Here we have 4 must-have software tools for Digital DJ’s looking to organise, calculate, record and operate their working setup whether at home or during a live performance.

The four tools listed below are chosen from popularity within the DJ industry and are used by the most professional DJ’s around today, from your more beginner bedroom DJ’s all the way up to the likes of Pete Tong. Check the links below in the full article alongside a mini review of each. You will WANT these somewhere down the timeline, and may well need them.

Mixed in Key 4

‘Harmonic Mixing is an advanced technique used by top
DJs all over the world. By mixing tracks that are in the same or
related keys, harmonic mixing enables long blends and mash-ups. Eliminate key clashes with this analysis software’

Mixed in Key is mostly used by the more professional of us DJ’s, allowing radio DJ’s and club DJ’s to perform tighter more harmonic mixing – keeping the mix in key is as important nowadays as beatmatching.
How many times have you mixed a new promo CD or played out live and dropped in a track you know would match up fine but realise once the tracks actual melody starts it sounds devastatingly terrible with the prior track because of it being in the wrong key?

Check the Music Radar review for more information – [here]
Or visit www.mixedinkey.com to purchase it for around only £40 with the current exchange rate.

Bomes Midi Translator (Now for the Mac too!)

‘Control your favorite software with a MIDI control surface, use MIDI turntables with arbitrary DJ software, map MIDI messages to other MIDI messages, and much more.’

Midi Translator is for all those digital jocks out there who use and abuse midi controllers. This piece of software allows you to control any midi signals in or out – helping you to enable those controllers lights you simply couldn’t get working, or make them flash, or use multiple pages of midi assignments from one controller to control much more within the software.
This is the only piece of software worth considering when you require midi programming within your digital setup. Even Stanton’s new ‘SCS.3d / DaScratch’ controller makes use of Bome’s Midi Translator within its ‘DaRouter’ software, and you can only edit or create your own presets for this controller if you own a copy of Bomes latest version of Midi Translator.

Visit http://www.bome.com/midi/translator now for more info and to download a trial.

Audacity (FREE)

‘Audacity® is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds perfect for DJ’s who require some software that can record their live set onto their computer and can’t afford the most professional Sony Soundforge or Steinberg Wavelab’

This is a fabulous freebie, simple to use and only small to download from Sourceforge. Record your sets on your computer with ease and export to mp3 ready to upload to your iPod. It also contains a nice little tool called ‘Vocal Remover’. Think of the possibilities from this nifty piece of software..FREE!

visit http://audacity.sourceforge.net to download now!

Mixmeister BPM Analyzer (FREE)

‘MixMeister BPM Analyzer is a free program you can use to determine the exact BPM (beats per minute) of any song. Many many Digital DJ’s use this program to sort their collection of tracks as it has a VERY accurate BPM engine’.

If you cant afford £40 on Mixed in Key 4, and simply require something extremely accurate in reading BPM of your tracks, adding the data to your ID3 tag so it keeps integration to your collection within your DJ software seamless – try Mixmeister’s BPM Analyzer. One of the industry’s best BPM recognition engines.

Visit www.mixmeister.com to download it now!