Backspin by Andrew Norris
AUTHENTIC VINYL EFFECTS WITHOUT THE TURNTABLE
Backspin delivers the essential DJ effects every producer needs: tape stop, wind-down, rewind, and backspin. This Max for Live audio effect continually captures your track’s audio into a looping buffer, then generates effects in real time from the exact material currently playing. No generic samples, no awkward timing—just natural, responsive vinyl-style transitions that work perfectly for live DJs and studio producers alike.
Inside you’ll find:
- Three essential effect modes: Stop, Rewind, and Backspin
- Speed, Friction, and Spin Length controls for precise effect shaping
- Auto Mute options (Off/Temp/On) for seamless transitions
- Lock to Quantize integration for perfect timing
- Auto live audio recording with adjustable buffer length
- Save spins to disk for later use
- Full MIDI mapping and Push integration
Whether you’re performing dramatic track transitions in a DJ set or adding creative flair to individual instruments in the studio, Backspin gives you authentic turntable effects with modern, real-time control.
Requires Ableton Live 12 Suite or Live 12 Standard with Max for Live
Upgrade for even more features and control Backspin Plus
USER GUIDE: Backspin_Manual v1.0.2
Backspin by Andrew Norris
AUTHENTIC VINYL EFFECTS WITHOUT THE TURNTABLE
Backspin delivers the essential DJ effects every producer needs: tape stop, wind-down, rewind, and backspin. This Max for Live audio effect continually captures your track’s audio into a looping buffer, then generates effects in real time from the exact material currently playing. No generic samples, no awkward timing—just natural, responsive vinyl-style transitions that work perfectly for live DJs and studio producers alike.
Inside you’ll find:
- Three essential effect modes: Stop, Rewind, and Backspin
- Speed, Friction, and Spin Length controls for precise effect shaping
- Auto Mute options (Off/Temp/On) for seamless transitions
- Lock to Quantize integration for perfect timing
- Auto live audio recording with adjustable buffer length
- Save spins to disk for later use
- Full MIDI mapping and Push integration
Whether you’re performing dramatic track transitions in a DJ set or adding creative flair to individual instruments in the studio, Backspin gives you authentic turntable effects with modern, real-time control.
Requires Ableton Live 12 Suite or Live 12 Standard with Max for Live
Upgrade for even more features and control Backspin Plus
USER GUIDE: Backspin_Manual v1.0.2
Additional information
| MaxforLive | Audio Devices |
|---|---|
| Ableton Live Compatibility | Ableton Live 12 Standard with MaxforLive, Ableton Live 12 Suite |
| Min. Requirements | Live 12 Standard with MaxforLive or Live 12 Suite is required to load the provided Live Set |
| OS | Mac, Windows |
Product reviews
5 out of 5
3 reviews
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December 25, 2025
This reviewer bought this product from our store.
Sick little backspin tool, worth a spin!
I recommend this product
December 25, 2025
This reviewer bought this product from our store.
DJ Effects - this is a no-brainer
It does what it says on the tin, nice and simple way to add some bread and butter effects to your mix ...oh and 0.00....why wouldn't you ?
Well Designed
Enthusiasts Parameter Set
Nothing I can see
I recommend this product
December 25, 2025
This reviewer bought this product from our store.
a gem of a device that does things that I havent found an easy way to do before .
a simple device that does what it says on the tin
a slightly more intuitive trigger function would be good but the functions can be understood by reading the documentation
I recommend this product
Backspin by Andrew Norris
Authentic vinyl-style effects without the turntable. Backspin is a Max for Live audio effect that recreates the classic DJ techniques every producer needs: tape stop, wind-down, rewind, and backspin. Whether you’re transitioning between tracks in a live set or adding dramatic flair to a single instrument in the studio, Backspin delivers the real-time control and natural sound that generic samples simply can’t match.
Unlike pre-recorded backspin samples, Backspin continually captures your track’s audio into a looping buffer, then generates effects from the exact material that was just playing. The result? Backspins, rewinds, and stops that sound completely organic, perfectly timed, and utterly convincing.
How It Works
Backspin records your track’s audio into a buffer that loops continuously, always containing the last X bars before the current playback point. When you trigger an effect, Backspin plays back this captured audio with precise speed manipulation, moving backwards through the material you just heard exactly like a real turntable or jog wheel would.
This approach makes every spin feel natural and responsive because it’s always working with your actual audio in real time, not a static sample that never quite fits the moment.
Three Essential Effects
Stop Mode: Audio plays at normal speed before gradually slowing to a complete halt. Perfect for short tape-stop effects (¼ to ½ bar) or long, dramatic turntable wind-downs over multiple bars.
Rewind Mode: From a stopped position, audio plays backwards, starting slowly and accelerating over time. The classic “rewind” or “pull-up” effect that signals a dramatic shift.
Backspin Mode: Starts at the end of the buffer, plays backwards at high speed, then gradually decelerates to silence. Ideal for DJ transitions when you need to make a sudden change in genre or mood.
Precision Control
Speed: Controls the force of the spin. Higher settings create faster playback and higher pitch; lower settings produce slower, gentler movement with lower pitch.
Friction: Determines how quickly the spin slows down. Low friction creates longer, sustained spins at higher speeds; high friction causes earlier slowdown for tighter effects.
Spin Length: Defines the total duration of the effect in bar lengths, synced to your project tempo. Range from quick ¼-bar bursts to extended multi-bar transitions.
Smart Performance Features
Auto Mute Options: Control what happens to incoming audio during the spin. Choose Off (incoming audio remains audible), Temp (mutes during spin, then un-mutes), or On (mutes during and after spin, perfect for live DJ transitions).
Lock to Quantize: When enabled, the Spin button respects Live’s Global Quantisation setting, ensuring your effects always trigger perfectly in time like Session View clips.
Record Arm & Buffer Control: Enable Record Arm on the device (not the track) to start capturing audio. Set your desired Record Length to determine how many bars of audio the buffer holds.
Save Spins to Disk: Export any spin as an audio file for later use or processing.
Universal Integration
Backspin integrates seamlessly into any workflow. The Spin button can be triggered with your mouse, MIDI mapped to hardware controllers, activated via Push, or automated in Live using the Spin parameter. Full Push integration provides direct access to all primary parameters across three organized sections.
Use Backspin on your master channel for full-track transitions, on individual instrument tracks for creative production techniques, or on drum buses for rhythmic effects. The device works equally well for live performance and studio production.
What’s Included
- Stop, Rewind, and Backspin effect modes
- Speed, Friction, and Spin Length controls
- Auto Mute options (Off/Temp/On)
- Lock to Quantize integration
- Auto live audio recording with adjustable buffer length
- Save spins to disk functionality
- Full MIDI mapping capability
- Complete Ableton Push integration
- Tempo-synced bar-length timing
Requirements
- Windows or MacOS
- Ableton Live 12 Suite, or Ableton Live 12 Standard with Max for Live installed
Frequently Asked Questions
A: Backspin is a Max for Live audio effect that recreates classic vinyl-style DJ effects including tape stop, wind-down, rewind, and backspin. It continually captures your track’s audio into a looping buffer and generates effects in real time, creating natural, authentic-sounding transitions without relying on generic samples.
A: Yes, Backspin is a Max for Live device.
A: Max for Live is a platform that integrates the visual programming environment Max with Ableton Live, allowing users to create and use custom audio, MIDI, and control devices.
A: Backspin (free) includes Stop, Rewind, and Backspin effects with Speed, Friction, and Spin Length controls. Backspin+ (paid) adds Custom Mode with editable playback-speed envelopes, audio import functionality, preset save & recall, and Scratch Mode for manual scrubbing control.
A: You can explore more of Andrew Norris’s tools and devices here: Andrew Norris
Important Information
V1.0.2 – Released January 2026
- All buttons & text are now clearly visible when using Ableton Live’s light themes.
- Speed and Friction parameters now use a 0 to 1 floating point range rather than a percentage to make things a little easier to edit in automation lanes.
- ‘Save Last Spin’ button is now disabled whenever a Spin is currently playing, preventing the saving of files with missing audio content.
- When switching Auto Mute from On to Temp after a spin, incoming audio no longer stays muted and the Auto Mute LED is set back to Off.
- When dragging and dropping a file into Backspin+, anything other than a file type supported by Ableton will be rejected and an ‘unsupported file type’ error will be displayed. Note that certain video files can be used but only the audio will be loaded. Supported file types: .wav, .aiff, .flac, .ogg, .mp3, .m4a (MacOS only), .rx2, .mov, .mp4 (H.264 with compatible audio)
Initial Release – January 2026
Our Products are generally provided as Zip file downloads which in all cases will need to be extracted and saved to your hard drive prior to installation. Details on the different file type provided and what to do with them are below.
.alp Files – These are Ableton Live Packs and will either install directly into the Packs Section of the browser of Ableton Live or ask you to save them to your hard drive. For packs that install to the library, when you double click on them you will see a pop up window asking you to confirm that installation is ok as the files are described as “Legacy”. This is fine and you are ok to proceed, the packs are created using the format for an earlier version of Live and so remain compatible with the current version.
.amxd files – These are individual MaxforLive Devices and can be stored anywhere on your hard drive. We’d advise creating a folder for them and then adding that folder as a location within the Places section of Lives Browser.
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