everything I described and more. Behringer had a bad reputation....but this is...

Are there any others here that DJ out of Linux? I tried about 5 years ago, and linux was NOT ready for prime time. Good to hear that things have progressed. I'd be curious about any multi player linux solutions that might be out there. I use linux for a great many things, but DJing is not one of th...

I have a *lot* of issues with DJs using iTunes to play music, and using the built in EQ settings. Generally the resulting sound will be much less than desirable In what way, SiMDJ? When EQ is added by iTunes, it is normally to help the music sound better on earbuds, or a boom box, or on computer sp...

Keep in mind that when applying EQ, the settings are only valid for the speakers and room where they were applied. If you change sound systems, or rooms, or placement of speakers in the room, then different EQ settings will be needed. I have a *lot* of issues with DJs using iTunes to play music, and...

I use iTunes for DJing. Does anyone know if it possible to automatically add a gap of a few seconds after each song? (I occasionally have a problem where a song runs right to the end and then runs onto the next one in the list). No automatic way. You can create a track with "nothing" in i...

This is why every sound system should have a hard limiter setup just before the amps to ensure that no signal ever exceeds the thermal capabilities of the speaker cabinets. It might sound crappy, but at least the speakers will be protected. Isn't that kind of at odds with the whole $20 USB stick th...

I think this is an awesome idea. Has it happened? Any updates?

A lot of older tracks hard pan instruments to one side or the other. If you're working with a stereo PA, you can lose instruments as you move across the room. All of the PAs I set up run mono. I use stereo for (almost) all my PA setups. In rooms up to 40ft wide, I use a pair of tops and setup to 1/...

In general, I would agree with that, however I found the output of the cheapy USB sticks distorts as the volume goes up. It is true that cheapy USB sticks distort as the signal approaches the limits of the device. But so do cheapy mixers (think anything in the <$1000 range), and so do cheapy EQ's, ...

I looked into Mac DJ software two years ago...and ultimately decided to stick with a PC for now. MegaSeg - Seems to be really good for setting up playlists but expensive MegaSeg was my #1 choice. If I'd gone Mac, this is what I would be using. Disco XT - Again, seems to have good playlist function +...

I just got a new laptop so my Echo PCMCIA card isn't an option anymore. Does anyone have a suggestion for a USB sound card they like these days? I like the GigaportAG card (8 outs, 4 stereo pairs) or the Maya44 (4 in/4out, 2 stereo pairs in & 2 stereo pairs out). They are both in the <$100 range.