Description

Companion is a M4L-device that lets you play your dj-set easily and creatively using just a launchpad and your mouse-turned-xy-pad.

You can scrub through your clips, set cue points on them and fire them all perfectly in time while crossfading between tracks, controlling their effects and adjusting the tempo, all on one single surface, without ever changing the user mode of your launchpad or clicking a mouse (moving the mouse around can be fun though).

Colored buttons give you visual feedback over what's happening all the time, and, using the shift-button, you can access a second function in most of them.

To get started, you can either use the DJDecks-template and customize it to your liking or build your own version from scratch - all buttons are assignable to all of Companion's functions.

Because of the programmer's preference for simplicity over vinyl-style-techniques, companion sets live's quantization to "1 Bar" and its time signature to 4/4. Through this, all cue points automatically set to the 1 of the bar they're in and start on the next 1 in the arrangement when their buttons are pressed, fired clips start on the next 1 or, if stopped, end there. This loss in cueing possibilities gains you time when you need it: between things starting and things stopping. Wherever you want to drop from in the middle of your FX-buildup, just push the button and it will be in time, except of course it is your one track in an odd signature.

You are going to need a Novation Launchpad.

A soundcard with at least 4 audio outputs is recommended.

You can get the DJDecks Preset (an .alp-file) at

http://bit.ly/SBKxDf

or the device alone at

http://bit.ly/PeLmCA

Watch it in action:

http://bit.ly/Symdnw

Get in contact via

twitter.com/companionmaker

www.facebook.com/CompanionForLaunchpad