Over the past few years the vinyl vs. digital debate has been relentless. The arguments for and against digital djing continue to stack but some issues remain irrefutable on either side of the fence. One simply unarguable disadvantage of digi-djing is that the file the dj plays and controls is not a physical object like a vinyl recording is, and thus, a certain recognition factor is lost for the dj. Almost unanimously, djs will say they remember visually and that artwork, colours and fonts will remind them of all of the musical elements of a track, predefining what they play and when they play it in their sets as the vinyl aesthetics jog the musical memory. One advantage of digi-djing is that you dont need to take the record off or on the turntable as the control vinyl drives whichever file we wish it to, not withstanding one annoying absolute; constantly having to go back and forth to the laptop to search and load the decks, ironically neutralizing the time gained from not replacing the record with another. Searching for records becomes a more complicated task in a sea of personality-less, exclusively text based means by which to search for that perfect track for the moment. As many djs know, booths can also often be too small or ill-designed to accomodate the laptop dj and so the computer becomes a back-burner and its set-up in the antartica of the dj booth, making it even harder to get from the computer keyboard to the mixing desk. There is now a solution which allows the dj control the computer remotely, putting the selectors controls wherever he/she wants them. Controlling the computer by remote and taking ones hands off the computer keyboard saves time and annoyance. All you need is a Mac, a Nintendo Wii remote, and a cheap little program called Remote Buddy which makes controlling any application on the mac hands free with a little bit of relatively easy programming on the side. Jeff Milligan configured short key triggers to his Wii remote so he could be taking care of the decks and mixer, rather than spending valuable time scrolling a database of music via the computer keyboard. the nintendo Wii remote can be purchased separately from the Wii console and retails for around 30 euro. With a Mac, Serato SL or Final Scratch and a purchased Wii remote and Remote Buddy, you have fully versatile, hands free mixing solution for around 50 euro. Remote Buddy behaviours for Serato SL can be easily programmed for any application. You will also be happy to know that you can also use the Apple remote which is shipped with all Macintosh computers instead of the Wii remote making hands off mixing just the cost of the software.
A demonstration video can be viewed on this site, YouTube etc.
there is a producer in my area who has written his own software to use the wii remote as a midi device. its funny to watch him wiggle and shake the controller causing the sound to change. he refuses to sell it to anyone ... yet.
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