Tracking DJs: the msPinky case-study!

I’ve been watching developments in msPinky for quite a while now. It is rising as the new cheap solution towards tracking vynil control (either via cd player or analogue turntable – doesn’t matter, the recorded tmecode does the trick).

For those who are wondering about msPinky, he’s a lil’ info:

“the idea behind it is simple: We want to use our standard DJ turntable as a generalized controller in the digital dimension. This way we maintain the hands-on physical contact and subtle gestural control we’re used to having when spinning records, yet we’re able to apply those gestures to whatever we want to inside the digital dimension.” (official statement)

Thus msPinky strives to fill a gap in the tracking applications (currently costing 99 dollars) but stands out for several rasons. Firstly it approaches directly the question of multimedia, instead of closing the perspective to audio control (of course several commercial systems are used for video – see this!, but the manufacturers state that they serve as an audio tool). Secondly it features a wide range of sub-products:  Maxi-Patch (Windows or Mac) and Binky Toy (Mac only), a VST plugin called Pinky VST and finally the SDK (cross-platform) allowing  programmers to access use MsPinky’s Vinyl Tracking Object (MPVT) in their own code.

They are widely targeting the Max/MSP environment with easy acess to MPVT under Max (see below), and hav triggered the appearence of user-made new interfaces for audiovisual manipulation using timecoded vynils.

If you want specs and technical papers:

– http://www.mspinky.com/WreckedSystem_MaxMSP.html

– http://www.mspinky.com/SoftwareSpec_0.0.4.pdf