{"id":552,"date":"2019-05-27T12:46:46","date_gmt":"2019-05-27T12:46:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/?p=552"},"modified":"2019-05-30T10:58:03","modified_gmt":"2019-05-30T10:58:03","slug":"iv-b-useful-dj-software-a-case-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/is\/practical-matters\/iv-b-useful-dj-software-a-case-study\/","title":{"rendered":"IV.b \u2013 Useful Tango DJ software, a case study"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There are a lot of different ways to handle the organisation and playing of tango music. I do by no means have a clear overview of the variety of solutions available. However, I have found it useful in my own practice to learn what others are using and how. It is in this interest that I am giving my own practice as a case study of what works and why I find it useful. This is limited to my own experience, and to my choice of using a Macintosh computer as my main DJ-ing workstation. Over the years I have assembled an array of different tools and will try to present it here.<\/p>\n<h4>1. Organisation and preparation<\/h4>\n<p>First, there are a number of programs I find useful when organising my tunes and prepairing them for playback:<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.00.42-AM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-593 alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.00.42-AM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"60\" height=\"59\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.00.42-AM.png 246w, https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.00.42-AM-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 60px) 100vw, 60px\" \/><\/a>ITunes:<\/strong> This is my software of choice for my collection database and tagging.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_591\" style=\"width: 358px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.43.08-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-591\" class=\"wp-image-591\" src=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.43.08-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"348\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.43.08-PM.png 696w, https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.43.08-PM-279x300.png 279w, https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.43.08-PM-600x645.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 348px) 100vw, 348px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-591\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This is the script setup I have in iTunes, showing which of Doug&#8217;s Scripts I&#8217;ve installed and frequently use to ease my workload.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.03.33-AM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-605\" src=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.03.33-AM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"64\" height=\"60\" \/><\/a>Doug&#8217;s Scripts: <\/strong>To assist me in tagging and editing within iTunes I find Doug&#8217;s scripts a lifesaver that saves me a lot of tedious repititive work.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.57.56-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-600\" src=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.57.56-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"68\" height=\"60\" \/><\/a>Mixed in Key 8: <\/strong>This is software I use to generate initial tempo measurements and key for the tracks.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.57.47-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-601\" src=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.57.47-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"60\" \/><\/a>iVolume: <\/strong>This, from mani.de, I use to bring all the songs in iTunes to a uniform volume. This makes for easier listening and more uniform sound when comparing different version of the same tune.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.59.19-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-596\" src=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.59.19-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"74\" height=\"60\" \/><\/a>Turnover: <\/strong>This is a simple program, from Asar Corporation, that comes in handy to measure the tempo, to adjust the initial measurements from Mixed in Key by ear.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.57.06-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-603\" src=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.57.06-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"61\" height=\"60\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.57.06-PM.png 232w, https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.57.06-PM-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 61px) 100vw, 61px\" \/><\/a>Fission:<\/strong> A great and easy to use program, from Rogue Amoeba that also make Audio Hijack, which I use to make my cortinas. In this program it is super easy to crop the cortina to the preferred length and add a fade-in and fade-out.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.00.25-AM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-594\" src=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.00.25-AM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"59\" height=\"60\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.00.25-AM.png 270w, https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.00.25-AM-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 59px) 100vw, 59px\" \/><\/a>XLD:<\/strong> This program, from tmkk in Japan, is great for changing songs from one format to another. I use this to convert my flac tunes to Apple lossless to use in iTunes.<\/p>\n<h4>2. Playback in a milonga<\/h4>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.58.49-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-597\" src=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.58.49-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"62\" height=\"60\" \/><\/a>Embrace:<\/strong> At the moment Embrace is my player of choice. It is made by Ricci Adams and has a very simple and efficient interface, playing the music in perfect milonga format without trouble. It&#8217;s small screen size means I have enough space for the Audio Hijack plugins.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_590\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.25.58-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-590\" class=\"wp-image-590 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.25.58-PM-300x216.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"216\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.25.58-PM-300x216.png 300w, https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.25.58-PM-768x554.png 768w, https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.25.58-PM-1024x739.png 1024w, https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.25.58-PM-600x433.png 600w, https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.25.58-PM.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-590\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Here is an example of the output from Beam as used in a milonga setting.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.58.31-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-598\" src=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.58.31-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"65\" height=\"60\" \/><\/a>Beam:<\/strong> Beam is a software written by Mikael Holber. It\u00a0 reads the tags from Embrace and displays them in a projection or on a separate screen so thae audience can see what is playing and what to expect. Beam is open and easily scriptable, which enanbles one to enhance the results.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.57.38-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-602\" src=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.57.38-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"51\" height=\"60\" \/><\/a>Audio Hijack 2<\/strong>: This is the main sound controller, from Rogue Amoeba. I use it to handle musical input from the player, relaying it via the equalisers to the appropriate output. As Audio Hijack accepts VST-plugins it can handle a number of interesting equalisers.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.58.13-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-599\" src=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.58.13-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"76\" height=\"60\" \/><\/a>MEqualizer:<\/strong> The equaliser I&#8217;m using at the moment to adjust individual songs, MEqualizer form Melda Production. It is easy to modulate the frequency curve of the songs being played and to display the results.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.58.13-PM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-599\" src=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-29-at-11.58.13-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"76\" height=\"60\" \/><\/a>MCompressor<\/strong>: This is another plugin form Melda Production, a plugin to Audio Hijack, a compressor that I mostly use to control the level being played out of the computer, but one that can also affect the percieved density of the sound without increasing the level.<\/p>\n<p><strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.09.50-AM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-606\" src=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.09.50-AM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"115\" height=\"30\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.09.50-AM.png 666w, https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.09.50-AM-300x78.png 300w, https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.09.50-AM-638x174.png 638w, https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.09.50-AM-600x157.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 115px) 100vw, 115px\" \/><\/a>Room EQ<\/strong>: This is a specialiced room sound measurement and equalisation plugin from MathAudio. With an appropriate measurement microphone the plugin is easy to implement to adjust for differences in space sound characteristics.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.00.07-AM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-595\" src=\"http:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.00.07-AM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"60\" height=\"60\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.00.07-AM.png 270w, https:\/\/artinfo.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Screenshot-2019-05-30-at-12.00.07-AM-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 60px) 100vw, 60px\" \/><\/a>REW:<\/strong> REW, or RoomEQWizard, is free Room Equalisation software which offers a lot of possibilities for room equalisation, but regrettably is not available as a VST-plugin. I currently only use one element of the package, connecting it to the measurement microphone to monitor the sound level live during milongas.<\/p>\n<p>So, this is the stuff I&#8217;m using at the moment. There are a lot of other possibilities out there, but hopefully this list will help some of you to set up your process in an easier manner.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The media we have available, the digital files with tango music, form the basis for a quality DJ performance. There are things you can do later on, in equalisation, to improve a bad file, but that can only tackle smaller problems. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":553,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[33,32],"class_list":["post-552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-practical-matters","tag-sound","tag-technique"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/is\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/is\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/is\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/is\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/is\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=552"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/is\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":609,"href":"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/is\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552\/revisions\/609"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/is\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/is\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/is\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artinfo.is\/is\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}