light shows

New Pricing Starts July 2. Upgrade today and never pay again

When I started developing my Light DJ app over 3 years ago, I never would have guessed that it would end up where it is today as one of the top Philips Hue apps on the market. One thing that hasn't changed since the start though is my continued desire to keep making new features. Users email me every day with cool new feature ideas and most of those eventually make it into the app. This has become a barrier to growth, however, since charging a 1-time fee does not bring in enough revenue to be able to dedicate all of my time working on it.

As a result I've decided to change the app to a subscription-based pricing model. This will allow me to continue to put food on the table and start a family while I continue to create new features and work with more types of lights in the future. There's a ton that I'd like to do, too much to list everything here, but this is just a sample: SceneMaker playlists, Visualizer 2.0, Android tablet UI, AppleTV & Windows versions, camera-to-light support, multi-zone support for LIFX Tiles, Beams, and Z Strips, custom color themes, redesigned effect maker, improved UI flow between controllers, and much much more. These suggestions all came from fans like you who write to me and tell me what you'd love your lights to do. 

When you bought this app you entrusted me to give you a great light show. I believe in fair and honest work and getting what you paid for so it's only fair that if you own the fully unlocked app(either Light DJ Pro or Light DJ Deluxe, or purchased all 3 controllers from the Light DJ app) you'll continue to get new hardware and feature updates as they are released as a thank you for being a loyal Light DJ user. You'll get all of the benefits of a subscription user without having to pay. Pretty cool, eh?

If you own any part of the app before July 2 you'll never have to pay again or lose features. Your purchases will continue to work forever.

If you only own 1 or 2 controllers, they will still work after the switchover however you'd need to subscribe to the new service to fully unlock future features of the app (inc. new controllers, UIs, & new hardware support.) If you purchase the remaining controllers before July 2 you'll get upgraded to Pro/Deluxe and get the free subscription benefits as well.

Switching to this new model wasn't an easy decision, but ultimately it's what's needed to keep bringing you new and exciting updates to the app. When I make these big changes my top concern is making sure that existing Light DJ users are taken care and will not lose any features or have to make any additional purchases as a result of this change. You helped get this app off the ground and I want to reward you by bringing you the best light show app in the world!

If you have any questions about this change, or anything else feel free to write me at kevin@nrthrnlights.com

Cheers,

Kevin

Light DJ now supports Philips Hue Entertainment

Light DJ Pro now supports Philips Hue Entertainment areas to total entertainment lighting control.

Hey everyone, Kevin from Light DJ here. Philips announced their new Hue Entertainment API in January and that threw my priorities list off a bit, but boy was it worth it. I had been expecting a simple drop-and-replace solution with faster bulb response, but what they delivered was much more: a complete effects generation system that works seamlessly with your Hue lighting setup.

One of the biggest challenges I've had in creating the app is getting the effects to look good regardless of where your lights are located. My original solution to this was ordered bulbs method where you sort your lights in a ring around your room. This had pros and cons, but my general assumption was that most people keep their lights on the sides of the room. The reality is that there are a ton of different lighting configurations, including hanging fixtures, flood lights, and LED strips. Introducing Hue Entertainment areas:

 
Hue Entertainment areas are used to define light locations within a room.
 

When you create a Hue Entertainment area from the Hue app you'll set each of your light locations in your room. Each Hue Entertainment area can include up to 10 lights. Only one Hue Entertainment area can be controlled by a single bridge at any one time, however Light DJ allows you to control multiple simultaneous Hue Entertainment areas if you use a separate bridge for each area.

By using a Hue Entertainment area you'll enjoy high-performance, spacial effects; all of the app's effects respond faster and with better sync. Send waves of color across your room with the updated Groove Wave effect, or see faster strobes with the Matrix controller. The Visualizer is more responsive and active too.

You can try out all of the new effects for free today by downloading Light DJ on the App Store or on Google Play.

If you like the new effects or have some suggestions, feel free to comment or send me an email at kevin@nrthrnlights.com. This app was build on user feedback and I value your input!

Cheers,

Kevin

Light DJ 2017 Year In Review

Can you believe 2017's almost over?

For Light DJ, that means the app is turning 3 years old next month! It's been a long journey to get to this point and I couldn't have gotten there without the support of my faithful users. Let's take a look at what happened in 2017.

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In April I gave the Android app a nice big update, adding the SceneMaker and Matrix effects and updating the Visualizer. Often when I'm designing new light controllers I'm not really sure how well the concept will work or if it makes sense to users so I design on iOS first. With the feature set now stable on iOS I was able to add all 23 SceneMaker effects and 5 Matrix modes to the Android app to bring the two apps' features sets closer together.

Once that was released it was time to turn back to the iOS app for some new hardware compatibility. The app has always supported Philips Hue and LIFX since the beginning, but I've been hesitant to add other hardware due to various technical/practical concerns. The Nanoleaf Aurora is the first exception I made. The hardware is so eye-catching and vibrant that I just had to add it to the app. This was more complicated than I expected as I had to not only write the communications pipeline between the app and the Aurora, but I also had to redesign & recode all my effects (which were originally developed with individual bulbs in mind). It was worth the effort though and I couldn't be happier with the results. It makes me giddy when users send me videos of their Aurora lights in action! :)

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In October I released the newest addition to the Light DJ family - Light DJ Studio. With this new app I was able to demonstrate a new concept in light shows and also solve a few technical challenges that I've faced since I started working on my apps. The app is simple: pick a song to play, then while it's playing tap along on your phone. Your taps will translate into light effects and the phone will record your taps so that you can play back your light show later. It uses Apple's new MusicKit API, which lets the app the access the Apple Music library of over 30+ million tracks. It also works with Bluetooth speakers, which sadly isn't supported on the Light DJ Pro app. This app has a ton of room to grow and I can't wait to start building features for the next major release next year.

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Finally, in December I made a few significant back-end improvements to the Light DJ Pro app. I added support for Ableton Link and MIDI, allowing DJs and musicians to set and control the tempo from other devices. I also integrated a new beat-matching library for much improved real-time music synchronization over the mic. 

What can you expect to see in 2018?

One of the great things about being your own boss is that you get to set your own schedule. While I don't have any specific dates for any future releases, this is what I plan on prioritizing for next year:

  • Nanoleaf Aurora support on Android

  • Light DJ Studio Community Tracks service - share your light show recordings with other Light DJ Studio users

  • Custom effect playlists on iOS SceneMaker

  • Apple TV & Android TV support

  • Android tablet mode

 

If you have a specific feature request or just want to let me know what I should work on next, send me an email and let me know! I hope everyone has a safe and merry holiday season. I can't wait to see how everyone's New Years Eve parties turn out!

 

Cheers and happy holidays,

Kevin

NEW: Connect your Nanoleaf Aurora with Philips Hue and LIFX

With Light DJ, you can now connect your Nanoleaf Aurora to Philips Hue and LIFX smart lights.

Hey guys! It's been a while since my last post, but I wanted to fill you in on the latest happenings here at Light DJ HQ. Last month I released a blockbuster addition to the iOS app, integrating all of the apps effects with the fantastic Nanoleaf Aurora.

The Nanoleaf Aurora is a set of modular LED panels that you mount to your wall in whatever configuration you can imagine. They piece together just like LEGOs and stick to your wall with easily removable 3M strips. You can create all sorts of different shapes with the panels and the system is expandable so you can keep adding more and more panels to create the ultimate lighting that will change your wall from boring to awesome!

The Nanoleaf Aurora adds a whole new dimension to your light setup, and fully integrates with your existing Philips Hue and LIFX lights.

This update is for iOS users at the moment, but Light DJ Android support for the Nanoleaf Aurora is in the works. Look for it to be released sometime this fall. As always, if you have any suggestions for the app I welcome your feedback at kevin@nrthrnlights.com.

Android Super Update Now Available

Hey everyone! I've been working hard over the past few months updating the Android app with the popular SceneMaker Effects and Matrix Strobe Maker controllers from the iOS version.

The SceneMaker controller has 23 different types of beat-matched effects. You get control of the effects, colors, and tempo and the controller will sync up the effects to whatever kind of music you’re listening to. You can take a peek at the effects here.

The SceneMaker controller includes over 20 effects that will sync to the beat of your music.

Setting the tempo is as simple as tapping the beat. Precision controls are also included.

The Matrix Strobe Maker is an interactive controller that has 5 different effect modes and lets you create strobes and tap out patterns. It’s a fun toy that gives you a lot of immediate control over the lights. 

Along with the new controllers, I've also added an improved color selector to the Visualizer, so now you can pick any color!

Tap, Swipe, and Drag your fingers over the Matrix controller to strobe your lights.

Pick your own custom colors by tapping on one of the Active Colors.

Color and Brightness Picker.

The updates are already available in Google Play. If you’ve previously purchased the Visualizer then you’ll get the other two controllers for free!

As always, if you have any questions or feedback feel free to write me at kevin@nrthrnlights.com

Cheers!