Development Update #1 - IMS Ibiza and Recent DJ.Studio Upgrades
Noah Feasey-Kemp
Hello and welcome to the first DJ.Studio development update. We’re starting this journal to keep you up to date on what’s been going down at DJ.Studio HQ!
In this first issue, you’ll discover the latest updates of DJ.Studio including features and bug fixes. We’ll also tell you about our exciting trip to IMS Ibiza…
But first, a short thanks to all the beta users who’ve discovered bugs and contributed ideas - thank you!
International Music Summit Demonstration - IMS Ibiza!#
DJ.Studio goes to Ibiza!
At the end of April 2023, Siebrand, Fred, and Fleur from the DJ.Studio team flew to IMS Ibiza to demonstrate DJ.Studio to the music-loving attendees. We were excited to share our project with potential users in person - seeing everybody’s reaction was a lot of fun!
We’d like to thank all the attendees for their feedback and excitement! It was useful to get ideas from your first impressions, which we are immediately starting to integrate into future updates.
We spoke to people from all across the DJ community, from humble bedroom DJs to professional performers - even radio stations and record labels. We were met with the same level of enthusiasm we have about DJ.Studio and its possibilities.
We highly value feedback from you, the user community, and want to make sure that we integrate as many ideas and features as you have. The development of DJ.Studio is driven by the users - so test the software and send as much feedback as you like!
It will be interesting to see how far the software has grown when it comes around to next year’s summit!
DJ.Studio Fixes and Features!#
Since DJ.Studio’s first release, the software has already seen many new updates, bringing a bunch of bug fixes, performance improvements, and a few new features to the software.
NEW: Music Visualizer and Video Creation Engine#
One of the largest upgrades is the Music Visualizer and Video Creator System.
This huge feature lets users build audio-reactive visuals directly within DJ.Studio - without needing any experience in video creation!
With 100 animations to choose from and a range of customization features, you can now create bespoke videos which react to your mixes. These trippy moving visuals are the perfect accompaniment to hypnotize your audience,
The video creation system has detailed controls, letting you adjust how the visuals progress throughout your mix. You can also display each track’s cover art and information in a few different ways.
This turns DJ.Studio into a full entertainment production powerhouse! A comprehensive video export system is paired with the music visualizer tools, which means you can quickly and easily distribute your latest ear and eye candy to your audience.
DJ.Studio now has everything you need to create complete mix projects with accompanying visuals - the ultimate tool for promoting your DJ career.
Check out this video, which was made purely in DJ.Studio!
NEW: Expanded Export Options For live performances#
Inspired by feedback from our users, we’ve expanded the range of destinations for your exported DJ.Studio mixes. You can now easily export your sets to a WAV, MP3, MP4 (video), and even a DJ set file for importing your mix playlist directly into other DJ software.
This opens up even more use cases for DJ.Studio.
You can now use it to prepare DJ sets to play live through rekordbox, Serato, and other popular DJ software.
This gives performance DJs a new super-charged workflow, as they can use DJ.Studio to find the perfect harmonic and tempo-matched mixes, and then build the optimal sequence of tracks to play at their next gig!
DJ.Studio gives you the option of exporting your DJ set as an M3U8 file.
This type of file can be instantly dropped into other DJ software to import the full mix as an ordered playlist. It splits the two DJ.Studio track lanes between each virtual deck in the software, so you can start mixing through your playlist for a live performance without manually importing and arranging the set.
This unique new type of workflow gives DJs the best of both worlds. You have the AI, analysis, and harmonic mixing power of DJ.Studio, combined with the traditional tools needed for live DJ performances.
BPM Bar#
The Studio view’s BPM bar has now been improved to bring more functionality and control over track speed. You can now set the pace of your mix from start to finish with a few clicks of a button.
Need to build up the pace? Set the start of your mix to a casual 120BPM, and set it to end at a pounding 150. The tempo will gradually increase throughout the set.
Want to move from a high tempo to something more chill? Simply start with a high BPM and end on something lower. It couldn’t be much easier.
DJ.Studio will make sure that tracks stay beat-matched and automatically adjust their tempos to fit with your desired pace change.
Here are three new items that we will be releasing in the BPM line very soon:
Set track BPM
Restore track BPM
Add BPM marker
Performance Updates and Bug Fixes#
Our main focus this month was on making DJ.Studio more robust, increasing its performance and improving DJ.Studio’s compatibility with other DJ apps. Many of you requested improvements to performance, so we listened! Thanks for hunting down a lot of these bugs too!
Expanding Compatibility and Integrations
We want to make sure that DJ.Studio works for anybody that wants it. So we spent a lot of time expanding system compatibility and integration with other software.
With DJs using such a wide range of laptops/computers, music libraries, hard drives, and setups, we wanted to ensure the broadest compatibility possible. So we looked through the systems to support as many use cases as possible.
Previously we had been mostly focused on developing for Apple systems, so we dedicated more time to improving the Windows builds for balance. (After all, we had a lot of feedback from Windows users, which make up 50% of our user base). The integrations with other DJ apps often work differently on Apple and Windows, so those all needed special attention.
Generic Performance Improvements and Bug Fixes
Beat detection has been optimized, for example with R&B and Hiphop in mind. This creates more accurate beat analysis, which also improves the quality of auto-mixes.
Performance has been improved for older machines. You can now enjoy the power of DJ.Studio on machines made around 2017 onwards.
We’ve increased the engine stability, preventing the software from freezing as often. If this still occurs, you can fix it by refreshing/reloading the website or app.
We fixed a serious bug where the software wouldn’t load at all on some of your machines.
Music Library Fixes -The import date column doesn’t show “Today” anymore, enabling comprehensive sorting.
Canceling while entering a filename during export resulted in a crash - this has been fixed.
The track information window didn’t show BPM control for tracks imported from Mixed In Key.
The SoundCloud search integrations have been improved.
Import
As requested, we’ve made some major improvements and expansions to the import system.
Importing tracks is now much faster!
DJ.Studio now supports the importation of FLAC, M4A, ALAC, AIFF, and IAF files! You can import a wider range of your collection without any need for conversion.
We’ve improved the performance and stability of the import process for integrated software including rekordbox, Serato, iTunes, and Mixed In Key.
We’ve expanded the maximum length of imported files, now with a maximum length of 18 minutes per track.
You can now import music from rekordbox, Serato, or Mixed In Key libraries from an external hard drive.
We improved Mixed In Key integrations! Any tracks imported from Mixed In Key now display Cue Points and Energy Levels in the DJ.Studio timeline.
iTunes playlists are loaded faster and more reliably.
We improved error messaging when there are issues importing a track. Now you are shown more detailed information highlighting the causes of any problems!
Export
Exporting has also been upgraded.
We’ve improved the user interface design for the Export Wizard window. This makes it easier to differentiate between exporting and recording.
You can now adjust the exported output gain. This makes it easier to set the final output gain to match the required distribution level. This also helps if you want to make your exported mix louder overall.
Improvements to YouTube exporting. When exporting your mix to YouTube you have the option to create a tracklist. This can be pasted into the YouTube upload to automatically add chapters to your video.
You can now choose between 720p, 1080p or 2160p video resolution for the export format.
Exported Ableton Live sets will now work with Live 10 as well!
The Video Export Engine is now compatible with Intel machines.
Transition Editor
Made the transition editor interface easier to use - you can now edit any of the automation lanes from the same interface, without needing to switch between parameters in the bottom transition panel.
Added grippers to the left and right of the transition window to making easy to change the length of the transition.
Files imported from rekordbox so you can see your hot cues and phrases.
Files imported from Mixed in key so you can see thecue points and energy segments.
The Next Steps!#
DJ.Studio is in the early stages of its journey - we are still in beta!
Please bear with us while we are working through the most important issues and features.
We want to make sure that DJ.Studio creates the best experience possible, and we are communicating closely with the community to make sure that DJ.Studio works for everybody. Quality takes time!
We take our community’s ideas and contributions seriously, so if you test the software and have ideas, please let us know via the feedback link above.
Here are some of the plans in our pipeline:
Improved file storage - We are in the process of changing the database to a local file system, so your projects are not stored in the cache of your browser anymore. This will fix the issue that sometimes the cache of your browser or app will be cleared, resulting in the loss of your projects.
Better harmonic mixing -We are working together with a leading expert in the field of harmonic DJing tools to integrate their technology into DJ.Studio. This will enable users to harness the power of harmonic mixing to an epic level.
Stay tuned for more!
Tell us what you would like to see in next month’s upgrades!
Featured Monthly Mix - Andreas Andersson#
This month's featured mix was made by Andreas Andersson using DJ.Studio. It’s a driving mix of high energy cuts - from classic house, to deeper grooves, and even some rolling trance.
These euphoric beats are the perfect motivation for a workout session - running, jogging, lifting weights, you name it! The podcast series is designed for fitness and workouts.
That said, the pumping and compelling tracks are also great for keeping your motivation high when your working - in the office or at home.
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Want your mix featured in next month's newsletter? Share it on social media with the hashtag #DJStudioMix - The best mix will get picked and shared here every month.
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Thanks!#
This concludes the first DJ.Studio Dev Diary! Thanks for taking part in this exciting journey - we look forward to helping you all create your flawless next DJ mix!
We are working hard to bring the software out of beta testing, so any feedback is welcome. Let us know any features you would like to see added to DJ.Studio!
Tune in next time - and make sure to try out the latest version of DJ.Studio!
Enjoy!
~ The DJ.Studio Team