Since 2009 I’ve been a contributor to the Mixxx open source DJ application. Mixxx allows performers to play music using a virtualized instrument setup of playback decks and a mixer, similar to the classic setup of multiple turntables in a club booth. With millions of downloads, Mixxx is one of the most popular end-user open source applications in existence.
My major contributions include:
- An early rewrite of the vinyl-style sound-stretching algorithm that improved the sound quality of Mixxx enormously.
- Design and implementation of the Master Sync architecture which allows DJs to play back up to four tracks in perfect sync.
- One of the standard interface skins, LateNight.
- Migrating the entire decade-old codebase from bzr to git, including a massive rewrite of commit history to normalize commit author names and emails.
- A reverse-engineering of the Traktor Kontrol S4 MKII USB protocol.
Current Contributions
Currently I consider myself a developer emeritus – I burned out on the project after the release of version 2.0 in 2015. I have resumed contribution at a much more sustainable pace with some small code contributions, providing ongoing support for the features I developed, and some handling of the social media accounts.
Looking Back
Working on the Mixxx project was instrumental in getting my coding skills up to the level where I was able to land a job at Google when I applied. I gained invaluable experience of working on a team, doing code review, writing high-quality C++, and designing large features.