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

Introducing Light DJ Studio, a whole new way to interact with your lights

Hey guys, it’s been just over 3 years since I released my first light app, HouseParty. A few months later I expanded on the concept and created Light DJ Pro, which has been growing steadily and adding new features and hardware support.

Today I’m happy to announce that I’m releasing a brand new app: Light DJ Studio. The app leverages the power of Apple’s new MusicKit API to enable you to record and playback light shows to your favorite tracks. Recording light shows is super easy: just load up a song and play along on the device. You’ll see your lights change as you trigger them.

Light DJ Studio makes it easy to record light shows. Just select a track and start playing.

Light DJ Studio makes it easy to record light shows. Just select a track and start playing.

If this sounds like something you’re interested in, I’d love to have your feedback! This first version includes everything that I think you’d need to make a great light show, but what’s really going to make the app great is knowing where to make improvements.

Cheers, Kevin

A couple notes on the app:

  • Requires iPhone or iPad with iOS 10.3 or higher
  • It works with either your local music library or with Apple Music.
  • Works with up to 10 lights: Hue, LIFX, or a mix of both. Light recordings don’t care how many bulbs you have connected and will play even if your light setup changes. Nanoleaf support is planned for the near future.
  • The app currently has 5 pulse-type effects (with combo and 5x buttons) and 5 multi-effects that affect your whole room. I’m looking to expand these in future versions of the app based on user feedback.

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.

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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!