Diddy DJ Lite Review - Beatmixing Loops with Your iPhone/iPod Touch

Diddy DJ Lite is a program for the iPhone and iPod touch which allows you to beatmix loops by adjusting the pitch (tempo) and volume to match beats with other audio sources.

Testing

Using an iPhone to DJ with may seem like an odd idea, but with products like the Numark IDJ2 acting as a mixing console from an iPod, the idea seems much more logical.

DJ Lite requires that audio be transferred from a website, as songs transferred via the traditional method of iTunes are not recognized by the software. The documentation clearly explains how to setup WebSharing for transferring music to be used in the program, but it takes a few minutes to figure it out.

Once the songs or loops are in place, the software is simple to use. The touchscreen is clearly laid out with one side being a volume slider and the other side a pitch slider. The stop and play buttons are large, as is the "pitch nudger," which is used to get the beats to line up exactly. Loading loops from the library is quite quick as well.

In use, Diddy DJ Lite is quite stable and didn't crash after several hours of use. This is almost quite a feature in itself considering the buggy nature of a lot of the programs in the iTunes App Store.

As one of the first DJ applications for the iPhone, the software seems to be best viewed as a sign of what's to come. In the future, I can imagine seeing DJs equipped with two or more iPhones/iPod Touches plugged into a DJ mixer and rocking the house. Requiring uncompressed audio formats (WAV) rather than compressed lossy formats (AAC/MP3) is definitely a sign that this is a vision of the creator. Since the Diddy DJ Lite application is a free download from the iTunes Appstore, it's definitely worth checking out if you are a DJ looking to experiment with your iPhone/iPod.

What is it: software for mixing loops using an iPod or iPhone

Who is it for: DJs and musicians that want to use an iPod/iPhone to beatmix in their sets similar to a sampler

How long does it take to set up: after downloading the software, it takes a little while to figure out how to transfer music to be used by the program. Once the music is in place, the software is self-explanatory to use.

What is required for its use: an iPhone or iPod Touch, a computer, and music loops

Difficulty level: 4/5 (1 is easy, 5 is difficult)

Posted September 15, 2008