General Hardware Advice / Tips

DJ Hardware
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I’ve been using djay exclusively for a little over 5 years now. In that time I’ve learnt a lot about this software, its strengths and its shortcomings. I’ve also used djay with a lot of different hardware in this time. So, I thought I’d share some general advice and tips related to hardware.

  1. Choose Supported Hardware: Do not purchase any new or currently unsupported hardware in hopes that Algoriddim will soon offer native support for it. They’re a small company with limited resources and are slow to provide support for new and especially existing or older hardware. Also they don’t provide timelines or estimates for when particular hardware will be supported.
  2. Supported Hardware List: So, the best option is to select hardware that is already on their natively supported list for your particular OS.
    a. DJ Controllers, DJ Mixers and other DJ Accessories | Algoriddim
  3. Reloop: Algoriddim has a close relationship with Reloop and in my experience their hardware typically works best with djay. I’ve had great success with Denon, DJ TechTools and Vestax gear as well, but Reloop routinely has the best integrations.
  4. Screens: Don’t expect screen support for all-in-one standalones or media players soon. Users have been requesting this for years. My guess is there is a major technical challenge with this or it’s low on their priority list.
  5. MIDI Learn: Get familiar with the MIDI Learn area of djay. Even if you have a tightly integrated controller, chances are there will be some functions that don’t suit your particular style of DJing or workflow. It is surprisingly easy and intuitive to customize the default MIDI Mapping for your hardware. I encourage you to explore this as it puts you in control and often allows you to solve minor issues or add new functionality without relying on Algoriddim.
    a. iOS MIDI Mapping Guide: https://help.algoriddim.com/hc/en-us/articles/360016055199-How-do-I-MIDI-map-a-controller-on-djay-Pro-AI-for-iOS-
    b. MacOS MIDI Mapping Guide: https://help.algoriddim.com/hc/en-us/articles/360014911871-How-do-I-MIDI-map-a-controller-on-djay-Pro-AI-for-Mac-
  6. Apple Hardware: Finally, if you can, choose Apple hardware like iPhone, iPad or Mac. Even though Algoriddim supports Windows and Android devices, they are clearly more focussed on Apple and djay simply works much better on this hardware. EDIT Aug 04, 2023: Algoriddim just released a beta update for Windows which looks like a huge improvement.

Anyway, I hope that’s helpful… happy mixing!

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I would’ve put the last tip (#6) first. From that starting point, the rest of them drop and lock into place like Lego blocks. In fact, #2 is part of the argument that to make a reliable and smooth rig, you need to buy into a system rather than trying to add peripherals onto it and THEN try to make them work as advertised.

Otherwise, this is a solid and plain fact summary. Good job!

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This is just a fantastic thread. The Mods on this forum should pin this to the top for every new user. The rane one also works well with Djay

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You should post this on the Algoridm users facebook group. A lot of ignorant people seem to go striat there to complain about most of what you talk about here Hopefully it would help stop that.

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Rane One is Awesome with DJ Pro :ok_hand:t2:

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Hi @Slak_Jaw,

Thanks so much for sharing this info with the Forum!

We value submissions like this very much and enjoy reviewing posts like these for further insight into what users, such as yourself, think about djay.

Have a nice day!

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Love this, very sound advice for anyone looking to purchase new hardware.

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