Mixxx in Google Summer of Code 2010!

Mixxx has been accepted as a mentoring organization into Google Summer of Code 2010!

Google Summer of Code is a program that provides students with a stipend to work on open source software over the summer. Students from all over the globe are matched up with mentors from participating organizations and gain real-world software development experience while working on cool open source projects.

If you're a student with C++ experience, an interest in DJing, and enthusiasm about open source software, then we encourage you to apply to work on Mixxx for the summer! Mixxx is a great opportunity to gain useful experience not only with open source software development, but also with multithreading and realtime multimedia applications.

Mixxx previously participated in Google Summer of Code in 2007 and 2008, and saw the success of several projects like the new waveform widget, improved BPM detection, and our first library overhaul. We have an enthusiastic team of mentors supported by a great community of artists and developers, and we think we've got an intriguing list of project ideas for this year.

So how do you get started? Check out the official Google Summer of Code 2010 site, including the FAQ and program timeline to make sure you're eligible and available for the duration of the program. Please note that the student application period is from March 29th through April 9th. Next, take a look at our GSoC 2010 Project Ideas page and if you'd like to discuss any of the ideas with our mentors, check out the contact information on that page and get in touch!

We're very much looking forward to introducing Mixxx development to a new batch of students this year, and if you're interested on working on Mixxx, we hope to see your application!

Mixxx 1.8.0 Beta 1 Released!

The Mixxx team is proud to announce the first beta of Mixxx 1.8.0!

This beta release is intended to give DJs an opportunity to play with our new features and help us find bugs.

Download Now!

Mixxx 1.8.0 Beta 1 features a slew of major improvements over our last release, including looping controls, support for multiple MIDI devices, and a completely revamped library.

Although our code for playing M4A files in Mixxx is complete, we were disappointed to learn that we cannot ship Mixxx 1.8.0 Beta 1 with M4A support for legal reasons. We're currently exploring other options to bring you this much-requested feature, but in the meantime, we still wanted to have a public beta release for everyone to play with.

We don't expect the stability of this beta release to be as good as 1.7.2, so if you're planning on DJing live, please don't use the 1.8.0 betas. Please report any bugs you find on our bug tracker - It's very difficult for us to keep track of bugs that are reported on the forums or in comments on the blog, so having all our bug reports in one place makes them much easier to manage. Thanks for your cooperation!

If you're planning on switching back and forth between 1.7 and 1.8, we recommend backing up your Mixxx XML library file. You can find your library file, called mixxxtrack.xml in the following places:

• Windows: Click Start->Run..., and paste in:
  explorer %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Mixxx
• Mac OS X: Open Finder, and from the top menu select Go->Go to Folder..., and paste in:
  ~/.mixxx
• Linux: Open a terminal, and paste in::
  cd ~/.mixxx

From there, copy and paste your mixxxtrack.xml file to a safe location. When you first run Mixxx 1.8, your library will be upgraded to our new database format and stored in a different file called mixxxdb.sqlite. Your mixxxtrack.xml file will be renamed mixxxtrack.bak, and so if you'd like 1.7 to see your old library again, you will either need to rename mixxxtrack.bak to mixxxtrack.xml, or restore the backed up copy of mixxxtrack.xml from your safe location.

Lastly, we wanted to release a beta version to not only let you help us find bugs, but also as an invitation to get involved and help us fix bugs. If you know C++, we encourage you to dive into our source code and try to fix bugs that affect you. We're perpetually short-handed and we're always looking for more help. The more people that get involved, the more fun it is for us too. We understand that looking at a new codebase can be daunting, so if you'd like some extra direction, we'd be more than happy to help you - Come hang out in our IRC channel (#mixxx on Freenode), and we'll get you started!

Mixxx 1.7.2 Released!

The Mixxx team is proud to announce the release of Mixxx 1.7.2!

This bugfix release addresses a number of issues that were discovered in 1.7.1, and is a recommended upgrade for all users.

Download Now!

Some of the changes include:

• Improved saving of ordered playlists
• Fixed MIDI support on OS X
• Optimize latency settings. This should improve compatibility with certain soundcards/APIs.
• Improved stability and error handling when loading certain songs.

Mixxx 1.7.2 is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Download Mixxx and start DJing!

Mixxx 1.8 Preview

After many months of planning and development, we're finally approaching a beta release of Mixxx 1.8. Since our last release, several major new features have matured and are almost ready for public testing.

Our main focus for 1.8 has been improving the library, which is a direct result of continued feedback from our users. We're also excited to have been able to address several other major feature requests, and we think 1.8 is a big step in the right direction.

Library

The brand new database-powered library is not only faster, but much more flexible as well. The new library features include:

• Keep your library organized by sorting your tracks into crates.
• Need to take a break for a few minutes? Throw some tracks into the Auto DJ playlist and let Mixxx cover you.
• The new Analyze view lets you peek at your recently added tracks and perform batch BPM detection.
• A brand new intelligent library scanning algorithm is both quick and accurate at importing new tracks when you launch Mixxx. The library scanner is even smart enough to notice when you've moved tracks around inside your library and preserves any extra metadata you've added in Mixxx like comments and BPMs.

Crates in the new library

Looping and Ramping Pitch Bend

A major rework of our audio engine also brings looping to the next release of Mixxx. Running out of time to find that perfect next track for your mix? Lay down a loop and buy yourself more time. Unlike the competition, Mixxx has no limitations on the length of your loop, so you can be as creative as you want to be.

Additional work on our mixing engine has lead to a new feature we call ramping pitch bend. Ramping pitch bend helps you add extra smoothness to your mixes by making temporary pitch bends accelerate rather than jump suddenly.

MIDI Enhancements

A brand new MIDI backend completes the rewrite of Mixxx's MIDI code, the first part of which was included in 1.7 and enabled innovative new features like our MIDI scripting engine. The hot new addition for 1.8 is integrated multiple MIDI device support.

What do we mean by integrated? Check it out:

AAC and iTunes Support

Mixxx 1.8 can playback DRM-free AAC/M4A files on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. On Windows and OS X, Mixxx can also now see your iTunes library and let you play tracks from it without importing them.

In addition to a 1.8 beta, we're also preparing a 1.7.2 bug fix release. This release will fix MIDI on OS X and improve stability for certain hardware configurations.

2009 has been an exciting year for Mixxx, and 2010 is shaping up to be even better. As the year closes, we'd like to thank all of our generous contributors and supporters. We hope you're looking forward to next year as much as we are!

Mixxx 1.7.1 Released!

The Mixxx team is proud to announce the release of Mixxx 1.7.1!

Download Mixxx 1.7.1

This bugfix release is a recommended upgrade for all users of 1.7.0, and fixes the following issues:

• Fixed a memory leak causing degraded performance during long sets.
• The headphone "main" cue now takes master balance into effect.
• Fixed a rare issue with the Hercules DJ Control MP3 on Windows.
• Some Stanton SCS.3d bugfixes and improvements to the SCS.1m mapping

We're also still hard at work on our next major release, Mixxx 1.8.0. We've just about wrapped up development of looping and are still hacking away on our overhauled library. Check out the screenshot below for an exclusive preview of our brand new looping controls, and stay tuned for more news about Mixxx 1.8.0!

A sneak peek at the new looping controls featured
in the upcoming 1.8.0 release

Mixxx 1.7.0 Released!

The Mixxx team is proud to announce the final release of Mixxx 1.7.0!

The result of countless contributions from developers all over the globe, Mixxx 1.7.0 features an overhauled MIDI mapping system with advanced scripting capabilities, improvements to vinyl control, and many other tweaks and optimizations.

Our brand new MIDI scripting engine allows both users and developers to easily add complex behaviour to their MIDI devices. Whether you're looking to get more out of your existing controller or want to take full advantage of cutting edge hardware, our 1.7.0 release won't disappoint you. If you'd like more information on MIDI scripting, please see our documentation.

Mixxx 1.7.0 is now available on our downloads page.

Since Mixxx 1.6.1 was released, the following changes have been made:

• Improved MIDI device support:
  
  • MIDI learning wizard
  • MIDI mapping editor
  • Upgraded, faster mapping system
  • MIDI output now fully supported on Windows, OS X, and Linux.
  • QtScript/JavaScript-based MIDI Scripting Environment - Script complex behaviour for your MIDI controller!
  • Added full support for the Stanton SCS.3d and SCS.1m on all platforms.
  • Hercules MK2 and RMX improvements
  • Added Mixman DM2 mappings for Linux and OS X.
• Vinyl Control:
• Scratching responsiveness improved, with needle-skip prevention option added.
• Signal quality indicators added to vinyl control preferences.
• Improved support for soundcards with multiple stereo inputs
• Convenience features:
• The default skin is now widescreen, and fits nicely on netbook sized screens.
• Stereo master VU meter added.
• Cue points are now saved in the library for each track, with "auto-recall" cue option added to preferences.
• Support for more platforms: 64-Bit Windows and a Universal OS X package for 10.4+!
• Over 100 bug fixes and more!

With the release of 1.7.0, we've also transitioned to a more flexible development process. Because of this increased flexibility, we're already hard at work on Mixxx 1.8.0, which will feature looping and an overhauled library. With the release of 1.7.0, we're now able to spend less time incorporating support for new MIDI controllers, and more time working on the features you want the most.

Mixxx's development has always been driven by constant feedback from our users. Whether you're coming up with cool ideas on our forums or even just reporting bugs, we always appreciate hearing from you. Because your feedback is so valuable, we've launched a user survey to help us figure out where you want Mixxx to go. Taking a few minutes to fill out the survey is a easy way to help out the project and will help guide our future work.

Lastly, we're always looking for new contributors, and we hope our recent move to Launchpad and Bazaar for source code management will add more transparency to our development and encourage more people to get involved. If you're a programmer and want to work with a creative, enthusiastic team, hop on our IRC channel (#mixxx on Freenode) or sign up for our developers' mailing list.

Mixxx 2009 User Survey

Mixxx has always been driven by constant feedback from our community of DJs. Two years ago, you helped steer the development of Mixxx by giving us feedback through a user survey that we created. Consequently, we focused our efforts for the last two releases on the features you asked for the most, and it's time to get another round of feedback to find out how we've done, and where you'd like to see Mixxx go.

So if you have a few minutes, please fill out the Mixxx 2009 User Survey!

We read every response and appreciate your feedback. Filling out the survey is a fast and easy way to make a contribution to Mixxx, and your responses will make a big impact on future releases. Thanks!