A computing and music researcher at Stanford University has created a new way to scratch digital files using a traditional turntable, without the need for timecode encoded vinyl. Instead, Nicholas J. Bryan’s Mopho DJ uses the accelerometer and gyroscope inside a couple of iPhones, or iPod Touches to be exact, to detect and wirelessly transmit the movements of the turntable to an accompanying piece of software running on a MacBook. And like other laptop-based solutions, the software is then responsible for playing back the audio file faster, slower or even scratched.

From the looks of the video included below the setup seems to have minimal latency, though it’s hard to tell without actually playing with it myself. And while the iPod Touches he’s using are sitting atop a clear plastic disc with a rubber pad to keep them in place while the wheels of steel are spinning, I’d be inclined to find a more reliable way to strap them down securely when the party really gets started.

You can compare this Nebulophone to the Stylophone that was re-released a few years ago, but that’s not really doing it justice. They can both be used to produce some retrorrific electronic music, but the Nebulophone is built on an Arduino so it’s compact and, well I’m just going to come out and say it, adorable.

It does require some electronics know-how since you have to build it yourself, like soldering and stripping wires and what-not. But because it came from your hands the final product will be all the more satisfying to play. As you can see it even has a tiny keyboard, but improves on the Stylophone with additional settings and dials for changing the waveform (ramp, triangle, square, pulse or noise), adjusting the decay, switching between major and chromatic keyboard mapping, arpeggio modes and three speed settings of portamento. Yeah, all that stuff. The only things you have to provide are a 9-volt battery, a speaker and talent. $54.99 from ThinkGeek.

Cutting Order From Kaos
Radio 1’s hard dance champion Kutski puts Korg’s new do-it-all unit,
the Kaossilator Pro through its paces…

Korg have been one of the most reputable companies in the electronic music scene since pioneering the keyboard market as far back as the ’60s, but didn’t really make a splash into the world of performance DJ accessories until the late ’90s, with their now-legendary Kaoss Pad effects unit. Let’s take a look at their latest creation — a Frankenstein-style fusion of both their synthesis and DJ FX, in the form of the exciting new Kaossilator Pro.

If you’re into your DJ technology, you will be familiar with Korg’s original Kaossilator, which was a pocket size synth that could simply be hooked up to anything that had an audio input. Despite it gaining a hardcore cult following, the slightly fragile nature of the unit and its lack of features lead this to be more of a cool toy to play with, rather than something that would be of use in a professional capacity. However, this all promises to change with the latest revision, in the form of its big brother, the Kaossilator Pro.

It is designed to be a stand-alone synth, drum machine, effects unit, and even a very basic sequencer which could be used as part of a studio setup for live performances, or as an addition to your DJ setup to add textures to your sets. It comes with 200 preset sounds, covering just about every perceivable style of music that producers would wish to make, from jazz to dubstep. The presets are broken down into leads, acoustic instruments, one-hit drum samples, sweep effects and drum loops.

The method in which these instruments are played is completely unique to the Kaossilator Pro. The Kaossilator uses the same XY pad that users of Korg’s other DJ style product the Kaoss Pad will be familiar with. With musical presets such as piano emulation, the ‘X’ axis controls the note that is being played, whereas the ‘Y’ axis applies modulation, which depending on the preset, varies from filters to reverbs, distortion and the likes. Another aid Korg have thrown in to help the less tactile musician amongst us is the gate/arpeggiator. It will re-trigger or gate the note that is being played to a musical timing that can be adjusted with a fader, so no need to worry about repetitively hitting the pad in sync. Adjusting the fader whilst simply sliding your finger randomly around the pad can produce some epic, complex-sounding riffs.

The drum samples are broken up into one-shot kit samples and loops. The one-shots allow you to tap different regions of the pad to trigger different hits within the set, effectively allowing you to play in your own drum patterns, much as you would in an MPC-style sampler, and when used in conjunction with the gate arpeggiator, this can produce some heavy sounding drum rolls. The unit also comes with an array of spooky space-style sweeps and effects that would even make Doctor Who’s panties moist!

As with all gadgets like this these days, the Kaossilator Pro has midi function, albeit quite basic. This is where the unit loses marks. Despite having full midi and USB connectivity, users are very limited to how it can be used. My first instinct was to connect a midi keyboard and play the instrument in a more traditional way but this is not possible. I understand the charm of the unit is its unique interface for performance, but if the ability to connect in a more elaborate way is there, I cannot understand why they wouldn’t make use of this opportunity. To add to the frustration, even though the unit can receive midi data from a DAW such as Logic or Ableton Live, and it detects clock tempo changes etc, there is no way to sync them up, so it will constantly be playing out of time. This leaves the midi functions limited — it just feels like it could so easily do so much more.

Overall, this is a great new addition to what is possible with live performances these days.  The interface and how it is used is really refreshing. With Korg having thrown the traditional rulebooks away, they have succeeded in making this the professional version of the original Kaossilator, listening to the users, adding all the missing links, and packaging it in a robust body casing, and despite some minor midi issues that I’m sure could be fixed in firmware, the Kaossilator Pro is ideal for aspiring and professional DJs and musicians alike. Being such a flexible tool, I’m quite excited to see how different artists will find different ways to use it.

This isn't the first multi-touch DJing we've seen, but something about watching this guy navigate his transparent control station—a homebrew touchscreen running a Traktor Pro controller called Emulator—really makes me want to do the robot.

I love technology, but when it comes to the art of the DJ, I'm very old fashioned - I want vinyl records and proper decks. But not everyone is as anal as I am - and there's probably a good market for playing DJ with something like the Hercules Mobile DJ wireless MP3 mixer.

And in truth, it's likely to go down a storm at a party. What you get is a battery-powered two deck controller, allowing you to mix, scratch and synchronize CDs, MP3 tracks and WAV files. And there's an integrated double screen showing the details of the tracks, plus cross fader, pitch and volume.

But here's the clever part - unlike similar devices, this one doesn't need a permanent attachment to your PC, being a wireless (radio frequency) set-up. So you can control your music and choose your tracks without having to sit in front of a screen. Which means everyone can have a go at playing their favorite tunes - and when everyone is bored of that, there's an auto feature to keep the music playing as a mix.