Tag: driftzero

Beta testing the Drift Zero, how is it going?

 

Drift Zero on a table top
Drift Zero syncing while sitting in a coffee shop

The last few weeks, I have been beta testing the Drift DJ and its getting a lot more stable.

The hardest part I have found is my tunes are from all over, going from Rave stuff from the late 90’s to more recent stuff with decent metadata. Some of it is recorded at as low as 192k to 320k but some at a sampling rate of 32, 44 and 48khz. However the current and previous firmware’s have had  problems with different sampling rates.

It makes sense, especially with the complexity of the problem with DJ accurate pitching  explained by the creator in the video discussion.

This will get fixed but for now I spent a lot of time trying to work out what is a problem with my music collection and what is a bug.

I recently was working this out in a coffee shop over a pour over coffee and I had some interesting questions and comments about the Drift Zero. Its certainly eye catching and like my prototype one before, I had some really interesting comments from the public. Looking forward to a long train journey to Amsterdam again on the Eurostar in November or the long international flight to Canada in October.

I’m finally at a happy place where I can do a mix and be confident the tunes in the library will play and can be mixed. So hopefully you will my first proper mix, although I’m also going to convert all my nux tunes to Opus audio to see how that changes everything,

Look out for new mixes on here and my mixgarden…


Digital italic is dead, long live The Cubicgarden

For a long time, I have been known as DJ Digital Italic. However people have gotten very confused and so today I’m changing my DJ name to The Cubicgarden.

For a long time, I have been known as DJ Digital Italic. However people have gotten very confused and so today I’m changing my DJ name to The Cubicgarden.

DJ Digital Italic shown on a screen while people dance with lazers

Digital italic, came about when I was starting my move from vinyl to MP3’s (yes I switched CDJs because I didn’t like the format for its skeuomorphism. Even then I was thinking this makes no sense to copy the vinyl model.

Anyway I am waiting for my set recording from EMFCamp but honestly its a banger, as you can see in the video above.

I also decided to back off from self hosting my own mix site because sadly there is a bug in Yunohost’s peertube application which means every-time there is a security or feature update it breaks everything. Till then I’m going to use rankett.net, and will start making those changes including a new look soon-ish.

Drift DJ taken on a desk top
I took the drift zero apart to check if there was anything obvious

Another part of the decision is my move from the Pacemaker device to the Drift zero. Something I have been alpha/beta testing for a while. A little update is that it was going great with help from the Drift team but on my last trip to Amsterdam, it just stopped booting. I did the usual charging over night, etc but it wouldn’t boot at all. Sadly it was right before I could show Dirty Si, my friend who first pointed me towards the Drift Zero. It was a shame but ultimately, there was no way to send another prototype out, when the production ones were so close to ready.

My Drift Zero DJ production version

Then last Thursday the production version was delivered to my flat but I was on holiday and wouldn’t get my hands on it till Saturday. Then came Saturday and I got my first play with it and the latest firmware already installed. However its not till tonight I really got a play with it and loaded up a bunch of tunes.

Drift Zero DJ loading tunes

If you want to know more about what happens next, keep an eye on this blog and of course you can order your own and learn more at driftdj.com

Polaroid photo of the Drift Zero DJ production chip with #007 written on it

By the way, my production version is quite special… Yes #007!!!

Something I’m extremely proud to own and be part of right at the start. Now comes the important part of feedback, bug fixing, learning and playing as…

The Cubicgarden…

The past and the future of portable DJing in one shot

A Pacemaker device and the Drift Zero one sat next to each other on a table top. Both are turned on
The past and the future of portable DJing in one shot.

A post was recently share on the Drift DJ discord.
The pacemaker when djing went pocket sized and the world wasnt ready

Its a really good piece about the massive leap the Pacemaker device provided way back in 2008. In short the device was up against smartphones like the iphone. Smartphones turned everything down to software.

…the idea of carrying a dedicated device for DJing felt quaint when your phone could theoretically do the same thing via an app

Theres mentions of Tonium’s attempts with the Blackberry playbook, something I used and absolutely hated after my bad experience. Then the change to software, on the iOS platform with the first to have Spotify integration. But I do like the nod to the community and people like myself who modified their Pacemaker devices with a SSD, new battery and replacing the firmware with unofficial builds. I actually use one of the unofficial ones on one device and the last official one on another for live mixing and stability.

But best of all is the ambition of the Pacemaker device. Its what got me to buy my very first one back in 2007.

Looking back at the Pacemaker now, it feels like a glimpse of a future that never quite materialised. The device represented a genuine attempt to rethink DJing for a mobile-first world, to distil the essence of club culture into something genuinely portable without compromising on functionality. It had vision, ambition, and genuine innovation behind it. The execution was largely solid, the feature set comprehensive, and the user experience thoughtfully designed. In many ways, it was exactly what it promised to be: the world’s first truly portable professional DJ system.

For those who owned one, used one, or simply appreciated what it tried to do, the Pacemaker remains a fascinating piece of music technology history. It’s a reminder that sometimes the most interesting innovations aren’t the ones that achieve mainstream success but rather the ones that push boundaries, challenge assumptions, and show what’s possible when you’re willing to think differently about established conventions.

In the picture, I put the Pacemaker device next to the Drift DJ zero and suggest this could be everything the Pacemaker promised and very almost delivered on. Its clear portable DJ systems are incredible and provide all types of possibilities not realised. Maybe its time for a #DJhackday?