But we couldn't exactly picture every DJ in the world purchasing an iPad just to have the app, and wondered if it was even functional enough to use on a regular basis. So we went to the local branch of the Scratch DJ Academy and had them test it out. Hey, we're not DJs.
Cliff Melerine (aka VJ Hurricane), instructor at Scratch DJ Academy in Miami, plays around with the app, then answers a few questions for us.
New Times: What are you currently using to test it out?
VJ Hurricane: I'm currently using iPad 3G 32g/TouchOSC/oscillator to
control Serato scratch live on a Macbook Pro via midi/Wifi.
What would you say are the main positives/negatives of the app?
Positive: Customizable Skins and interface using additional editor.
Negatives: It should send midi data without a translator.
Do you think DJs are going to switch up to DJing on iPads?
It's not about switching it's all about integration. I still mix using
vinyl records, yet can load and control music videos that I loop and
add effects to using the iPad, and I never have to touch the laptop!
Do you think this new iPad app is going to change the way you DJ at all?
Not much. It's not the first touch screen on the market, check out the JazzMutant Lemur.
Still, the iPad is less expensive and can do a lot; Netflix on a nice
size screen anywhere, for instance, is a nice perk. Hint: Tether to
iPhone and share one data plan.
But will this new App influence DJ culture at all? Phil White, co-author (with Luke Crisell, NYLON Deputy Editor) of On the Record: The Scratch DJ Academy Guide sounds in. "Yes because it's a lighter, more portable form factor that gives them ultimate flexibility. DJ SubZero is already using the Tonetable app to scratch virtual vinyl, and it's only a matter of time until DJs are playing entire sets from their iPads." Now when that will happen is the real question.
