ddj-3g HELP
ddj-3g is the latest Dancing DJ player. This product is still under
development and no user manual is yet available for it. In
the meantime, this page serves as a link to various notes and
FAQs.
Be assured you can master this program with just enthusiasm and a moderate
amount of time behind the wheel. Learn as you go, your music will never be
harmed and you can always opt for a fresh start at any time.
Basics
The 3g concept refers to 3 song grids, Instant, Playlist and Library.
The first time you start up
ddj-sc all the grids will be empty. Drag
songs to one of the 3 grids to add music. New music will be added to the
Library and also any selected grid.
While music can be played from all three grids the Instant and the Playlist
grids are considered the main working grids.
The Library grid references the
entire music library. It is specialized for quick filtering and flexible
lookups for quick queueing. The Instant and Playlist grids, on the other
hand, typically contain a subset of the master Library grid and are loaded
for a specific music event. The Instant and Playlist grids target different
DJ styles. The Instant grid was developed for the DJ that prefers to DJ hot
with little music queued. The Playlist grid caters to the DJ that prepares
music in advance. It is possible to switch between either mode at any time.
Songs are easily queued from the Library grid to either the Instant or
Playlist grids.
Notice that songs can easily be re-ordered by dragging the row to a new
position. Now play a song and make some adjustments such as start,
stop points, volume, rate, etc. Note that these new settings are still
honored the next time you play this song. To permanently save settings to
the Instant or Playlist simply save or re-save a playlist.
Note that music is not stored in the grids so deleting rows from any grid
will not delete any music. While music settings for the same song is allowed
to be different in all grids the Library grid is generally considered the
master.
ID3 tags are used when available and mp3 is the perferred format.
Note that
many buttons and other controls have associated pop-up tips when you hover
your mouse over them.
FAQs
Q. Why does Microsoft install the Net 4 Framework?
A. Most Dancing DJ V3 products use the Net 4 Framework. This Framework supercedes any
previous .NET version (as of Jan 2011 Windows 7 shipped with 3.5). Net
Framework 4 is a one time free upgrade.
Q. What information is in the Logs tab?
The Logs tab contains both startup and operations data. Some log information
is informative and may be helpful for technical support. Other log
operations such as those starting with 'Ex.error' are logging potential
errors. Note that the log from the previous session is available and it's
location can be found in Preferences>Misc. If you are experiencing any
startup or operations problems please check the log HistoryLog.txt.
Q. How do embedded tips work?
A. Many items such as buttons, labels or sliders have tips that appear when
the mouse hovers over them. If a tip starts with F1... pressing function key
F1 while clicking on that item will display extended information.
Q. What is Relative Tempo?
A. Relative tempo (RT) is tempo relative to a particular genre. ddj-3g is
unique in understanding when a song tempo is appropriate for the genre. RT
is supported by an embedded user modifed genre table and an embedded beat
counter. When music is played relative tempo will display (red-yellow-green
brackets) indicating how well the music conforms to desired target.
Q. How do I enable the Relative Tempo display?
A. Top center of the player you will find a control box containing a Count
Beats button. Press this button to displays the embedded Beat Counter. When
tempo and genre are established the Beat Counter button will disappear and
the Relative Tempo display will adjust as the Rate slider is changed. Note
that new genres are added from the File menu.
Q. I have seen projectors using the marquee, video and and event advertising
simultaneously. What do I need to do this?
A. The software is complete you will only need your pictures or video and a
computer that can support a second monitor. Most portables have second
monitor capability and it is an easy addition to most desktop computers. You
can connect this second monitor (commonly a RGB and HDMI connector) to
modern large screen TVs and projectors from LED to the largest models.
Q. I use WinAmp and have friends using iTunes. How does
ddj-3g differ?
A. If you aleady use either of those popular players you will already
understand the basic operations of this player.
ddj-3g incorporates most of
the popular DJ features of both of those players and raises the bar.
Q. My last playlist was well applauded but I made many changes through the
night. How can I capture my nights work?
A. A DJ utilizing only the Instant grid will construct the event on-the-fly.
But even the best designed Playlist is often altered, perhaps to alter the party mood or by
requests. The History tab can show you what music played when,
down the to second. This history can easily be saved and will, in fact, be
automatically saved if the Save History preference is selected. The History
playlist with all settings and play time will be available when you start up again.
Q. How do the equalizers in the EQ tab work?
A. Songs often benefit from specific equalizer
settings. Rooms also often have a certain audio color can benefit from an
equalizer adjustment specific to it. Selecting the Sum option to run
the Song and the Room settings to a new sum setting for the
best effect.
Q. What are 'Foley Limits'?
A. Foley Limits modify some standard player options. These limits are
specific to the Instant grid and focus on the most secure play
environment. This option disables grid edits forces the next song to play as
the next row after the current playing song and enables more shortcut keys.
Note that this option may help avoid inadvertent edits or row changes. It may
be selected or de-selected at any time.
Q. Can I save my operating preferences?
A. Some settings are automatically saved as the player is closed. Others are
specified and saved in the Preferences form. Others such as 3g column sizes
and orders have specific save buttons.
Q. Can I test my music before queuing it without interrupting my party?
A. It is possible to test music and DJ your party simultaneously but your
computer will need two sound output devices. Most computers have only a single
output device but more can be easily added. USB sound devices adding a HDMI
TV display both are easy ways to add another sound device and
can allow playing the party on the main device while listening
with headphones to the second device.
Q. What is the e-mail option in the History tab?
A. As a working DJ you will often have people that like your music and would
like information on the song. You may select any song in our history and
instantly email that songs information to your fan.
Q. What use is the Info tab?
A. The Info tab is often the best way to update a song in your library. All
the data fields available in a 3g grid are also available in the Info grid.
It is often easier to find and update data from the Info grid than from a 3g
grid.
Q. What use is the Show tab?
A. The Show tab allows the DJ to prepare a quick start for the next play
session. Pressing Go will preform the desired operations and checks to make
sure your show is ready to go.
Q. Why does the History tab have two grids?
A. The first is a true History grid. It captures every song played in the
current session including the order played the genre, title and time played.
The History grid is available on the next startup and can be renamed and
used as a regular playlist. The second Summary grid summarizes the current
session summing similar genres and includes a target playcount. Playcount is
set in the genre table.
Both the History and the Summary grids can be very helpful helping DJs pick
new songs. The Summary grid helps a DJ determine the next genre due.
Clicking a genre in the Summary grid will highlight all similar genres in
the History grid allowing an easy check of what songs where played and when.
The target playcount helps the DJ play the desired number of songs.
Note that if a Playlist was simply played that at the end of a session the
History playlist will be equal to the selected playlist. If, however,
changes were made to song settings or song order they would differ.
Q. How does song Announce work?
A. Song announcements (genre default) can be activated from the
Hush/Announce button at the bottom of the player. In announce mode the genre
type will be announced before the song is played. The default announce knows
many ballroom genres. If the genre is not recognized the system will utilize
text-to-speech to announce from associated text. Note that the default
announcement voice is customizable and new genres can be added at any time.
Note that there is an option in the Player tab called 'Wait for Talker'. The
default for this option is checked and, when checked, music will not start
before the genre announcement is completed.
Q. How does the Titling option work?
A. Titling is turned On|Off at the bottom of the player. Titling will scroll
your selected message along the bottom of a second monitor display. By
default the display will scroll Artist but this can be easily changed. From
the Marquee tab you have multiple options such as song title, comments or
even a column where you add your own custom message. Titling can be switched
at any time.
Q. How do I find the songs genre?
A. There is no easy answer for this question. Most music is not sold or
catagorized utilizing genres that DJs usually would consider adequate for their
work. Also understand that genre is not an absolute single thing and multiple genres are
allowed for a single song. If it's dance music the most obvious clues are
tempo, beat emphasis and mood.
Q. How does the delay feature of the play control buttons work?
A. The Play control button row includes the Start, Next, Pause,Stop, Fade
and Crossfade buttons. A right mouse click on these buttons will add time in
1 sec increments and the delay secs will display in the control. When the
button is clicked you will see the seconds count down. This feature allows a
busy DJ to queue up an action.
Q. Should I convert my music to mp3 format?
We recommend the mp3 format. While
ddj-3g will play AAC mp4 Apple
format, mp3 files and many other formats we strongly favor the mp3 format
for the following reasons:
Quality - It has been argued that AAC was designed as a successor to mp3 and
for similar compressed size the AAC format can sound better than an mp3
file. But others argue that it's primary purpose was to limit the copying of
music (
DRM)
and that the smaller file size has little relevance these days as hard disk
drives have become both very large and very inexpensive.
Today high quality music compressed with excellent techniques at 192, 256 Kbps or higher is readily available. At these higher rates mp3 compression has
audio advantages over AAC. We believe that if you purchase or rip CDs at 192
Kbps level, or better, you are unlikely to hear any difference between the
AAC or mp3 formats.
Compatibility - The mp3 format offers maximum compatibility. Mp3 songs play
on all media players and music DRM issues are minimized or eliminated,.
Songs are easier to move between various media players or computers. Editing
and tagging of songs is generally easier with more inexpensive or free
options available.
ddj-3g supports extended tagging only on mp3
music.
iTunes offers a quick way to convert between music formats. Of course,
conversions to mp3 is not a high priority for Apple and better converters
are available. Still, this iTunes option will do a credible job.
Converting AAC to MP3
Direct support questions to
Product Support
