CDJs Will Send Track Data To Visuals/Lighting Techs With ShowKontrol

Amidst a bunch of other Pioneer DJ news, the company has sent a fascinating press release. They’ve co-developed a system to allow Rekordbox track data to be sent directly from the DJ booth, over ProLink, to VJs, lighting directors, and show technicians. The collaboration is between Pioneer DJ and a company called TC Supply, who will launch their own software, ShowKontrol, designed to receive the information. Keep reading for details.

Straight Out Of CDJs

In its original incarnation (prior to this partnership with Pioneer DJ), ShowKontrol was a timecode driven solution, which meant that there was very limited information being sent to the visual/lighting booth. (Famously, Armin Van Buuren would even open up a chat application on a computer to tell his visuals team what songs he was about to play).

With this new collaboration, realtime waveforms of tracks being played, and their associated metadata, are sent to the ShowKontrol software:

ShowKontrol LIVE is our full solution, packed with all the tools for a fully automated/synced show that allows you to get a realtime cockpit view of connected Pioneer DJ setup’s, generate multiple SMPTE outputs directly in sync with connected decks and fully automate your show with integration to all major show equipment on the market.

Realtime Metadata and Waveforms of tracks being played are just the tip of the iceberg of the possibilities with ShowKontrol PRO. Our 2nd generation of timecode solution exports playlist history information and lets you sync realtime BPM data very easily!

Using ShowKontrol as a show producer, makes you able to automate your (live) show in a way you’ve never done before. Use the fully programmable CUE lists that can trigger ArtNet, TCNet, Midi or many other supported protocols and even programmed spoken/visuals cues.

To be able to use the new network system, the DJ booth will need the latest firmware and either TOUR1 or NXS2 CDJ/DJM hardware. Here’s some more photos that Pioneer DJ sent us of the new software in action:

Learn more about the ShowKontrol software – which is available on TC Supply’s site for a whopping $1,999.

Options Beyond ShowKontrol?

Beyond that massive price barrier (to be fair, most people who will use this software in festival settings won’t bat an eye at that), a lot of visual artists and DJs might be curious about the basis of the announcement – the collaborative protocol. Can other softwares take advantage of it? Here’s what Pioneer DJ writes:

We’ll start licensing the use of rekordbox information to partner companies for use with show control software over PRO DJ LINK in spring 2018. TC Supply’s ShowKontrol will be the first official software available.

So maybe next year we’ll see other major visuals and lighting design software license the protocol in their apps. But for now, it’s encouraging to see Pro Link get some utility beyond just connecting Pioneer DJ products together.