The Pajamahouse Studios crew has been busy since I last reviewed their debut DJ app for the iPhone, Sonorasaurus. They’ve updated the app a few times (number?) and have also come out with an iPad version of their iPhone app, dubbed Sonorasaurus Rex.

I had a chance to play around with the new app (version 2.0) today and really liked what i found. They’ve made some significant improvements since the first app on the iPhone was released, both in the actual DJing interface, as well as the back end interface for loading and managing your tracks.

On With The Review

The first point is quite obvious. The iPad has a larger screen, so there is more real estate to work with, making mixing and toggling the controls much easier. They’ve added a few new features since I last saw the program, including a BPM display and calculator, waveforms for each track, and a cueing options (with the ability to set multiple cue points within a track).

The BPM display and calculator is quite nice (especially for beginning DJs), as it gives you a good idea of what can mix together easily, tempo-wise. If the track you upload doesn’t have BPM info encoded in the track already, you can also use their BPM calculator to set the BPM yourself.

The cue option is also one I like, as it allows you to jump between points in a song with the touch of a button. I typically use this program when I’m on a plane or a subway, and the ability to practice a mix over and over with just a few touches has made practicing a lot easier.

Slight confession: When I learned to DJ, I learned on two turntables and a mixer. No computer, and no waveforms to guide me.

The waveforms in Sonorosaurus Rex are super useful! I adjusted the settings so that they displayed outward instead of inward, and they made it very easy to see where the tracks were going, as well as point out potential errors before they became noticeable to anyone that may be listening.

The iPad version also dedicates more space to the effects, and the buttons for the highs/mids/lows are also a lot easier to toggle. This is mainly due to the larger format of the iPad, but none the less it makes using the program a lot easier.

The only thing that truly bothered me about this version was the dot that pulses on the beat. For minimalist music its pretty accurate, but for more percussion-heavy tracks it ends up pulsing on more than just the beat, which tends to get visually confusing at times. Perhaps an option to have it pulse just on the beat in the next version would save some of the troubles (visually)?

Here’s a good overview of the 1.2 version (no 2.0 video yet)

Overall?

It’s a great program and the improvements I’ve seen since the first iPhone version have made me like it even more. I’m looking forward to seeing what they come out with next, and am hoping to hear that there is some sort of preview feature coming along, so that you can mix in your headphones before letting your audience hear what you’re up to. I know that feature is one that may be limited by the design and capabilities of the product, rather than anything code-wise, but it would still be nice to see.

Sonorasaurus is an iPhone app I’ve been beta testing for a few weeks month or so.

From the website:

Sonorasaurus is an app being developed for the iPhone (and iPod Touch) that allows for advanced deejay functionality with MP3s. After all sometimes a simple playlist just won’t get the job done. In the near future we will begin to expand more on what the app does and how it looks, but for now we offer a quick snapshot.

Aside from the whole tech side of apps and iPhones, we will endeavor to expose people to good music and the occasional free download.

I haven’t DJ’d in a few years (about 5, actually), so the app has provided a welcome distraction on my subway rides – figuring out what I still know (and realizing what I don’t!).

In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that I’ve worked with one of the developers on a record label before, which is how I was selected for the beta test.

You can find out more about the app and the creators here, and I’ve included the tutorial video from their blog below.

I tweeted about the app a bit, and a few people came back with questions which I’ll make sure to answer in my review.

Sonorasaurus Pros

• Intuitive controls – things do what you expect them to do, and they’re in the place you expect to look for them
• Accurate response – This was the aspect I worried about most.  Would the controls respond the way I thought they should? Great answer; they did!  The jog, pitch control and crossfader all responded beautifully and exactly as I expected.
• Easy Song Loading – It was really easy to pull songs off my computer and put them on my iPhone through their handy FTP site, and it supported both .wav and .MP3 file extensions
• Fun Effects – I don’t use effects much, but I toyed around with them some and thought they were really well-done.
• Pre-Loaded Songs – I liked the fact that Sonorasaurus came with pre-loaded songs. They were quite easy to mix and gave me something to mess around with while I learned the controls.

Cons

• Button Size – While the controls responded perfectly, I found that the + and – signs on some of the controls were slightly too small, causing me to hit the wrong buttons and miss the ones I meant to press.  I have pretty small hands so I do anticipate this being a slight problem for those users with larger hands.
• Headphone Cueing – This option isn’t available on the beta test version of the app, causing all mixing to be the equivalent of “leave the crossfader in the middle and hope for the best”.  It’s fine for practicing (as I do), but I don’t see this translating well for DJ’s in clubs unless they have their set and associated timings and pitch details down pat.

Both “Cons” were aspects people on Twitter asked about.

Conclusion

Overall, this is a great application (so say TUAW, as well!) and I’m looking forward to seeing the final product (it’s still under review by Apple).  I enjoy using the application to mess around with different mix timings and combination’s, and anticipate that many DJ’s will feel the same.

The developers have let me know that headphone cueing (and other features yet to be named) will be coming in a Pro version of the application.  Once this Pro version is introduced I see this app becoming even more valuable to DJ’s, and perhaps a great “on the go” tool to record mixes or even use in clubs/at house parties.

See anything you have questions about? Post ‘em in the comments and I’ll see if I can get them answered.

Way back when (2004), I joined a forum called NCDnB (North Carolina Drum and Bass).  I eventually became a moderator of the site, and became close with a few of the users. I don’t remember how it came up, but somehow we stumbled upon the idea of crowdsourcing a CD. We had the talent, we had the resources, and we had the drive – so why not?

Enter, “Now That’s What I Call DNB”.

Yes, it’s a total play off of the “That’s What I Call Music” CD’s, mainly for the nostalgia purposes (ok, plus the laughs).

This was done on a fairly shoestring budget. A local designer did the artwork (for free), the producers made the tracks (for free), and the only thing we ended up paying for was the printing of the CD jackets, the CD’s themselves, and the CD cases.

Total cost? Under $300.

From a social site, to a socially-produced CD, and sold at shows by the promoters on the forum, this was a group project and community effort from start to finish.

Community at work!

What can you and your community come together to accomplish?

For those that don’t know, I’ve been a big fan of electronic music since my teenage years.  My tastes have evolved over the years, starting with trance but quickly migrating to the “darker” side of things including drum n bass and dubstep.

Through the years I’ve been fortunate to meet some amazing people involved in the music business.

A not-so-recent conversation with Headhunter, a dubstep producer and DJ visiting from the UK, has remained in my mind for over a year. The conversation happened in the parking garage of a Charlotte Uptown establishment, en route to a gig after leaving a social media meetup.

The group at the meetup had been talking about the usual suspects – Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, WordPress and how “MySpace is dying”.  Throughout the conversation, Headhunter remained fairly silent, seemingly content with watching the game on TV and chatting with those around him as most were doing.

When we left to go to the car, we got into a conversation about “What is social media?”.

BINGO. A lightbulb went off.

To many electronic artists, the things they do to market themselves are just that, “just what I do”. It’s not about a new hot term, or this new thing. It’s how things have been done for years – way before big business started getting the picture.

If you’re into electronic music, check out your favorite artist and see how active they are.

I’ll use Headhunter as my example, not only because I’ve already mentioned him, but also because he’s a very talented producer and DJ and I’m always happy to point people in the direction of his music. Really, I am.

He blogs

He has a page on MySpace

He’s on Facebook

He’s on YouTube

He shares his music

He posts on message boards

He gets social media. He knows the norms, he interacts with his fans, and he maintains his presence in the social web throughout his travels.

To people in the social media world, this is a case study. It’s something to be explored, dissected, and asked “So, what’s the ROI?”.

To DJ’s, producers, and others involved in the electronic music scene, it’s the way they market themselves. It’s how they get their gigs, and it’s how they make their living. What’s the ROI? Their life is the ROI.

“It’s just what I do.”