Have you seen the new iTunes DJ function in iTunes 8.1 and the way it works with the companion “Remote” application for the iPod Touch and iPhone? Wow! Combine those with a Mac Mini and you’ve got a highly portable DJ in a box, ready to take to any party, wedding, or gig!
The iTunes DJ function is an enhancement of the Party Shuffle seen in older versions. You can still pick a playlist and let it queue up random tunes, but now you can use an iPod Touch or iPhone with the Remote app to control the queue. You have full, passworded control. You can even optionally let other users lucky enough to have the Remote app make requests by voting for songs in your collection. As a song gets more votes, it bubbles up in the queue, and the song with the most votes becomes the next to play. Of course, you as the master have ultimate control over what actually plays.
You can also control the DJ feature fully from your iPod Touch or iPhone. You can remotely see the queue and votes, adjust the playlist, add or change songs in the list, even select a song and see what the iTunes genius has to suggest as compatible songs.
So here’s the setup: Start with a Mac Mini and the latest iTunes. Feed it with every song and video you have in your collection. Set your Mac to automatically start up, login, launch iTunes and use WiFi, and bring it to any party. Hook it up to a stereo and perhaps a video screen, and you can control the whole thing from your iPod Touch or iPhone from anywhere in the venue. Change tunes, accept requests while you mingle in the crowd, the works!
With this setup a computer monitor, keyboard and mouse aren’t even required. In an emergency you can control everything on your Mac Mini with your handheld, using one of the available VNC remote screen apps. Or if you’re less geeky and more practical, you might keep those peripherals in the car just in case.
One Mac Mini can hold many thousands of songs, and when set up properly can truly stand alone, all controlled from your little pocket handheld device. Let’s party!
yea that’s pretty awesome, been waiting for something like this. only one rant. itunes needs to manage this stuff thru the cloud because all my songs r on my laptop!
great blog!