Van Aeken Software are the creators of Jackson, a live re-editing tool for the digital DJ.

Jackson is DJ software that breaks with the past. It does not emulate the traditional DJ setup but truly unlocks the power of your computer. It is the first dedicated software package that offers sequencer-style mixing to the digital DJ.

Jackson allows you to create better mixes and is FREE. Don't spend hundreds of dollars on a competing package before you have tried this baby. The results will be better and it won't cost you a dime.

Mixing tracks in Jackson is a 2-step process. Before you can play a track, you must rhytmically analyze it. Our BeatMapper tool makes this an easy and instructive process. Once you've analyzed a track, which you have to do only once, you can mix and manipulate the track in all freedom.

Our approach works with all styles of music. Whether the tempo is fixed or not, your beat-matching will be perfect, your loops will be smooth and your effects in sync.

Break away from fixed tempo and linear structure. Get Jackson now.

If you're new to sequencer-style dj-ing and you have a broadband connection, have a look at our videos. They should give you a good idea what this is all about.

We are releasing new versions of Jackson 1.x on a regular basis. Check out the change log for a overview of changes between successive versions.

Jackson 1.34 is out. Apart from being compatible with Vista, this version features full support for our new controller (which we are currently field-testing). Check out the change log for more details.

We are happy to anounce that our new beta Jackson 1.34b1 flawlessly runs on Microsoft's Vista. We made a couple of small changes that will also benefit XP users, so you might want to check this beta out. More details are to be found in the change log.

This weekend, we've passed the mark of 30,000 downloads of Jackson from our Web site. This number does not include downloads from sites like download.com At that site, the counter indicates 25,958. We wish all downloaders lots and lots of happy mixing!

On this glorious day we are releasing Jackson 1.33 which is completely free (as in free beer) and which no longer defaults to demo mode. The joy of sequencer-style mixing is now more accessible than ever!

1 October 2006 marks Jackson's 3rd birthday. To celebrate this magnificent event, from now on we are offering Jackson 1.x for free to the digital DJs of the world. The proud owners of licenses, those who helped us to make Jackson what it is, will be entitled to a free upgrade to Jackson's super-secret successor. We will release more details later this year.

Our new beta Jackson 1.33b1 no longer defaults to demo mode and a key is no longer necessary. We plan on releasing the final version 1.33 later this month. Check out the change log for details.

The shop will stay open as we are now selling Jackson 1.x on CD in its custom-made metal housing. Stay tuned and happy mixing!

After months of beta-testing, we are releasing the final Jackson 1.32. See the change log for more details. Happy mixing!

The previous beta did not run on all systems. We have fixed this in our latest release: Jackson 1.32b3. Details are in the change log.

It turned out that the previous beta had trouble recording, so we have released a new one: Jackson 1.32b2. Remember, betas are not meant to be used in production or live settings, but we love to get feedback from you on new features or bugs! More details on the new release are in the change log.

A new beta is online: Jackson 1.32b. This release uses newer technology under the hood, but does not offer new functionality. Check out the change log for more details.

Our latest beta is now available as a stable release: Jackson 1.31. We've added one little feature on top of the beta: playlists are now also saved in an MS Excel compatible format. Read the change log for more information.

Near Christmas, we've passed the mark of 20,000 downloads of Jackson. We wish all downloaders an excellent 2006 and lots of happy mixing!

Francis Van Aeken will present Jackson and its underlying technology at the AXMEDIS conference in Firenze, Italy. The focus of the talk will be on virtual DJs powered by musical metadata. As people collect more and more songs on their portable music players, the need for virtual DJs is growing. Our technology (check out Jackson's player functionality) is directly applicable to the creation of such software agents. Feel free to download the paper.

Jackson is now a player too! Jackson 1.31b, which we've released today can automatically select and mix your beat-mapped songs. Check out the change log for an overview of all changes.

Out of the blue we've released Jackson 1.30. Taken into account feedback from our users, we've slightly changed the behavior of the program. Read the change log for an overview of the changes. Note that, as the modifications were simple to implement, we did not feel the need to release an intermediary beta.

Jackson 1.29 is out. This release fixes a bug that could crash the application when changing audio devices or drivers. Check out the change log for an overview of all changes.

We've released Jackson 1.28. This release is identical to beta 1.28b1 minus one nasty bug. More details are in the change log.

Our new beta Jackson 1.28b1 is out. This new version lets you cue your tracks in the same way a traditional DJ mixing desk does. Two soundcards are needed, but this functionality is bound to appeal to experienced and new DJs alike. For a list of all improvements, have a look at the change log.

We had fun demonstrating Jackson at the Disco Salon in Brussels. A big thank you to everybody who helped!

We've put some instructional videos online. They should give a good idea what Jackson & the BeatMapper is all about. Sequencer-style dj-ing is quite different from traditional mixing, so we figured that these videos might help and put people on the right track.

We've released Jackson 1.27. As we didn't get any crash reports from 1.27b1, this release is basically identical to that beta. Details are in the change log.

Today we're also officially lauching our forums at jacksontracks.com. Do check 'em out - a technology is only as strong as its community of users!

Jackson 1.27b1 is out. This beta fixes a bug that made it impossible to launch Jackson on a number of systems. This release also features some other improvements, all detailed in the change log.

Today marks the 10,000th download of Jackson. The interest in sequencer-style dj-ing is clearly growing. It seems we are on the right track here.

A happy and exciting 2005 to all of you! I have the feeling this is going to be a great year. We'll start it off by demonstrating Jackson next Saturday in Orbit in Brussels. For many people our demonstrations have been real eye-openers, so do come if you can make it.

We have released Jackson 1.26. This is the release version of beta 1.26b1, which didn't need much surgery. Details are in the change log.

Jackson 1.26b1 is out. This beta offers quite a few handy improvements and introduces support for Microsoft's proprietary audio file format WMA. Support for this file format requires a Microsoft library which is a separate download. Check out the details in the change log.

Note that this is the first time that we are releasing a beta version. We recommend to always use the most recent version of Jackson, beta or not, except in mission critical situations (like, in front of 2000 people). If a beta version would die on you and you are connected to the Internet, please do allow the error report to be sent. These error reports are an essential tool for us to continuously improve Jackson.

Today Orbit in Brussels has started selling Jackson as a physical product (an actual CD in a box). We are very pleased and we will be organizing several demonstrations at the store. The first one will be on Saturday 11 December.

We have been demonstrating Jackson non-stop at the DJ Expo in Eindhoven. Many people were amazed by the creative possibilities our software offers. Could it be that this is the future? ;-) Many thanks to all the people who attended and who helped organizing it.

The month of October marks the very first anniversary of Jackson. Happy birthday, Jackson! As promised, we have continuously improved our baby since its birth. Over the last year, we have rolled out no less than 25 new versions. Many thanks to all the people who made this possible!

To celebrate all this and to make Jackson more than ever accessible to the cash-strapped artist, we are lowering our online price to 75 EUR (+ VAT if applicable). No other package offers so much value for money.

Jackson 1.25 is out. We've fixed a potential performance issue, which makes this a recommended update. Jackson now comes with an installer, but note that different versions can still be installed side by side. Also, we no longer support Windows 2000. From now on Jackson requires Windows XP to run. The changes are detailed in the change log.

Jackson 1.24 is available now. We've fixed a couple of bugs and added two new effects. Two good reasons to download it now! All changes are detailed in the change log.

Jackson 1.23 is out. This release comes with new functionality in the browser (such as a handy filter function). Also, we've added a 'delete' and a 'fade' tool to Jackson itself. Check out the details in the change log.

We're well into summer now and our Spring Promotion is coming to an end. From today on, keys are available for the competitive price of 119 EUR (+ VAT if applicable). Happy mixing!

Jackson 1.22 is available now. This release fixes a bug that is quite harmless, but that adds entries to the log file. More details can be found in the change log.

We've just released Jackson 1.21. This version fixes an issue with malformed ID3v2 tags that could bring Jackson to its knees. Also, we've added a previewer tool to the browser that we can't help but love. Check it out! As always, all changes are detailed in the change log.

Jackson 1.20 is out. This version features a new 'listen' tool that lets you pre-listen to your mix. Check out the change log for a complete list of changes.

Jackson 1.19 is available for downloading. This version no longer uses DirectX for graphics, which is good news for people who had trouble using the program because of DirectX problems. Apart from this important change, some other improvements were made. Check them out in the change log.

Today we've released Jackson 1.18. This version features lots of improvements in the ergonomics department. Especially handy is the zoom function. Use the scroll-wheel on your mouse to zoom in for precision work or to zoom out for a global overview. We've also changed the layout of the filter section and added a 'notch' mode. Also, you can now move songs by dragging them. As always, all changes are listed in the change log. Enjoy!

Jackson 1.17 is out. This is an essential upgrade due to an important extension to the graphical metadata format. Although forward compatibility and basic backward compatibility is preserved, we recommend to convert existing beat-mapped files using the 'convert' tool in the BeatMapper. Apart from a better graphical representation, this version features a variety of smaller improvements. Check out the details in the change log.

Jackson 1.16 is ready for downloading. Lots of small improvements in this version, so check it out. The details are in the change log.

We have released Jackson 1.15. This version fixes a minor issue with USB HID devices like USB mice. Details can be found in the change log.

Jackson 1.14 has arrived. This release supports physical control surfaces based on Measurement Computing's PMD-1208LS. Such control panels are easily built and add a whole new dimension to mixing with Jackson. Check out the change log for details about this release.

Jackson 1.13 is out. Nothing revolutionary this time, but lots of little improvements. Definitely worth the download. As usual, check out the change log for details.

SPRING PROMOTION    To celebrate the arrival of spring we are offering Jackson at the insanely low price of 39 Euro (+ VAT is applicable). Obviously, this is a time-limited offer, so grab this occasion to get your hands on the next generation of DJ software.

The Flemish Day of Technology was a lot of fun. Kudos to the people who attended our demonstration and many thanks to those who helped organizing it.

Jackson 1.12 is available for downloading. This is another substantial update offering improvements in the BeatMapper and support for midi controllers. Let's get physical!

Jackson 1.11 is out. This is a revolutionary update offering a completely new way to analyze songs. The new BeatMapper is much easier to use and much more powerful than the original BeatTracker. Go get it now!

We would really like to have more feedback from the people who try out Jackson. So we have decided to give away free licenses to people who download Jackson and to those who give us a bit of feedback.

We've managed to get our hands on some video footage shot at the Atomium event. Check it out in the events section.

We've uploaded some pictures taken at our demonstration of Jackson in the Atomium. You can find them in the new events section on this site.

More groundbreaking than ever, Jackson 1.10 is available for downloading. This version allows you to pre-listen to tracks in the browser, to tempo-sync midi equipment to Jackson and -last but not least- to synchronize different computers running Jackson on a network. See the change log for details.

By popular demand, we've added an RSS feed to this Web page. Remember, this is not an excuse not to visit us anymore!

Within the context of the Do You Have the Balls to Lounge exposition, we demonstrated Jackson in the Atomium. This exceptional event left us all very happy and satisfied. Many thanks to all the people who attended and who helped organizing it. I'll put some pics and videos online in January.

Jackson 1.9 is available for downloading. This update will protect you from editing files, for example in the BeatTracker, that are already playing in Jackson. Such a scenario led to unpredictable behavior in previous versions. See the change log for details.

Jackson 1.8 is out. This update is good news for people who have been experiencing graphics problems under Windows XP Home. Things should be smoother now. The details are in the change log.

Jackson 1.7 is available for downloading. This is again a recommended update. We have fixed some small problems and added some useful functionality. Check out the change log for details.

We have uploaded some beat-tracked music by Phoenix Rev and Fool Lovers. Enjoy.

Jackson 1.6 is out. This is a recommended update as it solves some issues with MP3 files. The change log details what's new.

Jackson 1.5 is available now. The program now features a browser for quick access to your tracks. Also, meta-data can now be embedded not only in .WAV files, but also in .MP3 files. For a complete list of changes, see the change log.

Today is the official launch of Jackson. Check out the press release. A huge thank you and parabens to all the people who made this happen. All elements are now in place, including the manual. Happy mixing!

Tata! We have opened the shopping area. At last the voice will go away (well, it should).

We have put a couple of tracks on the site that you can test ride Jackson with. The tracks have their meta-data embedded in them.

Jackson 1.4 is out. Get your copy at the downloads section. For an overview of the changes, have a look at the change log.

Jackson 1.3 is available now. For an overview of the changes, see the change log.

We've given our Web site a complete overhaul. It's looking better every day.

Jackson 1.2 is available at the downloads section. For an overview of the changes, see the change log.

Jackson 1.1 is available at the downloads section. For an overview of the changes, which are minor, see the change log.

This day marks the very first public release of Jackson. After months of beta-testing, we decided that we should no longer keep this secret for ourselves. If you have any interest in DJ-ing on computers, go and get Jackson 1.0 from our downloads section.

The official release is for mid October. By then, a manual should be ready, keys should be for sale and this site should be a bit more elaborate.

Today is not only Jackson's birthday. Both my brother Chris and my girlfriend Astrid are celebrating theirs too. Happy birthday, fellows!

Francis Van Aeken.