Be a DJ with your computer

[Billabong]

Hey!

OK, now I know it's not really arcade related, but...
Has anyone used a program called PCDJ Red (or Blue)? If so, you know it works with the keyboard or a special ($300) controller called the DMC-1.
Now, after successfully building my own joystick, I was thinking of building a controller for this PCDJ Red using a keyboard hack or an encoder.
The only problem is, the software is hard coded to use certian keys for certian functions (play = f2, rev = f3, etc). Could I still use an encoder?

Any thoughts, ideas?

Later,
Bill

[ArcadeFX]

I have not used PCDJ but I have a Mixman DM2 connected to my cabinet. I had it before I had my cabinet completed and it is great. It is not for mixing MP3 it still will lay down the phat tracks at your house party.  Connected to the arcade cabinet is a very nice feature.

Here is a link to the DM2 if you have not seen it before.

http://www.mixman.com/index_flash.html

[ArcadeFX]

Here is a question for you Billabong.  If I was to add the abiltiy to mix mp3s inside JukeboxFX what features would you consider a must. Here is my list.  Let me know if I am missing anything.

2 channels(MP3 1 and MP3 2)
This would be for each channel:
- Volume
- Pitch
- Position
- Pan (Right and Left)
- Loop
- Crossfader

What else would be needed?

[Billabong]

Hey ArcadeFX,

You could probably loose the PAN feature. I'm looking at PCDJ right now, and it's not there. For position, you would want a FWD and REV button, and a progress bar where you could just point and click and it would go to that point in the song.
All the rest, you hit on the head. You would also (obviously) need a place for the track list. There is only one master track list, and you drag what you want to play to each player.
Also, the ability to select either a CD-ROM drive (audio) as a source, or the LINE-IN from the sound card.
And, if you want to get fancy, add support for 4-channel output. Deck 1 to Front and Deck 2 to Rear, for example. Probably easier than 2 sound card support.

Go to http://www.visiosonic.com to download the free PCDJ Silver player for more ideas.

I have seen the Mixman, and it would be perfect, if it could only do MP3s. I would have to expand all of my MP3s back to WAV, and that ain't happening!

Hey, if you could make it controlled by the joystick port, let me know, cause I'm use to hacking that port over the keys.

Later,
Billabong

[ArcadeFX]

Here is what I plan to add in the first release.

2 channels(MP3 1 and MP3 2)
This would be for each channel:
- Volume

[Billabong]

Sounds like you have some good ideas! I'd be honored to try it out! Thanks!

I wouldn't worry about having two seperate track lists. Like you said a DJ can only play one record at a time. And really only has one 'track list' (his whole crate of records/CDs).

The range idea is cool, I forgot about that part. Might I suggest calling it 'loop', just to stay straight on the nomemcl...nomenclato...uhh..(can't find dictionary)... "what everyone usually calls it."

My whole point to this was that I'm looking for a way to build some kind of turntable-esq interface to control MP3's. Like I said, I know there is the DMC-1, but I want something that is two seperate units to have them side by side like real turn tables with a real two-channel mixer in the middle.

Obviously, buttons like "Play", "Cue" etc. are no problem. The tricky part will be making some kind of platter that you can spin forward and back like a turntable, and the MP3 would respond accordingly.

I have a couple of ideas, if you are interested in the hardware side of it at all. I'd like to bounce them off you, if you don't mind.

Later,
Bill

[ArcadeFX]

The loop and range are different buttons/options. This is because you loop a range or you can just have it play once and stop. If the range is set to the entire song and loop is selected then the entire song would loop. It will only keep looping if you have the loop checkbox checked.  Once you see how it works I think you will like it.

That would be pretty cool if you could make something to control the mp3s form a turn table interface.  The closest I have seen and played with to this would be my DM2.  Mixman releases full songs that you can download from their site and load into the DM2.  It is pretty fun remixing these but they don't support just a normal mp3. It has to be broken down and each beat is loaded into the DM2. Not something you can do easily.

[Billabong]

I've been drawing out different ideas on how the platter part could work.

Basically, a turntable is an electric motor hooked up to a spindle with a platter on it. You apply voltage to the motor, and it turns the platter.
Now, if you spun the platter, it should create voltage at the motor. And, depending on which direction you spin it, it would change the polarity (assuming DC here). Now, just have to figure out how to get the computer to read and react to that voltage!

Or, another idea. A PC joystick is analog with 2 axis. Well, if you could just take two potentiometers of the correct resistance (same as the PC), it could easily be read in the game port.

I wish I had the guts to take apart my Yamaha DJX II-B and see what it is like...

Maybe I can snag one of those DM2's off Ebay cheap to hack apart. Wonder what the driver is like...if there is a .DLL or something you could hook into using Visual Basic or something.

Could you add the ability to control it from the joystick port?

Later,
Bill

[enemyace]

For the turntables, could you do a mouse hack and use one axis for each turntable? If the turntable could freely spin 360 degrees, would it feel more realistic than if it had pots and had a limited rotation?

[enemyace]

Which variable affects the BPM in a track?

[Billabong]

For the turntables, could you do a mouse hack and use one axis for each turntable? If the turntable could freely spin 360 degrees, would it feel more realistic than if it had pots and had a limited rotation?

True, I had thought of that. But, I couldn't figure out (in my mind anyway), how to assign an axis to a control in the player. And still retain a regular mouse to pick tracks with. Now comes the tricky part. My ideal way for it to work: If the platter is motionless, keep playing the track. If it is moving reverse, scan slowly backwards. If it's moving forward, scan forward. So, normally, the platter just sits there motionless. Basically, I'm trying to re-create the Pioneer CDJ-1000 without spending $1000. See here: http://www.pioneerprodj.com/products/cdj1000/cdj1000-intro.mv for more details.
Maybe have some sort of button that picks what the platter does. So, press or toggle one button, it is BPM. Another, it's scan fwd & rev, etc.

Don't know what variable affects the BPM. ArcadeFX is the 'software guy'.

Later,
Bill

[ArcadeFX]

Coding a lot of this using VB or C++ proved to be too much of a headache so I am using a multimdia application like I did for ArcadeFX.  This has saved me tons of time and still allowed me to add enough scripting to make some real nice features.  

I have the cross fader working in my demo. It is very nice.  I am going on vacation on Wednesday so I will finish the DJ application when I return.

I have not decided if I will just add the DJ features to JukeboxFX or will create a new application. Either way it is going to be pretty cool.  

You will be the life of the party mixing mp3 for you friends on your arcade cabinet or PC.

[Billabong]

Have fun on you vacation man!

[enemyace]

I'd say you should make two versions of JukeboxFX, like JukeboxFX and JukeboxFX DJ. Most likely 95% of your users won't have any use for the DJ functions, and all that extra stuff would probably scare them away to something simpler. Also, the file size would be smaller without all the DJ features.

If you want to keep it all in one app, you could make it easy to hide all the extra features by default, and have an option to enable all the extra stuff if you want to DJ with it.

Or, maybe the degree of functionality could be determined by the skins that are used. Some skins could be normal skins with basic functions only, and some could be DJ skins with all the bells and whistles.

-EA

[ArcadeFX]

If the file size is greatly increased then the DJ funtions  then it will be called in a new file. If the file isn't found then instructions wll be offered to download it.  

I expect that most people will play with it once then probably not use it much. I will say it is a lot of fun.  Ther are just too many controls to add key mapping to the DJ features so these will probably not be added.  Trackball or mouse is highly recommended.

[AlanS17]

How about using a jog dial (spinner)? Wouldn't really require a hack if you use an Opti-Pac or similar controller. It's a one-axis device and it goes in a circle. Sounds easy to me (but I'm new to this). Then you can justify paying the $75 or whatever for the spinner and controller just to play like 10 old games.

Spinners could also replace sliders for things such as the crossfader.

Now if you don't want it interfering with the mouse... that's a tough one. Maybe using the mouse to select songs isn't the best method. Perhaps escaping to the track list, selecting a song, and returning to the console should be (and could be) controlled by the joystick.

Another option would be to use a joystick that attaches to the game port or USB. Doesn't interfere with the mouse and could support analog control (even though it doesn't have the same feel).

I'm just throwing ideas out there. I dont' even know whether they're good or not. It's just something I wanted to try on my own machine even before I saw this board...

Keep talking about it, though. I want to see where this all goes!

AlanS17