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YOUR SUGGESTION:
Professional Workflow Proposal for djay Pro on iPad
(by DJ FirenZ – International Brazilian Zouk DJ & Instructor)
Hi Algoriddim team,
First of all, thank you for the continuous work on djay Pro. I’ve been DJing and teaching internationally for 12+ years, performing every week at dance congresses with hundreds of dancers on the floor. Over the last months I’ve started using djay on iPad as my main setup for traveling events, and the experience has been very positive.
From a real-world professional perspective, I’d like to share several concrete, high-impact improvements that would make djay on iPad a fully mature live performance tool, especially for DJs who travel frequently and need a compact setup without sacrificing control.
These suggestions are based on real use on stage, not theory.
1) Persistent Headphone Cue buttons
In some layouts (e.g. when FX are expanded), the headphone cue buttons disappear.
In a live environment, needing to switch views just to audition the next track breaks the flow.
Solution:
- Keep the headphone cue button visible at all times (even in compact FX mode)
- Placement could be above the volume, next to the hot cues, or near the fader.
Impact:
Immediate control without changing views.
2) Two always-visible Hot Cues in the waveform
Hot cues are only accessible in the separate Hot Cue view.
In real performance, a DJ often needs two essential cues without switching panels.
Solution:
- Display Hot Cue 1 and Hot Cue 2 directly on the waveform at all times.
- Color-coded, tap-activated.
Impact:
Instant navigation and creative control.
3) Sync Lock (prevent BPM change on crossfader)
Currently if SYNC is active, the crossfader can introduce tempo changes.
In some music styles (like Brazilian Zouk), automatic tempo shifts are highly undesirable.
Solution:
- Add a “Sync Lock” option to maintain tempo until the DJ intentionally changes BPM.
Impact:
Predictable transitions and musical consistency.
4) Safe Load function
On iPad it’s easy to accidentally load a track on the playing deck.
Solution:
- Optional “Safe Load”: double-tap to load, or long-press.
- Similar to protection features in other pro software.
Impact:
100% safety in live environments.
5) FX panel that doesn’t hide essential controls
When FX are expanded, key controls disappear (cue, EQ, etc.).
For DJs who perform expressively with FX, this reduces the usability of the layout.
Solution:
- Add a compact FX mode that coexists with cue, EQ and sampler buttons.
- Or a “Pro Layout” optimized for performance.
Impact:
Creativity without navigation overhead.
6) Optional sampler sync to the active deck
Branding intros, personal tags and drops are common in modern DJing.
Right now, sampler items don’t always sync to the active deck BPM.
Solution:
- Add “Sync sampler to active deck” toggle.
Impact:
Professional integration of custom drops.
7)
Search within local folders and SSD
This is a major point for professionals with large libraries.
Right now, in “Files” mode:
- there is no internal search bar for local/SSD content
- navigation is folder-only
- Spotlight works externally, but not inside djay
- “exact filename search” is required (metadata isn’t used)
So a track like:
Artist: Shakira
Title: MonotonĂa
cannot be found by typing “Shakira” even if metadata is correct, unless the filename includes the word.
Solution:
- Add internal search within folder view using ID3 metadata:
- Title
- Artist
- Key
- BPM
- fuzzy search
This could be built on the existing BPM/Key analysis used in the app.
Impact:
Transformative for DJs with 10,000–50,000 local tracks on SSD or iPad storage.
This single feature makes djay a viable primary solution for international touring.
8) Documented keyboard shortcuts on iPad
Some shortcuts already work (Enter = Browser, arrows = deck navigation), but there’s no documentation and no extended control.
Solution:
- Add a “Keyboard Shortcuts” panel on iPad listing:
- Browser A/B
- Play/Pause
- Toggle FX/Cues/Sampler
- Safe Load
- Sync Lock
Impact:
Turns iPad into a compact professional workstation.
Why these updates matter
These suggestions are not cosmetic.
They directly improve:
- live performance safety
- speed of execution
- predictability
- reduced view switching
- practical use in large-scale events
- adoption by professional DJs
In my field (Brazilian Zouk), many international DJs are already moving to iPad + djay for portability, and these improvements would accelerate that evolution and position djay as a true pro-level tool in touring environments.
Thank you
Thank you for your work and for reading this.
I’d be happy to provide real use cases, videos or detailed scenarios if helpful — I’m actively performing with djay in large events every week.
DJ FirenZ
International Brazilian Zouk DJ & Instructor
