App Review: djay2 for iOS by Algoriddim

With so many DJ apps on the market these days, sometimes it’s hard to find a program which stands out from the others. DJ apps such as Traktor have set an industry standard for others to follow. Too often, I am reviewing apps and struggle to find one that makes DJing easier for the novice user.

djay2 for iOSI initially heard of the company Algoriddim at an industry trade show. Their rep was trying to sell me on the features their flagship app djay touted over competing products. After spending an hour with the product, I was in complete agreement with the rep and felt Algoriddim had an app on their hands which could give Native Instruments and Traktor a run for their money.

There are several versions of the djay app.  Algoriddim offers iPad, iPhone and OSX versions that can be used independently of each other. The full version for OSX is priced at $9.99, while the iPad and iPhone versions come in at a modest $1.99. If you are looking to try the program before buying, there is an LE version, which has limited functionality. For the purposes of this article, I will be reviewing the iPhone app, using it on the iPhone 5.

Setup

This app is a pretty small download. The base package is only 37.6 MB, comes standard with English and multiple additional language options. Analyzing tracks is done automatically, but there is a manual option if you need to do it again.

Music Library

djay2 for iOS spotifyLike many of the other DJ apps on the market, djay2 utilizes the existing music library found on your device. When accessing your library, you can sort by BPM, title, artist or time. If you have prearranged sets built as playlists, you can access them by using the playlist tab found at the bottom of your library. One feature I found very useful was the queue feature. This allows you to put potential next songs into a special playlist for consideration. I found this VERY useful to me, because when DJing, I am always thinking two songs ahead. I hope other apps decide to use this format.

One feature I found was a pretty unique option, is the inclusion of your Spotify library. This means your library can get a massive upgrade with a Spotify Premium account. I imagine this feature will be huge in the wedding DJ and pop industries. I can’t count how many times I have had someone come up to me with their phone, asking me to play a song which is on their Spotify account. In the past, I couldn’t play that song, now I can look it up, play it and save it to my library.

Mixing

djay2 for iOS mixingI found the mixing controls in DJay2 very responsive. The positioning of the crossfader and volume faders made it very easy to use. The EQ section features the standard low, mid, high and gain functions. In addition to this there is a bar that features both a low pass and high pass filter. If you move the bar to the right, you activate the high pass filter and if you move the bar to the left, you activate the low pass filter.

There are five FX included with the Essentials pack in djay2. These FX are Echo, Flanger, Phaser, Bit Crusher and Gate. Algoriddim has partnered with the software developer Sugar Bytes to add more FX to the existing program. Users can purchase FX packs, which add a great deal of functionality and fun to your mixing experience. These FX can be turned on with an X/Y pad featured on the screen. This is very similar to the Traktor app.

djay2 for iOS fx

In addition to the standard FX, the Instant FX have been added, which provide some very satisfying results. In the Instant section you will find the Absorb, Drift, Sway, Crush, Punch and Twist FX. All of the FX are very easy to use and only require you pressing the corresponding button to activate them. These FX are the most gratifying part of the program in my opinion.

The loop section is very standard compared to other DJ apps. Looping can be set anywhere from a 1/16 beat, up to 32 beats. The loop section also has a bounce feature, which lets you do an “auto loop roll” looping to the gradient that is pushed. Most of those loop features are found in other DJ apps, but there was one which made djay2 stand out. I found the “auto loop roll” controlled by the X/Y pad was one of the coolest features I have seen from any DJ app. This FX processor combines the bounce loop feature with a high pass and low pass filter. Playing around with this feature makes me want to adopt some of the Sugar Bytes FX packages in my studio setup.

Additional Features

djay app cue pointsThere are many features I have glossed over on this app which are found on pretty much every DJ app on the market. I chose to focus on many of the features which make this app stand out on its own. One of these was the cue points section of the mixer, where djay2 lets you set three custom cue points per song. In addition to this, djay2 lets you set a cue point on the fly, making it very useful for marking a point in a song to which you want to return.

With djay2 you can record your sets and export them to your computer. This is a pretty useful feature for those who want to hear their progress in an effort to fine-tune their craft. djay2’s analysis, sync and automix features all work very well, and add another dimension to the already robust package of offerings found the djay2 product line.

Algoriddim djay2 App

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