Music Tech

In January, Mojaxx reviewed the Infinity Fader, a strengthened fader stem for the Rane Sixty-Two mixer. Now, the company is offering an Infinity Fader for the Pioneer DJ DJM-S9 mixer.

Watch Mojaxx’s review of the DJM-S9 stem on this week’s Tips and Tricks.

Related: No More Broken Faders

On this week’s Tips and Tricks episode, Mojaxx returns with part two of his DIY series. As he continues to set up his new studio, Mo sets out to find ways to mount acoustic foam to his walls without damaging them or the foam itself. He messed up the walls in his old studio, and he doesn’t want to make the same mistake.

Related: How to Build a DJ Booth for Under $100

Two days after teasing it in their rekordbox 5.0 introduction video, Pioneer DJ has revealed the details of their long-rumored, all-in-one DJ system, the XDJ-RX2.

The XDJ-RX2 inherits a number of features from the company’s flagship NXS2 range and adds a seven-inch touchscreen with qwerty keyboard search.

As with the previous version, music can be played from a laptop via the rekordbox DJ software or directly from USB drives. Other notable upgrades include eight performance pads per deck, improved Sound Color FX control, and Track Filter and Track Short Cut features for fast browsing.

Other key features:

– Beat FX
– Two USB-A ports
– rekordbox dj license
– A limited number of systems include a rekordbox video license

The XDJ-RX2 will be available in September for a suggested retail price of $1,699.

Watch Pioneer’s introduction video below.

Related: Pioneer DJ Releases rekordbox 5.0, Announces DDJ-XP1 Controller

Harmonix — the company behind Rock Band and the original Guitar Hero — has released a DJ-style game called DropMix.

The innovative game lets players mix popular songs together using playing cards and a Bluetooth-enabled playing board.

According to Harmonix:

“Each card in DropMix represents a different part of a song — like vocals, bass, drums, etc. As you place cards on the electronic DropMix board, which connects to a free app on your iOS or Android device, you and your friends will hear a custom mix start to take shape in real-time.”

It comes with a ClashMode, in which players can face off with a friend or team up with a friend to battle two others. There’s also an option to save your mix to your device.

Harmonix plans on having 300 cards from a variety of genres available for the 2017 collection. Below are some of the songs that’ll be coming to the game this year.

DropMix will hit stores in September with a price tag of $99.99. It’s also available for pre-order on Harmonix’s website.

Watch the videos below to learn more.

rekordbox 5.0

After a period of public beta testing, Pioneer DJ released rekordbox 5.0 on Tuesday, the latest version of its track preparation and performance software.

5.0 introduces the company’s new KORETECH engine, which promises advanced track analysis, faster track loading and scrolling, and improved performance under the hood for both audio and video.

It also brings with it a redesigned graphical interface, and some new features, including:

– Support for Pioneer’s DJM-S9 mixer
– 16 cue points
– New key shift, key sync, and keyboard modes
– Ability to import files and metadata from USB devices

DDJ-XP1

Pioneer also announced a new add-on controller, the DDJ-XP1, which is designed to work alongside the rekordbox 5.0. It takes advantage of the software’s new features, with 32 performance pads to control Hot Cues, Pad FX, Beat Jump, Sampler, Beat Loop, and the new Key Shift and Keyboard modes. It also features touch strips for FX control and can be powered by the USB connection alone. The interface can be customized by the user, and it includes licenses for the rekordbox DJ performance software and DVS plugin for vinyl control.

In November, the company will release a stand, the DJC-STS1, which will also be suitable for laptops. New color variations of the rekordbox control vinyl will be available as well, with white, red, blue, and clear in addition to the standard black.

Rekordbox 5.0 can be downloaded now from the rekordbox website, and the DDJ-XP1 will be available in late September, priced at $249.

Watch Pioneer’s introduction video for the DDJ-XP1 below.

Related: Pioneer DJ Announces DJM-S3 Mixer and DDJ-SR2 Controller

Rising hip-hop producer, London On Da Track, has broken down his debut solo single “No Flag” on Genius’ Deconstructed series. The song features Nicki Minaj, 21 Savage, and Offset.

London begins by discussing why he chose to work with Nicki, 21, and Offset, and explains what inspired the track’s dark undertones. He then breaks down the song in Ableton, including a bass layer that he says sounds “like somebody hunting you down with a knife.”

An Atlanta native, London has risen to prominence in recent years by producing anthems like Tyga‘s “Hookah,” T.I.‘s “About the Money,” and Rich Gang‘s “Lifestyle,” and most recently Drake‘s “Sneakin’.” In August, the 26-year-old signed with RCA Records as part of his transition from producer to artist.

Watch him on Deconstructed above.

Related: Watch London on Da Track Make a Beat by Sampling Random Records

Pioneer DJ has announced two new products: a two-channel battle mixer called the DJM-S3 and an upgrade to their portable DDJ-SR1 Serato DJ controller.

DJM-S3 mixer

The DJM-S3 has a scratch-friendly layout with a durable Magvel crossfader, which is taken from the DJM-900NXS2 mixer. It also inherits a built-in sound card from the DJM-S9, making it Serato DJ- and DVS-enabled. Other key features include independent channel filters and two headphone outputs.

DDJ-SR2 controller

The DDJ-SR2 includes the latest features in Serato DJ, including the Pitch ‘n Time DJ Expansion Pack, for which it has dedicated hardware controls. It is 18 percent lighter than its predecessor and comes with multicolored performance pads.

The DJM-S3 and DDJ-SR2 will be available in September with a suggested retail price of $499 and $699, respectively.

Watch Pioneer’s introduction videos for both products below. (The DJM-S3 video features Los Angeles’ DJ ZO and Phoenix’s DJ-R.)

Related: Review: Pioneer DJ DJM-250MK2 Mixer

Mojaxx recently moved into a new house, which has more room than his previous home. Eager to take advantage of the extra space, he set out to build a simple and affordable DJ booth. Mo isn’t a pro craftsman, but he managed to put together a functional desk using IKEA parts for less than $100. See how he did on this week’s Tips and Tricks episode.

Related: Introducing the Spinbox, a DIY Portable Turntable

Grammy-nominated producer Jahaan Sweet has explained how he made A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s “Drowning (Water)” featuring Kodak Black in a new episode of Genius’ Deconstructed. The track peaked at No. 38 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

“Drowning (Water),” which appeared in the March edition of DJcity Trends, is A Boogie’s highest-charting single. It was certified platinum in July and currently has over 100 million streams on Spotify.

In the video, Jahaan recalls how the track came about and breaks it down in Logic Pro. He discusses his chance encounter with A Boogie and says that 18th-century composer Johann Sebastian Bach inspired the beat.

The Los Angeles-based producer is a graduate of the world-renowned music school, Juilliard. He’s best known for his work with Kehlani, though he has also produced tracks for Lana Del Rey and Ty Dolla $ign.

Watch Deconstructed above.

Related: Watch Teddy Walton Explain How He Produced GoldLink’s ‘Crew’ Feat. Brent Faiyaz and Shy Glizzy

In March, Pioneer DJ announced an update to its popular entry-level mixer, the two-channel DJM-250. The new version, the DJM-250MK2, adds two major improvements: rekordbox dvs integration and a Magvel crossfader (from the DJM-900NXS2). It also comes with full licenses for rekordbox dj and dvs.

Watch Mojaxx‘s review of the 250MK2 on this week’s Tips and Tricks.

Related: Review: Pioneer DJ INTERFACE 2 for rekordbox dj and dvs