Algoriddim recently released djay Pro 5 for iOS, iPadOS, and Mac. It further refined an already smooth piece of DJ software, with an absolutely killer new feature in (possibly) the best beatgrids ever added to any software, along with world-class stems and other new features.
On paper, it’s the most advanced, easy-to-use, and impressive DJ software ever made, and has been a leader for many years in many areas. So why is it not more popular? Why between them do Serato and Rekordbox still dominate three-quarters of the market with everyone else fighting over the rest?
I once wrote a book on Algoriddim’s DJ software, so impressed was I back in the early days of iPad DJ software as to what it could do. So I feel I’m well-placed to comment on its growth, and to offer a possible roadmap forward for this software. The makers have heard me say most of these things before, and if you’re a regular user of the platform, you’ll probably have thought one or two of them too.
So if you are a user of this software, hoping that it becomes more popular, or if you’re thinking of switching to it, the seven ideas I’m going to offer here – as if I was an imaginary senior person at Algoriddim – might help you decide whether to stick with it or switch to it.
And if nothing more, these ideas might help you start conversations with Algoriddim to help guide the company as it works to improve and increase the popularity of this platform. Our favourite five thoughts are in the video, and we list more (with some amazing community comments) below.
Things We Think They Should Do…
1. Release across all platforms at the same time
Doing this is big boy stuff. It shouldn’t matter whether you’re using a Mac or a Windows computer or an iPad or even Android. Your software should just do what it does, feel the same and act the same in every environment. As someone who relies on software, you shouldn’t have to worry that you are now using an Android tablet when last week you were using a MacBook. Everything should just be the same.
djay Pro has traditionally been an Apple-centric app with Windows and Android being at best a step behind, sometimes much further. For wider acceptance, this would have to change. There are promising signs – the new Windows version (released just before the Apple version) has recently got the new beatgrids and crossfader effects, for instance. But Algoriddim could do better here.
2. Have a better hardware strategy
DJ software doesn’t really exist in isolation. Yeah, sure, you can DJ just on a phone screen or just with a mouse on your laptop – but that’s not how it’s done. An integral part of the DJ experience is using hardware. It’s why standalone DJ systems that don’t even need a separate laptop or tablet are so popular. If you think of DJ gear as more like a musical instrument than a piece of equipment, then it all makes sense. And the way the software interacts with that “instrument” is absolutely crucial.
Rekordbox software is made by the same company that makes the hardware it runs on, so the company has got that stitched up. Serato has a solid licensing agreement in place with many manufacturers, so again, it’s a very tight hardware integration. VirtualDJ, without this luxury, has made it its job to work on absolutely everything, sometimes even better than official integrations, and everyone knows that’s the case.
But djay Pro doesn’t have any such unique selling point. The closest it has is a relationship with a European company, Reloop, that makes nice controllers but is not a market leader. Other than that, its mappings are patchy and hark back to the early days of DJ software, where “does it work with my controller?” was a common question.
Read this next: 5 Best DJ Systems For Algoriddim’s djay Pro
So we think Algoriddim has two routes. Either go down the VirtualDJ route and just spend the money making sure that its platform is publicly proven to be great on any equipment. Or be totally upfront about the equipment that it supports, and do a really good job of that. (And continue to do a good job of being compatible with the classic “pro” set-up of two CDJs.)
Being more open and upfront about this would reassure users that Algoriddim takes hardware integration seriously, something we don’t think is apparent right now.
3. Solve library issues
This software is presented as an easy way into DJing, with streaming and auto-mixing right upfront when you read the app store descriptions. That’s fine, it’s a good way to get people into your software – and if your platform can do the more complex things as well, that’s a strategy that works.
However, once you do dig under the hood and start trying to use your own music with Algoriddim’s djay Pro (something all serious DJs will do), especially across platforms, it falls down. Unfortunately on Apple devices, the Apple-approved way of moving music from, say, your laptop to your iPhone is clunky and not fit for DJ use – and doesn’t work at all on Windows/Android. No surprise then that currently, DJs who do use this software usually choose to “hack” a solution.
If Algoriddim was to do what we suggested in our first point and release across all platforms at the same time, paying equal importance to all platforms, the company really has to also fix this library issue.
The current leader in this is Rekordbox. Its cloud library solution is a little bit clunky and quite expensive to subscribe to, but it does work, and it points the way forward. People want to use their music on any device, and nowadays with fast internet there’s no reason they need to carry that music around to do so.
Algoriddim should look closely at what Rekordbox does and apply similar magic to an equivalent solution across its DJ ecosystem.
4. Offer outright purchase as well as subscription
People like this option, and as a DJ school one of the things we hear our students saying a lot is that they don’t want yet another subscription. While subscription is an elegant solution to software development, we get it! Speaking personally, I think Algoriddim’s subscription is reasonable and I’m happy to pay it (which I do, I have no special treatment by the company).
However, there is an enduring resistance to subscriptions among what I suspect is a large selection of the people Algoriddim wants to appeal to. So we think the company should offer a purchase option as well.
Also worth noting: with the other big platforms, there’s usually a good free option. Decent controllers unlock decent versions of Rekordbox and Serato. Traktor comes for free with its controllers. But djay Pro is only available through a subscription (the free version is too restrictive for serious use). Maybe Algoriddim should look at this, too.
5. Be careful with gimmicks
djay Pro has always innovated. It was first to the market with stems alongside VirtualDJ, and its new beatgrid system is nothing short of revolutionary. Things like this are wins.
But controlling the software by waving your hands? Incorporating Shazam? I’m not sure these kinds of features are that popular. I may be wrong, but I do know they sometimes put off serious DJs who report a sense that Algoriddim spends a bit too much time on wacky new ideas than getting the basics absolutely perfect.
DJ like a pro using ANY set-up: The Complete DJ Course
With the latest release on Mac and iOS, Algoriddim has really nailed down some of these basics in a way the company hasn’t for years. Yet with every release there are niggles, and Algoriddim should try to listen harder when people struggle with software changes and fix things faster. As far as other things that should take preference over gimmicks go, a start would be a decent handling of metadata editing, even on mobile platforms.
6. Stay modern
The DJ software world is a slightly strange one in that you can pay an awful lot of money for software that is often pretty old “under the hood”. When you see fonts not displaying properly, or full-screen views behaving weirdly, or wonder why the library features haven’t been updated in a decade in your favourite software, it’s not because the developers don’t want to do this. It’s because underneath the hood, the tech is archaic. Serato, Rekordbox and (God forbid) Traktor are all based on basically old code, with modern features often having to be “shoehorned” in.
This is understandable of course because these platforms are “mature”, but they’re also not up there with best-in-class software in other sectors. djay Pro bucks that trend – its coding is thoroughly modern. And while the average user may not realise this, it’s what keeps djay Pro’s features slick, smooth and up to date. The software is currently able to offer more across multiple platforms, more easily than any other software.
I’m glad I’m not a software developer. If I were, I’d be losing sleep over things like this, but Algoriddim’s job is to stay in that position, because this is currently something that sets djay Pro apart from other DJ software.
7. Better communicate who the software is for
I don’t think Algoriddim is 100% sure who its software is for and if so, doesn’t make that as clear as it could. The company’s website says “number one DJ software”, but it isn’t and that’s a weak marketing approach.
So if it’s not the number one DJ software, what is it? Who is it for? Algoriddim is never going to dominate the industry, but it can definitely own its own niche. VirtualDJ is king with mobile, karaoke and video DJs. Traktor appeals to electronic DJ/producers in a way no other software does. Rekordbox’s typical customer is the club and club-aspiring DJ, Serato has come from the scratch and hip-hop world.
But djay Pro…you tell us because even we’re not sure. Algoriddim figuring this out would only help the platform grow, because you can’t be everything to everyone.
What might happen next?
Apple buys Algoriddim, folds it into macOS, iOS and iPadOS, makes it the only DJ software to work natively with Apple Music, and Algoriddim’s founders sail off on their new mega-yachts to Monaco or the Caribbean, of course! (Maybe not so far-fetched – after all, Algoriddim’s CEO has been on stage at an Apple Keynote…)
But failing that, here are a few thoughts.
Firstly, ever seen a favourite sports team develop some new talent only to have that talent snapped up by a bigger team? Even if you don’t use djay Pro, the features this platform has introduced over the years (alongside VirtualDJ, it must be said, which has always been an innovator) almost always appear inside the bigger, slower-moving, more popular platforms eventually.
And so if you use one of those platforms, you can look forward to seeing some of this stuff come your way.
But if you’re a djay Pro user who shares some of these concerns, and you have ideas about how the platform should move forward, you should carry on using it and share those ideas. Share them with us, share them with the makers in their forum. Share them on Reddit, get involved! We know the makers care deeply about what you think, and constructive criticism shows nothing more than the fact that you care.
Learn to DJ with us: The Complete DJ Course
As do we! As a DJ school, we teach on all platforms, but we don’t teach on djay Pro as much as we could for one simple reason: Not enough people ask us to, because not too many of our students use it. We mostly teach on Serato and Rekordbox, with some teaching on Traktor and VirtualDJ, because that’s where our audience is currently.
We would love to teach more and get involved more with this platform, because it’s the most exciting of them all at the moment. Let’s hope that the makers manage to keep developing its market share as well as its amazing features, and who knows, in the future we just might be able to justify spending more time with it.
Phil Morse
