Testing Traktor for iPad

trakor_ipad_app-1
Finally, Native Instruments released an app for the ipad called “Traktor DJ“. Since Traktor is the widest used DJ software and the ipad has so much to offer to manipulate music with its interface the expectations were extremely high. And they didn’t fail. The price of 18 EUR is ok for what you get and after reading the first reviews and I instantly had to download and try it.

I spent a nice long ride on the train with figuring out the thing and produce a little mix. The app runs smoothly and is very intuitive, it comes with effects like looping, delays, flangers and filters or freezes. The freeze function is certainly the most innovative. While in a loop, you can touch certain parts of the loop and play it, like single drums or sounds. While playing, mixing or skipping, it never gets out of synch, and combined with a soundcard you can send different sound signals to master and prelistening. So this is actually a serious alternative for a gig in a bar, maybe not in a club.

So here it is, enjoy 30 minutes of bass music with Benga, Kryptic Minds, Redrum and Fused Forces.

The mixes can be recorded directly within the app. I was a bit annoyed at first because I could not find a way to export it. But with a little help from the NI support I found the way. This is how you export and save a recording from the Traktor app for iPad:

“In order to export your recorded mix you need to sync (connect) your iPad to a desktop computer, then open iTunes and click on the iPad tab. Select the “APPS” tab and then scroll down to the section “File Sharing”. You will see TraktorDJ in the file sharing apps list. click on it, it will show you the recorded files which you can save now with the “SAVE TO” button to a location on your harddrive.”

Here is the official promotion video with Richie Hawtin preparing a set in the taxi:

Auflegen im Schau Fenster

Last week I tested my new digital DJing set Traktor Scratch A6 at Schau Fenster gallery and it was really fantastic. The vinyl feel and controlling abilities combined with the ease of digital storage just kicks it. I won’t stop to buy vinyl though, but I feel some new possibilities have just been opened here. Here are some nice pics, shot by Sebastian Glowinski für GOOD GUYS ENTERTAINMENT.

Continue reading

Testing the Quote.fm embed

Nice, now quote.fm which becomes ever more important to me for finding interesting texts gets an embed feature. This will replace the “quote”-Style in blogs and make discussions about texts across platforms easier to collect and follow.

Here is a fun one (in German):

This one is more serious in my opinion. The position of the German pirate party towards authors and copyright (at least the position of one of his most popular members Christoper Lauer:

360 degree videos and panoramic ball cameras

Panoramic ball camera

Ever more often lately, I stumble across 360 degree or panoramic video and photo ideas, tools and gadgets. Now I even have the great pleasure to work on a project with that kind of technology together withe the awesome company called Yellowbird from the Netherlands. They do amazing 360° videos which are embedable and follow the linear story of a video along a timeline, and whilst the film is moving you can change the viewpoint of the camera, like looking at the sky or behind you. Their most successful video certainly is the one from a snowboarders perspective which went pretty viral which is understandable, have a look:
Continue reading

Jamie Lidell on iMaschine

Even if I risk becoming a Native Instruments fanboy here, this is another great showcase of one of their products, presented by the even greater Jamie Lidell. NI released an iPhone app called iMaschine which according to the video is a little all-in-one sequencer, drum machine, synth and recorder to play around with and build little songs. As Jamie does impressively in this video, apparently without editing: building a beat, putting some bass groove on and some chorus and finally verse vocals on top of it, all lying comfortably in bed like on a sunday morning. Pretty amazing for 4,99 EUR in the app store. Let’s see if I get out of bed this weekend if I get this little toy right now.

Jambox Test

Die Jambox von Jawbone ist ein kompakter Lautsprecher mit Mikro, der per Bluetooth Sound abspielen und aufnehmen kann. Ans Telefon gekoppelt ist er so eine Boombox für den Park oder ein Telefonkonferenzgerät. Funktioniert auch mit Computern, die Bluetooth können. Ich fand das kleine Teil im Test sehr sympathisch, danke an Vreni von K-MB für das Testgerät (schade, dass ich’s zurück geben muss, den Parktest hätte ich gern noch gemacht..)

Testing the Starplayer app

Only two weeks ago, Heineken came out with the Starplayer iPhone app, which lets players estimate situations in Champions league football matches, while watching it on tv. I had the chance to test it from the beginning and I have to say it’s pretty impressive overall. The concept to run a game simultaneously to popular football games and let players worldwide play against each other is as simple as it is genius and the app is very well done. There are few things I did not like so much: 1st) I fail a lot, and I think I am not he only one, so it’s pretty difficult and on the edge on being demotivating. 2nd) it takes a lot of energy, the phone is almost empty after a match and 3rd) there are some minor usability flaws, like images that look clickable but aren’t. Here are some screenshots and explanations:
Continue reading

TV on the iPad: Tizi

I admit, I still love to watch tv. Here is one tool which let’s you carry around the screen: a DVB-T tuner for the ipad. I could test it and it’s definitely approved, it works fine and fast and is very easy to handle. Here is a little foto session to see how it works.

Tizi is a little box which receives the DVB-T signal with an antenna and creates a wifi you connect on with the ipad or iphone. With the Tizi app (free) you can then watch digital terrestrial television. In Berlin there are most of the major channels (ARD, ZDF ect.) on and some digital radio stations. Price: 150 EUR at Gravis.

Had it not been so cold, I could have even taken it downstairs to take out the garbage.

Martina from TLGG gave me this gadget to test it. Thank you!

Lost in Val Sinestra Campaign

An interactive trailer which pulls your friends information from Facebook and integrates it in the movie.

Technically, it’s not a problem to put individual text and video into a flash movie. Alone, the right idea and the concept is a challenge that Lost in Val Sinestra solves in a very smart way. By connecting your Facebook account to the Val Sinestra Trailer Editor a random selection from your friends list is made, you can chose a “Thrill factor” and your movie is being generated. Your own name will be used for the director’s title, your friend’s names and pictures will be integrated into the plot, on guest lists, on papers, fotographs or in the tv news. Alone, the sharing is not thought through really. In the end, I would expect a suggestion to share your own movie in your news stream and at the wall of all the people that take part in the movie. Technically, that would have been possible.

Try it out at http://www1.lost-in-val-sinestra.com/

Update: Obviously, this is not a movie Trailer but a campaign for Swisscom, as Techcrunch reports.

Interessante Social Media Marken-Kooperationen

Der Online-Fashionshop Haburi hat zwei interessante Aktionen auf seiner Facebookpage: In Kooperation mit Cinemaxx können Fans (man muss Fan sein, um teilnehmen zu können, eine Praktik, die immer mehr zum Standard wird) einen Kinosaal mit Freunden füllen. Wer tatsächlich 199 Freunde zu der Aktion einlädt, kann mit diesen eine Exklusivvorstellung von Sex & the City 2 besuchen.

Spricht die erste Idee eher Frauen an, richtet sich die zweite (“Fashion Rocks“) eher an ein gemischtes Publikum: Wer gerne auf Festivals fährt, kann ein Foto seines Lieblingsfestivaloutfits posten und kommentieren lassen. Unter den Mitmachenden werden dann 5×2 Tickets für Rock im Park gewinnen. Umgesetzt wurde die App mithilfe von Wildfire. (Update: Inzwischen von Google gekauft, eine Liste über einfach Social Media Tools gibt es hier.

Es fällt auf, dass Markenkooperationen via Social Media viel leichter zu organisieren sind, als über andere Kommunikations- und Vertriebskanäle. In letzter Zeit sind mir ein paar solche Kooperationen zwischen Medienunternehmen (Filmverleiher, Kinobetreiber), Reiseveranstalter oder wie in diesem Falle, Online-Fashionshops aufgefallen. Falls ich weitere Links werde ich sie hier posten, falls euch welche auffallen, schmeißt sie hier rein!