It’s nice that the established DJ software players come along with their assorted updates. But it’s even nicer when one comes along that perhaps was thought to have falling by the wayside a little with a full upgrade that shows the big boys a trick or two. Image Line’s Deckadance 2 is out now, and ready for download.
Firstly, the official word from Image Line:
We are excited to announce Deckadance 2 is now available for your PC or MAC from just $79 USD. Deckadance 2 is perfectly suited to today’s evolving ‘remix-style’ DJ performances and works as a stand-alone application orVST plugin in your favorite host such as FL Studio. Deckadance 2 is a free update for existing customers. Others, why not download the demo and try it out.
Why not browse the online manual to see how it works
- Decks – 2 or 4 decks.
- Smartknobs – Link a knob to multiple FX & Mixer interface targets. User-programmable envelopes.
- GrossBeat – 8 user defined FX per deck with integrated editor. Program glitch, stutter & scratch FX.
- Isolator Effects – Up to 3 insert effects per track (from 10) applied independently to High/Mid or Low band.
- Sampler – 1/32 to 16 step beat-matched easy sampling. One shot, trigger, retrigger and loop modes.
- Smart Panels – User configurable Loop, Cue, Grid, DVS, Key, Smart Knob and Tempo panels.
- VST host & client – Hosts VST plugins. Includes Effector VST plugin.
- Library – iTunes library support. Play lists and automated mixing options.
Versions and pricing
We have sharpened the deal to make Deckadance now a no-brainer purchase for those looking to get into DJ remixing. Gone are Club and House editions:
Deckadance 2 $79 USD (replaces House edition) all features excluding DVS support.
Deckadance 2 DVS $149 USD (replaces Club edition) all features including DVS support.
Short feature demo
So to clarify — Deckdance 2 is free to existing users, $79 for the regular edition and $149 for the balls-out DVS edition.
What’s so special about Deckadance 2? Outside of getting 4 decks and a configurable interface, the real winners are smartknobs and GrossBeat. The former allows you to layer multiple effects into a single control with a graphical interface. GrossBeat is a smart creative tool where you can programmatically define scratches, glitches and other general glitchy performance controls at the press of a button.
Of course, scratch DJs won’t like GrossBeat, but I don’t see it as a replacement for scratch DJs. It’s a very clinical one shot approximation — watch the video and see for yourself. Drum machines haven’t killed off drummers, and pianists are still hitting the keys despite the advent of sequencers. So turntablists should still be able to sleep at night.
One thing that Deckadance has over everyone else is VST compatibility. As well as being able to be used as a VST in other apps (DVS right inside Ableton Live for example), you have a massive world of free plugin functionality at the click of a download button, as well as a lot of paid-for plugins that are far less likely to bring your system to its knees.
So the overall package has a lot going for it. Deckadance isn’t just trying to be another me-too, but actually brings some cool new things to the end user. We’ll have a full review coming very soon.