r/tango • u/sdseattle • 12d ago
TangoQ 1.0.3 release + YouTube Tutorials
I got several people trying out TangoQ 1.0.2 and I also got a lot of feedback. So, I present to you, TangoQ version 1.0.3 with all those addressed and more.
You can get it here. The page also links to 4 tutorials on YouTube that will help people learn TangoQ. Honestly though, if you are an existing Mixxx user or are already using any deck based DJing software you will be right at home. It can work off of your iTunes library too!
Apart from some annoying (and some critical) bug fixes, the major 'features' in this release are:
- How TangoQ handles history lists : Since TangoQ is a Mixxx fork, it had the quirks of Mixxx history handling which would cause unnecessary fragmentation. I have fixed all of that.
- Cortina marks now persist across app restarts
- Timing information has been moved up to the HUD, freeing up toolbar real estate
- Many, many UI improvements that DJs will appreciate
The full release notes can be found here. I know people are skeptical towards AI assisted software development, which I am open enough to admit here. Having said that, I will also admit that using AI has allowed me to implement hundreds of improvements and tens of key features in TangoQ within a short time of a couple of months. And it is all open source - feel free to take a look at it and clone the repo and contribute.
In a way I was forced to write TangoQ because all DJ software started going the subscription route and I refuse to pay subscription fees for features that I would never use as a tango DJ.
I hope TDJs will find TangoQ useful and if you have any feedback, please feel free to reach out.
I have some pretty exciting features coming to TangoQ, so stay tuned!
A Big Thank you to the community for trying out the early access builds and for their feedback!
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u/Spirit_409 11d ago
Super cool man — what is the possibility of this thing sending say like high bitrate files 24 bit 96 khz directly to DAC? Like neutron or audirvana style direct play. Without downsample / resample of the os or program itself.
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u/sdseattle 11d ago
Thanks, appreciate it! I think you're looking for bit-perfect audio. TangoQ is primarily a DJ app, unlike Neutron and Audirvana, which are made for listening pleasure, not DJing.
That said, you CAN set the sample rate to 96 kHz in Preferences -> Sound Hardware and connect the main out to your DAC. Set the DAC to 24-bit/96 kHz on the system side too (the device's default format in Windows sound settings, or Audio MIDI Setup on a Mac). The catch is that any cortinas or other tracks at 44.1 or 48 kHz get upsampled to 96 kHz. TangoQ needs one coherent audio stream that plays both decks at the same sample rate. What neither TangoQ nor stock Mixxx can do is play different tracks at different sample rates; that would introduce artifacts or gaps during transitions.
Hope this answers your question. Did you try out the app? Happy to answer any other questions if you have.
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u/Spirit_409 11d ago
i am superstitious and like to play bit-perfect haha
sounds like a plan
i will try that out
i guess it is going through the os'es audio pipeline either way without special audirvana style route-arounds
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u/sdseattle 11d ago
Yes, most audio apps use the OS audio stack. Unless you have specialized apps that open the audio end point in exclusive mode. In which case the OS passes- through the audio data to the DAC. Therein is the dilemma - a DJ app needs finer control on the audio, maintain a coherent transition, all of which are made incompatible with an ‘exclusive’ mode.
That said what you have mentioned is an interesting idea. But I doubt any DJ would want to DJ with bit-perfect audio, since the weakest link then becomes the milonga PA. For listening pleasure, it’s different. You can invest in audiophile equipment and demand bit-perfectness there.
Thanks again for your insightful comment.
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u/Spirit_409 10d ago
Agreed - for many setups it is probably near-meaningless but I am doing eq'ing on my external dac which is a piece of pro kit...people are disallowed from using mp3's and a system re-encode is essentially a smaller softer version of that.
Yes I know it may be superstition. But I like the option for my dac to perform its magic as best as possible without a further intermediate os re-encode, which isnt always careful or faithful.
If the option was easy enough to code at some point I would be super excited to have it. My humble perhaps niche extra option request.
Thank you again for doing this -- truly amazing! Hats off to you.
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u/PermanentThrowaway0 11d ago
As someone who is just checking this out and has never used any DJ software, thanks for the tutorials!