All you need to know about djing with smartphones & Tablets


While DJing with a computer has been an industry standard for many years, DJing using smart devices, such as iOS and Android-based systems, is fast becoming a popular option. There is a great selection of controllers for DJing with smartphones and tablets out there, with solutions for beginners and advanced users.

PROs and Cons

Using a smart device for DJing offers many advantages over existing solutions. First of all, the portability of a small and compact setup is a highly attractive prospect, particularly for travelling DJs. Laptops may be getting slimmer and lighter but the form factor of an iPhone or iPad, for example, is hard to beat. In addition, touch-screen and other inclusive smart technologies provide a familiar and intuitive user-experience.

In contrast, it's worth considering that the storage limitations of smartphones and tablets may not be adequate for hosting large music libraries – this mainly applies to iOS devices as Android devices commonly offer the option of expanding storage capabilities with the use of microSD cards. Alternatively, the option of streaming music is a convenient feature offered by some DJ apps, however this relies entirely on a stable wifi connection to avoid interruptions during a performance.



Pro

Con

Portability and form factor of smartphones and tablets Storage limitations, e.g. for large music libraries
Intuitive user-experience through smart technologies Streaming capability relies on a stable wifi connection
Streaming of music directly from the internet

Software Recommendation

With different software options available on today's market, djay Pro by Algoriddim is one of the most popluar and trusted. It effectively turns your smartphone or tablet into a fully-featured DJ workstation offering low latency for stable performances, compatible with iOS, Android (and even macOS/Windows).

Algoriddim djay Pro can integrate your music directly from your device's storage or stream from iTunes or the huge audio libraries of Apple Music, Tidal, SoundCloud, Beatport and Beatsource. This allows you to travel light whilst still having access to millions of tracks. The software can even suggest new songs in real-time depending on what you've played previously, which is particularly useful for beginners to discover new music.

It's also just as attractive for experienced DJs with its pro-grade FX packages by leading software developer Sugarbytes. For those who like to mix visuals, djay Pro offers all the features needed including 4k video playback and 1080p capturing of your master video output.

Hardware that is connected to the software works plug 'n' play and allows you to effortlessly setup your preferred DJ system. djay Pro delivers unrivalled power for the price.

Device Recommendation

When choosing a smartphone or tablet for DJing, we recommend iOS devices as they only need to be compatible with a few hardware configurations which are all compiled by Apple, as opposed to Android devices which need to be compatible with various different hardware configurations. This is why DJ apps such as Algoriddim's djay Pro are running very smoothly on iOS-based systems and appear to have less dropouts or technical complications than other options.

If an Android device is your preference, we recommend to choose a device with adequate processing power and RAM running an unmodified version of the operating system. The models of the Google Nexus series were well suited, unfortunately they are no longer manufactured. However, there are still many other devices on the market that are suitable for use with DJ apps.

Real-time Vocal and Instrumental Separation with Neural Mix™

Algoriddim unveiled djay Pro, a major update to djay for iOS, its Apple Design Award-winning music app, introducing artificial intelligence-based real-time music separation to allow users to mix individual components of music live for the first time.

djay Pro introduces Neural Mix™ technology, allowing DJs to isolate, play, and remix singular elements from multiple tracks in real-time. On screen, djay Pro provides intuitive sliders and controls, enabling users to seamlessly fade between percussive and harmonic components of a song, best suited for electronic music, or to create instant acapellas and instrumentals with the tap of a button, best suited for hip hop related music. Over 30 new MIDI-mappable Neural Mix™ commands can be assigned to your Reloop controller.

Learn more about Neural Mix™ here: algoriddim.com/neural-mix

Recommended products

Here at Reloop, we have a range of hardware specifically designed for DJing with smartphones and tablets:

Mixtour Pro

Buddy

Beatpad 2

RMX-95

Mixon 8 Pro

Mixtour Pro Buddy Beatpad 2 RMX-95 Mixon 8 Pro
Portable Performance 4-Deck DJ Controller Compact 2-deck DJ controller 2-deck professional DJ controller Professional 4+1-channel DJ club mixer 4-Deck Multi-Platform Performance Controller
Plug 'n' play with djay Pro Plug 'n' play with djay Pro Plug 'n' play with djay Pro Plug 'n' play with djay Pro Plug 'n' Play with djay Pro and Serato DJ
Mix-ready device with audio interface Built-in USB audio interface Integrated USB audio club interface Dual 10 In/Out USB audio interface Dual Audio Interface with USB-C & Stand-Alone Mixing
8 multi-colour pads & MIDI support 16 RGB colour-coded performances pads 16 velocity sensitive RGB pads Beat FX unit with multiple effects 16 velocity sensitive RGB pads
Streaming connectivity* Streaming connectivity* Streaming connectivity* Streaming connectivity* Streaming connectivity*
Extensive Neural Mix™ controls Extensive Neural Mix™ controls Harmonic mixing with key lock/key match Neural Mix™ EQ mode Harmonic mixing with key sync/shift & Extensive Neural Mix™ controls
Effect section with FX paddles 4 Instant FX Toggle Switches
€449,99 €219,99 €549,99 €769,99


* with Apple Music, Tidal, SoundCloud, Beatport and Beatsource

Setup Examples



Mixtour Pro

Mixtour Pro 2 Setup Examples


Buddy

Buddy Setup Example


Beatpad 2

Beatpad 2 Setup Example


RMX-95

RMX-95 Setup Example

Take a look




  • Reloop Mixtour Pro X Laidback Luke - 4-Deck All-In-One DJ Controller for djay Pro (Introduction)

  • Reloop Mixon 8 Pro - professional DJ controller - Serato DJ & Algoriddim djay Pro (Introduction)

  • Reloop Ready – Kendo The DJ & JE from The Fresh Crew (Performance)

  • How to use Reloop Ready - Portable Controller for Serato
    Did you know? (Playlist)

  • Reloop Mixtour DJ controller - Sleek and powerful allrounder for djay iOS/Android (Introduction)

  • Buddy Compact 2-Deck djay Controller for all platforms - Overview & Key features

  • Buddy Promotion & Showcase by DJ Sojo

  • Buddy Compact 2-Deck djay Controller for all platforms feat. DJ Carlo Atendido (Performance)

  • Getting started with Reloop Buddy – a compact controller for djay (Playlist)

  • Reloop Buddy – Algoriddim djay Pro Neural Mix™ Performance by DJ Angelo

  • Reloop Ready feat. DJ Delta (Performance)

Further articles