Can you recommend "Virtual DJ" application?

April 24, 2006 7:58 AM

I'm looking for an application (or plugin) that will act as a "Virtual DJ" (complete with cross-fading and beat-matching) with no input from me.

I have approximately 200 MP3 tracks that I'd like to have played on my computer at a party. Because it is a party, I'm going to want to leave it completely unattended and let it do it's thing.

As such, I'm ideally looking for an application (or plugin) that will take a list of songs that I give it, re-arrange them automatically (if necessary) and then play them one by one mixing them together as seamlessly as possible.

I appreciate that I could just use a bog-standard crossfade plugin, however I know that the results from those things range from the mediocre to the aweful when mixing certain tracks. As such, I'm looking for something slightly more intelligent.

I've looked on Google, but all of the applications appear to be geared around helping/allowing people to DJ, I have no intention of touching the computer so want something as automatic as possible. I know that this will mean poorer results and is no substitute for a human - but so be it.

I'm running Windows and I'm willing to look at commercial applications.

posted by mr_silver to Computers & Internet (9 answers total)

You can down the Traktor Beatport Player for free. It uses the same engine as Traktor, so it works pretty well. It's a smart program.

For commercial software, download a trial from MixMeister, and see if you like it. You can give it a list of songs, and it'll automatically beatmatch them.
posted by Jairus at 8:13 AM on April 24, 2006

Too bad you don't have a Mac, there's an app caled Ask the DJ that does pretty much exactly what you're looking for. It'll even time-stretch your songs a certain amount to beat-match them.
posted by kindall at 8:33 AM on April 24, 2006

Thanks for the AskTheDJ link, Kindall! Never heard of it before...
posted by omnidrew at 9:09 AM on April 24, 2006

Beatmatching is one thing, but an automated program almost certainly won't be able to match the musical keys of the songs, or know the optimum point to start the mix. Can I ask what you want this for?
posted by coach_mcguirk at 10:25 AM on April 24, 2006

coach_mcguirk, you're wrong on both counts. I suggest you look into the latest generation of DJ software.
posted by Jairus at 10:31 AM on April 24, 2006

I use AtomixMP3 when I DJ. I believe it has a playlist/autopilot feature for unattended setups.
posted by fvox13 at 12:39 PM on April 24, 2006

Thinking about it more, if you want simple and free, Winamp has a Crossfading plugin available for download. It won't do beatmatching, but it's free.
posted by fvox13 at 1:40 PM on April 24, 2006

Jairus : No sorry, you're wrong.

If there was a reliable way to extract and manipulate pitch information from a multi-timbral stereo audio file, in any way that was useful at all, Antares would already be selling us it as a $800 plug-in. And it would be big, big news.

I'm sure there are some wacky and innovative pieces of "DJ software" out there that can mug an automated beatmatched mix, and maybe even make a decent fist of keeping the musical keys complementary. But simply plonking a list of mp3's or whatever and expecting some software to make all the decisions for you correctly, every time. Sorry, ain't gonna happen. You need a human being for that.

If I'm so wrong, how comes you aren't pointing me at specific apps to rub my face in it?
posted by coach_mcguirk at 5:06 PM on April 28, 2006

Because I have no desire to rub some strangers face in an application that I have no emotional investment in? Check out MixMeister linked above. It can detect and adjust the key of any given track as necessary.

I don't use a computer to DJ, but MixMister and Traktor make better DJs than half the people I see spinning at shows.
posted by Jairus at 7:14 PM on April 28, 2006