The free/FLOSS DJ tool Mixxx has quietly evolved into a powerful software DJ tool that rivals commercial alternatives. And it’s open to whatever hardware controller you want, thanks to developer and community support. The just-released 2.4.2 for Linux, macOS, and Windows builds on that with new and updated controller compatibility.
With consolidation and private equity dominating much of the development in this space, free and open-source software looks more essential than ever. That’s especially true if we don’t want to add to landfills with unsupported controllers. The good news here is that the leading open-source DJ tool Mixxx has evolved a lot, with a friendlier user interface that borrows the best of commercial tools. And it has four decks with complete control over hotcues, looping, and rhythmic features, plus powerful Sampler Decks for layering sounds. (It now looks a lot like a cross between Traktor, Serato, and Rekordbox.) There are also nice effects chains (with a UI/UX that I think even improves on rivals), and a bunch of the features I’m missing elsewhere, like tag lookup with MusicBrainz and a sensible music library.
You could even use Mixxx as your iTunes player replacement, especially with its Auto DJ feature, and it supports iTunes, Traktor, Serato, and Rekordbox libraries, among others, albeit with some limitations. (I’ll look separately at how you might integrate this with managing USB sticks for CDJs on the go, but it is possible.) Check the library support:
https://manual.mixxx.org/2.4/en/chapters/library.html
Mixxx also does some things proprietary software wouldn’t dream of, like integrating with Shoutcast and Icecast servers so you can run a streaming broadcast station through the software. (Find an in-the-know online radio station, and odds are you’ll find a version of Mixxx running.)
Let’s talk here about hardware compatibility, though. On their brisk update cadence, the Mixxx team and community have been delivering regular additions there, including 2.4.2 this month and 2.4.1 in May, each with expanded controller support.
Here’s the amusing twist: Mixxx is doing a better job of supporting hardware than a lot of the manufacturers making the actual devices. And that’s just included preset support. Mixx will glad support any device you want via MIDI and HID controller support, including JavaScript control of mappings. Why we’re paying for DAWs and DJ tools that leave this out and getting this for free is something I can’t really answer. (Vinyl users, yeah, there’s timecode vinyl support, too.)
You might not have to do that, just because of the available mappings. For the canonical list of what’s in Mixxx’s official distribution, check the manual:
From there, you can also check out community efforts:
That forum also includes some friendly guides to using the mappings and tweaking your own (or starting one from scratch).
It’s pretty astounding how much is in there – and it turns some used/garage sale controllers into advanced hardware in the process. I’ll be surprised if you don’t have something from the list collecting dust somewhere. This also gives a solid answer to that friend who wants to get into DJing and has no money – unload a controller that’s taking up space, set them up with Mixxx, and go. Plus I’m sure someone is already figuring out some Raspberry Pi-based Linux solutions that give them on-the-go DJing, including for when you show up and someone’s CDJ has broken cue buttons on it. Ahem.
And they’ve been busy adding more to the official distribution. 2.4.2, released yesterday, adds new controller support:
- Numark Scratch
- Intech TEK2
- Reloop Mirage MK1, MK2, Controller Edition
There are also updates to Denon MC7000, Korg KAOSS DJ, Novation Dicer and Launchpad X, DDJ-400, and more. (There’s even an update for the Sony Sixaxis, as in a discontinued Sony wireless game controller.)
2.4.1 added updates for the Pioneer CDJ HID script, Nintendo Wii Remote, and more, for reference.
That TEK2 from Intech is an interesting one – it’s a compact modular controller (pictured above).
And once again, all of this is freely downloadable for macOS, Windows, and Linux. So if you’re needing to do some DJing for the holidays or record a mix, and you don’t want to mess around with complicated subscription fees, enjoy. It’s really great.
You really can run this on a RasPi; I’ll be trying that out. Here’s one repo to get you started; readers may know more about this than I do, but see some cool examples here.
https://github.com/fayaaz/mixxx-pi-gen
Got projects of your own or DJing (or broadcasting) with this tool? Let us know.