djay integrates Apple Music and other music libraries for a spatial DJ experience, and it's out now on Quest.
Created by Algoriddim, best known for the djay app, today's release follows its previous launch on Apple Vision Pro. djay on Meta Quest aims for low latency audio, offering multi-channel sound, and dynamic spatialized sound effects. It also supports USB MIDI controllers, letting you connect existing DJ gear to your Quest for more tactile controls. Here's the announcement trailer.
We went hands-on before today's launch on Meta Quest 3, though as someone who's never ventured into the DJ scene beyond playing some vinyl records at home, I couldn't use a MIDI controller to go all in. A helpful tutorial welcomes you in mixed reality mode with the DJ deck easily repositionable across your play space, and it's easy to learn.
Songs are shown as vinyl sleeves to the side of your deck, adding some personality to this intuitive control scheme. Simply grab the sleeve with either Touch controllers or hand tracking and move discs to the turntable. You can scratch the vinyl by placing your hand over it, move the needle to change what part of the song plays, hit the play button to start or stop whenever needed, or use the crossfader for song transitions. I particularly like how throwing your hands up creates a fun little light show.
As a beginner, getting started in djay feels straightforward while balancing this with advanced options for more experienced DJs. You can set cue points for each song to immediately return to a specific moment, alongside fine-tuning individual aspects like the bass. I could feel myself getting a little overwhelmed by the extra settings given my inexperience here, so it's great that you can simply avoid them.
Now, a music app is nothing without its library and there's a good range of options. Alongside over 5000 free tracks, djay also has integrated support for Apple Music, TIDAL, SoundCloud, Beatport, and Beatsource. I'm disappointed Spotify isn't available since it's my streaming platform of choice, and its absence feels like a major omission. That said, support for local music files on your headset is especially welcome.
While I'd need more time to offer more in-depth impressions, I've been enjoying this so far. Hosting gigs across fully immersive environments is quite fun, offering colorful locations like a club, hot air balloon, or even space, made even better by ridiculous song mixing. I've learned the hard way that Stardew Valley music doesn't blend well with Blinding Lights, but maybe you'll have better luck with other wild combinations.
djay is out now on the Meta Horizon Store for $20. It's compatible with Quest 2, Quest Pro, and the Quest 3 family.
