Intro


 WAVDJ (The Machine)


Hello.
I started this blog to document my experience with WAVDJ -VM-108.
This machine (as I like to call it) is discontinued from the market and not much information is found on the web.

This wavdj is a (Oregon Scientific) product and was released in 2001 as a console to make music with WAV files + .sty and .osm files.


It is a minimal machine to work with, but on the other hand, can be very fun to change things around, altering sounds and creating something different.
You can read more about WAVDJ  here:
Jornal Article

http://amplifiers.annonz.co.uk/amplifiers/wav-dj--74896

 http://www.trademe.co.nz/nz/auction-177550236.htm

http://www.positive1.com/reviews/toys/osci/dj/index.html

If you like to download the manuals, you can find them here:
http://safemanuals.com/user-guide-instructions-owner-manual/OREGON%20SCIENTIFIC/WAV%20DJ



Now... Why get a thing like this to make music?
I have two PCs at home, and one is dedicated to making music, as I work with Ableton music software. I have also used other music programs.
The problem I found (if it is a problem) with this software music program is the numerous options it provides, which can be beneficial, but can also be detrimental.
Sometimes, I get no feeling to make a musical track and I start to work automatically, as I get no vibe making music just by putting all the sounds together and clicking a button to synchronise beats or spending hours searching for a sound or making a sound.
It's good, it's professional, but sometimes really takes my vibe away !!
It's ok to do music with software, it's like playing a game where you have to put the images in the right places, but I much prefer to feel the music and play with the sounds :)
Yes, I can make the same in Ableton, but again, all is synchronised.

I am undertaking this project for fun, and I am not looking to make a professional career out of it. As a result, I am free to experiment and explore without the constraints of being tied to a specific music style.
We all have a shelf, don't we??
DADA DO ;)

So, here and there, some of the reasons I set up this machine and why....

1- I can set up specific sounds and know where they are when I press a button,
2- Is lots of  fun = work?
3- I can make something really different,
4- I will not need to click a mouse,
5- I can have just the sounds I made or need in each of the buttons of the machine,
6- I don't need to look at 1000 sounds to find a sound to make a track,
7- I can improvise with all the sounds,
8- Any track is a new creation and never the same.
9- It's all in real time ... live,
10- No synchronizers, just my fingers,
11- All the sounds are made individual and put together.
12- I can fade sounds in and out as the machine has a mixer with 6 channels,
13- I can improvise sounds or melodies with the keyboard instruments, while I can make some FX with the FX wheel, doing scratch and pitch bend,
14- I can regulate the BPMs in real time,
15- I can jam on a 6-pad drum,
16- PLUS.... I can add 992 sounds to the WAV effect buttons panel, which I'm using to store samples and sounds. On this wav effects part of the machine, I can have more than 1 hour of a sound or a sample in each button and it will keep playing.

This will take me a long time to set up, but it will be a 1 time job.
The main problem (for now) is that I cannot change the drum sounds... I can change the drum loops, but not the sounds of the drums. To make this, I will need .sty files or .osm files (still available with these ones... grrrr). If you know something about them, just let me know.

But what do I really want to do?
I want to create a Psychedelic, ambient, experimental music project with this machine, and I also want to incorporate a Kaossilator to add some spice to the music.
This machine and the Kaossilator are loop machines, which can create hypnotic ambient music capable of entering the mind and providing a truly psychedelic experience, as I have noticed.
For that same reason, I started this blog.

I am late on this intro and chapters as I started some weeks ago working on this machine, but I will update regularly and hope by the end, I can leave you some tracks for your experience.)

02/12/2009

19 comments:

Don said...

Great blog, any idea where I can get the software for the WAV DJ? I have the controller but no cable and no software; thus far Oregon Scientific has been no help.

nada said...

Hi.
Thanks for your comment :)
I can get you the software but if you dont have the cables, its trouble ! See Chapter 10 - Connections and let me know if you cab get this cables.

GM said...

Hi.

This blog is so inspiring. I have recently accquired WAV DJ with PC cable but without software. Any help? Thanks GM

nada said...

Hi GM. Thanks for your comment.
Did you get the software already ?
If not let me know what you need and I will do my best to help you out.
Note this need a (driver) to play in XP or windows7 as the software is directed only to play on windows 95 or lower. Let me know.

GM said...

Hi DaDa Project

I got the software, finally. Now WAV DJ works perfectly under my XP (Pro SP2). Thanks, GM

Anonymous said...

hi,

can you please send me the software for XP? email: bluefish750@yahoo.com

Thanks for your help & keep up the good work on your projects!

Anonymous said...

please send software to sirarunthegreat@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Hi,
Can you please send me the software?
Email: jasper922@hotmail.com
Thank you for your help and have a great day ahead!

Unknown said...

Hello,
I am also in search of the software cd... I have the cables and running windows 2000 pro.
Any help would be appreciated
Email: staggerleon@yahoo.com
Thank you

Unknown said...

Hello! my name is Ramon Jorge
I have the WAV DJ VM108 but I need the cable connector and I also need the software for windows xp, because I got the software but for pc running windows 95 please help me out with this my email is ramon921@hotmail.com or ramon200303@gmail.com. thank you

Robert Graff said...

I have the controller but need the software and the cable pin outs. I can make a cable if I can get the pin out schematic or if someone with the cable has a meter and a little time and would care to help. Being that it uses serial and ps2 I was going to test it out and maybe try to make a controller for video software also. Looks like it would be a good all around control interface.
If anyone can help with either the software disc image/s or cables info please send me a message at robert.graff.1979@gmail.com I will be publishing anything I make for it so anyone with the controller may actually get some new uses from it besides music possibly. Thanks in advance.

TruthSeeker said...

I just got my WAV DJ today and it came with the cables but no software or
manual like the person selling it said it would be. Apparently he misplaced them just before packing it for delivery, but told me don't worry you can download them on the internet everywhere. Ha Ha not that easy I have found. If anyone could send me a link to either I would be so grateful. Veridian@live.com.au

Many Thanks
Stephen

charles said...

hi ok i just got the wav dj vm-108 from a friend i got cables but no manual or software,,. if possable could you please send software download to cm128050@yahoo.com this looks like a very good system to use on my music recording ! thank you charles

ja450n said...

Going to post hoping someone else sees this, I believe I have the pinout of the cable sorted, but need the software to test. Anyone able to provide a copy? email me at ja450n at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

Please oh please send me the software julianmyleslaplapaca@gmail.com . I'm running a Windows xps 15.. I also am going to try using an Ethernet to usb.. imput helps thanks all!

ja450n said...

I don't have the full software. I've reached out to a few people on this comment thread but haven't heard back. Ethernet to USB adapter will NOT work, the RJ45 connector is not ethernet, it's serial.

I don't have the software to test with, but I have posted my findings so far (including a possible cable pinout) on my public github repo: https://github.com/ja450n/WavDJ

Unknown said...

If sonebody can help me with the wav dj108vm schematic pin out cable diagram and the software ill be glad to negociate any trade that be good for both parts, email me at: canicatwo@hotmail.com, regards

Anonymous said...

Hello Everyone!
I was surprised to see how many people have commented on this post as I did abandon the blog for some years. Yes... I am back now!
I will try to upload the software for the VM-108 and the driver for XP.
I really appreciate you guys joining me and share some of your music experiences as I'm feeling a bit lonely in this journey.
If you like to have the software and XP driver, contact me:
trancemoon@gmail DOT com
EMAIL HEADER: VM-108 WAV DJ Software/Driver

Do not send me links or I will not reply.
The reply will be direct to your email.
Looking forward to hearing back from you.
Let's join our music experiences ;)

Anonymous said...

Awesome I'm moving and I saw that I still have this, so I decided to do a search and I found my previous post up above. I'm a Linux guy now so I'm trying to see if I can get the proper pinout hook everything up and maybe figure out a way to adapt it to Linux system maybe for like AV Linux or something like that