The Myo Wristband and DJing
Hey, last time i told you about the myo wristband. Here I have a link for a quick catch-up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOEcsNmTk7g&ab_channel=BloombergQuicktake.
What I want to talk about today is a little brainstorm i did. As we know, the myo wristband has 6 different gestures it can recognise. This means we have the option for 6 extra control for a live performance. Btw, I took this example because I am already preparing a possible live performance for summer. Of course, the simplest method is to use two or more turntables and a mixer, but I have to be flexible when i have to mix in live instruments. Therefore this could give one a better control about the live set.
Loading songs and acting as turntables
The easiest thought is to load songs into the queue with a simple gesture. It saves a little bit of time as you don't need to scroll through your playlist. And it doesn't distract you, you can focus on the mixing instead. The next idea is the imitation of turntables. But i don't know if the gestures work like a mouse-click or like having a key pressed. In other words if they initiate a one-time operation or if they can initate an operative loop. The latter would mean the use as turntable is possible.
Holding the gesture #2 means scrollig forward and holding gesture #3 means scrolling backwards. Probably you already guessed it: another problem is the scroll speed which you can't adjust this way which means you still need your turntable for fine adjustments.
Effects and setting cue-points
My next idea is to activate precostumised effects with different gestures. Of course there is again a lack of adjustments. We could activate an effect but not control how much we want of it. But that's not negative - we still have our mixer and also a laptop (We need it for the myo usage as far as i can presume). But we can use our own efffects which could be controlled adjusted with a midi controller.
Also pads would be an option as we could save our hot cues as gestures on the myo. The important thing would just to get a fixated structure of what gestures do you use for what pad. And the work of a DJ or live performer isn't only to mix music but also the role of an entertainer. Imagine doing crazy stuff with your arm - or arms with two myos at the same time haha - and initating beat jumps or loops and making a buildup with it.
Conclusion - whats my opinion
I think it's a really cool idea and also a nice way to get in touch with new tech. But it's up for debate if it could be a real assistance or a time saver. Simple things could give you a better focus towards mixing, but making it complex could end in a too complex situation for you. Sounds a bit weird, I know, but you have your dj deck, you have to look at the crowd and also have to think about what you're mixing. And then you have certain controls with your arm that disconnect you from your previous attention center. Therefore my opinion is that it needs a lot of time and training to use it for more complex situations but i would totally try it.
















