POLL: DJs and the mobile platform

Smartphones and tablets have changed our lives for ever. And it's fair to say that they have impacted on DJs, producers, and performers too. But just how much? Vote in the short poll and tell us what you think in the comments. Hell no, maybe, or hell yes — share with us.

mobile devices dj production

mobile devices dj production

Love it or hate it, the mobile platform is an increasing part of the DJ and wider pro audio market. Being used for all manner of diverse applications, smartphones and tablets can be seen in many a setup, and with each passing iteration of hardware and OS get taken more seriously by DJs, performers and producers. But we’re interested in just how seriously, and if indeed the outlook is bright for the platform.

When a new platform comes along, a reflex defence mechanism kicks in where users of the current wave of tech get all stroppy and claim that the next wave is fake, gimmicky, or will never catch on. Clearly that isn’t true, because CDJs, DVS, and controllers (all former latest waves of DJ tech) are all established parts of the scene. But we’re interested specifically in your user habits, if indeed you have any plans to use them at all.

Are you completely anti-mobile? Do you perhaps have some interest but don’t feel that it’s quite ready just yet? Are you dabbling a little with things like apps like Serato Remote or Launchpad for iOS? Maybe you’ve ditched your laptop and use an iPad with a controller? Or is it possible that you’ve gone full mobile and only use a smart device?

The Mobile DJ Poll

The poll is very simple and paints broad strokes, so we’d love it if you could share your opinions and experiences on using smartphones and tablets, if indeed you do at all. Perhaps you have zero plans to ever use such false idols, maybe you’re considering a toe dip sometime once Android is better, or possibly you’re rocking thousands of people with just an iPhone.

Either way, please take part in this poll so that we can know just a little more about you.

[polldaddy poll=8730286]

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Mark Settle
Mark Settle

The old Editor of DJWORX - you can now find Mark at WORXLAB

Articles: 1228

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47 Comments

  1. I would love to see mobile/tablet become the primary form of dj platform in the short to medium term and see laptops relegated to home use for the offline preparation aspect of digital djing. I see that as the best use of the respective devices. Laptops are an expensive link in the audio chain and I use my iPhone and an iPad far more regularly on a day to day basis. When I think of those I think of them as play/fun devices and when I think of laptops I think of work. That’s possibly why some DJs might say mobile devices don’t have a place in serious DJing, but for me, it’s an argument in favour of them.

    But until the major DJ software companies treat mobile as more than just an add on to laptop/desktop software I can’t see it happening.

  2. For DJing the software is already there. but the hardware isn’t. Lack of cheap storage for large music libraries on iOS and poor latency on Android are the real barriers.

  3. If I can remove the laptop from the equation then I would. It’s a necessity at the moment but will fade as the tech progresses.

    As a Serato user they only offer a remote that controls the main setup but if/when that changes and I can plug an SX into an Android/Apple device then I’ll be on board.

    A USB on the go drive, low latency and good software would get me to go mobile. Android is getting there with the low latency on Lollipop 5.0 and it also allows plugging of HDD drives. Apple already have solutions with Traktor DJ.

    I even considered a Surface Pro 3. They work from what I have read, but only as a backup.

  4. DJing with a tablet, is like DJing with the smallest laptop you can buy, mainly shit. Minimum 15″ screen to be comfortable. With a tablet this size you may as we’ll carry around a laptop, which has USB ports, can stand up by itself, has large hard drive space, etc. If you don’t wanna use a laptop, just use USB’s and analyse your files with Rekordbox. Carrying headphones and a USB to gigs is as easy as it gets. :)

      • Judging by your snapshot, you lose your global section just like I do and I have a 15″. If you are using Traktor FX this this is no good. I also like to see my filters, I just don’t trust controllers to set properly on start up. Even though they are usually fine, I once had the filters default to hard left instead of 12 o’clock and I have been paranoid ever since (learning from mistakes and all). I also have a 13″ and it is terrible to see what is going on, you have to concentrate too hard on what is going on on the screen instead of more important things. I’m sorry but information just being able to fit on the screen isn’t quite good enough it also has to be a comfortable size. An iPad is over 3 inches smaller again and a phone, forget about it. And this is what the article is about not laptops. :)

      • I suppose it’s just my DJing style. I have my laptop to the side away from me so a small screen is like reading a book with tiny text. I think DJ’s look ridiculous with their laptop raised up directly in front of their face on stage, so the laptop is blocking their head. So the crowd can’t see you and vice versa. It also automatically creates Serato face which I avoid.

        In clubs I just use USB’s with no laptop, I use those tiny ass screens all the time and browsing through tracks is a massive pain in the ass, we all know this. You also DJ differently using ears more than eyes, you automatically use eyes more when DJing with laptops, we all know this as well.

        It’s comparing apples and oranges, quite silly really.
        Have a go DJing on a 15″ or 17″ and tell me it’s not better. It’s one of those things where once you try it you never go back. :)

        • And as a longtime lurker around all things dj on internet, i have to say hats off for Gabor’s work making the akai amx work with the ipad and his dj player app.
          The combination of mobile app that can do dvs, and akai’s late but very good additions to our world marks the beginning of the first ios dvs setup with a small footprint.

          I’m very disapointed at ni’s tactics around ios and proprietary software/hardware. Some years ago i believed they would be the first to bring us an ios specific dvs capable sound card and app. Allowing dvs + ipad charging capability. But their antics arounds soundcards and the way they handled they customers with issues really made/make it look like they burned the branch they could have sat on (and i don’t even own an affected soundcard yet i still feel bad for those who do).

          I believe the next generation of hardware needs to be as versatile as possible to counter Apple’s always changing requierments. Painting yourself in a corner by using proprietary protocols is dangerous to your user base and may prove shortsighted when looking at the bigbpicture.

          Case in point : the z2 could have been the perfect ios-dvs mixer without even trying. Good price point, but no midi without a computer and the soundcard isn’t flexible without a driver.
          NI could have won a market without much sweat.

          Ps : don’t believe i’m a NI detractor, i actually love most of what they do, minus when i can see that the shortcomings stem from some easily identifiable marketing/supposedlystrategic bullshit.

          Tldr : well done Gabor !

      • i went and got an iPad mini, ordered a $4 adapter from eBay, bought the dj player app :) and used a behringer uca 222(with a str8 100) Disappointing that I can’t output sound thru the soundcard. Apple shenanigans??
        So with the iPad, adapter, interface, and time code, it costs abouts 800 bucks to have a “digital” turntable. For everybody looking for the next big thing, there’s gotta be a way to get a decent margin with 800 retail, all your doing is putting an interface in the tt.
        Anywhoo, the dj player app is precise for scratching, and gives me just what I want, a single digital tt for use with a real mixer. :)

  6. I like all forms of doing things, but some work better for me than others. I have a hard time with touch screens alone, and it’s why I like a combination of physical controls and computer interface. I’d like some new ways to interface with my media, but I’m good with what’s happening until something helps me be more creative.

  7. If I had to use some kind of old, heavy and bulky laptop and couldn’t afford a new machine – I’d consider it as a cheap alternative. But I simply can’t think of a single reason to switch from retina Macbook – it’s already ultra slim, lightweight and much more comfortable to use, not to mention even battery lasts about 8-9 hours while playing from serato.
    Isn’t that mobile enough?

  8. I tried to use ipad as center in my setup but apple is not helping so much with its politics about gb/$€ and connector changes without taking in consideration hardware developers (license fee for “ready for ipad” which makes all the cables short to keep battery power specs doesn’t help neither) so:

    Until the last month ipad had become the screen for my mac mini (using splashtop 2) and make things relatively “portable”. I will love to use more traxxus but for my “mobile gigs” bells and whistles aren’t necessary. A S8 will be irrelevant too if you ask me…
    Djplayer and Djay had implemented deezer/dropbox and spotify support but it is still unreliable for my kind of gigs (I didn’t need dvs and I want to keep my ipad inside the is202 dock not attached to djay supported controllers… Putting an usb inside is202 or using some usbtohost solution will help but once again lots of money or lots of headache which doesn’t worth the penny at all)
    Finally I want to be innovative but without sacrifice reability so I go for the “second ipad with more gb” route, keeping the old for looping or fx tasks. One machine one function more or less.

    Maybe apple release the rumoured ipad pro (something between ipad air and surface pro with best of osx and iOS cheaper than ipad+mini combo and expensive than basic surface…) and give us the real “modbook” (search for know what is it) and make this discussion irrelevant.

    Another chance is new appletv with appstore and new A9 chip with new iOSx (the same like the ipad pro) with lots of power to play these apps and push forward the market merging apps (serato remote could be the perfect interface for next gen meanwhile traktor could present traktor 3 for booth platforms… At last the same concept with two similar approarches)

    Meanwhile and keeping my wings on earth… It is sure mobile platforms and wereable are going to change (expand will be the correct word) the djing as we know it. It still will have dudes with turntables but also new innovatives “playing” with iwatch or almost with all the metadata from iwatches in the crowd.

    I’m wrong? Let’s will see…

  9. I’m tempted to use TraktorDJ on the ipad with the Audio 2 MK2 in external mixer mode for an hour set at a club next month and leave my laptop, audio8 DJ and Kontrol X1 at home. The club still uses the CDJ1000’s which I let the serato guys use as I’m the only traktor guy on the lineup.

  10. I love DJing on my iPad with the DJ Player app – it’s an awesome setup.
    However I have switched back to my laptop mainly, purely because my iPad is only 16GB and the lack of storage space got too frustrating. The larger capacity iPads are so expensive that I don’t think they make sense compared to the price of a laptop.
    Also the whole iPad no-charging-while-djing-unless-you-use-traktor thing is a total pain.
    So for me it’s Apple who are holding this concept back.

  11. Wego 3 and IOS Djay2, novation launchpad app, DM1, garageband. Impc, audiobus, nanostudio, rebirth, modular, imachine, I’m sure im missing a few, but yes I certainly do use my iPhone 6 plus for music…. And for visuals, graphics, and communications. I like being able to do the things I do from the phone. Because it’s always on me and works properly that’s why… I could careless about what people say. Xxx I refuse to set boundaries because being limited sucks.

  12. I’ll never get an Apple device and the Djay2 for Android doesn’t work too well with my Wego 3 (in fact it sucks). I’ll stick to the “old school” laptop for a while. Are we calling using laptops for dejaying “old school” now? Seems like we have folks that are tech-heads first, and Dejays second. Musicians don’t act that way. They love their vintage Stradivarius violins. Compared to these new school Djay’s that would have thrown away their Stradivarius a year or two later when the supposed next great thing comes along.

    Phone/Tablets cannot replace all dejay equipment. I can see them being used to select music, kick off effects, even samples and loops. But scratching and turntablism? nope. Not to mention Djaying with a phone or a tablet makes the Djay look corny as hell. “Who’s that dweeb up there dejaying?”

    Certain instruments will always be around. As are certain DJ equipment. The DJ scene in 20 years will not be folks Djaying from tablets. This is music, not medical internship.

    • When tablets make standalone the regular gear or will be implemented as internal part… Oh wait!

      It is happening now and turntables will go this route (with apps like djplayer) or become fitted inside musical ghettos or elits… Like stradivarius.

  13. I think that Apple’s exclusivity and their pricing is stalling this evolution. Once Google reduces the latency on Android, the floodgates will likely open because of the affordability and flexibility of the Android platform. Still, it’s already been 3+ years and mobile has not yet presented a threat to the controller onslaught – or – replaced laptops as preferred DJ app platforms. Perhaps DJ’s need to “feel something” flies in the face of touchscreens.

  14. When I purchased my iPad at the beginning of this year, I got the largest capacity available, partly because I envisioned some day being able to use it for DJing purposes (I’ve owned an SSL setup since 2008; love the functionality, hate the laptop screen in my face while playing.). There are a couple things that are preventing me from making the change right now. First, I can’t charge my iPad while playing unless I use the fiendishly expensive Apogee Duet or the NI Audio 2 Mk2, which inexplicably does not come with a Lightning cable in 2015, requiring the purchase of a $35 adapter from Apple just to work. The Griffin iOS soundcard isn’t really an option, being obviously set up for using the iPad for all DJing functions, not external mixing. Second, I can’t charge my iPad while playing at all if I want DVS functionality, a limitation of the camera connection USB adapter.

    It seems like most of the effort in making apps and hardware for tablet DJing is going toward solutions for DJing entirely on the tablet; very little is being aimed at allowing DJs to replace their laptop with a tablet. As soon as there’s a product out there that gives me all the functions I want, I’m all over tablet DJing.

  15. I don´t think charging is a problem really, because with screen brightness dimmed my iPad did run 12 hours without charging! My new setup is a Zomo MC 1000, DJ Player App, external analogue mixer. A perfect combination if you want to do a synthesis out of the old and the brave new world!

  16. I use my iPad 3 (64 GB), iDJ Pro, and Djay 2. Although the setup is limited in some aspects such as storage, using Spotify helps with storage limitations. The software won’t allow you to record while using Spotify and you need a wifi connection to access Spotify. But the controller powers and charges the iPad during use. I truly enjoy DJing with the iDJ pro. I hope Numark makes a second iteration of the controller.

  19. Still not a believer in an ARM being able to handle my processing needs. As it is the i3, i5 and i7s in our laptops are mobility processors designed for low power consumption. That aside, I’d hate to try to install the rest of my software package on a tablet. Pretty sure if my Traktor crate and loop library don’t kill the internal storage, Machine and Komplete will.

    Everyone has different needs, but the only thing I use a tablet for in my set up is MIDI over Bluetooth. I can’t see myself relying on an ARM Cortex on a weekly basis and expecting there to be no hiccups.

    • Don’t worry about ARM. It’s really a capable platform. Especially the latest 64-bit variant (available since the first iPad Air and iPhone 5S), which has a more advanced instruction set and architecture than any current Intel platform.

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