About the program: (update: 15.05.2006)

Pocket-DJstudio allows you have in your hand (or in your pocket) a complete DJ system for mix.

Is an application for Windows Mobile (PocketPC and SmartPhone) that consists in two independent MP3 players with features that you have only in CD players for DJs, like the PITCH control (Adjustable Speed), CUE (Adjustable start point) , Pitch Bend buttons, etc.

Screen of Pocket DJ Studio for SmartPhone and PocketPC.

  PITCH:                  
Is Based on my old program that I call "SP-1200MK2". That was the name of first MP3 program that allows you to play MP3 files by using your mobile phone, with the features that you have only in CD players for DJs.
So, it allows you to modify the PITCH of the MP3 file in real time, to adjust the beats in a mix of songs.

  CUE:                     
It's also posible, to modify by hand (hearing a little loop in the MP3 file) the start point (CUE point), in order to start the mix in any point of the MP3 file.

  MIXER:                 
It has a little mixer so you can control the volume of each player. In function of the output mode selected.

  OUTPUT MODES for DJs: 
It have two output modes. One that allows you to hear the stereo mix of both players, or to send each player to any channel (Left and/or Right). And other in what you can listen the "Mixer Output" in the Left Channel and the PFL (Pre Fader Listening) in the Right Channel.
All is easily selectable in real time.

  MOTOR OFF:       
The "P.Off" function (POWER OFF) will do that the MP3 file that is playing will sound like when you disconnect the power of a turntable till it stops. You can set the time length that it will use for the stop of the song and the time length for the startup.

  AUTOMIX:            
With the "AutoMix" feature you can make that "Pocket-DJstudio" will mix the songs automatically, alternating the two players. It will be playing all the MP3 files that you have in the folder where is the file that you have open in each player.
You can set the time offset in that you want that the mix start. Setting that offset "from the beginning" or "before the end" of the file.
You can select three types of mix:

• "Mix" type: When the song reaches the time when the mix begin, the volume of the song that is going to sound, will start to go to the maximum volume. And when is at top, then the volume of the other file (that is ending) begin to go down.
• "Crossfader" type: When the song reaches the time when the mix begin. At same time that the volume of the new song begin to go up, the volume of the song that is ending begin to go down. Like with the crossfader control in a DJ mixer.
• "Fade Out" type:  When the song reaches the time when the mix begin, the song that you are listening begin to decrease the volume. And when that volume is down, will begin to increase the volume of the next song.

In all mix types you can select that the system will activate the "Motor off" effect at the end of the song. So, you will listen how each song that is going to finalize, will decrease the speed, like when you power off the turntable motor.

NOTE: That feature will not "beatmatch" the MP3 files. It is only to play files automatically. Just for listen your music normally. If you want to sync beats be a DJ. ;-)

  SCAN DIR:            
The "Scan Dir" Feature. By activating it from the menu, Pocket-DJstudio will scan all the songs of the directory with the song that you have open, for a time of 5 seconds by default. You can change the "listen time" of that feature in the options screen. That allows you to listen all the songs of one folder easily.

  WAVEFORM AND SPECTRUM: 
While you are playing an MP3 file, you can display its waveform. You could see the spectrum of ch1 + ch2 too.
NOTE: That features that could be a heavy load for the device can be disabled too.

  SKIP MP3 files: 
Using the horizontal slider (in Pocket PC) or buttons (in SmartPhones), you can go to any place in the file quickly.

What is the utility:

If you have a device with Windows Mobile like PocketPC or SmartPhone, it allows you to practice mixes in any place using your MP3 files.

The more compact DJ set, could NOT be carried into your hand. Pocket DJ Studio YES!

  Connect it to your HeadPhones and practice mixes in any place:
By using it with your stereo headphones, you could listen one file in right headphone and the other in the left headphone while you are adjusting the beats. In the same way that you do when use the PFL (pre fader listen) for search the CUE point and set the pitch for the next song.
Once that the mix is adjusted you can send the to players to both channels again to listen in stereo the result mix. All that in real time without the need to pause or to stop the players.
You will have in your pocket a complete DJ system. That is the main advantage.

Connect it to a DJ mixer: Connecting the audio output from your “PocketPC” or “SmartPhone” to the line input of you DJ mixer, you could use it to mix MP3 songs with other sound sources (turntables, CDs, etc.) By using a simple jack that duplicate the output. Connect the Left output to one line input channel of your DJ mixer and the Right output to the line input of another channel of you DJ mixer. Then using Pocket-DJstudio select to send the player1 to the left channel and the player2 to the right channel. And you will be mixing using the MP3 files from your device and you DJ mixer. Or simply use one of the two players to use it as an additional stereo source of your DJ set. You will have a cheap MP3 DJ player.

  Connect it to a loudspeakers and a headphones:
By using a simple jack that duplicate the output.
- Connect the Left output channel to an amplifier with loudspeakers and the Right output channel to a headphones. And you could do mixes using the mixer of Pocket-DJstudio and will have PFL by playing with the output selection. You don’t need nothing more.

Hardware requisites.

This program is designed to work in PocketPC devices and SmartPhone that runs Windows Mobile.

IMPORTANT: Depends on the power of the device that you use, the response of the application will be more or less smooth. There are been used Basic windows controls in order to not load graphically the system and so it will be more efficient.

In spite of this (when you try to operate with two files at same time), it is possible that, if the device is not too much powerful, you will listen that MP3 files have cuts because of the work load of the device.

If this happens the solution is to use MP3 files codified at lower “bit rate”.
For this we must use some tools for PC that re-encode our MP3 files using a lower “bit rate”, so you could use such MP3 files in your device, and not listen workload cuts.

If you need convert some of your MP3 files you can visit: http://www.mp3-converter.com/free_mp3_converters.htm or search by yourself in Internet :-)

By example with my Motorola MPX200 (that is an SmartPhone not too much powerful) I use MP3 files with a bit rate of 64kbps or 96kbps in order to play two files at same time with a good performance. It is not the same quality, but it works…
Using only one file I can use 320kbps MP3 files.

Note: I don't suggest you that reduce the bit rate of your original MP3 files (because it will loose quality). Is better to make copies and convert the copies at one lower resolution for use it in your device.
It is the same thing that you need to do when you have to convert DIVX files to play it in BetaPlayer (now TCMP).
The other solution (but more expensive) is that you buy a more powerful device in order to use MP3 files at any bit rate.