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Forum: General Discussion

Tema: VDJ image - Page: 1

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A little introduction.

I've been using virtual DJ for about 10 years and decided to make an account 2009. I've seen how you guys grown into a beast from increasing hardware capabilities to shipping with the Pioneer DDJ SZ. Kudos to you guys.

I was talking in the skins thread (I made an account called LNDOMusic but have decided to use this instead), about image. I have noticed that when people try to ask you guys to improve skin quality, there is somewhat of a defense mechanism involved.

I would love to see what you guys think about my discussion. But I am one of many people asking for you guys to revamp the image of VDJ. Why? The unfortunate truth of DJing is what goes on between 2 DJs and not just between a DJ and his or her crowd. We tend to see what the DJ is using, whether he/she is amazing or not. When deciding what software to use, the DJ takes into account not only the software capabilities, but also its reputation among the DJ world. It is the sad truth.

I know that this software has the capabilities to be accepted on the front line. I am not saying be like serato. But what I am saying is that you guys are a business, and the purpose of your business is to get as many people as possible to appreciate the capabilities of VDJ. However, with businesses, image is absolutely key.

You guys have the product, that is a fact! I was amazed at how my SL4 and SL3 was quickly able to be configured with VDJ without any extra tweaks. I also love your mapping system, which I can use to make the most out of my two Traktor X1 MK2s. BUT, what separates a good company from a great company is seeing how the system works, and using it to their advantage. I encourage you guys to blend in to the system a little bit and consider making your graphics more intricate.

Have a great day and looking forward to your replies.
 

Mensajes Wed 20 May 15 @ 3:15 pm
The default skin is a bit pants (and of course is the shop window) but there are many that impress. Trouble is that most people don't know about some of the wonderful skins available.

SilverSleek2, X-96 by Zanard and V8 but by FRUiT all show the skinning capabilities VirtualDJ8 has. As I said in your other thread Serato is like switching on a new PC and Windows 3.1 loading up (My personal opinion of course).

I work with this and it's superb.

 

Mensajes Wed 20 May 15 @ 3:22 pm
VDJ RonPRO InfinityMember since 2010
I use an excellent skin which replicates my controller called DN-MC6000 Pro.
I suppose few of us use the native skin, however it does offer great universal functionality, but it is a little...off !
Occasionally I return to the native skin for some added features which my controller oriented skin does not contain.

You can make your own skin !
 

Mensajes Wed 20 May 15 @ 3:40 pm
Makashino wrote :

improve skin quality

blend in to the system a little bit

consider making your graphics more intricate.

I gave a similar reply to the OP in the other thread (and I'm not sure why you've double posted to that thread & here) but you'll need to be a lot more specific about the skins before anyone would be able to create one to meet your ideals....

What exactly do you mean by "improve skin quality", "make the graphics more intricate" and "blend in to the system"?

Are none of the hundreds of VDJ skins currently available "quality" enough? Do none of them have "intricate" graphics?

If you can't describe what you're looking for in words, please post some pictures of what you consider to be a quality, intricate
GUI.
 

Mensajes Wed 20 May 15 @ 4:06 pm
bagpussPRO InfinityMember since 2003

I'm also a long time user (2003), and I completely agree, I've been making the case that the current skin would suite the home version, and the pro version should have a better looking skin.

It should make greater use of panels so the various elements of the skin can be moved around and rescaled, it should break away from the colourful toyish look by changing the colour scheme and replacing the virtual decks with pods or spinners containing track info.

VDJ is exactly where Skoda is, it has a stigma due to its past performance/reliability, although Volkswagen have since bought the company, the car now has a VW engine, so reliable, feature packed...but still a Skoda? Why? Because the VW needs to be the more desirable looking car, the upgrade....VDJ isn't owned by Serato...so it's Pro product needs to have the body of a Ferrari to be the most desirable product.

It's going to happen soon it's inevitable, but for now there's a great skin called orange juice (terrible name but truly the best/most modifiable pro skin).

 

Mensajes Wed 20 May 15 @ 9:45 pm
Hey guys, will check out the skins.

bagpuss wrote :

VDJ is exactly where Skoda is, it has a stigma due to its past performance/reliability, although Volkswagen have since bought the company, the car now has a VW engine, so reliable, feature packed...but still a Skoda? Why? Because the VW needs to be the more desirable looking car, the upgrade....VDJ isn't owned by Serato...so it's Pro product needs to have the body of a Ferrari to be the most desirable product.



This is exactly what I am trying to say. VDJ is a great, great software. But I hope they work on not only a Ferrari-type performance but also a Ferrari-type appearance.


groovindj wrote :
Makashino wrote :

improve skin quality

blend in to the system a little bit

consider making your graphics more intricate.

I gave a similar reply to the OP in the other thread (and I'm not sure why you've double posted to that thread & here) but you'll need to be a lot more specific about the skins before anyone would be able to create one to meet your ideals....

What exactly do you mean by "improve skin quality", "make the graphics more intricate" and "blend in to the system"?

Are none of the hundreds of VDJ skins currently available "quality" enough? Do none of them have "intricate" graphics?

If you can't describe what you're looking for in words, please post some pictures of what you consider to be a quality, intricate
GUI.


Hey GUI. I am not a graphics designer by any means, so I won't be able to give an exact solution to the problem. My best analogy is: very one of us can look a Rolls Royce or a Ferrari and tell that it is a higher quality car than a Toyota. We can pin point certain qualities of the car that allow us to distinguish the difference, but unless we are car designers, we cannot give quality advice on how to improve the image of Toyotas.

My vague and somewhat extreme example does not exactly match the problem at hand. However, we are DJs and I feel like we have the right to appeal to things that we feel need improvement, or could ultimately better the progress of VDJ, even if we do not have the skills to improve them ourselves. I hate to draw comparisons, but there is a reason as to why other DJ softwares (Traktor, Serato and even Mixvibes Cross DJ) do not receive complaints about toyish graphics. I hope you guys take this into consideration.

I am trying to talk from a business standpoint when I say 'blend into the system.' Its a bit weird to say I know haha. But I mean, there are things that the top DJ softwares are doing in order to appeal to the masses. Even when I use Mixvibes Cross DJ, I can feel the professionalism in their software. All I can say about that is please, consider not only the product itself, but adequate professional presentation of the product through your image. In other words, please consider revamping the default interface of VDJ, because I feel as if it can go an extremely long way. There is no other software that boasts true plug and play capabilities like you guys. You guys can let every DJ be aware of your capabilities. But DJs will still hold back if you guys do not up the professionalism feel in your software.

Thanks.
 

Mensajes Wed 20 May 15 @ 10:44 pm
I replied in the other thread as well, and this is a fine example why having two threads over the same subject does never run well...
Without repeating myself, since we're talking about cars it's amazing how the brand name influences the mass of the people...
The same designer that has designed the vast majority of modern Ferrari models has also designed other models for other brands equally well built with equally high performance as Ferrari.
Some of them (for those who know about sport cars) are even better than Ferrari's
However the most people may look at these cars as imitations of Ferrari, or Ferrari's little step brother / Ferrari wanna be models...
Why ? Because no-one come to tell you that "Hey dude, this is far better than a Ferrari"

Perception is a much more complex thing than the design of the chassis or, in our example, the GUI.
Please try to avoid messing these things up.
Sure the GUI takes part on the perception criteria, but it's not the only one. Back to your example with supercars, a "beautiful / exotic" chassis is not enough for a car to be classified next to a Ferrari. What's under the hood has much more meaning.
And BTW: Take a look at Buggati's... Their design in nowhere near Ferrari's Lamborghini's or McLaren's... However that doesn't prevent them to be in the same category, and in some cases much better than the others.

PS: Since the term "quality" come up again here, I will ask again: On car, the built and paint of the chassis indicate it's quality (not the design)
On a GUI, what does indicate the "quality" of it ? :P

 

Mensajes Thu 21 May 15 @ 1:45 am
Tear Em 'UpPRO InfinitySenior ModeratorMember since 2006
This skin thread pops up every now and then. Some user wanting a different look. Why sweat how the factory looks is? It's customizable. Much like a car. You don't have to leave the stock look. You can customize.

How many times have you seen this thread pop up Keith?

As with all things, it comes down to personal taste. Don't sweat the small stuff. Sweat the performance. Which, for me personally, has always been rock solid.
 

Mensajes Thu 21 May 15 @ 7:04 am
i agree with some of the ideas in this thread.
While there are many skins to use, not all of them have the same clear graphics and high resolution as the default skin.
I would like to have for example a default skin that has the browser maximize function and the ability to have 4 decks where i can swap from deck 1 and 3 on the left and deck 2 and 4 on the right.
I should'nt have to use another skin that might have bugs or low resolution graphics just to have these default functions.
A person should only consider using another skin than the default when he wants a skin that look like a controller. Other than that, i think VDJ should include some of the basic functions as the ones i listed in the default skin.

And finally well done VDJ for making such a wonderful product.
 

Mensajes Thu 21 May 15 @ 7:46 am
I think the problem is people do not know that VDJ offer other skins to professional user. I have always seen VDJ as a software that cater to the individual user via custom setting including skin. But you would not know that if you don't go searching. The problem I have always have with VDJ is there advertisement methods. VDJ have focus so hard on making sure we have the best software to work any devices we need that their start lacking in other areas. There is a suggest, get the top 10 custom skins like SilverSleek2, Oldschool and the z-96 by Zanard, VDJ by FRUit and evening the DDJ-SX custom skin and promotion it. Find innovative ways of putting it out, like get all the VDJ user to push the top skins by using a hashtag... #VDJTopSkin #SilverSleek2 #MoreThanABoringSkin... Come on people..
 

Mensajes Thu 21 May 15 @ 8:30 am
bagpussPRO InfinityMember since 2003
I think the point is that VDJ8 pro should have evolved to a more efficient and sleeker look to better appeal to the pro market place. If the user wants a large portion of their GUI taken up by virtual decks and coverflow let them download a skin, why should a pro product have a default skin that looks like and is associated with a hobbyist/lifestyle product? The two products (home & pro) should be better defined from one another, beyond skinning capabilities.

It's true that product image and perception are two separate things, but changing product image is the quickest way to change perception.
 

Mensajes Thu 21 May 15 @ 9:42 am
bagpuss wrote :
I think the point is that VDJ8 pro should have evolved to a more efficient and sleeker look to better appeal to the pro market place. If the user wants a large portion of their GUI taken up by virtual decks and coverflow let them download a skin, why should a pro product have a default skin that looks like and is associated with a hobbyist/lifestyle product? The two products (home & pro) should be better defined from one another, beyond skinning capabilities.

It's true that product image and perception are two separate things, but changing product image is the quickest way to change perception.


I'll have to agree with you.
 

Mensajes Thu 21 May 15 @ 11:09 am
Let's just have #SILVERSLEEK2 be the default skin for the PRO version ;-)
 

Mensajes Thu 21 May 15 @ 11:35 am
scratcher_81 wrote :
I would like to have for example a default skin that has the browser maximize function


See the Browser Zoom skin by djtouchdan. It's the default skin but with browser zoom (as the name implies).


 

Mensajes Thu 21 May 15 @ 1:23 pm
But to be fair the default skin should have had browser zoom in it anyway. Creating an extra skin to add one function just complicates things.
 

Mensajes Thu 21 May 15 @ 2:02 pm
I agree. There were a few things removed/changed between VDJ 7 and 8 which really should have been left alone - but I guess Atomix are entitled to do what they want. It's their software. We're just the people who use it. :-)
 

Mensajes Thu 21 May 15 @ 3:03 pm
taylaPRO InfinityMember since 2007
Even Skoda like all producers, update their outer skin, may have the same or different engine, but they are not still styling their cars as though still living in the 90's.

I've never used the default skin to be honest, sorry, but it's just to amateurish for my liking, I used mix lab then V mix, now got the best skin ever as far as my needs go when Dan custom made me a skin... TaylaMade. If your into video go try.

 

Mensajes Thu 21 May 15 @ 3:08 pm
A lot of great opinions here. Let me add mine. When I grew up, I learned that image and perception was all doo doo. The correct answer Alex is, what comes out of the rear end of a bull? Well golly gee Rick, what does it all mean? You can't save your face and your ass at the same time. Your face being your image and your ass being your life. Which is more important to you? There is a reason there are dozens of car companies, because not everyone is concerned with image. Even if I could afford the cars listed above, I would not buy them. You ever tried getting in and out of one of these cars? It's a nightmare. I can afford a two seat BMW or Mercedes, but again, who wants to go through the contortions just to look good? Rick Ross may own many of these cars, but I'll bet it takes him two minutes and he's using an inhaler once he gets in. How many of you here, are buying into his image? Most images and perceptions are fake, made up, and can be seen through in the end. Here are some examples of great images and perceptions; Windows Vista, Ted Bundy, Donald Trump, John Wayne Gacy, Charles Manson (OK, his image is real). Judging a book by it's cover, a pig and lipstick, what's on the inside, does any of these things ring a bell, to any of you? I personally don't give a .......... what other DJs think of me. Step to me with some silliness about the software I'm using, and see what happens. I did not buy Virtual DJ because of the way it looked, but how it performed. My final word on image and perception, Bill Cosby......................oh snap Rick, no you didn't. As Groovin says in the post above, this is their company, and they have their own vision. No matter what they do, some will not be pleased. They have been responsive to most of the request, but it will never be enough. Let's face it, it is the same 20 complaining about the looks, that the majority are satisfied with. We all have options as grownups, and I chose Virtual DJ, way before I became a moderator.
 

Mensajes Thu 21 May 15 @ 3:12 pm
bagpussPRO InfinityMember since 2003
I'm sure if it was put to a poll on here and across social media you'd find there's a large number of people who'd like to see some development in this area, even if you just surveyed pro license holders you'd find the number very high I feel, sure there's only a vocal minority actively 'lobbying' on the forum.

I actually think that this is on the way, as Serato with their "Serato DJ" has been increasingly taking ground from VDJ by becoming more like it by the day, and VDJ8 in a very different way became a lot more like Serato than it was previously. What's left for VDJ to do? Pro grade post fader FX as good as or better than those of Serato/Traktor? And an overhaul of the GUI (at least for the pro version).

Serato DJ and VDJ pro are on path to being 'virtually' indistinguishable at this rate, VDJ pro taking its role as a 'pro' product will only add to that, that said any major innovation from VDJ will not be taken seriously by the DJ community unless its done at a time when the product image has been sufficiently developed from where it is now, and finally gets the recognition it deserves (admitedly by a shallow industry).
 

Mensajes Thu 21 May 15 @ 6:23 pm
There's still a lot for V8 to do, although functional for me it is still very much work in progress.

Video sampler needs improved
Karaoke needs improved
Doesn't support DRM files
Can't drag a file from playlist to remove it (asked for by many users)
Remove shadow on the wave form (asked for by many users)
Improvement to the iRemote interface with adding a browser

There are lot's more but it's first thing in the morning and I'm half asleep ......
 

Mensajes Fri 22 May 15 @ 1:53 am
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