DJ Forum

IK has been producing ARC (Advanced Response Correction) systems for some time, using a combination of special microphones and software to measure and compensate for the imperfect acoustic nature of most listening spaces and studios. Most recently, it has built the technology into some of its speakers. Now, the company has created the ARC On-Ear system for people who are tracking, mixing and mastering on headphones. A combination of a hardware unit and a software application, it’s a rather more user-friendly format than the other ARC products, a little smaller than an Apple TV box and designed to work with both digital and analogue sources... The post Has IK just made acc…

By day, Dr. Richard Aballay treats patients at his family and functional medicine practice in Kansas. Nights and weekends, he’s DJ Mediko – spinning EDM, reggaeton, trap, hip-hop, Top 40, Latin classics, and even country remixes across radio streams, festivals, and private events. The journey from teenage record collector to working physician-DJ started with a … Continued The post Student Spotlight: From South Bronx “Franken-rig” to Multi-Genre Mastery appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

This week’s DJ LIFE Mobile Monday DJ spotlight, presented by QSC, shines on DJ ONIX from Cleveland, Ohio. DJ ONIX is this week’s DJ LIFE Mobile Monday spotlight. Presented by QSC, DJ ONIX is a mobile DJ based out of Cleveland, Ohio. For DJ ONIX, music has never been just a job – it’s been a lifelong calling that [...] The post DJ ONIX [Mobile Monday Spotlight] appeared first on DJ Life Magazine. View the full article

Mixvibes has announced Cross DJ 5, a complete rebuild of its flagship DJ software that promises a unified experience across iOS, macOS, and Android. The update introduces real-time stem separation, over 30 professional effects, and expanded Midi controller support. Cross DJ 5 is a ground-up remake of the application, bringing all platform versions under a … Continued The post Mixvibes Announces Cross DJ 5 With Cross-Platform Rebuild & Stems appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

A year ago, we told you the AlphaTheta XDJ-AZ was the ultimate all-in-one DJ unit. After 12 months of using it ourselves, plus feedback from students at Digital DJ Tips and the wider community, we’re now in a position to answer the big question: one year on, should you still buy it? The launch crisis … Continued The post AlphaTheta XDJ-AZ One Year On: Still A Good Buy? appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

Ableton has dropped Live 12.3, and we’ve got a whole heap of new features, including some real major changes and some pretty minor quality-of-life fixes. It was already the go-to for electronic music production, but now Ableton is looking to further expand its creative toolbox to let you more easily explore new sounds and get […]View the full article

When the Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000 launched in September 2020, nightclubs worldwide were closed, and tours had ground to a halt. For a flagship DJ player, the timing looked disastrous. Except it wasn’t. “Everyone was DJing at home, but the product sold out really quickly and was on back order,” reveals Rob Anderson, the product planning manager at AlphaTheta EMEA. “Within six months to a year, we couldn’t deliver enough stock for our retail channel.” With venues shut, professional DJs pivoted to live-streaming, but the pandemic had exposed an uncomfortable truth: their reliance on clubs to provide equipment meant many home setups weren’t up to scratch. “A lot of professional to…

The post What was it like to DJ in the 1970s? appeared first on Pioneer DJ. View the full article

Walk into a lot of clubs today, and you might notice something has changed. You hear a bit of build up, then the drop comes in, and before you can really settle into the groove, the next track is already coming in. It is frantic and attention grabbing, but this style of mixing leaves behind […]View the full article

When war and economic crisis forced Jihad Zein to close his bar in Beirut in August 2024, he lost almost everything. His business. His income. His livelihood. Almost everything…though he still had his DJ equipment. Four months later, at age 50, Jihad took out a small loan, bought a 1978 VW van, and converted it … Continued The post Student Spotlight: The DJ Who Lost Everything Except His Decks appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

Mansfield, Ohio – Bryan Gifford is a DJ whose interests in audio and music never seemed to settle down – and, lucky for him and his Northern Ohio customers, it’s worked out rather well. When he was young, he learned the craft and the mechanics of DJing – for events and on the air. During his stint in the U.S. Navy, he stepped up his game with off-post gigs – both mobile and club. Crucially, along the [...] The post Brian Gifford: Ohio DJ Re-Brands, Reaps Rewards [Mobile DJ Profile] appeared first on DJ Life Magazine. View the full article

Every release on Volumo is hand-picked by real DJs and genre experts – no banner clutter, no pay-to-play, just music that matters to DJs. Volumo is a new music-download platform launched from Europe, but built with DJs everywhere in mind. At a time when many platforms are driven by streaming metrics and algorithmic trends, Volumo is putting curation, community, and fair artist economics [...] The post Volumo Music: Every Release Hand-Picked by DJs appeared first on DJ Life Magazine. View the full article

Small businesses across the country, the continent and even the globe rely heavily on reviews – that includes the DJ industry, of course. Peer-2-peer recognition and respect count for a heavy weight in a customer’s purchase decision, and rightly so. However, the system is not perfect. We’re all stuck dealing with the whims of the [...] The post A Tool to Prevent Bad Online Reviews appeared first on DJ Life Magazine. View the full article

It can be very hard to get started in DJing nowadays because there’s so much choice when it comes to DJ gear. Here at Digital DJ Tips, we’re happy DJing on pretty much anything, as long as it’s got: Two music sources A way of mixing them Speakers so everyone can hear what you’re doing … Continued The post 5 DJ Set-ups We Recommend: The Complete Guide For Beginners 2026 appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

Recording your DJ set is usually easy if you use a controller and a laptop: you just hit “record” in your DJ software. The software records your mixing, and gives you an audio file at the end of it that you can share, upload to a service like Mixcloud, listen back to for your own … Continued The post How To Record Your DJ Sets (Even When Using Streaming Services) appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

IK Multimedia has announced the iLoud Sub, a compact studio subwoofer featuring automatic room calibration technology. The unit extends low-frequency response down to 25Hz while claiming the smallest footprint of any studio subwoofer currently available. At its core is the company’s ARC X digital signal processing system, which automatically calibrates both the subwoofer and any … Continued The post IK Multimedia Unveils Compact Studio Subwoofer with Room Correction appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

Michael Gerth will never forget that New Year’s Eve at a ski resort in 2018. The venue was packed. The atmosphere was perfect. The crowd was ready to explode into celebration. And Michael had them completely dialled in. “I had played the venue before, but this night was magic,” Michael recalls. “The crowd, the music … Continued The post Student Spotlight: From Imposter Syndrome To New Year’s Eve Magic appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

The post How did Miss Monique turn YouTube streams into stadium crowds? appeared first on Pioneer DJ. View the full article

The holidays are fast approaching – and finding the perfect present for the DJ in your life can feel overwhelming. Don’t worry, we’ve compiled a list of the best gifts for DJs in 2025, so you can choose a memorable gift that they’ll actually use. Whether the creator on your list is an aspiring DJ just learning the ropes or a seasoned professional playing gigs and live streaming, this list of Native Instruments gifts for DJs has you covered... The post The best gifts for DJs in 2025 first appeared on Native Instruments Blog. View the full article

Andy Fermo never expected a volunteer DJ slot at his wife’s networking group would change his life. But that’s exactly what happened when he dusted off his old CD decks after seven years away from music. “I hadn’t touched my gear since 2010,” Andy recalls. “After the Army, I hit a dark patch and didn’t … Continued The post Student Spotlight: From Military Compound To Packed Dancefloors appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

When you’re building your DJ set-up, one question often comes up: should you use hardware or software effects? The answer depends on how you DJ, what gear you’re using, and what you want to achieve. Let’s break down the differences and help you work out what’s right for you. However, before we get into it…what … Continued The post Hardware vs Software Effects in DJing: What’s The Difference? appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

Legendary electronic music innovator Richie Hawtin sat down with Native Instruments’ Michael Koczynksi (Lead Product Manager for Traktor) and Sylwia Kopys (Senior Marketing Manager for Traktor and hardware) at ADE 2025 to discuss a long history of collaboration, the evolution of his live setup, and his vision for the future of performance technology. Watch the conversation in full below or read about some of the highlights in the blog... The post Richie Hawtin on the evolution of DJing and his quest for the perfect setup first appeared on Native Instruments Blog. View the full article

Getting booked to play a festival is one of the biggest dreams for loads of up-and-coming DJs, but it doesn’t just come down to luck. To get these sorts of opportunities, you’ve got to do the groundwork, building up a reputation that shows that you’re able to handle these types of sets and crowds. Crossfader […]View the full article

When most people start DJing, they think the hard part is the technical stuff. Things like beat-matching and knowing a few transitions are, of course, crucial, but just getting those skills nailed is only half of what makes a great DJ. To really level up to a more natural level of mixing, you’ve got to […]View the full article

Native Instruments has launched Traktor Play, a streamlined two-deck DJ software priced at £39/€49/$49 that opens the Traktor ecosystem to third-party hardware for the first time in a long time – including plug-and-play compatibility with AlphaTheta’s DDJ-FLX2 and DDJ-FLX4 controllers. The software is built on the same engine as Traktor Pro 4, with features deliberately … Continued The post NI Launches Entry Level Traktor Play & Opens Up To Other Gear appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

In 1999, Trance Nation exploded into the world. Mixed by a then-rising Dutch producer named Ferry Corsten, it went on to become one of the most iconic dance compilation series of all time – selling millions of copies, introducing whole generations to clubbing, and shaping the sound of a generation. What most people don’t know … Continued The post Trance Nation: How Ferry Corsten & Ministry of Sound Changed Dance Music Forever appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

Ferry Corsten has just launched his Trance Mixing Masterclass course with us, sharing decades of knowledge from the genre’s evolution. To celebrate, we’re looking back at the career moments that didn’t just define one DJ’s journey…but shaped trance music itself. From bedroom productions to packed festival stages, these are the moments that made Ferry a … Continued The post Ferry Corsten’s 10 Most Euphoric DJ Moments appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

AlphaTheta has withdrawn the latest Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000 firmware update after multiple professional DJs reported arriving at gigs to find their playlists apparently wiped. The company pulled version 3.30 on 4 November, just two weeks after its release, and is recommending users downgrade to version 3.20. High-profile DJs including BBC Radio 1’s Jaguar, VTSS, Samurai … Continued The post AlphaTheta Pulls CDJ-3000 Firmware After Playlist Issues appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article

If you’re a complete beginner looking to take your very first steps into the world of DJing, you’ve got more options than ever of where to start. Most of the industry leaders have free or stripped-back versions that let you get a flavour of what DJing’s all about without having to spend a load of […]View the full article

“Should I go with Pioneer DJ (or lately, AlphaTheta) equipment? Other stuff seems better value and way cooler. But then again, wouldn’t I be safer going with the ‘industry standard’?” Students here at the Digital DJ Tips school ask us this all the time. And like Mac vs PC, it’s hard to get to the … Continued The post Why Pioneer DJ & AlphaTheta Gear Is The Industry Standard (Whether You Like It Or Not) appeared first on Digital DJ Tips. View the full article