Viability of iOS djay as a primary system

Questions
1

I’m coming from Traktor, and currently am using Rekordbox/CDJs, because portability is among my primary concerns. The convenience of carrying just a usb drive and headphones is hard to beat. But the numerous inconveniences of the Rekordbox ecosystem are also hard to suffer.

Meanwhile, I am not much into streaming services, and would definitely not consider using them in a gig situation. I like my music collection reliably stored on a local physical drive that I own.

My largest pain point currently is library management, especially on the go.

I am considering for some time to acquire a mobile setup that is maximally portable, but still sufficiently capable and fun to play. While retaining the option to utilize e.g. CDJs instead when suitable.
The idea is as follows:

  • iPad mini (Gen 6)
  • Reloop Mixtour Pro
  • USB SSD drive for the music (1 or 2 TB)
  • (usb hub to connect Controller and USB drive simultaneously)

I have studied the interwebz, this forum, and the djay iOS user manual and it appears that this setup would cater to most of my needs, and there is also no real competitor besides algoriddim in this segment.

But here is what is still giving me doubts thus far:

The subscription model
Not a fan, but still no deal breaker. What irritates me here is a perceived lack of transparency. I would wish to find clearly communicated pricing/fees on the product page, but I can’t find that anywhere. I am willing to be a paying customer, but when this information is obfuscated, it creates in me the expectation that I shall be lured into and made dependent on an unfavorable subscription.
I find it also not easy enough to disect what is included in the free version.

(If there was a purchase/lifetime option for a pro version that contains features I want/need I would probably be willing to pay at least 24 months worth of subscription fee for that.)

Mapping capabilities
I found conflicting info, but it seems that with current versions, it is possible to modify the factory mapping of supported controllers (like the mixtour pro), also in the sense that I can redefine/override behavior of button/button-combination functions. Is that correct?
And related to the subscription, since Mapping is a Pro-Subscription only feature, what happens to such mapping customization when dropping down in the free tier? Will they go away/cease working?

Interoperability
Assuming I made a set/playlist in djay, is there a proven workflow (ideally directly on the iPad) to have that playlist on my drive in a format that a CDJ will accept? (or at least for a compromise without Rekordbox analysis, just getting all tracks of that playlist in a folder, so that a CDJ can browse/play them).
Or will this neccessitate the use of 3rd party library conversion apps with their own subscriptions?

Library Management
As stated, being able to manage my music on a small portable device would be a key use case for me. This includes metadata editing, but also deleting tracks/files that have become obsolete. I have read mixed opinions about the usability of djays library management. Is djay on iPad up for this task? Or is it very cumbersome because I have to manage a database and the filesystem independently?
Also how can I backup my library database? Is it possible to export/import, or only via the cloud?

Reliability
Everything can crash, even a trusty old turntable. As long as it occurs rare enough, that’s not a problem. Reading about stability issues had me wonder, how reliable is djay actually in live situations? I imagine on iOS it should be rather stable? Or does it occasionally crash completely out of the blue?

Would love to hear from some existing users regarding their experience on any of those points. Thank you in advance!

3

Hi @pcat, welcome to the Community! Sorry for the delay in responding, but I wanted to give other users a chance to reply before I did. I’ve personally been using djay on iOS as my primary system for gigs for about 7 years.
Regarding your questions:

  1. The Subscription Model:
    a. Please refer to the linked FAQ explaining the differences between the Free version and the Pro Subscription: https://help.algoriddim.com/hc/en-us/articles/360022496092-What-is-the-difference-between-the-FREE-version-and-the-PRO-subscription-to-djay-for-iOS
    b. Regarding pricing, we do not offer a one-time or lifetime purchase option. Your choices are free, monthly or annual subscription.
    c. The pricing is region specific due to different currencies so it’s challenging to show just one price on our product page as djay is available globally and the price varies slightly depending on where you live. The best way to determine the monthly or annual fee is to install the free version from your regional app store. When you first launch djay, you will be presented with the monthly and annual rates or the option to use the Free version or a Free 7 day trial of the Pro Subscription.
    d. Please also note that a single djay Pro subscription allows you to use the app cross-platform on up to 5 of your iOS, macOS, Windows and Android devices.
  2. Mapping capabilities:
    a. You can modify the factory mapping of supported controllers.
    b. You can reassign buttons, add shift-layer functions, and tweak jog wheel behavior.
    c. If you cancel your subscription, your custom mapping stops working.
  3. Interoperability:
    a. There’s no built-in way to export djay playlists for CDJs.
    b. You will need to do this manually or use a 3rd party application like DJ Conversion Utility, Lexicon, MIXO, Rekordcloud, etc.
  4. Library Management:
    a. Currently, the best way to manage your local library is with the iTunes/Music App on a computer and sync it with djay on iOS.
    b. Currently, you cannot edit metadata on iOS. This needs to be done on your computer.
    c. The djaymedialibrary database is easy to backup using iCloud or the Files App on iOS.
    d. Personally, I switched to Beatport Link Pro because of the 1,000 song offline locker and no longer purchase music. For me, this workflow is much simpler and more convenient than managing a local music library.
  5. Reliability: In my personal experience as a long-time working DJ, djay is very reliable on iOS. I actually prefer DJing on an iPad over using a laptop and find it more reliable. Especially compared to DJing on a Windows laptop. I too was a decade-long Traktor user and switched to djay about 7 years ago. I don’t see myself ever going back to DJing on a laptop. Hopefully some other users here will chime in with their experience as well since I’m probably a little bit biased these days ;-).

I hope that helps!

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4

i for one have come from the NI Traktor pro application, and shifted over to Algoriddim DJpro

concerning subscription model…
my experience here is a very recent one, in that i was curious to see how my subscription would renew…
and as it so happens, i jumped onto the Djpro subscription when a 60-80% deal was available(1 year ago) and just a day or so ago it renewed based on the same subscription price with the 60-80% applied in the apple store
so this is an aspect one should consider when timing your transition…

this subscription of course allows you multiple devices to run on the same email… which is a added bonus
i have x2 androids phones/iphone se gen2/M1macmini/ipadair3 and so far no issues with running them altogether if required, this adds flexibility to your thought of portability

concerning Mappings with Djay pro, only a single modifier is available, which may or may not be a issue depending on controller, …once more modifiers become available there will be alot more happy users, myself included(traktor has 8 modifiers …DJaypro has 1)
admittedly there are ways to increase modifier numbers using Bomes midi Translator pro… but you start getting into advanced territory & when you start using multiple applications like i do… it is sometimes best practice to let applications activate their own actions.

other aspects, i will let other users provide their experience,
follow the bug reports threads… if you want to know of any existing issues

good fortune!

edit: btw the mapping thoughts(modifiers) are using MacOS as opposed to IOS, im unsure how ios handles mappings etc, so bear that in mind

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Thanks for sharing @7nz