MixTape's user interface is a step forward for usability - a mix of DAW and DJ app. The best of both worlds but also something else. Let's have a look...

Starting with a blank session, let's put our first tune down. When you select a track in the library window a preview appears to the right along with a play head. You can move this playhead around and start/stop to hear what the tune is like. If you know which tune you want, or the band, or which album it was on: type the first couple of letters into the keyword search box and press 'tab' when MixTape has worked out what you mean. All you need to do now is double click and the tune will be added to your mix...

Now we have something on our work surface and we'll need to move it around. It works the same as an iPhone (or iPad) except using the mouse - you can 'paddle' or 'flick' it just like you're used to. Zooming in and out is done with the mousewheel. It becomes second nature as soon as you do it.

See those tabs underneath our tune? Those are used to either set down a beat grid - that works exactly the same as 'snap to grid' in graphics software except for beats. We're going to see it being used in just a minute.

Let's choose our next track. See how the library can be sorted by tempo by pressing the 'bpm' header? Now we have a beat grid down, we can see the difference in tempo between the track we have already and any we might want to mix in. It generally helps to choose one that's close-ish (although, creativity being what it is, you might have other ideas). Then we just drag it onto the work surface to pretty well where we want it to be.

Pressing the 'up' button connects a track to the grid. That's it. Your tracks will now remain beatmatched as you drag them around ... and as you drag the 'second' track around it will snap more strongly to bars and four/sixteen bar segments. Zoom in a little to do see what you're doing and it's done. Here, watch...

All the remains now is a little finesse. You set fader curves just as you would with audio workstation software - hold down option and click on the tune. This gives a control point that can be dragged around or removed again with another option click. The blue line strung between them is the volume curve. Down is quiet, up is loud.

Pro users can also use a second curve as a 'hilo' control. Same deal except you use control instead of option; the line is red; low is bass, high is treble. Sometimes the simplest tools are the best. Have a look...

Last but not least, clicking on the work surface makes it start playing and stop again. And that's it. Really, that's all you need to know. It's really not going to take long to learn!