OTS vs other software... my two cents...

[Mike Sinclair]

I am a Mac guy and I would LOVE to have OTS on my Macbook pro without bootcamp and Windows, but I know that's a ways away (if at all)... that being said, I have tried virtual dj, traktor, and a handful of other popular dj programs and I always end up back at OTS. Case in point: this past weekend, I tried out traktor and it's not bad, but the levels were all over the place. OTS' Dynamic Compressor really makes everything sound much better. I ended up booting up my backup laptop and switching over to OTS for about 70% of the gig... sounded cleaner and punchier and more even levels with OTS.

I know a lot of people want looping and other features (me included) but I think that as far as reliability, OTS is still better than anything else out there (IMO) and I know that once OTS Corp adds looping, it will be rock solid and stable.

GO OTS !!!

I posted that in May of 2011. Here it is 2 and a half years later and my opinion has completely changed. I was patient for as long as I could be, but I see myself doing the mobile DJ thing for only a few more years. With the speed (or lack of) that Ots releases new features, I'll be out of the business before these features come to light. I have since found alternatives that allow me to use my MC6000 the way it is meant to be used. I have found a hardware alternative to the Ots compressor. I was a very early user of Ots and I once thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread, for me that bread is stale. I'm not trying to be negative... just expressing frustration. Adam or Steve (I can't remember which off hand) made a statement saying "of course Ots will support the Denon DN-MC6000". I didn't think they meant years later

[Dr.J]

Glad you found the right hammer for the job. I have retired from DJ'ing recently, but held onto my licenses... I still enjoy hosting the odd house party or event.

I agree it is sad that OtsLabs hasn't kept forging ahead as quickly as the DJ world has wanted, but I'm an old-timer (1999 or 2000 OtsDJ license) and I really got stuck on the quality that made OtsDJ/AV the best. Had the same philosophy with my business, unlike a lot of DJ's. Still, I enjoyed the ride

The tools of the game will always change, but the name remains the same... cheers to all the DJ's, no matter what hammer you choose

[Mike Sinclair]

DR J. I got my first Ots license back in 99 or 2000 as well. I was a huge mouthpiece for the program (OtsJuke DJ at the time). I was actually featured in a newspaper article for being one of the first "laptop DJ's" at the time. I couldn't say enough good things about Ots. But they are SO slow at releasing anything new. I had to seek alternatives. I get flamed whenever I bring up the idea of a Mac version of OtsDJ. But, is it really THAT difficult to port over? Traktor, Serato and Virtual DJ all have windows and Mac versions. Traktor even has an ios version that is pretty sweet. DJay for Mac and ios devices. I use that on my iPad as my backup software. It's pretty intuitive as well. My biggest gripe though is how long it's taking Ots to support the MC6000. If you want to use Ots to its fullest, you have to use a separate mixer and controller like the HC4500. Oh well, it is what it is. I will certainly monitor any new releases from the company in hopes of great things down the road... but for me (for now) Ots is on the back burner.

[milky]

Back when Noah (and I) were boys, there was a world leader in office spread sheets, called Lotus 1,2,3. There was also Word Perfect, giving secretaries almost unbelievable control over creating and editing documents.
Both of these have now been absorbed or replaced by the Microsoft Leviathan Excel and Word. It is the way of the world. I don't expect Lotus or Word Perfect to leap phoenix-like from the software ashes of the past, but, in turn, MS Office will collapse to some future contender.

Nobody needs to justify the fact that they have moved on to alternative software. I am in the radio industry, and don't use Ots for any of my stations - not because I don't like it, but simply because there are packages out there better suited to my current needs. IF Ots Corp were to produce a serious contender for the industry, and IF the price was right, and IF the Return On Investment made business sense, then I would look at it again.

Meanwhile, Ots still lords over my music room for music and videos.

[mel garland]

It is a shame they have taken their eye off the ball. When I first purchased otsjuke it was in my mind a world leader but 10+ years later who in their right mind would buy it to start djing with when there are other products that can and do alot more then otsav in helping djs to be more productive.  Sorry to say but the only thing thst still makes any ots product worth buying is is you just need a reliable playback system where you just creat a playlist and let it play.

Will I change after all these years. No. It does what I want it to do but I do feel sorry for the guys that have bought it with the promise of what's to come.

[scott hanna]

I still prefer ots. Part of it might be that I'm used to it, but I still prefer it. I liked the update. Loved the new search. Have 2 licenses that include upgrades to 2.0

However, on my other licenses, it would cost roughly $200 each to upgrade....or $400 to upgrade a computer and a back up.

For $300, VDJ, which includes historically free yearly upgrades, nearly unlimited decks, back up computer, and a karaoke hoster. My team has begged me to not purchase upgrades of ots, but get them VDJ instead.

So purchasing new VDJ licenses was cheaper than upgrading ots.

I don't fault ots for this. It's a business decision, and if tons of people are paying to upgrade, I wouldn't give it away either if I was them. I don't like to work for free and don't expect others to.

The biggest issue I have is with their credibility
Ots released their karaoke player well before the iPhone was invented. They released it with the notice that it was not complete. I was one of the few who bought the karaoke add on. The hoster was coming. 8 years later, still Darryl's is the only version. 3-4 years ago, they released an update with no real new functions, but said this new core will make new updates much more frequent. If anything, they are less frequent.

For years I always reccomendded  Ots for someone looking at software for the first time. Today, I no longer do.

[Country Boy]

I too moved on years ago but still have a buddy that I help out with Ots.  I bought it when the karaoke and video modules came out because it was by far the most stable and best looking video output on the market.  After about three years other products caught up quality wise and I moved on.  I am not mad at Ots at all.  I paid around $800 for the program and the modules and believe that I got my money's worth.  It served me day in and day out for those three years without so much as a hiccup.  Sometimes I wonder how great the product would be now if it had greater controller support and the ability to use modern video formats?  It is what it is though, so take the program for what it is and not what it could be.

[Mike Sinclair]

I too moved on years ago but still have a buddy that I help out with Ots.  I bought it when the karaoke and video modules came out because it was by far the most stable and best looking video output on the market.  After about three years other products caught up quality wise and I moved on.  I am not mad at Ots at all.  I paid around $800 for the program and the modules and believe that I got my money's worth.  It served me day in and day out for those three years without so much as a hiccup.  Sometimes I wonder how great the product would be now if it had greater controller support and the ability to use modern video formats?  It is what it is though, so take the program for what it is and not what it could be.

Well said, Country boy.

[Nicolee]

I still use Ots but not as much as I used to, the lack of updates has made me realise other software solutions have caught up and are a lot more reliable than they used to be.

Not so long ago I think I recall Ots Corp stating they had totally rewrote the code as to allow the release of updates more often, but still we are still waiting 18-24 months per update, not good as a software solution.

No doubt I will always stick with Ots for the sake of future releases, but it remains to be seen if I will ever use it as my sole software solution again, which is quite sad really.

[ian.burrage]

I used to gig 4-5 times a week, now it's 4-5 times a year... When I found Ots about 7 or 8 years ago, I was blown away at how easy, intuitive, stable and clean it was...it still is. I have been through 3 laptops in that time and it's the laptops that fail, not Ots.

Now here's my issue....

I want stability, that's all, that's what I want from my play out software. A system that I can guarantee will play for 10 hours or longer if needs be without a hiccup. That's why I have Ots. Trouble is, I don't have a laptop that will do that. Windows are notorious for clogging up and slowing down after a year or two, so I am finally looking at Mac. It has taken me years to save to be in the position where I could buy one, only to find that Ots will not run on it unless I make it act like a PC. Why would I spend all that money on a stable laptop to then turn it into something that I am trying to get away from?

Plus, I have bought Ots. Why would I buy a Mac to then use an inferior product when I have already paid to use Ots?

I give up!

I've got a whole load of small vinyl discs that I might try instead, though I doubt that'll ever take off!

[Bryan Durio]

I too have slacked off because my DJ business has evaporated with no signs of resuscitation. I used to be a very strong proponent of Ots in the mid-2000s but with Ots Labs' lack of timely updates and communication I am no longer one of its cheerleaders. I would be more upset if I had a lot of business but that isn't the case. And the DJ software industry has left Ots Labs in the dust.

I have three licenses and I won't get rid of them, but the bloom is off the rose and like Milky, I just use them at home. If anything interesting ever develops in Ots Land my interest may be piqued, but I'm no longer an ardent advocate of the software.

Just damn.

[Audioot]

I used to gig 4-5 times a week, now it's 4-5 times a year... When I found Ots about 7 or 8 years ago, I was blown away at how easy, intuitive, stable and clean it was...it still is. I have been through 3 laptops in that time and it's the laptops that fail, not Ots.

Now here's my issue....

I want stability, that's all, that's what I want from my play out software. A system that I can guarantee will play for 10 hours or longer if needs be without a hiccup. That's why I have Ots. Trouble is, I don't have a laptop that will do that. Windows are notorious for clogging up and slowing down after a year or two, so I am finally looking at Mac. It has taken me years to save to be in the position where I could buy one, only to find that Ots will not run on it unless I make it act like a PC. Why would I spend all that money on a stable laptop to then turn it into something that I am trying to get away from?

Plus, I have bought Ots. Why would I buy a Mac to then use an inferior product when I have already paid to use Ots?

I give up!

I've got a whole load of small vinyl discs that I might try instead, though I doubt that'll ever take off!

Well I'm no Microsoft fan, but with the introduction of XP and later I must say that Windows is quite stable. I mean: you're talking about 10 hours straight, but my playout system is running for weeks non stop 24hrs streaming per day, so it is possible. And it's nothing fancy. Running on an 7 year old Dell witch XP SP3 installed. It's the windows updates that cause the casual need for reboot. And you should not perform other stuff simultanously

[shdixon]

I'm with Bryan. I'm retiring after my last wedding reception in January. I too will keep my OTS licenses and do the occasional event for friends but that's about it. We all get burnt out after a time. I think Adam & Co. are like us. It was a good run. I don't regret my choice of Ots. I can still do more event coordination and management with it than any other software.

[krzyd]

The strange part for me is remembering mine and others posts getting deleted for even hinting at these issues six, seven, or eight years ago. Times it seems, they are a changin', I still use Ots at home and the very occasional gig though with no complaints these days since I don't mess with lighting, and I don't see that I'll need the promised upgrade features anymore. It's really just more disappointing how Ots has treated it's early adopters with regards to communication, and basically not living up to promises given, it's the way of the world I guess.

[discodonal.com]

Should the 2.0 early adopters seek a refund as I think we were sold a pup all those years ago!