DJ Mixer 3 Review

In the neverending quest for the perfect iPad DJ app (basically iTraktor) I have recently stumbled upon the literally named DJ Mixer 3. It has a lot of features we haven’t seen on the iPad and is packaged in an interface that is, well… interesting. So do the functions excuse the graphics??? Let’s find out.

Never judge an app
by its icon

Free Trial: DJ Mixer 3 is a free download so you really have no excuse not to check it out after reading this. The devs let you download and try it and then give you two options for upgrading the package to make it actually useful. More devs could learn a lesson from this approach, it is very effective as I couldn’t resist one of the in app downloads and probably wouldn’t have bought this thing outright for $20. What you get for your download is an almost fully functional DJ app with some free music downloads that are useful for demo purposes. The music selection also sort of gives you an idea where the devs are coming from; the tracks are not really my cup of tea and have a strong connotation of something… I will let you interpret that on your own after you download the app and look at the free song choices.

In App Purchases: The in app purchases unlock one critical feature and one amazingly innovative feature. The first and critical one is “mix your own music” ($9.99) which allows you to access your own music library in addition to the free music you get when you download the app. The second, “DJ with headphones” ($9.99), is a really cool feature that allows you to stream your cue over wifi to another iOS device effectively giving you two stereo channels to work with. There is also a sound effects pack available for $4.99 that probably gives you some airhorns and fake scratch sounds. I am not into that stuff so I didn’t download it.

Autopilot: The app also serves as a stand-alone music player with built in mixing including beatmatching if the songs are near each other in tempo. Sort of like the cruise function on Traktor but with its own interface. This addition is great for someone who wants to DJ parties but doesn’t want to be stuck behind the mixer all night. I use the cruise all the time early in the night at my Saturday night party. I put it on autopilot and hang out with my friends until people show up. The designers also gave the app a “shake to mix” function that is kind of gimmicky but probably could be useful to someone.

Wicky wicky, wha???

The Interface: I have to admit, I am torn over this one. It has some very unique features like the headphones over wifi that are totally innovative and cool. However the whole aesthetic of it is kind of cheesy as the interface design almost seems to center around two fake turntables on the screen. In the initial version they appear to be onscreen for no apparent reason other than allowing you to scroll through the waveform. This can be done on the actual waveform anyway. After talking to the devs it turns out they will be implementing scratch capability into these decks with the next update so at least functionality is on the way. The turntables can be graphically turned into DJ CD players too (?). Like I said, kind of cheesy. This is really the major complaint I have about the interface and the app in general, but it is sort of a doozie.

The Good: The best thing about this app is it is a full-on universal app. It uses all the real estate on the big iPad screen and scales down nicely on the iPhone. The interface has some great ideas built in like letting you see the waveform vertically and horizontally. It even has a unique block readout next to the waveforms that can be used to beatmatch when the tempos are locked. Like Quixpin and Touch DJ, it couples the waveforms on each deck so you can beatmatch. It also has an auto-beatmatch function (sync) that works well and uses timestretch instead of pitch-shift. Speaking of tempo, you can actually pitch-shift AND timestretch on this one. It also has this really interesting “mix” button that when pressed spins back the current track and goes right into the track on the other deck. Sort of a panic button if a song kills the floor. I could probably have used this a time or two when dropping the wrong song for the room (come on, we all do it).

It gets worse. CD players???

The Questionable: This is why I am torn; it has some of the best functionality I have seen in an iPad DJ app, but it is packaged in a kind of ugly and awkward package that is trying to emulate CD players and/or turntables. Why anyone wants to stick to the old system when the hardware has clearly moved on is sort of confusing to me. It might have made sense to use the real estate they plopped the platters on for larger waveforms or hotcues or something else a little more modern and utilitarian. The system is also lacking any effects, which would be a nice addition but not a deal breaker for me.

The Verdict: At $20 (which is the real cost of the app), you get one of the most functional iPad DJ apps out there. It does a lot of stuff in one package that up until now no one else can deliver. The fact it pitch shifts and timestretches is a real standout feature. However, despite the awesome features, I still don’t know if I will use it because of the awkward looking interface. People are going see this thing and it just looks kind of like it was designed for a PC in the late 90s. The functionality however is anything but 90s…

DJMixer 3 FREE!