Controller support and MIDI mapping

Ora DJ lets you rehearse planned sets on real hardware. Ten Pioneer DJ and AlphaTheta controllers have built-in mappings. If your controller is not on the list, you can map any MIDI controller manually.

What's mapped

The built-in mappings cover the essentials: transport, jog wheels, channel faders, the crossfader, EQ and trim, and performance pads for cue points. Controller-specific PAD FX, temporary loops and Key Shift controls are covered in Performance pads. Most sets are built on two decks, and that's what Ora DJ is tuned for, but it plays four.

Built-in mappings

• Pioneer DJ DDJ-400
• Pioneer DJ DDJ-1000
• Pioneer DJ DDJ-1000SRT
• Pioneer DJ DDJ-800
• Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX4
• Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX6
• Pioneer DJ DDJ-SB3
• AlphaTheta DDJ-FLX2
• Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX10
• AlphaTheta DDJ-GRV6

These controllers work as soon as you connect them. Other MIDI controllers need a custom mapping the first time.

Map another MIDI controller

1. Connect the controller before launching Ora DJ, or rescan for it in the controller settings.
2. When Ora DJ says the controller needs a custom mapping, choose Map controller.
3. Move or press the hardware control you want to assign to each action.
4. Review the mapping and save it. Ora DJ remembers it for the next session.

The mapper also supports a Shift control. If a knob or fader moves in the wrong direction, switch on Reverse for that mapping.

Connect a controller with a built-in mapping

1. Connect your controller via USB before launching Ora DJ, or use Settings → Controller → Rescan if it's already running.
2. Select your device from the controller list.
3. Ora DJ confirms the connection and loads its built-in mapping.

A controller Ora DJ recognizes is also picked as your audio output automatically, so you hear it through the controller without setting anything up. See Audio setup.

Four decks

Ora DJ has four decks, A to D. See Deck views for the 4-Deck Stacked layout.

The DDJ-GRV6 drives all four: LOAD 3 and LOAD 4 load decks C and D, and DECK SELECT flips a physical deck between its two layers, A/C and B/D.

The DDJ-400 and DDJ-FLX4 have LOAD 1 and LOAD 2 only, so they load decks A and B. You can still fill C and D by dragging tracks onto them on screen and mixing them from the four channel mixer.

Knobs pick up where you left them

Turn a physical EQ, trim, or filter knob and it doesn't jump. The knob has to travel to where the on-screen control currently sits before it takes over, so nothing lurches when the two are out of step, after you've moved something with the mouse, say, or switched deck layers. The same applies to the tempo fader.

Browsing your library

The rotary knob browses the track list, and the list scrolls to keep the track you're on in the middle, so you can see what's coming. Press it to move between the sidebar, the library, and the track list. BACK on the GRV6 steps back the other way, and backs out of a folder you've opened. On the DDJ-400 and DDJ-FLX4, hold shift and press the rotary knob to do the same.