Native Instruments Traktor Scratch Duo 2 DJ software Getting Started
Below you will find brief information for DJ software Traktor Scratch Duo 2. Traktor Scratch Duo 2 is a DJ software designed for use with timecode vinyl or CDs to control the software. It features two decks, a mixer, effects, and a loop recorder. Traktor Scratch Duo 2 can be used to mix music, create remixes, and perform live. It is compatible with a wide range of hardware controllers from Native Instruments and other manufacturers.
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Getting Started
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not repre sent a commitment on the part of Native Instruments GmbH. The software described by this document is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to other media.
No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmitted or record ed, for any purpose, without prior written permission by Native Instruments GmbH, herein after referred to as Native Instruments.
“Native Instruments”, “NI” and associated logos are (registered) trademarks of Native In struments GmbH.
Mac, Mac OS, GarageBand, Logic, iTunes and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple
Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Windows, Windows Vista and DirectSound are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corpora tion in the United States and/or other countries.
All other trade marks are the property of their respective owners and use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.
Document authored by: Native Instruments
Document version: 1.0 (03/2011)
Special thanks to the Beta Test Team, who were invaluable not just in tracking down bugs, but in making this a better product.
Disclaimer
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Native Instruments GmbH
Schlesische Str. 28
D-10997 Berlin
Germany [email protected]
www.native-instruments.de
USA
Native Instruments North America, Inc.
5631 Hollywood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90028
www.native-instruments.com
© Native Instruments GmbH, 2011. All rights reserved.
Contact
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Upgrading from TRAKTOR (SCRATCH) PRO/DUO and TRAKTOR LE ..................................13
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 4
Table of Contents
Setting a Cue Point as Starting Point (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2) ............................ 48
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 5
Table of Contents
Assigning a Deck to an FX Unit (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only) ................. 66
Single Mode (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only) .............................................. 69
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 6
Table of Contents
Controllers with Mixer Controls (and optionally a Built-In Audio Interface) ............... 122
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 7
Table of Contents
Using Your Microphone as a Live Input and with TRAKTOR FX ................................... 125
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 8
Welcome to the World of TRAKTOR 2!
What Is TRAKTOR 2?
1 Welcome to the World of TRAKTOR 2!
We are delighted that you have chosen TRAKTOR 2! This Getting Started guide is intend ed to help you set up and use your TRAKTOR system correctly.
1.1
What Is TRAKTOR 2?
TRAKTOR 2 is the most powerful and versatile DJ software on the market. With TRAK
TOR 2, you can mix your tracks traditionally as well as combine your tracks and loops in a non-linear way, using it as a powerful live remixing tool.
1.2
The TRAKTOR 2 Documentation
1.2.1
Where To Start?
TRAKTOR 2 provides you with many information sources. The main sources are meant to be read in the following sequence:
▪
Setup Guide
▪
TRAKTOR 2 Getting Started (this document) and video tutorials
Additionally, a keyboard shortcut overview card will help you in your everyday work with
TRAKTOR 2. Hereafter is a quick description of each of these documentation sources.
Some of these documents (Setup Guide and Keyboard Shortcut Overview Card) are availa ble in printed form in the product box. The whole documentation is also available in PDF format via:
▪
Mac OS X: Macintosh HD/Applications/Native Instruments/Traktor 2/Documentation
▪
Windows: Start > All Programs > Native Instruments > Traktor 2 > Documentation
Your First Stop: the Setup Guide
A printed Setup Guide is included in the product box. It will guide you through the soft ware (and hardware, where appropriate) installation of TRAKTOR 2, from the very begin ning to the first sound coming through your speakers. This should be your first stop in learning TRAKTOR 2.
First read the Setup Guide. Then proceed with this TRAKTOR 2 Getting Started manual to get more familiar with TRAKTOR 2!
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 9
Welcome to the World of TRAKTOR 2!
The TRAKTOR 2 Documentation
TRAKTOR 2 Getting Started Manual
After having read the Setup Guide and followed its instructions, TRAKTOR should be up and running. The next step is to read this Getting Started manual. The Getting Started manual gives you a practical approach to TRAKTOR 2. The next chapter will give you an overview of the manual content.
Keyboard Shortcut Overview Card
A keyboard shortcut overview card is included in the product box. It provides quick access to the dedicated keyboard mappings for the TRAKTOR 2 software.
Video Tutorials
The Native Instruments website provides you with a bunch of video tutorials that give you a hands-on approach to many sides of the TRAKTOR 2 workflow. To see them, point your favorite browser to following URL: http://www.native-instruments.com/traktor.
1.2.2
In This Manual
What you are reading now is the TRAKTOR 2 Getting Started manual. This manual is structured as follows:
▪
The first part is this introduction.
▪
Chapter
2, Upgrading from TRAKTOR (SCRATCH) PRO/DUO and TRAKTOR LE ex
plains how to upgrade from former TRAKTOR versions.
▪
Chapter
3, TRAKTOR 2 Overview introduces you to the TRAKTOR 2 user interface
and its main areas.
▪
Chapter
4, Importing Your Music shows you how to import your own music into the
powerful Track Collection of TRAKTOR 2 so that you can use all TRAKTOR 2 features with your own tracks.
▪
Chapter
is a selection of tutorials. They will let you progressively discover how to use the various tools provided by TRAKTOR 2. These practical examples will simplify the learning process and get you quickly started with computer-based DJing.
▪
Chapter
6, Using TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO / DUO 2
is about Timecode Vinyl and CD control. If you don’t own a TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO/DUO 2 license, you can skip this chapter.
▪
Chapter
7, Customizing TRAKTOR 2 shows you how to customize TRAKTOR 2 in or
der to make it fit your particular needs.
▪
8, The Setup Wizard explains the Setup Wizard in detail.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 10
Welcome to the World of TRAKTOR 2!
The TRAKTOR 2 Documentation
▪
Chapter
provides you with a list of the most common problems and their solutions, along with info on how to get help.
▪
11, Appendix A – Common Setups shows you various ways to integrate TRAKTOR 2
into your studio or live setup.
1.2.3
Manual Conventions
This manual uses particular formatting to point out special facts and to warn you of poten tial issues. The icons introducing these notes let you see what kind of information is to be expected:
Whenever this exclamation mark icon appears, you should read the corresponding note care fully and follow the instructions and hints given there if applicable.
This lightbulb icon indicates that a note contains useful extra information. This information may often help you to solve a task more efficiently, but does not necessarily apply to the setup or operating system you are using; however, it's always worth a look.
Furthermore, the following formatting is used:
▪
Text appearing in (drop-down) menus (such as
Open…
,
Save as…
etc.), in paths to loca tions on your hard drive or other storage devices, and in Preferences paths is printed in italics
.
▪
Text appearing elsewhere (labels of buttons, controls, text next to checkboxes etc.) is printed in blue . Whenever you see this formatting applied, you will find the same text appearing somewhere on the screen.
▪
Important names and concepts are printed in bold.
►
Single instructions are introduced by this play button type arrow.
→
Results of actions are introduced by this smaller arrow.
Pet Names for the Software
Throughout the documentation, we will refer to the TRAKTOR (SCRATCH) PRO 2, TRAK
TOR (SCRATCH) DUO 2, and TRAKTOR LE 2 software as “TRAKTOR 2” or simply “TRAK
TOR.”
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 11
Welcome to the World of TRAKTOR 2!
System Requirements and Compatibility
Different TRAKTOR Versions
TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO 2, TRAKTOR DUO 2 and TRAKTOR LE 2 are limited in certain features compared to the full TRAKTOR (SCRATCH) PRO 2 version. The differences will be documented at the appropriate places in this manual.
All relevant information regarding Timecode Vinyl and CD control, which is only available in TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2 and TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO 2, will be explained in chapter
6, Using TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO / DUO 2
.
1.3
System Requirements and Compatibility
For the minimum system requirements your computer needs to meet, see the TRAKTOR section of the Native Instruments website: www.native-instruments.com/traktor
Please note that meeting the system requirements does not guarantee running all TRAKTOR 2 features hassle-free. You might be forced to tweak your system following Native Instruments’ tuning tips for audio computers. You can find these tuning tips in the Knowledge Base—see
for more information.
To check the compatibility with several operating systems, please have a look at: http:// www.native-instruments.com/compatibility.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 12
Upgrading from TRAKTOR (SCRATCH) PRO/DUO and TRAKTOR LE
Backup
2 Upgrading from TRAKTOR (SCRATCH) PRO/DUO and
TRAKTOR LE
If you’re completely new to TRAKTOR, you can skip this chapter and continue reading in the next chapter. However, if you have been using TRAKTOR (SCRATCH) PRO/DUO or
TRAKTOR LE, you should read this chapter carefully!
2.1
Backup
Before installing TRAKTOR 2, backup the following folders and files:
▪
Your TRAKTOR folder, per default found in
[User]\My Documents\Native Instruments\Trak tor
(Windows) and
User:Documents:Native Instruments:Traktor
(Mac OS X).
▪
Your Music folders as defined in
Preferences > Data Location > Music Folders
▪
Any other data that is not stored in the aforementioned places because you have chos en another location for them.
At this point, it is a good idea to remove all unnecessary stuff from your TRAKTOR folder, e.g. mappings for controllers you don’t use anymore, etc.
2.2
Installation
Follow the instructions from the Setup Guide carefully.
As a general rule: start with the software installation before you install the hardware (TRAK
TOR AUDIO 6/10, TRAKTOR KONTROL X1, TRAKTOR KONTROL S4, etc.)!
The installation creates a new User Folder in
[User]\My Documents\Native Instruments\Trak tor 2.x.x
(Windows) and
User:Documents:Native Instruments:Traktor 2.x.x
(Mac OS X). Also, your previous TRAKTOR version will not be uninstalled. This means that from now on you’ll always be able to easily return to the last version if needed.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 13
Upgrading from TRAKTOR (SCRATCH) PRO/DUO and TRAKTOR LE
Importing Your Data
2.3
Importing Your Data
▪
When you start TRAKTOR 2 for the first time, the Setup Wizard greets you with some simple questions regarding your setup. This will adjust TRAKTOR’s look and Preferen
ces accordingly. Read more about the Setup Wizard in chapter
▪
Next, TRAKTOR will ask if you want to import your previous data by copying the exist ing user content to a new folder in your user folder. Your previous data will not be al tered if you copy it to the new default folder.
2.3.1
Importing Your MIDI and Hotkey Mappings
For TRAKTOR 2, the mapping system has been changed. While some mappings created with previous versions of TRAKTOR may still work, others will not be imported correctly.
Hence, we recommend double-checking your imported mappings before you use them in a live situation.
2.3.2
Importing Your Music
Due to changes in TRAKTOR’s database, you will have to re-analyze your complete Track
Collection. However, existing BPM and Gain values stored in your files will not be touched even if they’re not BPM-locked.
►
To force recalculation of BPM and Gain values, you can re-trigger the BPM analysis by right-clicking ([Ctrl]-click on Mac OS X) the Browser list entries and selecting the com mand Detect BPM (Async).
If your Track Collection contains more than 10,000 files, it is recommended to have TRAK
TOR 2 analyze your Track Collection in smaller chunks of only a few thousand files each. As this procedure may take quite a while, it is a good idea to let TRAKTOR 2 perform the analysis while you are not working with your computer such as overnight.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 14
TRAKTOR 2 Overview
3 TRAKTOR 2 Overview
This chapter will quickly introduce you to TRAKTOR 2’s main areas and concepts.
Take the time to read these few pages, as they will familiarize you with the way TRAKTOR 2 works and provide insight to the power of its design.
When you start TRAKTOR 2 for the first time, it opens the Essential View layout. To make all elements described hereafter visible, open the layout named Mixer by selecting it from the layout selector.
Fig. 3.1 - Use the layout selector to choose the Mixer Layout.
If you are using TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO/PRO 2, you will most likely use an external analog mixer instead of TRAKTOR's internal software mixer. However, to follow the explanations in this manual, you should also open the Mixer layout.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 15
TRAKTOR 2 Overview
The Big Picture
3.1
The Big Picture
The picture below shows the interface of TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2. Your graphical user interface will look slightly different if you are using TRAKTOR (SCRATCH) DUO 2 or
TRAKTOR LE 2.
Fig. 3.2 – Main features of the software
(1) Application Menu Bar: The Application Menu Bar provides access to basic functions and information about the software.
(2) Header: Here you can find various status indicators and useful functions and buttons, e.g. the Preferences button.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 16
TRAKTOR 2 Overview
Main Elements
(3) Global section: The Global section contains the FX Units, Master Clock, the Audio Re corder as well as the new Loop Recorder.
(4) Decks: TRAKTOR 2 provides you with four virtual Decks. The Decks are the place where tracks, samples, and live input are played back. The Decks can be seen as the virtu al equivalent to good old vinyl or CD decks.
(5) Mixer: Sitting in the middle of your TRAKTOR 2 window is the Mixer. It receives on its four channels the audio signals coming from the four Decks described above. There is one channel for each Deck. As with any DJ mixer, the Mixer’s basic purpose is to adjust the relative level of each channel, to control the channels’ frequency content, possibly feeding them into the FX Units, before sending the overall result to your audience.
(6) Browser : The Browser manages all your tracks in a database called the Track Collec tion. You can group tracks in Playlists, sort them according different attributes, and search within Playlists as well as in the whole Collection.
In TRAKTOR (SCRATCH) DUO 2, the Master Clock and Loop Recorder are not available. In
TRAKTOR LE 2, the Audio Recorder is also not available.
3.2
Main Elements
This chapter explains the main areas and elements of the TRAKTOR 2 software.
3.2.1
Application Menu Bar
Fig. 3.3 – The Application Menu Bar on Windows
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 17
TRAKTOR 2 Overview
Main Elements
Fig. 3.4 - The Application Menu Bar on Mac OS X
The File , View, and Help menus will give you access to basic TRAKTOR functions. You can, for example, open this Getting Started manual via the Help menu.
3.2.2
Header
Fig. 3.5 – TRAKTOR’s Header
The Header is the small horizontal strip located at the very top of TRAKTOR’s user inter face. Its elements are described hereafter from left to right.
TRAKTOR 2 Logo
Fig. 3.6 – TRAKTOR logo
Click on the TRAKTOR logo to open the About screen. The About screen displays the full version number of your TRAKTOR software.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 18
TRAKTOR 2 Overview
Main Elements
Status Indicators
Fig. 3.7 – Status indicators
Several status indicators update you about the current state of the TRAKTOR software.
From left to right:
▪
CTRL indicator: displays the incoming MIDI and Native (NHL) signals. It flashes blue while a signal is received.
▪
Connection indicator (mixer symbol): shows if all listed controllers are connected – blue
= all connected; orange = some controller(s) not connected; unlit = none connected.
▪
AUDIO indicator: displays the connection to your audio interface – blue = connected; red
= not connected; orange = internal soundcard selected.
▪
CPU meter: indicates how much of the CPU capacity is available in TRAKTOR’s internal audio engine. Check this display to see the current processing load on your system.
▪
System Clock: displays the time of day, depending on the system time.
▪
MAIN : displays the Master Output level. The tips of the signal meters turn red if signal clipping (overload) occurs.
▪
BAT (battery indicator): gives information about how much power remains in your com puter’s battery. It glows blue if you have a power supply connected and red when you’re running from battery.
▪
REC (recording indicator): displays the status of TRAKTOR’s Audio Recorder. It turns red when recording.
In TRAKTOR LE 2 the Recording indicator is not present.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 19
TRAKTOR 2 Overview
Main Elements
Layout Selector
Fig. 3.8 – Layout selector
Click on the downwards-pointing arrow to open the drop-down menu and choose from one of the default Layouts. You can delete, define, and save your own Layouts in the Preferen ces.
Layout customizing and managing is disabled in TRAKTOR DUO 2, TRAKTOR SCRATCH
DUO 2, and TRAKTOR LE 2.
Utility Buttons
Fig. 3.9 – Utility Buttons
From left to right:
▪
Maximize Browser: A click on this button will toggle the maximized Browser view which comes in handy whenever you’re searching for a track in a large list.
▪
Preferences: here you can open the Preferences – all TRAKTOR settings are made here.
▪
Cruise: if you activate this button, Cruise mode starts (i.e. autoplay of the currently viewed Playlist).
▪
Fullscreen: activates Fullscreen mode where none of the operating system’s controls are visible. Looks neat!
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 20
TRAKTOR 2 Overview
Main Elements
3.2.3
Global Section
Fig. 3.10 – The Global Section
The Global section offers six distinct panels. Depending on the screen size and resolution of your computer, not all panels can be displayed at the same time. In that case, you can reach every panel by clicking on the corresponding tab at the far left and right. We will describe every panel in the sections below.
In TRAKTOR DUO 2 and TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO 2, Loop Recorder and Master Clock are disabled. In addition to this, the Snap and Quantize buttons, and the Audio Recorder are disa bled in TRAKTOR LE 2.
Master Clock (TRAKTOR PRO / TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
Fig. 3.11 – The Master Clock
The Master Clock controls the synchronizing methods. We will learn about Clock modes in
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 21
TRAKTOR 2 Overview
Main Elements
FX Units
Fig. 3.12 – The FX Unit 1 in Single mode
Fig. 3.13 – The FX Unit 2 in Group mode
Adding effects to songs can tremendously expand the sonic possibilities of your mix. For that purpose, TRAKTOR 2 provides you with a great selection of high-quality effects (or
FX, in short). These FX can be loaded into so-called FX Units.
TRAKTOR offers four FX Units. By default, two FX Units are active. Both FX Unit 1 and FX
Unit 2 can be freely assigned to any of the mixer’s channels A-D.
You can choose from two different FX Unit modes in TRAKTOR 2: Either choose Single
FX, where four buttons and four knobs control one effect, or choose Group FX, where you can use three effects simultaneously with a one-knob control.
►
You can switch the FX Panel mode in Preferences > Effects > FX Panel Mode.
In TRAKTOR DUO 2 and TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO 2, only two FX Units with a fixed mixer channel assignment and a reduced number of effect types are available. Additionally, these
FX can only be used in Group FX mode. In TRAKTOR LE 2, only one Group FX is available and the number of effect types has been reduced further.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 22
TRAKTOR 2 Overview
Main Elements
Audio Recorder
Fig. 3.14 – The Audio Recorder
The Audio Recorder enables you to record your mix from the main output (be it TRAK
TOR 2’s Main Output or the master output of your analog mixer) as well as from other sources (turntable, microphone, etc.). The recording will be saved to your computer's hard disk as a *.wav file. It will also be added to the Track Collection in a special Playlist called
Audio Recordings from which it is immediately available for playback.
The Audio Recorder is disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2.
Loop Recorder (TRAKTOR PRO / TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
Fig. 3.15 – The Loop Recorder
The Loop Recorder is a powerful tool for live remixing of your tracks. It allows you to in stantly create loops from the Mixer’s Main Output signal, from a particular Deck, or from a physical audio input. As soon as a loop is recorded, it is automatically triggered. You can then blend between the loop playing in the Loop Recorder and your main mix. Moreover, you can save the recorded loop to your hard disk or, better, transfer it directly to any rele vant location in TRAKTOR 2 — typically a Sample Slot on a Sample Deck!
The Loop Recorder can be used in Internal and External Mixing Mode – read more about it
5.9, Using the Loop Recorder (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 23
TRAKTOR 2 Overview
Main Elements
Main Panel
Fig. 3.16 – The Main panel
The Main panel contains the MAIN knob, which controls the overall volume of TRAKTOR and the Snap ( S ) and Quantize ( Q ) buttons that we will explain later. They are lit blue when activated.
TRAKTOR LE 2 has neither Snap nor Quantize button.
3.2.4
Decks
TRAKTOR 2 provides you with four virtual Decks. The Decks can be seen as the virtual equivalent to hardware decks — just with a bunch of powerful additional features and the flexibility of a computer-based system.
Your Decks can handle three different types of audio material, each of which is assigned to a specific Deck flavor. For each Deck you can choose one of the following flavors:
▪
Track Deck: A track is a song stored in digital format stored on your hard disk. Use this mode if you want to want to play back a particular sequence of tracks — a so-called
Playlist. Decks handling tracks are called Track Decks.
▪
Sample Deck: A sample is a small piece of audio material. Its physical content does not differ much from a track’s content (it’s all about audio stored in digital format on your hard disk). There is a difference between samples and tracks in terms of size and pur pose, though: in general, a sample is much shorter than a track, and it is aimed to be
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 24
TRAKTOR 2 Overview
Main Elements added to (or blended into) your main mix. Notably, samples are perfect material for live remixing! Decks handling samples are called Sample Decks. Each Sample Deck pro vides you with four Sample Slots with a full set of sample-related features.
▪
Live Input: Whereas the two aforementioned audio material types are played back from your hard disk, the Decks can also be switched to Live Inputs, in which case they trans fer audio signals coming from the outside world to TRAKTOR’s audio processing and mixing facilities. Whether it’s a microphone, a turntable, a keyboard or anything else, it gets directly inserted in TRAKTOR’s signal flow.
TRAKTOR LE 2 offers only two Decks and Deck Flavors cannot be changed. In TRAKTOR
DUO 2 and TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO 2, four Decks are available but you can only choose
Deck Flavors for the upper two Decks.
►
To select a Deck flavor, click on the Deck letter of a Deck to open the drop-down menu.
Now select the desired Deck flavor.
As a TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO/DUO 2 user, you can also choose the Playback Mode (Internal
Playback or Scratch Control) and, if you own a TRAKTOR AUDIO 6 or TRAKTOR AUDIO 10 audio interface, a hardware Direct Thru mode for a complete audio bypass via this drop-down menu. For more information on this, please refer to the Setup Guide of your TRAKTOR AU
DIO 6/10 audio interface.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 25
TRAKTOR 2 Overview
Main Elements
Track Deck
Fig. 3.17 – A Track Deck
Each Track Deck provides you with synchronizing tools like the SYNC and MASTER buttons
(1), the pitch bend buttons (3), and the tempo fader (4). Traditional Play and CUE/CUP but
tons (5) are available as are Hotcue buttons (6) and Loop controls (7).
Sample Deck (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 26
TRAKTOR 2 Overview
Main Elements
Fig. 3.18 – A Sample Deck
Each Sample Deck provides 4 Sample Slots (2) that hold audio samples and can be played back in One-shot (1) or Looped (3) mode. Every Sample Slot comes with a Play button (4), a
Volume knob (5), and a Filter knob (6). The tempo of looped samples is automatically synchronized to the tempo master.
In TRAKTOR DUO 2 and TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO 2, individual Filter and Volume knobs are disabled, and only small Sample Decks are available.
Live Input
Fig. 3.19 – Deck in Live Input
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 27
TRAKTOR 2 Overview
Main Elements
A Deck switched to Live Input enables you to use an external analog source such as a turntable or microphone. You can then apply TRAKTOR 2's FX to the signal coming from the external source.
3.2.5
Mixer
Fig. 3.20 – The Mixer in TRAKTOR 2
The Mixer is sitting in the center of your TRAKTOR 2 window. Its four channels (1) receive the audio signals coming from the various Decks described above. There is one channel for each Deck, therefore the channels are labeled from A to D to indicate their corresponding
Deck (TRAKTOR LE 2 will only have channels A and B).
Like with any DJ mixer, the Mixer serves a number of purposes. You can:
▪ adjust the relative level of each channel (2),
▪ control the channels’ frequency content with the EQs (3),
▪ feed signals into the FX Units via the FX Assign (1) buttons, and
▪ send the overall result to the Main section, thus generating the mix that is sent to your audience.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 28
TRAKTOR 2 Overview
Main Elements
Of course, the Mixer also provides you with a crossfader (5), which allows you to make seamless transitions between various channels, and Headphones Cue (4) buttons to pre-lis ten to your songs. Cue Mix (6) and Cue Vol knobs (7) controlling your headphones signal can be found on the right of the crossfader (5). The AUX knob (8) controls the volume of the AUX input, which can be fed by an external signal like a microphone.
In TRAKTOR DUO 2, TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO 2, and TRAKTOR LE 2, FX assignments are fixed and no PAN knobs are present.
3.2.6
Browser
Fig. 3.21 – TRAKTOR’s Browser
TRAKTOR’s Browser provides you with tools to organize your tracks and to build and main tain your track database: the Track Collection. Search for a track in the Search field (2), drag your Playlists to a Favorite slot (4) for quicker access, and sort the Browser list (5) by a specific attribute. You can edit all track tags here in the Browser list. By using the Browser
Tree (3), you can browse your hard drives and access various Playlists, including the spe cial Archive which automatically saves a playlist for every session. With the Preview Player
(1), you can pre-listen to tracks before they will be heard by the audience. The status bar
(6) provides basic info.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 29
Importing Your Music
What Is the Track Collection?
4 Importing Your Music
Most likely you already have a collection of music files on your computer. For those of you who can’t wait to start mixing your tracks, this chapter is for you! You will learn here how to quickly import your music into the powerful Track Collection of TRAKTOR.
4.1
What Is the Track Collection?
The Track Collection (or simply “Collection”) represents the music that you have used, that you are using, or that you plan to use in TRAKTOR 2.
Based on the music files on your computer, the Collection makes it easy to organize, tag, and prepare your tracks for being played as part of your mix.
Worth noting is that the Track Collection doesn’t care about the actual file structure on your hard disk, nor will it alter this structure in any way (as long as you don’t delete your files from within TRAKTOR 2).
The Track Collection is:
▪
A database storing numerous information about your music files.
▪
A convenient way to filter your music files by many of their characteristics (tags) like title, artist name, BPM, genre, etc.
▪
The place where TRAKTOR-specific information about your tracks is stored.
▪
The basis on which you can create your Playlists.
The Track Collection is not:
▪
Moving, copying, or converting any audio file to some secret location.
▪
Modifying in any way the hierarchic structure of your files on your hard disk.
To make use of the Track Collection, you have to populate it by importing your music files.
TRAKTOR reads existing song tags during the import of the music and writes tags to the tracks immediately when you change some property of one or more track(s), like changing the
Genre of a song.
4.2
Importing Music Folders
TRAKTOR offers an easy import function for tracks stored on your hard drive:
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 30
Importing Your Music
Importing Music Folders
►
Right-click (Windows) or [Ctrl]+click (Mac OS X) on the Track Collection icon in the Brows er Tree and select Import Music Folders from the menu.
Fig. 4.1 – The contextual menu for the Track Collection, with the Import Music Folders entry selected.
By default, this process imports all music files contained in the My Music folder of your operating system.
TRAKTOR analyzes music for certain characteristics (BPM, length, etc.) when loaded into a
Deck for the first time. This function takes some time to process. Be sure to prepare the tracks you want to use in a DJ set beforehand if you want to use features such as syncing or
Auto Looping with them without having to wait for this analysis process.
Adding Files from Other Folders
If you have stored tracks in other folders or on external storage devices, you can add these folders to the list of TRAKTOR Music Folders as follows:
1. Open
Preferences > File Management
.
2. Click Add… at the bottom of the Music Folders section.
3. Navigate to a folder you want to add.
4. Confirm with OK .
5. Click
Close to apply the changes.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 31
Importing Your Music
Tracks Managed by iTunes
6. Repeat to add all of your music folders.
Subfolders are automatically included in the scan. Hence, you don’t need to add them to this list.
4.3
Tracks Managed by iTunes
If you have organized your music collection with iTunes, TRAKTOR 2 offers direct access to your iTunes Library and your iTunes Playlists.
4.3.1
Playing Tracks Managed by iTunes
You can browse your iTunes Library and Playlists directly from TRAKTOR.
The iTunes tree node represents a read-only view on your iTunes Library and Playlists. Editing functions are not available in this view.
4.3.2
Importing a Selection of Tracks from iTunes
You can import a selection of tracks from your iTunes Library into the Track Collection via the TRAKTOR 2 user interface:
1. Click the iTunes icon in the Browser Tree to open the iTunes node.
2. Select the tracks to import into the Track Collection.
3. Drag the selection onto the Track Collection icon in the Browser Tree.
►
Alternatively, right-click (Windows) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac OS X) on the selection and choose Import to Collection in the contextual menu.
4.3.3
Importing iTunes Playlists
You can directly import iTunes Playlists as TRAKTOR Playlists via the TRAKTOR 2 user interface:
1. Click the iTunes icon in the Browser Tree to open the iTunes node.
2. Select the Playlist to be imported.
3. Drag the Playlist onto the Playlists icon.
►
Alternatively right-click (Win) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac OS X) on the Playlist and choose Im port to Playlists in the contextual menu.
→
A dialog box will appear asking for a name for the new Playlist. Type in a name and click OK .
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 32
5 Tutorials
This chapter will guide you through the most common tasks that you will encounter during your work with TRAKTOR 2.
The tutorials are workflow-oriented. They start with the simplest tasks and progressively lead you to more complex operation, helping you to get more and more familiar with
TRAKTOR 2. After reading this, you should have the basic know-how allowing you to mix with TRAKTOR 2.
If you are using TRAKTOR DUO 2, TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO 2, or TRAKTOR LE 2, some of the instructions do not apply due to the limitations of your software flavor.
Tutorials
Prerequisites
5.1
Prerequisites
These tutorials can be read in a linear manner from the first to the last tutorial. However, if you have used previous TRAKTOR versions and are already familiar with certain tasks, you can skip the first tutorials and continue reading the later tutorials. Or, if you want to experiment more with TRAKTOR and come back to the tutorials later, you can find the needed prerequisites for every tutorial here.
Even if you’re already familiar with TRAKTOR, all tutorials are worth a read – every chapter may have little workflow hints of which you weren’t aware.
The tutorials make use of the included demo tracks which were copied to your hard disk during the TRAKTOR 2 installation procedure. Thus, you can follow these tutorials even if you haven’t imported your own music into the Track Collection yet. For more info on how to import your music into the Track Collection, please refer to chapter
We assume that your TRAKTOR 2 system is already up and running. If it’s not the case, please follow the instructions in the separate Setup Guide and come back here when you have set up your system correctly!
In case you already changed some settings in TRAKTOR 2 before you started with these tutorials, we strongly recommend you to reset TRAKTOR 2 to the factory settings:
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 33
Tutorials
Goals of the Following Chapters
1. Click the Help menu in the menu bar at the top of your screen (on Mac OS X) or at the top of the window (on Windows), and select
Help > Start Setup Wizard
.
2. Follow the instructions of the Setup Wizard to incorporate your equipment (read more
about the Setup Wizard in chapter
). TRAKTOR 2 is now reset to the factory settings.
3. Choose the layout
Mixer
from the available options in the layout selector.
The tutorials presented here assume that TRAKTOR 2 is in its default (factory) state. If this is not the case, we cannot guarantee that you will experience what we describe here, and you might miss important things to know!
5.2
Goals of the Following Chapters
The following sections describe the goals and prerequisites for every chapter. This way you can jump into a desired tutorial whenever you like!
Chapter
to
Read the instructions below. If you feel unsure about any step, read the respective chap ter. If you can accomplish a task described hereafter without the need of some assistance, you can skip that chapter and continue reading another chapter.
1. Load the track
Techno 1
from the included Demo Tracks Playlist onto to Deck A and start its playback (chapter
).
2. Load the track
Techno 2
from the included Demo Tracks Playlist onto Deck B and start its playback. Deck A should be tempo master (chapter
5.4, Mixing In a Second Track ).
3. Synchronize the tempo of the track in Deck B with the tempo of the track in Deck A
(chapter
).
From chapter
5.6, Looping and Cueing on, a new track will be loaded and played back in
Deck A:
House 1
. Deck B should now be tempo master.
If you know how to store Loops and Cue Points, do so in both tracks and skip chapter
.
If you know how to assign an FX Unit to a Deck, if you know the difference between Single
and Group FX mode and how to change FX, you can also skip chapter
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 34
Tutorials
Playing Your First Track
Chapter
5.8, Using Samples in Your Mix (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2) to
Chapters
5.8, Using Samples in Your Mix (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
and
5.9, Using the Loop Recorder (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
introduce the newest
TRAKTOR features: Sample Decks and the Loop Recorder. Read these tutorials for a com prehensive introduction to the versatile Sample Deck and Loop Recorder features!
Chapter
is about Master Clock modes and syncing tracks. Since the
Master Clock/Syncing concept has been changed and improved in TRAKTOR 2, we strong ly recommend you to read this chapter carefully, even if you were familiar with the syncing concept in older versions of TRAKTOR!
5.3
Playing Your First Track
This first tutorial will show you how to load and play a track, how to check the needed au dio outputs, and how to quickly troubleshoot your system if no music can be heard.
Prerequisites
In case you already changed some settings in TRAKTOR 2 before you started with these tutorials, we strongly recommend you to reset TRAKTOR 2 to the factory settings by doing
.
5.3.1
Quick Loading a Track
Let’s load the track
Techno 1
from the included demo tracks on to Deck A:
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Tutorials
Playing Your First Track
1. Click on the Demo Tracks Favorite.
The tracks of the Demo Tracks Playlist appear below:
2. Click on the track
Techno 1
in the Playlist. The track will be highlighted.
3. Drag and drop the track onto Deck A. The track will be loaded. Its waveform and info appear on Deck A:
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 36
Tutorials
Playing Your First Track
Favorites are customizable shortcuts sitting at the top of the Browser. If you can’t see the Fa vorites, you can activate them via
Preferences
>
Browser Details
>
Show Playlist Favorites
. Note: this option doesn’t exist in TRAKTOR LE 2, TRAKTOR DUO 2, and TRAKTOR SCRATCH
DUO 2.
Alternative Loading Methods
►
Right-click (Windows) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac OS X) on a track and choose Load Track in
Deck A.
►
Click the hotkey [Ctrl]+[Left].
5.3.2
Playing the Track
►
Once the track is loaded, simply press the Play button at the bottom of the left Deck:
→
The track starts playing. The Play button lights up and the waveform starts moving in
TRAKTOR 2.
Move your mouse on the right end of the waveform — the plus, equal and minus buttons ap pear. Use these to zoom in and out of the waveform for more or less details!
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 37
Tutorials
Playing Your First Track
To Each Deck Its Own Channel
This chapter explains TRAKTOR’s Internal Mixer. If you’re using TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO 2 or TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2, you will most likely use your external analog mixer. However, you can still follow this tutorial and substitute TRAKTOR’s EQs, Channel Faders, and cross fader with those on your mixer.
The audio playing on each Deck can be further shaped by the controls on the correspond ing channel of the Mixer. Since the track is loaded on Deck A, you can control its sound on channel A:
Fig. 5.1 – The channel A
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 38
Tutorials
Playing Your First Track
At this point you will probably hear some audio coming through your speakers or PA. If not, please check the following section.
5.3.3
If You Don’t Hear the Track
If the track is playing on the Deck but the audio coming through your amplification system sounds too low, or if there is no sound at all, check the following:
▪
At the bottom of the Mixer, verify that the crossfader is moved all the way to the left:
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 39
▪
Above, the channel fader should be raised on channel A:
Tutorials
Playing Your First Track
▪
The channel meter (the vertical bar of indicators along the channel fader, see picture above) should show some activity. If not, check that the HI , MID , LOW and FILTER knobs higher up on that channel are set to center position; at the top of the channel, doubleclick the GAIN knob once to reset the channel’s input gain to 0 dB.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 40
Tutorials
Mixing In a Second Track
▪
At the top center of TRAKTOR, the MAIN level meters should show some activity:
If not, check that the MAIN knob is raised.
If you see some activity on the MAIN level meters but don’t hear any sound, then doublecheck the audio setup and audio routing in the Preferences following the Setup Guide.
Please note that, with TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO/DUO 2, the master out knob/fader on your analog mixer works independently from TRAKTOR’s MAIN knob. Adjust both carefully for a clean, loud signal, which is not clipping.
5.4
Mixing In a Second Track
Now that you have learned how to quickly load and play tracks using TRAKTOR 2, let’s see how to mix in a second track. On the way, you will learn a few basic mixing tasks that ev ery digital DJ needs to know: how to pre-listen tracks, synchronize tracks, start the play back at the right position, and mix the tracks together using the crossfader.
Prerequisites
We assume here that you already followed the instructions in the previous tutorial (see
5.3, Playing Your First Track ). TRAKTOR 2 now is in the following state:
▪
The track
Techno 1
is loaded in Deck A. The track is audibly playing. The MASTER button of Deck A should be lit.
▪
The crossfader is all the way to the left.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 41
Tutorials
Mixing In a Second Track
5.4.1
Pre-listening a Second Track in the Preview Player
If you use an analog mixer (e.g. along with TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO 2 / PRO 2) and there fore External Mixing mode, you will most likely not use the Preview Player at all and will, in stead, preview your next track in the opposite Deck using the cue function on your hardware mixer. However, you can assign an output pair of your audio interface to the Preview Player via
Preferences
>
Output Routing
>
Output Preview
, sacrificing a Deck (with the AUDIO 4/8 DJ) or the
Send Outputs (TRAKTOR AUDIO 6/10).
Before we load another track, we will use TRAKTOR’s Preview Player to pre-listen to a track in the headphones directly from the Browser.
If you can’t see the Preview Player, you can activate it via
Preferences > Browser Details > Show
Preview Player
. Users of TRAKTOR LE 2 and TRAKTOR (SCRATCH) DUO 2 don’t have this op tion.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 42
Tutorials
Mixing In a Second Track
Fig. 5.2 – TRAKTOR’s Preview Player
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 43
Tutorials
Mixing In a Second Track
Fig. 5.3 – Cue Mix and Cue Vol knobs
1. If it’s not already done, plug in a pair of headphones to the headphones socket on your soundcard, controller, or hardware mixer depending on your setup.
2. Click on the track
Techno 2
in the Demo Playlist and drag it onto the Preview Player.
The track begins to play immediately.
3. Turn the Cue Mix knob ( MIX ) completely counter-clockwise to listen only to the pre viewed signal.
4. Turn the Cue Vol knob ( VOL ) to raise or lower the headphones volume.
5. Click anywhere in the waveform to preview another part of the track.
6. Click and drag the playhead (vertical line) to scroll through the track.
7. Click on the Preview Player’s Play button to stop the playback in the Preview Player.
8. Drag the track from the Preview Player onto a Deck to load it, or select another track for pre-listening.
5.4.2
Loading and Playing the Second Track
We will choose the track
Techno 2
, load and play it on Deck B:
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 44
Tutorials
Mixing In a Second Track
1. Drag and drop the track from the Preview Player onto Deck B. The track info and waveform appear on Deck B. (Alternatively, use any other loading method described in
5.3.1, Quick Loading a Track .)
2. Press the Play button on the right Deck to start the playback.
→
The track starts playing. The Play button lights up and the waveform starts moving on
TRAKTOR’s Deck B.
We don’t hear anything from Deck B through the speakers yet because we have set the crossfader all the way to the left — our plan is to slowly mix in the track on Deck B.
You can already give it a try: by slowly moving the crossfader to the right, you should hear the track on Deck B fade in, whereas the track on Deck A progressively fades out as you move the crossfader further to the right. Obviously, our mix is not satisfying at all yet — before mixing in the second track, we first have to beat-match it to the track playing on
Deck A. So for now, pull the crossfader all the way back to the left.
5.4.3
Using Headphones to Prepare the Mix
From now on, let’s get used to preparing our mix with headphones until the next track
(here on Deck B) is ready to be mixed in.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 45
Tutorials
Mixing In a Second Track
Fig. 5.4 – The Headphones Cue button on channel B
►
Click the Headphones Cue button on channel B.
The button lights up, indicating that Deck B is now sent to the Cue channel which you will hear in your headphones.
At any time, use the Cue Mix ( MIX ) knob to adjust the balance between the cued track
(Deck B) and the main mix (where you hear Deck A) in your headphones. Turn it counterclockwise when you want to concentrate on the cued track and turn it clockwise when you want to hear more of the main mix.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 46
Tutorials
Mixing In a Second Track
You are now ready to work on the track playing on Deck B without interfering with the main mix sent to your audience. Regardless of the mix that you’re hearing in your head phones, the main mix is still controlled by the crossfader and channel faders.
If you’re using an analog hardware mixer, it will provide its own headphones cue buttons
(sometimes implemented as fader).
5.4.4
Synchronizing the Second Track
Before mixing in the track playing on Deck B, we will use TRAKTOR’s automatic Sync fea ture to adjust its tempo to that of Deck A. This is done in just one step via the SYNC but ton:
Fig. 5.5 – The SYNC button
►
Press the SYNC button on Deck B to synchronize the track’s tempo and phase with those of Deck A.
→
The SYNC button lights up. Now the two tracks are in perfect sync.
The syncing feature only works perfectly with a proper Beat Grid! Therefore, the tracks in the
Demo Playlist are already beat-gridded.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 47
Tutorials
Mixing In a Second Track
By slowly turning the Cue Mix knob ( MIX ), you will hear the second track come into the mix in sync with Deck A.
Note that you should always adjust the tempo or sync of the track that is not audible to the audience!
5.4.5
Setting a Cue Point as Starting Point (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
You will probably want to have more control over the starting point of the track you mix in.
For example, most of the time, not only the tempos but also the downbeats of both tracks should match. Starting from a particular point in a track (for mixing in, triggering, etc.) is called “cueing.”
TRAKTOR 2 lets you mark points for cueing — we call them Cue Points. Cue Points are saved with each track which allows you to re-use them at a later stage or in a later session.
To use the Cue Points, you first have to open the CUE Advanced tab that gives you control over the Cue Points:
►
Click on the little arrow button to below the ACTIVATE button to show the Advanced tabs below Deck A and B. Click on the CUE button to select the CUE tab.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 48
Tutorials
Mixing In a Second Track
Fig. 5.6 – The CUE Tab
►
On Deck B, whether or not the track is playing, simply press one of the unlit Hotcue buttons on a downbeat — let’s say the Hotcue button 1. The Hotcue button lights up in blue; you’ve just stored a Cue Point that you can return to simply by pressing the same
Hotcue button again. Try it!
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 49
Tutorials
Mixing In a Second Track
Fig. 5.7 – The first Hotcue button is now lit in blue.
Aligning the Tracks
Aligning both tracks is straightforward:
1. Press Play on both Deck A and Deck B (their Play button must be lit).
2. Check that Deck A is defined as tempo master. If not, click on the MASTER button.
3. Check that the SYNC button on Deck B is pressed, i.e. lit. If not, click it to match the tempo of Deck A.
4. When you hear a downbeat in the track in Deck A, press the Hotcue button you just stored on Deck B. The playback position on Deck B jumps to the stored Cue Point, and the playback continues from there.
→
Both tracks now are perfectly aligned, ready to be mixed.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 50
Tutorials
Mixing In a Second Track
5.4.6
Snapping to the Beats
You don’t have to worry about placing a Cue Point directly on a beat. By default, TRAK
TOR 2 will make sure this happens automatically. This is done with the Snap mode. Click ing on the little S button in the Global section will activate and deactivate Snap mode:
Fig. 5.8 – The Snap and Quantize buttons in the Global section
With Snap mode on, any Cue Point you create in the track will snap to the closest beat, thus ensuring that you get directly to that beat next time you press the Hotcue.
5.4.7
Sticking to the Beats
There is another reason you don’t have to worry about pressing the lit Hotcue button exact ly on the beat: By default, TRAKTOR will make sure that the beats of both tracks stick to gether and that jumps don’t ruin the beat-matching. This is because the so-called Quan tize mode is on, as you can see by the lit Quantize button in the Global section (see pic ture above).
With Quantize mode on, whenever you jump through the track (e.g. by pressing a Hotcue button or clicking somewhere in the Overview waveform), the playback jumps to the near est position that preserves the beat-matching, thus ensuring that the current sync doesn’t get lost when you jump through the track.
5.4.8
Interlude: In Case the Left Track Is Over…
The track
Techno 1
on Deck A has been playing since we started with the tutorials, and it is possible that the playback has reached the end of the track. In this case, just do the following:
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 51
Tutorials
Mixing In a Second Track
►
On the left Deck, click the Jump to Start button to skip back to the beginning of the track and resume from there.
►
Alternatively, you can press [Shift]+T for Deck A and [Shift]+G for Deck B.
5.4.9
Mixing In the Track by Using the Channel EQ and Filter
Now would be a great time to audition some of TRAKTOR 2’s EQs and filters:
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 52
Tutorials
Mixing In a Second Track
Fig. 5.9 – The EQ knobs and the FILTER knob
►
Turn the EQ knobs and the FILTER knob on channel B to hear the effect on the cued track.
Before the Filter has any effect on the sound, click on the small button next to the word “FIL
TER” to activate it. It is lit blue when activated.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 53
Tutorials
Mixing In a Second Track
The EQs and filters are excellent tools for making adjustments to tracks before mixing them in so that you get the smoothest transition possible. The most common technique is to filter the bassline out of the incoming track — having 2 basslines running simultane ously rarely sounds good. Do the following:
We will now carry out a first version of the mix “for real.” Thus, turn the Cue Mix knob ( MIX ) fully clockwise to hear the main mix in your headphones (or take off your phones and listen to your mix coming through your amplification system).
5.4.10 Manual Beat-matching
You can also beat-match manually instead of using TRAKTOR’s sync facilities. Some DJs just prefer manual beat-matching, but it can also become necessary in certain situations:
▪ playing tracks that have not been beat-gridded
▪ syncing to a vinyl record or audio CD
▪ playing “back-to-back” with another DJ
▪ playing music styles that don’t have quantized beats, e.g. Soul, Funk and other music with a live drummer.
To show this, let’s mix the track in Deck B with a new track in Deck A.
From now on, the track on Deck B is “on air,” i.e. it is heard by your audience. Hence, we will now exclusively work on the Deck A.
First Steps
►
First check that the crossfader is at full right.
►
Make sure the SYNC button of Deck A is off.
At first, it may help to select a track with a similar BPM.
►
With the track on Deck B still playing, load the track House 1 onto Deck A.
►
Deactivate the Headphones Cue button of channel B and activate that of channel A to hear the new track in the headphone mix.
Adjusting the Tempo with Tempo Fader and Phase Meter
The tempo for each Deck can be manually controlled via the Tempo fader:
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 54
Tutorials
Mixing In a Second Track
Fig. 5.10 – Use the Tempo fader to adjust the Deck’s tempo.
►
Adjust the Tempo fader on Deck A until the track’s tempo matches the tempo of the track on Deck B.
If the tempo of two tracks match but the phase doesn’t, you can drag the Phase meter for wards and backwards (left and right) to align the downbeats. Alternatively, use the Pitch
Bend buttons.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 55
Tutorials
Mixing In a Second Track
Fig. 5.11 – Use the Phase meter or the Pitch Bend buttons to adjust the phase.
Manually Cueing and Aligning the Beats
If you use TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO/DUO 2, your Decks will show the Scratch Control Play back Mode and you will control the cue position manually on the turntable or your CD player.
However, you can also choose Internal Playback mode from the context menu that appears if you click on the Deck letter. Using this mode, you can follow the next steps, too.
First, find an interesting Cue Point to start from, e.g. the break:
1. With Deck A stopped, drag the waveform of the track in Deck A until the beginning of the break.
2. Click the CUE button. A blue triangle shows that there is now a floating Cue Point.
3. Click the CUP button and release it when you hear a downbeat in Deck B. The track will start playing when you release the button.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 56
Tutorials
Adjusting Levels
4. If done correctly, the songs will be in sync. If the songs begin to fall out of sync, ad just the tempo with TRAKTOR’s Tempo fader and re-press the CUP button to try again.
5. Use the Phase meter to align the downbeats.
6. When you’re ready, you can bring the crossfader over from Deck B and slowly mix in the track in Deck A.
Don’t expect to be capable of manually matching beats right away, though — this requires in tensive training and can’t be fully explained here in detail. In fact, it’s often much easier to learn beat-matching by watching someone perform it. For this reason, it is recommended that you search the Internet for beat-matching tutorial videos to see the process in action. Remem ber: Practice makes perfect!
5.5
Adjusting Levels
For TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO/DUO 2 users, the theory described in the next sections is pretty much the same; however, you have to continue the practice on your hardware mixer!
Before going any further, we would like you to be aware of how important it is to have your mix at the right level. We provide you here with a few simple hints in order to get the best sound out of your mix.
Even if this section might look a bit technical, please take the time to read these few pages as they can save you a lot of trouble, especially in a live situation!
5.5.1
The Theory…
When mixing, you blend together signals coming from different sources (and possibly proc ess them on the way).
The basic rule is: you need to ensure that no signal is clipping (distorting from playing too loud) while simultaneously trying to use the full dynamic range available. Just to keep it short, there are two reasons behind this:
▪
By using the full dynamic range available, you keep the noise level low relative to your mix. As a result, all the details of your music will be heard much more clearly.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 57
Tutorials
Adjusting Levels
▪
When a signal is clipping, it is not getting louder, just worse. The loud parts (typically the beats) are cut, which both reduces the dynamic range and introduces distortion in your mix. The speakers will suffer from this—and so will your audience! (Be also pre pared for some angered sound technician or club owner coming down on you.)
Hence, you should always make sure that your signals stay at levels that satisfy these two requirements — as loud as possible without clipping.
5.5.2
…and the Practice
To assist you in adjusting levels, the Mixer of TRAKTOR 2 is equipped with various level meters and controls. Each level meter consists of a blue bar indicating the signal level.
The rule mentioned above can thus be translated as follows:
▪
Best practices when adjusting levels: The levels should be kept in the upper third and should not at all (or only rarely) touch the red top of the level meter (MAIN level).
By using a mixing technique where you swap the bass lines of two tracks as described in chapter
5.4.9, Mixing In the Track by Using the Channel EQ and Filter
, you should also en sure that the main level (Master output signal) doesn’t clip or distort.
Checking the Level on Each Channel
Each channel on the Mixer provides you with a vertical channel meter. This meter shows you the pre-fader level of the signal on that channel, i.e. the level of the signal before it is adjusted by the channel fader. To adjust this level, use the GAIN knob:
►
Adjust the channel’s GAIN knob so that the level displayed on the channel meter stays in the upper third without reaching the top.
Note that the channel’s EQ and filter settings also affect the signal level, as well as the possible FX Unit(s) it is assigned to. Hence, when modifying any of these, you might need to re-adjust the GAIN knob accordingly.
Of course, the artistic side of your tracks should not be overlooked: for tracks with a variable average level over time (e.g. a track starting with a soft intro), you should consider the loudest parts of the track when adjusting the channel level.
Matching Levels Between Channels
Moreover, in order to avoid any level jump when crossfading between two channels, the average channel levels should match:
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 58
Tutorials
Looping and Cueing
►
Before mixing in a cued channel, adjust its GAIN encoder so that its channel meter activ ity roughly matches that of the channel currently on air.
TRAKTOR 2 already does this for you by automatically setting the level for each newly loaded track to a satisfying value. This so-called “Autogain” feature relies on the gain values extract ed from your tracks. It is activated by default and can be turned off via
Preferences > Mixer >
Set Autogain When Loading Track
. Nevertheless, depending on the particular EQ, filter, and FX applied to the cued track, you might have to double-check the level before you mix in the track. Moreover, what is important here is the average level of the specific part of the track that you’re about to mix in.
Checking the Main Level
The MAIN level in TRAKTOR can be adjusted independently from a master out control on an analog hardware mixer!
The signals coming from all channels are mixed together according to the relative levels set by the channel faders and by the crossfader. This mix is then sent to TRAKTOR’s MAIN output. In the Global section, the MAIN level meters show you the (left and right) overall level of your mix and can be adjusted by the MAIN level knob:
►
Adjust the MAIN knob in so that the level meters stay in the upper third of the blue areas without reaching the red ends.
By default, a limiter is enabled on TRAKTOR’s main output. With this limiter enabled, the
MAIN level meters’ red clipping indicators don’t indicate clipping anymore but, instead, indi cate when the limiter is actively limiting the volume. While the limiter virtually cancels any distortion that might occur, the resulting reduction of the dynamic range cannot be undone.
Therefore, even with the limiter enabled, ensure that the clipping indicators don’t light up too often! You can deactivate the limiter via
Preferences > Mixer > Enable Limiter
.
5.6
Looping and Cueing
Now that you have learned the basic mixing tasks, we will focus on one of TRAKTOR’s great features: its looping facilities.
Prerequisites
TRAKTOR 2 is in the following state:
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Tutorials
Looping and Cueing
▪
The track
House 1
is loaded on Deck A. The track is playing and audible. It is also the tempo master.
▪
The crossfader is all the way to the left.
5.6.1
Playing with Loops
TRAKTOR’s Decks are equipped with dedicated loop controls located in the Loop section:
Fig. 5.12 – The Loop section, from left to right: Auto Loop buttons, IN and OUT buttons, ACTIVE button.
Setting a Loop with a Predefined Size
Let’s add a Loop to the track on Deck A.
►
To engage a loop on a playing track, just click one of the Auto Loop buttons.
→
This will automatically add a loop at that position in the track over the area marked in green. Also, the ACTIVE button will light up in green.
→
The loop length in beats will correspond to the number written on the Auto Loop but ton:
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Tutorials
Looping and Cueing
Fig. 5.13 – Highlighted Auto Loop and ACTIVE buttons
►
To change the size of the Loop, just click another Auto Loop button.
Setting a Loop Manually
You can also manually set loop start and loop end points. To do this, use the Loop IN and
Loop OUT buttons in the Loop section:
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Tutorials
Looping and Cueing
Fig. 5.14 – The Loop IN and Loop OUT buttons
►
Press the IN button to set the Loop In Point.
►
Press the OUT button to set the Loop Out Point. As soon as you hit the OUT button, the
Loop is set and the track will start looping.
We already introduced the Snap mode in the previous tutorial (see
Point as Starting Point (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
). This mode also affects the Loop In and Loop Out Points so that they will automatically be positioned directly on the beat.
Moving a Loop (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
You can also quickly move the active Loop across your track by using the MOVE Advanced tab:
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Tutorials
Looping and Cueing
Fig. 5.15 – The MOVE Advanced Tab
1. Select
Loop
from the drop-down menu on the left.
2. Select a Move Size from the list on the right by clicking on the desired button.
3. Move the Loop forward or backward with the Loop Move buttons (arrow buttons).
The Move Advanced tab also offers the options to move only the Loop In or Loop Out point which can be used for tension-building drum rolls.
Storing a Loop (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
In the previous tutorial, we looked at how to store Cue Points. In a similar fashion, you can store Loops as well:
►
To store the active Loop, press an unlit Hotcue button.
→
The Hotcue button lights up, this time in green — you’ve just stored a Loop that you can return to simply by pressing the same Hotcue button again.
Fig. 5.16 – The CUE tab with a stored Loop, marked in green.
If you exceed the 8 Hotcue slots, you can use the STORE button to store even more Cue Points or Loops in your track. The MAP button allows you to re-organize their order.
Deactivating Looping
If you want to deactivate the current Loop, do the following:
►
To deactivate looping, click the green ACTIVE button. The playback continues after the
Loop.
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Tutorials
Looping and Cueing
By pressing the ACTIVE button when there is no Loop currently active, you activate looping. The next Loop in the track will be activated.
5.6.2
Using Hotcues (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
We’ve already seen how to use Hotcues to store Cue Points and Loops. We want to show you here a few more details on their use.
►
First, open the CUE Advanced tab again.
As already explained, when pressing an unlit Hotcue button, if there is no Loop active, you store a Cue Point at the current playback position (the Hotcue button turns blue). If there is a Loop active, you store this Loop (the Hotcue button turns green).
In the waveform of the Deck, you can see that a vertical line with the same color appears in the track at the corresponding position. Moreover, a little number at the top reminds you which button you should use to jump to that Cue Point or Loop:
Fig. 5.17 – A waveform with a Cue Point stored as Hotcue 2 and a Loop stored as Hotcue 3.
If you made a mistake, or just decide you no longer want a particular Hotcue, you can quickly delete it:
1. Click on the respective Hotcue.
2. Click on the Trash button.
→
You can see that the button is no longer lit.
Creative Uses of Hotcues
Hotcues aren’t just bookmarks to particular sections of a track — they can also be used for creative techniques such as remixing parts of a song, beat-juggling, etc.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 64
As an example, we will show you here how you can quickly make use of a Loop stored in a
Hotcue slot to introduce the track you’re about to mix in. By the way, this will allow us to sum up what we’ve learned until now.
The track
Techno 2
is still loaded on Deck B. The track on Deck A is on air (crossfader at full left) and you want to prepare the track on Deck B for mixing in:
1. Start the playback of the track in Deck B and send it to your headphones by activating the Headphones Cue button of channel B.
2. Find an interesting Loop near the beginning of the track by using the controls in the
Loop section of Deck B.
3. Once you have a nice Loop running, store it by pressing an unlit Hotcue button.
4. Press the respective Hotcue button again to let the Loop start on a downbeat of the track in Deck A.
5. Now start to bring this Loop in your mix, for example by implementing the low-cut we explained in the previous tutorial (see chapter
5.4.9, Mixing In the Track by Using the Channel EQ and Filter
).
6. When you’re about to fade out the previous track completely, deactivate the Loop on the new track and you’re done.
The CUE Advanced Tab offers a lot more options.
Tutorials
Adding FX
5.7
Adding FX
The FX section of TRAKTOR (SCRATCH) DUO 2 is limited. It offers only 2 FX Units with fixed mixer channel assignments and only in Group mode. The overall number of FX is also re duced.
The FX section of TRAKTOR LE 2 only offers one Group FX per Deck and an even smaller amount of FX.
Now that we have seen the basics of playing tracks on the Decks and mixing them togeth er, let’s see how to add effects — or “FX” in the TRAKTOR terminology.
TRAKTOR has an extremely powerful effect section. By default, there are two different FX
Units in TRAKTOR, which can be assigned to any of the Decks.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 65
Fig. 5.18 – A FX Unit in Group mode
Fig. 5.19 – A FX Unit in Single mode
Prerequisites
TRAKTOR 2 now is in the following state:
▪
The track
Techno 2
is loaded on Deck B. The track is playing and audible and should be the tempo master.
▪
Deck A is stopped (if it’s not the case, press the Play button on the left Deck).
▪
The crossfader is all the way to the right.
5.7.1
Assigning a Deck to an FX Unit (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
We need to assign an FX Unit to a Deck. To do this, we use the FX Assign buttons:
Tutorials
Adding FX
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 66
Tutorials
Adding FX
Fig. 5.20 – The FX Assign buttons on each channel
Let’s assign the FX Unit 1 to Deck B:
►
Press the FX Assign button 1 on channel B to assign Deck B to the FX Unit 1.
Most commonly, you will assign one FX Unit to one channel (FX 1 to Deck A, FX 2 to Deck B, etc), but for this tutorial we wanted to demonstrate also TRAKTOR’s versatile FX assignment; you can assign any other channel to the same FX Unit as well. For example, if you want to apply these FX to the track loaded on Deck A, simply press the FX Assign button 1 also on
Deck A.
5.7.2
Group Mode
First we’ll look at Group mode. This mode allows up to three different FX to be used simul taneously in a single FX Unit. You see three different FX slots stacked on top of each other in the corresponding FX Unit.
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Tutorials
Adding FX
Fig. 5.21 – Group FX
5.7.3
Getting the FX Unit Ready
Per default, there are three effects loaded in both FX Units: Delay, Reverb, and Flanger.
►
Choose which of the three loaded effects you want to activate by pressing the corre sponding FX ON Button:
→
The FX Button lights up and activates the respective effect.
►
Turn the DRY/WET knob to mix between the unprocessed (“dry”) and the processed
(“wet”) signal. Slowly turn the DRY/WET knob clockwise to bring in more of the FX and turn it counter-clockwise to reduce the FX:
→
You now hear the track on Deck B being processed by the FX Unit 2.
Of course, you can use all three effects together — simply activate all three buttons.
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Tutorials
Adding FX
5.7.4
Controlling the FX Unit
You can control each FX in this FX Unit by turning the respective FX Knob:
Fig. 5.22 – The FX Knobs
►
Play around with the FX Knobs 1-3 and listen to the result on the audio.
Changing the FX in a Slot
You can load another FX in each slot. Let’s switch the first FX slot to the Gater:
TRAKTOR LE 2 does not have the Gater effect.
→
You will hear now the Gater cutting the audio at regular intervals. If the effect is not audible, make sure the D/W knob is at least set to 50%.
Tempo-synchronized FX
Now try the following:
►
Set the FX Knob to various positions and listen to the resulting effect on the audio.
→
You’ll notice that the gating effect stays synchronized to the beat because its tempo follows the tempo master.
You can check this by raising the tempo of the Deck which is currently set as tempo master — you will hear the track playing faster and the Gater following.
5.7.5
Single Mode (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
You can also switch each FX Unit to Single mode. Instead of multiple FX with one parame ter each, Single mode will give you one FX but with much more control over its parame ters.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 69
This time, we will do it on FX Unit 2:
►
Press the FX Assign button 1 on channel B to remove the FX assignment.
►
Press FX Assign button 2 on channel B to assign Deck B to the FX Unit 2.
→
The FX Knobs and Buttons will give you access to each of the advanced parameters for that particular FX. At any time, you can press the RST Button to reset the parameters to their default value. As in Group mode, the D/W knob allows you to adjust the balance be tween the unprocessed (dry) signal and the processed (wet) signal.
5.7.6
Storing a Snapshot
If you find yourself making the same settings to the FX each time and would like to set a default state for the FX parameters, simply do the following:
1. Adjust the FX Knobs and Buttons to your liking.
2. Press the Snapshot button (floppy disk icon) to store these settings as snapshot.
Tutorials
Adding FX
→
The next time you press the RST Button with this FX loaded, its parameters will assume the values you stored.
Fig. 5.23 - The RST button
5.8
Using Samples in Your Mix (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
TRAKTOR 2 introduces new functionality to TRAKTOR: Sample Decks!
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Tutorials
Using Samples in Your Mix (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
Fig. 5.24 – The Sample Deck C with loaded samples.
Sample Decks are a great way to add one-shot or looped samples to your set, or capture loops for on-the-fly remixing. You can also use the Sample Decks to build new tracks on the fly by layering up to 8 clips on top of each other.
Note that the tempo of looped samples follows the tempo master while the tempo of one-shot samples will not be altered.
Prerequisites
TRAKTOR 2 now is in the following state:
▪
The track
Techno 2
is loaded on Deck B. The track is audibly playing and is the tempo master. In TRAKTOR 2, you can see that the two upper Decks (A and B) are Track
Decks whereas the two lower Decks (C and D) are Sample Decks.
▪
Deck A is stopped (if it’s not the case, press the Play button on the left Deck).
▪
The crossfader is all the way to the right.
5.8.1
Loading a Sample from the Collection
You can load samples of 32 beats or less directly from TRAKTOR’s Track Collection.
1. Click on the Playlist called
Demo One-Shots from your Favorites.
2. Click on the sample named
SFX Gold 1
in the Playlist to select it.
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Tutorials
Using Samples in Your Mix (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
3. Drag it onto the first Sample Slot of Deck C (the left Sample Deck).
→
The sample is now loaded and ready to play. The Sample Deck C now holds the sample in its first Sample Slot.
5.8.2
Triggering the Sample
Triggering the sample is simple:
1. Press the Sample Play button to start the sample.
2. Press the Sample Play button again to stop the sample and skip back to start.
If you let the sample play, it is played all the way once then playback stops. This is be cause the sample is in One-shot mode which is indicated by the little blue arrow in the top right corner of the Sample Slot in TRAKTOR 2:
Fig. 5.25 – The sample SFX Gold 1 in One-shot mode
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Tutorials
Using Samples in Your Mix (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
When you click on this little blue arrow, it turns into a little green loop. The sample is now in Looped mode. In Looped mode, you can control its playback as follows:
►
Press the Sample Play button to start the playback.
→
The sample is played in loop.
►
Press the Sample Play button again to stop the sample and skip back to start.
In case you don’t hear the playing (unmuted) sample, check that channel C’s fader is raised.
Also, the crossfader must be set somewhere on the left. Indeed, all this happens on Deck C
(which is a Sample Deck); hence, your sample’s signal is controlled by channel C on the Mix er.
5.8.3
Grabbing a Sample from a Track
We have seen how you can load samples directly into one of the Sample Decks using
TRAKTOR’s Browser, but here’s an even cooler performance feature:
►
Check that the track Techno 2 is still playing on Deck B. If the playback has reached the end of the track, press the Skip Back to Start button, alternatively press [Shift]+G on your computer keyboard.
►
Make sure that Snap mode is activated in the Main panel of the Global section.
1. Set a Loop in this track using the controls in the Loop section as described in chapter
2. Click on the header of Deck B, where you can read the track’s name ( Techno 2 ) and drag it onto Sample Slot 2.
→
This automatically grabs the current Loop playing on Track Deck B and loads it into the second Sample Slot of the Sample Deck D underneath:
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 73
Tutorials
Using Samples in Your Mix (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
Fig. 5.26 – We just exported the active Loop from Deck B to the 2nd Sample Slot on Deck D.
→
The loop is now silently playing in the Sample Deck D. Furthermore, provided that Snap is active, the loop is in perfect sync with Track Deck B, above, which is our current tempo master.
►
Click on the Sample Play button to stop and reset the sample, then click it again to start the sample playing audibly.
As previously described, you can switch the sample playback mode between Looped and Oneshot mode by clicking on the little green loop / blue arrow in the top right corner of the Sam ple Slot. The Sample Play button’s behavior changes accordingly.
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Tutorials
Using Samples in Your Mix (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
Now you can load a different track onto Deck B, but you will still have the loop from the original song stored on the Sample Deck D to be retriggered at any time. It’s great for cap turing loops on the fly and using them to build an alternate mix.
If the Deck you copied from wasn’t playing a Loop when you pressed the Sample Play but ton, it will still grab audio from the source Deck, but will instead take it from the current playback position. The loop will automatically be cut to the length of the current loop size
(grey-shaded Auto Loop button).
►
Grab a few samples from various places from the track in Deck B and play around to get used to the basic playback controls that we described above.
5.8.4
More Sample Controls
Once you have a sample loaded on one of the Sample Decks, you can change its sound utilizing a number of controls. There's more that you can perform on your samples than is described here, but we will at least show you some of the available functions:
▪
With the Sample Volume knob (speaker symbol), you can adjust the volume of the sample in that specific slot.
▪
With the Sample Filter knob ( F ), you can apply a lowpass/highpass filter on the sample in that specific slot.
▪
With the Gain knob in the associated Mixer channel, you can raise or lower the volume of all samples in that Deck at once.
▪
With the FILTER knob in the associated Mixer channel, you can apply a lowpass/high pass filter on all samples in that Deck at once.
▪
With the FX Assign buttons in the associated Mixer channel, you can assign an FX Unit on all samples in that Deck at once.
▪
With the EQ knobs in the associated Mixer channel, you can shape the sound of all samples in that Deck at once.
In TRAKTOR (SCRATCH) DUO 2 there are no individual Sample Volume and Sample Filter ( F ) knobs.
Once you transfer a Loop into one of the Sample Slots, this Loop becomes part of your Track
Collection and will be available to you at any time later simply by browsing the Collection — for example, you will find it in the All Samples node.
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Tutorials
Using the Loop Recorder (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
Sample Hotkeys
Much more versatile than using the mouse is the use of Keyboard Hotkeys. One single key stroke can trigger the following actions:
▪
If the slot is empty, a sample is loaded from the Deck above it.
▪
If the sample is playing, but muted, it gets unmuted.
▪
If the sample is playing unmuted, it gets muted.
▪
If the sample is stopped, it starts playing.
▪
If the sample is playing, press and hold the key to stop and reset the sample.
The Hotkeys for the individual Sample Slots from left to right are on Deck C: [Z]/[X]/[C]/[V]
– and on Deck D: [B]/[N]/[M]/[<].
Please note that these are the Hotkey mappings for an English keyboard layout. In case of a non-English keyboard layout, the key labeling will vary.
Unloading a Sample
If at any time you’d like to clear the contents in one of the slots of a Sample Deck, simply press [Ctrl] + [Z], [X], [C] or [V] for sample deck C and [Ctrl] + [B], [N], [M] or [<] for Sam ple Deck D – and it’s gone.
→
The Sample Play button turns back off.
5.9
Using the Loop Recorder (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
Earlier we saw how you can use Sample Decks as a means for triggering one-shot and looped samples. This is all based upon existing audio material. The Loop Recorder, on the other hand, allows you to record new material on the fly!
Fig. 5.27 – The Loop Recorder
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 76
Tutorials
Using the Loop Recorder (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
You could, for example, capture the signal from the microphone input of your soundcard
(or mixer), record your scratching in real time, or just record a few bars of a particular track while tweaking the FX settings.
Prerequisites
TRAKTOR 2 now is in the following state:
▪
The track
Techno 2
is still loaded on Deck B. The track is audibly playing and set as tempo master. Deck A is stopped.
▪
The crossfader is all the way to the right.
▪
FX Unit 2 is in Single mode, assigned to Deck B, and loaded with your favorite FX. The effect, however, should be turned off ( ON button deactivated).
5.9.1
Choosing a Source
The Loop Recorder can capture the input from several sources. You can choose the de sired source by clicking on the Source menu (the drop-down menu directly under the Loop
Recorder’s DRY/WET knob):
Fig. 5.28 – The Loop Recorder’s Source menu in TRAKTOR 2
In this menu, you have following choices:
▪ Main
will record TRAKTOR’s overall signal.
▪ Cue
will record any channel(s) whose Headphones Cue button is on.
▪ Ext
picks up the signal assigned to TRAKTOR’s Input Send channel.
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Tutorials
Using the Loop Recorder (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
▪
Aux
will pick up the signal assigned to TRAKTOR’s Aux channel — typically the micro phone input (for more info on how to use a microphone, please see chapter
).
If you’re using TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO/DUO 2 and are therefore in External Mixing mode, the only available option is Ext.
For our example, we’ll capture the main output:
►
Select Main in the Source menu.
5.9.2
Recording a Loop
Let’s now record a loop.
Adjusting the Loop Size
Before we start recording, we need to specify the size of the loop we are going to record:
►
Press the SIZE button repeatedly to cycle through loop record sizes (in beats).
You can see the current loop size at the top of the Loop Recorder. For our example, we’ll choose a loop of 4 beats:
Fig. 5.29 – The selected loop size is displayed in the software.
Starting the Recording
Now do the following:
1. Cut the low and mid frequencies on channel B by turning the LO and MID knobs fully counter-clockwise.
2. Turn the DRY/WET knob of the Loop Recorder fully clockwise.
3. When you’re ready, press the Record button.
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Tutorials
Using the Loop Recorder (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
Fig. 5.30 - Play and Record buttons in the Loop Recorder
→
The Loop Recorder will punch in (Record button lit) and out (Record button back off) according to the selected loop size and then begin playing (Play button lit). That’s all!
You can hear that our adjustments to the EQ are now part of the recording.
You’ll notice that the loop automatically started playing when it finished recording. If you don’t want this to happen, just push the Play button during recording. Now the loop will only trigger when you explicitly tell it to.
Playing with the Recorded Loop
You can control the balance between the looped recording and the main output using the
Loop Recorder’s DRY/WET knob:
Fig. 5.31 – The Loop Recorder’s DRY/WET knob
You can stop and start again the recorded loop by using the Play button. By doing this, you’ll notice the following:
▪
The Loop Recorder always stays in sync the current tempo master, which is Deck B at the moment in our example.
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Tutorials
Using the Loop Recorder (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
▪
You don’t have to bother with the DRY/WET knob position when stopping the Loop Re corder. When you stop the Loop Recorder, the DRY/WET knob is automatically bypassed regardless of its current position. This ensures a seamless transition with the main sig nal at its original level.
Deleting the Loop and Trying Again
If you don’t like what you hear and want to try again:
►
Press the DEL button when the Loop Recorder is stopped (when the Loop Recorder is playing, the button is hidden).
→
Now the recording has been cleared and you can try again.
For example, you could try again to record a loop from the track on Deck B, this time while tweaking the FX loaded on the FX Unit 2:
1. Turn channel B’s EQ knobs back to neutral position.
2. Press the Record button on the Loop Recorder and tweak the FX knobs and buttons of the FX Unit 2.
Since the Loop Recorder records the audio (including any processing by the FX), you can create brand new loops from your existing tracks!
5.9.3
Overdubbing
You can also dub over the current recorded loop, building additional recorded layers on the fly. To do this:
►
Press the Record button while the Loop Recorder is already playing an existing loop, perform your tweaks, scratches, or vocals, and press it again to exit overdubbing.
→
The new audio will then be added to the existing loop.
►
If you don’t like the overdub, just hit UNDO and it will clear your last overdub and you can try it again.
►
If you hit UNDO once more, it will act as a “redo” and bring back the overdub.
►
If you want to completely clear all the contents of the Loop Recorder, just press DEL while the Loop Recorder is stopped.
5.9.4
Further Uses of the Recorded Loop
One of the great things about the Loop Recorder is that you can use it to record loops that you can then transfer to the Sample Decks. This is how it works:
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Tutorials
Synchronization
►
Click on the Loop Length display of the Loop Recorder and drag the loop from there to an empty Sample Slot.
→
Now the loop has been stored in a Sample Slot, and you can record a new loop into the
Loop Recorder if you like.
→
Moreover, your loop now has access to all sample-related features provided by the Sam ple Deck.
→
Last but not least, the loop is automatically added to your Collection and can be reused whenever you want to!
5.10 Synchronization
It is now time to give a closer look at the advanced synchronization features offered by
TRAKTOR. Once you will get more familiar with them, you will be able to use these power ful tools to build rich and complex mixes.
5.10.1 Introduction
In the previous tutorials, we have already seen TRAKTOR’s synchronization facilities many times in action:
▪
We synchronized a track to the previous one before we mixed it in (see chapter
).
▪
We played with Loops and jumped to Cue Points without losing the beat (see chapter
▪
We noticed that the Gater FX was synchronized to the track it was processing (see
▪
We grabbed a sample from a track and it played in sync with the track (see chapter
5.8, Using Samples in Your Mix (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2) ).
▪
We recorded a loop in the Loop Recorder and it played in sync with the track (see
5.9, Using the Loop Recorder (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
).
5.10.2 The Tempo Master
Note that, in TRAKTOR 2, the syncing concept has been extended and improved so TRAKTOR
SCRATCH PRO/DUO 2 users can also take full advantage of sync-lock when using Timecode
Vinyl or CD control!
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Tutorials
Synchronization
For all this to work, TRAKTOR needs both a tempo and beat reference to which it can syn chronize things. We call this reference source the tempo master. The tempo master doesn’t have to be the same source throughout the entirety of your mix, but there will always be one source designated as the tempo master — and only one.
For example, by activating SYNC on a Track Deck, you are saying to TRAKTOR: “Synchronize the track on this Deck with the current tempo master.” Samples playing in Looped mode on a
Sample Deck, as well as loops recorded in the Loop Recorder, always play in sync with the current tempo master.
In TRAKTOR, the Master Clock or any Track Deck can be the tempo master:
▪
TRAKTOR’s Master Clock can provide a tempo and a tick (which can be used for beatgridding).
▪
A Track Deck can provide the tempo and the phase from the track that it is currently playing.
TRAKTOR (SCRATCH) DUO 2 and TRAKTOR LE 2 users only have the option to set a Deck as tempo master.
Who’s the Master?
You can build your mix using various Deck setups: you can mix with two Track Decks only, or make use of the lower Sample Decks (default setup), or even replace the Sample Decks with another two Track Decks.
Depending on your preferred way of DJing and Deck setup, you will have different needs and perspectives for choosing your tempo master. We will describe here the various use cases.
What’s New in the New Synching Concept?
Up until now, if you had synced a track to another, the phase has always been synced as well. TRAKTOR 2 now decouples the phase-syncing from the tempo-synching. In other words, SYNC doesn’t get deactivated when shifting the phase of a Deck.
This concept allows all users, including the TRAKTOR SCRATCH users, to keep their tracks tempo-matched, thus enabling them to raise the tempo of two or more tracks simul taneously, even if their phases are shifted!
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Tutorials
Synchronization
What Is Synced and What Is Not?
Basically, samples playing in Looped mode and time-evolving FX are always automatically synced to the current tempo master.
On the other hand, for each Track Deck, you can decide whether to use the automatic sync or not, such as if you want to beat-match the track manually (see tutorial in chapter
Mixing In a Second Track ) or if you don’t want any beat-matching at all for that track.
Letting TRAKTOR Decide for You: the Auto Mode
In TRAKTOR (SCRATCH) DUO 2 and TRAKTOR LE 2, Auto mode is turned on by default.
However, you can change the tempo master manually by clicking on the respective MASTER but ton of a Deck. The Master Clock panel however is disabled.
Let’s first give a look at TRAKTOR’s Master Clock:
►
Click on the metronome icon at the top left of the window to show the Master Clock panel:
Fig. 5.32 – The Master Clock panel in TRAKTOR 2
In this Master Clock panel, you see the activated AUTO button, meaning that TRAKTOR is in Auto mode.
Auto mode is activated by default, and this the mode we used in all the previous tutorials.
With AUTO activated, TRAKTOR automatically switches the tempo master between Track
Decks in the following situations:
▪
When the Track Deck set as tempo master is stopped.
▪
When you load a new track onto it.
This way, you don’t have to worry about setting the tempo master yourself during your mix.
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Tutorials
Synchronization
Should there be no other Track Deck playing, the Master Clock would become the tempo mas ter, thus keeping in sync any FX and/or looped samples still on air!
You can check this by doing the following:
►
Stop any playing Deck.
→
The MASTER button in the Master Clock panel lights up, indicating that the Master Clock is currently the tempo master:
1. Load two tracks in Deck A and B.
2. Start the playback in Deck A.
→
Deck A now is the tempo master: the MASTER button in the Master Clock panel turns back off, whereas the MASTER button in the left Deck Display lights up:
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Tutorials
Synchronization
1. Start the playback on Deck B and beat-match the track on Deck B with that on Deck A
(whether manually or via automatic sync).
2. Stop Deck A.
→
Deck B now is the tempo master: the MASTER button on the left Deck Display turns off, whereas that of the right Deck lights up:
If you play sets with two Decks only, or if you prefer to do your beat-matching manually, the Auto mode might be for you: it guarantees that each new track in the mix sets the tem po reference, and all FX and looped samples on Sample Decks will synchronize to it cor rectly — without being constrained to a single tempo.
If you’d like to do a combination of manual and synced beat-matching, again leave the
AUTO button engaged and enable the SYNC button for individual Decks as needed:
▪
If SYNC is enabled, the new Deck inherits the tempo from the previous tempo master.
▪
If SYNC is disabled, the new track plays at its own individual tempo.
Note that you can also manually set a particular Deck as tempo master:
►
To manually set a Track Deck as tempo master, simply click the Deck’s MASTER button.
Using the Master Clock as Tempo Master (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
If you run beat-mixed sets with more than 2 Decks, possibly along with synchronized loop ed samples, you should use the Master Clock as tempo master. The Master Clock will al ways give you a solid tempo reference that will not change unless you want it to. Also, if you intend to only do beat-synced transitions and would like to stay within the same gener al BPM range throughout your set, this is the ideal mode to use. To set it up, do as fol lows:
1. In TRAKTOR’s Master Clock panel, deactivate the AUTO button.
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Tutorials
Synchronization
2. Click the MASTER button in the Master Clock panel to set it as the tempo master. The
Master Clock panel should now looks like this:
3. Now activate sync on all Decks by pressing the respective SYNC buttons.
This way, all Decks will instantly follow the Master Clock’s tempo. You can then set the
Master Clock’s tempo to the tempo you intend for your set via the numeric field to the right of the MASTER button (see picture above):
►
Change the Master Clock’s tempo by clicking the displayed BPM value and dragging your mouse vertically while holding the mouse button depressed (of course you can also assign raising or lowering the tempo to a keyboard hotkey or MIDI control).
→
You can see the tempos on every Deck changing accordingly.
As in Auto mode, you can change the tempo master at any time by pressing MASTER on the desired Deck.
Setting TRAKTOR’s Master Clock as tempo master is now recommended for all TRAKTOR ver sions, including the Scratch versions, because the phase is now handled separately from the synchronization. This means, even with Timecode Vinyl or CDs, you can tempo-lock tracks and you’re still able to tweak the phase through nudging and scratching!
5.10.3 The Beat Grid
A Track Deck can serve as a reliable tempo master only if its song’s tempo was precisely determined during automatic analysis. If not, the “reference” provided by the Deck would not be correct. Tracks are analyzed by TRAKTOR in order to determine the BPM (tempo) as well as the position of the beats (“transients”). Using this information, TRAKTOR cre ates the so-called Beat Grid which provides the phase-reference for synchronization.
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Tutorials
Synchronization
Fig. 5.33 – A track's waveform with Grid Marker (1) and the Beat Grid (indicated by the white vertical segments, 2).
The track’s Beat Grid is not only important when a Track Deck is set as tempo master, but also when you want this Track Deck to be synchronized with the current tempo master, whichever it may be.
The included demo tracks used in the tutorials were previously analyzed and have a reliable
Beat Grid. Before you can effectively use the synchronization facilities on your own tracks, you will have to analyze and beat-grid them as well. By default, this is done automatically when you load a track for the first time in a Deck, but this may not be good enough for all tracks, therefore you can adjust the Beat Grid manually.
5.10.4 Other Useful Tools for Synching
Lastly, we would like to quickly mention here three other interesting features related to synchronization: the Snap and Quantize modes, and the Keylock function.
Snap and Quantize Modes
As you probably remember, we already mentioned Snap and Quantize in the tutorial in chapter
. They are other important tools that can help with synchronizing your tracks:
▪
The Snap mode ensures that any Loop or Cue Point you set in a track will snap to the closest beat.
▪
The Quantize mode ensures that any jump you make within the track will retain the phase sync — may you jump to a Loop, a Cue Point, or a beat without worry.
Click on the S and Q buttons in the Global section to enable/disable Snap and Quantize modes:
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Tutorials
Synchronization
Fig. 5.34 – The S and Q buttons allow you to activate/deactivate Snap and Quantize mode, respectively.
Depending on what you are about to do, you can decide to enable or disable them at any time. Here are a few examples:
▪
If you want to set a Loop starting directly on a beat, activate Snap and press an Auto
Loop button around the desired beat.
▪
On the contrary, should you wish to set a Cue Point at the beginning of some backing vocals that don’t necessarily start on the beat, deactivate Snap before pressing an unlit
Hotcue button.
▪
If you’re about to mix in a synched track and want the downbeats of both tracks to per fectly match, activate the Quantize button before you press Play (or some Hotcue but ton).
▪
On the other hand, if you want to jam around with a sample loaded on a Sample Deck and make some stutter-like effects by pressing the corresponding Hotcue button re peatedly, you might prefer to deactivate Quantize to create repetitions shorter than one beat.
Locking the Key of Your Tracks
When synchronizing tracks, you alter their tempo and, consequently, their pitch (or key).
Slowing down a track will cause its pitch to drop while speeding up the track will cause its pitch to rise. For small tempo adjustments, this is not really serious. But when the tempo is changed more drastically, the resulting pitch shift might get problematic: kick sounds would lose their power, vocals would sound unnatural and silly, etc.
To avoid this, TRAKTOR 2 provides you with a Keylock feature, which uncouples the pitch
(key) and the tempo (BPM) of a track:
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Tutorials
Synchronization
1. Load two tracks with quite different tempos on Deck A and B. (The default value range for TRAKTOR’s tempo fader is +/-8 % — therefore the tracks should not exceed a tempo range difference of 8 %, otherwise you can’t sync them manually. However, you can choose a bigger tempo range via
Preferences > Transport > Tempo
)
2. Start the playback on both Decks and synchronize Deck B to Deck A. You can clearly hear how the key of the track on Deck B changed.
3. Now press the Keylock button in Deck B. This activates the Keylock on that Deck.
→
The key of the track goes back to its original pitch, thus preserving most of its acoustic feeling. In the Mixer, the Keylock indicator lights up to remind you that the Keylock is ac tive on that Deck:
If you activate the Keylock button in the Mixer, the current key will be preserved. Use the KEY knob to change the key which can allow you to harmonically mix into a track in another Deck.
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Using TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO / DUO 2
Calibration
6 Using TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO / DUO 2
This chapter is only of relevance for you if are using either TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2 or
TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO 2 with Timecode Vinyl or CD control. It serves only as short in troduction to the TRAKTOR SCRATCH functionality.
We assume that your TRAKTOR SCRATCH system is up and running and the audio routing is correct. Since TRAKTOR SCRATCH 2 introduces automated interface detection, this shouldn’t have been something to worry about. But if you ran into problems, please refer to the Setup
Guide.
6.1
Calibration
The calibration process is performed automatically when you put the needle on the Control
Record or play the Control CD for the first time. TRAKTOR will detect position and tempo of the Timecode source along with the signal quality. If the signal is good, the signal meter fills up completely, the scope will show two nice circles, and your Timecode medium will be detected. If you have a track loaded on the associated Deck, it will start playing.
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Using TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO / DUO 2
Tracking Modes
Fig. 6.1 - A nicely shaped Scope and a fully lit Timecode meter
If your scope looks different or if the calibration failed, please refer to chapter
TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO/DUO 2 Troubleshooting for troubleshooting.
6.2
Tracking Modes
The following sections describe how the Timecode will be interpreted.
6.2.1
Absolute Tracking Mode
Absolute Tracking mode links the absolute position of the needle on the record - or the laser on the CD - to the playback position of your track.
►
Click the button with the representation of a record and a tonearm to activate Absolute
Tracking mode.
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Using TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO / DUO 2
Tracking Modes
In this mode, you can skip through the track by placing the needle at another position (“nee dle-dropping”) or by seeking to a new location on your CD player.
6.2.2
Relative Tracking Mode
In Relative Tracking mode, the actual position on the Control Vinyl/CD doesn’t correspond with the position in the track. You still have manual control over the track, such as scratching and nudging, but you will notice that the track stays at the same position when you lift the needle and place it somewhere else on the Control Vinyl (or if you seek to a new location on the Control CD).
►
Press the button with the representation of a record without tonearm to activate Rela tive Tracking mode.
Relative Tracking mode is activated automatically when entering a loop or when synching a track to the tempo master.
6.2.3
Internal Playback Mode
Internal Playback means that you control playback on the Deck via the Play button and the
Tempo fader in TRAKTOR — the external turntable or CD player is ignored in this mode.
This comes in handy in case of a hardware problem or if you’re using only one turntable or CD player to control two or more Decks.
6.3
Relevant Related Preferences
We will only explain a few of TRAKTOR’s relevant Timecode Preferences in the following sections.
To open the Preferences, click on the Preferences button in the upper-right corner:
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Using TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO / DUO 2
Relevant Related Preferences
Fig. 6.2 - The Preferences button
Preferences > Audio Setup > Win Built-In (Fallback Option)
Windows only: Here you can define an audio device that TRAKTOR SCRATCH 2 uses as a default when no TRAKTOR AUDIO series soundcard (i.e., an AUDIO 4 DJ or an AUDIO 8
DJ, or a TRAKTOR AUDIO 6 or AUDIO 10) is attached to your computer. In this case, you may also use Internal Playback mode — click on the Deck’s letter to open its context menu and choose
Internal Playback
.
This comes in handy when you’re on an airplane and want to prepare tracks for your next gig!
Preferences > Timecode Setup > Switch to Absolute Mode in Lead-In
When this option is active, you can switch from Relative Tracking mode to Absolute Track ing mode without touching the computer:
►
On vinyl, put the needle to the beginning of the record
►
On CD, skip to track number 1
Preferences > Decks > Platter/Scope and > Tempo Fader (TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
Here you can turn on and off the Scopes and the Tempo faders for each Deck.
To minimize and maximize activated Scopes, click on the small arrow above the Timecode
Meter.
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Using TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO / DUO 2
TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO/DUO 2 Troubleshooting
Fig. 6.3 - Minimize/Maximize Scope button
Preferences > Loading > Duplicate Deck when Loading Same Track
Imagine a track running in a Loop in Deck A. If you load the same track in Deck B, the playback position starts exactly at the playback position of Deck A when this preference is enabled. The activated Loop and all tempo information will also be duplicated. Turntab lists prefer to have this option activated for faster access to manual beat-juggle actions.
6.4
TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO/DUO 2 Troubleshooting
This chapter only describes a few common issues when using Timecode. Find more trou bleshooting tips in chapter
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Using TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO / DUO 2
TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO/DUO 2 Troubleshooting
6.4.1
Calibration Troubleshooting
In case of calibration problems, the Scope view provides valuable feedback about what is going wrong. In the following sections we will show the scope of a successful calibration and the most common error messages.
Successful Calibration
Fig. 6.4 – Nicely shaped Scope.
Two nicely shaped circles indicate that both channels are present and that the calibration procedure was successful.
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Using TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO / DUO 2
TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO/DUO 2 Troubleshooting
Scratch Disabled
Fig. 6.5 – Scratch disabled.
Please make sure that you have chosen the right audio driver, i.e. an audio interface that supports TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO/DUO 2, e.g., TRAKTOR AUDIO 6/10 or AUDIO 4/8 DJ in
Preferences > Audio Routing
.
Missing Channel
Fig. 6.6 – A missing channel.
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Using TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO / DUO 2
TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO/DUO 2 Troubleshooting
If your Scope shows a vertical or horizontal line, it indicates that an input channel, either the left or right, is missing. You should check your cartridges and turntable or CD player connections first, then proceed with the Input Routing Preferences, then check all other cables and devices. Swap the components of your setup one after the other and observe if the missing channel follows the components (this would indicate a problem with the ac tual component).
Wrong Input Mode
If you are using Control Vinyls but the audio interface’s setting is CD/Line or vice versa, the calibration also fails. Please make sure to select the input mode that matches your timecode medium.
Fig. 6.7 – Timecode vinyl with CD input mode.
This is how the Scope looks if you’re trying to use Control Vinyl while the inputs of the audio interface are set to CD/Line mode.
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Using TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO / DUO 2
TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO/DUO 2 Troubleshooting
Fig. 6.8 – Timecode CD with Timecode Vinyl input mode.
This is how the Scope looks if you’re trying to use Timecode CDs while the setting of the audio interface is on Timecode Vinyl.
6.4.2
Audio Troubleshooting
In case you run into sound problems like crackles and interruptions, you should have a look at chapter
first for general performance improvement tips. The following tips are specific for TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO/DUO 2 and its audio interfaces.
►
Is your SCRATCH Certified audio interface chosen as sound card in Preferences > Au dio Setup?
►
Go to Preferences > Input Routing and verify the assignments of the interface inputs to
TRAKTOR’s Input Channels. The meters should show activity when a Timecode medium is played back.
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Customizing TRAKTOR 2
7 Customizing TRAKTOR 2
TRAKTOR 2 is a highly customizable DJ system. Many of its features can be modified so that it best suits your preferred way of DJing. Customizable features include audio configu ration, Decks, Mixer, transport controls, overall software layout, FX, Browser, and file man agement, to mention a few.
The Preferences Window
Most customization options in TRAKTOR 2 occur in the Preferences window.
In TRAKTOR (SCRATCH) DUO 2 and TRAKTOR LE 2 only a selection of Preferences are avail able.
Fig. 7.1 – The Preferences button at the top right of TRAKTOR's window
►
Click the Preferences button located in the right part of the Header to open the Prefer ences of TRAKTOR 2.
Alternatively, you can select
File > Preferences…
from the Application Menu Bar (not visible in
Fullscreen mode).
In the Preferences window, the settings are organized into various pages, each of them dealing with a specific part of your system. We will discuss here only a few important Pref erences.
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Customizing TRAKTOR 2
Fig. 7.2 – The list of available pages at the left of the Preferences window
1. To display a particular page of settings, click on the page name in the left column.
2. Adjust the settings according to your needs.
3. Once you have modified the desired settings, click Close at the bottom of the Preferen ces window to confirm your modifications or click Cancel to discard them.
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Customizing TRAKTOR 2
Routing
7.1
Routing
Choosing a Mixing Mode (Output Routing)
You can choose Internal or External Mixing mode via
Preferences > Output Routing > Mixing
Mode
.
Choose Internal Mixing mode, if:
▪
You’re using TRAKTOR’s internal software Mixer
▪
You’re using a MIDI controller that substitutes an analog mixer
Choose External Mixing mode, if:
▪
You’re using an analog mixer
You can use a MIDI controller along with an analog mixer, too, in order to control FX, Sample
Decks, etc.
If you’re using a Native Instruments audio interface, the output routing will be done auto matically. If you’re using another manufacturer’s audio interface, or in case you want to change your output routing manually for some reason, you’ll find the necessary options here.
Adjusting the Input Routing
Native Instruments’ audio interfaces are perfectly tailored for a use with TRAKTOR 2.
Their audio inputs can be routed to the desired locations in TRAKTOR 2, according to your current setup and needs. You can define the input routing via
Preferences > Input Routing
.
7.2
Switching the Deck Flavors (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
As explained in chapter
3.2.4, Decks , all Decks can be individually switched between
different flavors: Track Deck, Sample Deck or Live Input.
►
You can change the Deck Flavor on the Decks directly: click on the Deck letter of the respective Deck and choose your desired Deck Flavor from the context menu.
If you activate one or two Live Inputs for using external audio sources on the corresponding channel(s) of the Mixer, make sure to set the audio input routing accordingly.
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Customizing TRAKTOR 2
Effects (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
7.3
Effects (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
TRAKTOR 2 provides you with a total of four FX Units. By default, the first two FX Units are activated. You can activate the other two FX Units via
Preferences > Effects > FX Unit
Routing
:
Fig. 7.3 – The FX Unit Selector in the FX Unit Routing section
►
To activate all four FX Units, click 4 FX Units in the FX Unit Selector.
New Effects
TRAKTOR 2 offers four new FX to experiment with: Tape Delay, Ramp Delay, Bouncer, and
Autobouncer.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 102
►
Select them via the FX Selector.
Customizing TRAKTOR 2
Effects (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
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Customizing TRAKTOR 2
Adjusting TRAKTOR’s Look (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
►
Add or delete them from your personalized list of FX via Preferences > Effects > FX Pre-
Selection.
7.4
Adjusting TRAKTOR’s Look (TRAKTOR PRO 2 / SCRATCH PRO 2 Only)
TRAKTOR’s Preferences offer a lot of options to customize “your” TRAKTOR to your lik ings. We’ll describe the most important in the following sections.
Decks
You can switch the Deck Flavor via
Preferences > Decks
but that’s not all — this is also the right place to turn on/off the Tempo fader , Scopes, or Advanced Tabs .
Another neat feature are the options in Deck Heading . Here you can customize the 3x3 fields of the Deck Heading and select which info you want to have displayed or hidden.
Browser Details
You don’t need the Preview Player or the Cover view? Turn them off via
Preferences > Brows er Details
. Here you can also choose the font and size for the text in TRAKTOR’s Browser.
If you want to turn on/off some of the Browser columns, you can easily do this: right-click
(Windows) or [Ctrl]-click (Mac OS X) on the Browser’s Headline and select/deselect the de sired columns from the list.
Wave Display
You can choose from four different color schemes for TRAKTOR 2’s new wave display via
Preferences > Decks > Miscellaneous
. Here you can also choose your personal default wave form zoom or the visibility of the Beat Grid.
7.5
MIDI and Mappings (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
TRAKTOR 2 offers default mappings for a lot of common controllers. To load an existing mapping:
1. Open the
Preferences > Controller Manager
.
2. Click on Add > Import .
3. Open
Default Settings > Controller
.
4. Choose the respective controller from the available options.
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Customizing TRAKTOR 2
Profiles and Backup (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
Proceed similarly if you want to load other settings like keyboard mappings or layouts. They are all stored in the Default Settings folder.
These default mappings are the easiest way to start with TRAKTOR 2 and a controller.
However, you can create your own mappings and adjust everything to your likings via
Pref erences > Controller Manager
.
7.6
Profiles and Backup (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
Once you have adjusted all your Preferences to your likings and even created a personal
MIDI or keyboard mapping, you can export this information to a so-called Profile:
1. Open the Preferences.
2. Click on Export .
3. Check/Uncheck the settings you want to export.
4. In the following dialog, choose a folder on your hard disk and type in a name.
5. Click
Save to confirm the export.
A Profile can serve in the following situations:
▪
You have to use TRAKTOR 2 on another computer.
▪
You have to re-install your operating system.
We strongly recommend you backup your whole TRAKTOR 2 folder from time to time since it also contains the Track Collection file. Assuming you left everything in the default paths, you can find your TRAKTOR 2 folder here:
▪
Windows:
My Documents\Native Instruments\Traktor 2.x.x
▪
Mac OS X:
User:Documents:Native Instruments:Traktor 2.x.x
You can restore a Profile in the following way:
1. Open the Preferences.
2. Click on Import .
3. Choose the respective Profile file.
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The Setup Wizard
8 The Setup Wizard
Depending on your TRAKTOR software flavor (SCRATCH, DUO, LE, etc.) the Setup Wizard may not offer all shown screens or selections.
The Setup Wizard is a convenient way to restart with a fresh “out-of-the-box” TRAKTOR 2 setup. The Setup Wizard does two things:
▪
It lets you choose from a few basic Audio, MIDI, and general setup configurations and automatically sets the available options accordingly.
▪
It resets all other TRAKTOR 2 settings to their default values.
You can start the Setup Wizard in two ways:
►
Select Start Setup Wizard in the Help menu of the Application Menu Bar (to see this bar, Fullscreen mode must be deactivated).
or
►
Click the Setup Wizard button at the bottom left corner of the Preferences window.
►
Select the desired configurations and click Finish to confirm your choices (or Cancel to leave the Setup Wizard without changing anything).
→
The Setup Wizard activates the selected configurations, configures the audio routing options accordingly, and resets all other TRAKTOR 2 settings to their default value.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 106
The Setup Wizard
Fig. 8.1 – The Setup Wizard
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 107
The Setup Wizard
Fig. 8.2 – Hardware Controller switch
The first question is about your general setup and asks if you’re using an external control ler with TRAKTOR 2.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 108
The Setup Wizard
Fig. 8.3 – Hardware Controller selection
If you have chosen
Yes
in the last screen, you can define your exact controller manufactur er and model here. This enables TRAKTOR to load the respective mappings accordingly.
If you have chosen
No
, continue with the next picture below.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 109
The Setup Wizard
Fig. 8.4 – Mixer switch
The next screen lets you choose between TRAKTOR’s Internal Mixer and an external ana log mixer.
Don’t get confused: using a MIDI controller is not using an external mixer! If you’re using a
MIDI controller / MIDI mixer, you have to choose Internal here.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 110
The Setup Wizard
Fig. 8.5 – Timecode medium selection
This screen is only shown if you’re using TRAKTOR SCRATCH DUO/PRO 2. If you’re using
TRAKTOR SCRATCH with the AUDIO 4/8 DJ, you can let TRAKTOR switch the inputs to match the respective Timecode medium.
This does not work with the TRAKTOR AUDIO 6/10, here you have to switch the inputs in the
Control Panel of the interface which can be found in Preferences > Audio Setup.
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The Setup Wizard
Fig. 8.6 – Deck setup selection
Here you can select a basic setup for your Decks. If you want to change your Deck setup, you don’t have to start the Setup Wizard again – all selections can be done in TRAKTOR’s
Preferences.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 112
The Setup Wizard
Fig. 8.7 – Final Screen
This is the last screen of the Setup Wizard. It sums up your selection of options. You can go Back and change some configurations, Cancel the Setup Wizard completely, or Finish it and confirm your selections.
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Troubleshooting
TRAKTOR 2 Won’t Start
9 Troubleshooting
A few common issues and possible solutions when working with TRAKTOR 2 are listed in this chapter.
9.1
TRAKTOR 2 Won’t Start
►
Check the system requirements for TRAKTOR 2. The minimum requirements are the very least you can get by with and are often not enough for advanced use (i.e. Keylock,
FX). Increasing your RAM may save you a lot of trouble.
Make sure you have the most recent TRAKTOR 2 version installed. You can find the latest available version following this link: http://www.native-instruments.com/updates.
Make sure that you have not clicked an outdated application alias/shortcut.
Try to restart your computer. Disconnect any other audio interfaces and computer periph erals like printers, scanners, and the like.
Rename the file collection.nml in the TRAKTOR 2 Root folder to restart TRAKTOR with a clean Track Collection, and then re-import the renamed Collection file.
9.2
Latency Issues
Please check if your computer is suited for handling real-time audio processing without dropouts. In general, it is not recommended to use laptops with shared-memory graphic cards. You will need all the memory and processing power available for your audio soft ware.
▪
It is not recommended to run the laptop on battery, as built-in power management sys tems might slow the clock rate of the CPU in an effort to extend battery life.
▪
Disconnect all unused hardware (e.g., printer, scanner). This will increase the amount of processing power available for your music software.
▪
Laptops often are equipped with built-in devices that disturb audio processing, most commonly Bluetooth transceivers, an Ethernet network adapter, or a wireless LAN card.
You might need to disable these devices while working with the TRAKTOR 2.
▪
Keylock is a resource-hungry process. If you’re encountering audio problems like crack les or drops, make sure you’re using Eco mode via
Preferences > Transport > Key Lock
.
With a weak computer, you may be forced to disable the Keylock feature completely.
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Troubleshooting
TRAKTOR 2 Crashes
9.3
TRAKTOR 2 Crashes
In case of a crash during runtime, please contact the Native Instruments technical support team as described in chapter
and send them your crashlog. You will find the crashlog in the following folders:
▪
Windows:
My Documents\Native Instruments\Traktor 2.x.x\Crashlogs
▪
Mac OS X:
Users/Library/Logs/CrashReporter
9.4
Updates
Whenever you encounter problems, it is recommended that you first download and install any available software updates. Updates are released regularly to fix known problems, maintain compatibility with operating system updates, and to continuously improve the software. The version number of your software is displayed in the About dialog for any Na tive Instruments application. This dialog can be opened by clicking on the NI logo in the upper right corner of the user interface. Alternatively, you can find the version numbers of all installed Native Instruments applications when showing the details for an application within the Overview page of the Service Center. Updates are available on the Update page in
Service Center or on our website under: http://www.native-instruments.com/updates.
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Getting Help
Knowledge Base
10 Getting Help
If you are experiencing problems related to your Native Instruments product that the supplied documentation does not cover, there are several ways of getting help!
The links in the following sections can also be reached from the Service Center application:
Open the Service Center application and click on the Support button in the upper-right corner.
10.1 Knowledge Base
The Online Knowledge Base gathers useful information about your Native Instruments product and can be of great help to solve possible issues you may encounter. You can reach the Knowledge Base via: www.native-instruments.com/knowledge.
10.2 Technical Support
If no Knowledge Base entry matches your problem, or if the matching entry does not solve the problem, you can use the Online Support Form to contact the Technical Support team of Native Instruments. The Online Support Form will ask you to enter information about your hardware and software setup. This information is essential for our Support team to be able to provide you with quality assistance. You can reach the Online Support via: www.na tive-instruments.com/suppform.
When communicating with the Native Instruments Support team, keep in mind that the more details you can provide about your hardware, your operating system, the version of the software you are running, and the problem you are experiencing, the better they will be able to help you. In your description, you should mention:
▪
How to reproduce the problem
▪
What you have already tried to fix the problem
▪
A description of your setup, including all hardware and the version of your software
▪
The brand and specifications of your computer
When installing new software or software updates, a Readme file is included that contains late breaking news and new information that was not yet included in the documentation. Please open and read this Readme file before contacting Technical Support.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 116
Getting Help
Registration Support
10.3 Registration Support
If problems occur during the product activation procedure, please contact our Registration
Support team: www.native-instruments.com/regsuppfrm.
10.4 User Forum
In the Native Instruments User Forum, you can discuss product features directly with oth er users and with experts moderating the forum. Please be aware that the Technical Sup port team does not participate in the forum. If you’re encountering an issue that can’t be solved by other users, contact Native Instruments’ Technical Support team via the online support as described above: http://www.native-instruments.com/forum.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 117
Appendix A – Common Setups
TRAKTOR with an On-board Sound Card and Fallback
11 Appendix A – Common Setups
This appendix shows you how to integrate TRAKTOR 2 with your other gear in various set ups.
Of course, all setups require that TRAKTOR 2 was correctly installed on your computer before hand! For more info on the installation procedure, please refer to the separate Setup Guide.
11.1 TRAKTOR with an On-board Sound Card and Fallback
This setup is meant mainly to get TRAKTOR up and running on your computer without any additional hardware, e.g. while preparing tracks in the train, airplane, etc.
Be aware that with only an on-board sound card you will not be able to monitor (pre-listen) tracks while another track is playing.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 118
11.2 TRAKTOR with an External Audio Interface
Appendix A – Common Setups
TRAKTOR with an External Audio Interface
Fig. 11.1 – Using TRAKTOR with an external audio interface
To use TRAKTOR’s preview feature, you need to have an audio interface with two inde pendent stereo outputs, one for the Master Out and one for previewing. Refer to the manu facturer’s manual for installing and connecting your external audio interface. In TRAKTOR, do the following:
1. Open
Preferences > Audio Setup
.
2. Choose your external audio interface as
Audio Device .
3. Open
Preferences > Output Routing
.
4. Choose Internal Mixing Mode.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 119
Appendix A – Common Setups
TRAKTOR 2 with an External Mixer
5. Select an output pair for Output Master and one output pair for Output Monitor . (If your au dio device provides another output, you can assign this to the Output Record .)
6. Connect the respective outputs accordingly, i.e. use a cable (usually RCA) to connect the Master Output with your amplifier or speakers and plug your headphones in the
Monitor Output.
If you’re using an analog hardware mixer, the routing works different. In that case please read also the next chapter.
11.3 TRAKTOR 2 with an External Mixer
Fig. 11.2 – Using TRAKTOR with an external mixer
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 120
Appendix A – Common Setups
TRAKTOR 2 with a Controller
While nearly all users of TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2 / DUO 2 will use an external mixer naturally instead of TRAKTOR’s Internal Mixer, this is an option for all other TRAKTOR users as well. You’ll need an audio interface with (at least) as many output pairs as Decks you use to play. Also you’ll need a mixer with as many input channels as desired. In
TRAKTOR, do the following:
1. Open
Preferences > Audio Setup
.
2. If not done already, choose now your external audio interface as Audio Device .
3. Open
Preferences > Output Routing
.
4. Choose
External Mixing Mode.
5. Select an output pair for every Deck.
6. Connect the respective outputs accordingly, i.e. use a cable (usually RCA) to connect
Output Deck A with the respective input channel of your hardware mixer.
7. Repeat this step for all other Deck channels, too.
8. Connect the master out of your hardware mixer with your amplifier or speakers.
While you can now control all mixer related functions with your analog hardware mixer, you still can’t control the rest of TRAKTOR’s features with it. For this, you would need a MIDI con troller. Read the next chapter for information on how to add a MIDI controller to your setup.
11.4 TRAKTOR 2 with a Controller
TRAKTOR LE 2 is limited to the use with the controllers provided in the Setup Wizard.
Nowadays, you can choose from a wide variety of MIDI controllers in all price ranges from a lot of different manufacturers. Most MIDI controllers will be connected via USB to your computer. Generally, you can differentiate between two kinds of MIDI controllers:
▪
MIDI controllers with mixer controls, i.e. TRAKTOR KONTROL S4.
▪
MIDI controllers without mixer controls, i.e. TRAKTOR KONTROL X1
Furthermore, there are MIDI controllers with built-in audio interfaces and those without. Typi cally, only MIDI controllers with mixer controls contain a built-in audio interface, therefore we will describe this case in the next section and take the TRAKTOR KONTROL S4 as an exam ple.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 121
Appendix A – Common Setups
TRAKTOR 2 with a Controller
Generally speaking, MIDI controllers are “dumb” — it’s the versatility of the software that makes them exciting. In TRAKTOR 2, you can assign every function and feature complete ly to your likings and you can also do crazy stuff like Macros (two commands on one con trol to be executed simultaneously) or work with Modifiers (enable secondary functions with a self-designed “shift” key). The possibilities are nearly endless and that’s why TRAK
TOR 2 provides default mapping examples for a huge amount of MIDI controllers. These are a good point to start with. You can read how to import and build mappings in chapter
7.5, MIDI and Mappings (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
.
11.4.1 Controllers with Mixer Controls (and optionally a Built-In Audio Interface)
Fig. 11.3 – A MIDI controller with mixer controls: TRAKTOR KONTROL S4
MIDI controllers with mixer controls have a dedicated area that provides functionality simi lar to analog mixers, i.e. EQs, channel faders, a crossfader, and a way to preview your tracks. They are specifically designed to be used with DJ software. Usually, they will be connected via USB to your computer. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installa tion and setup, then connect the device. In TRAKTOR, do the following:
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 122
Appendix A – Common Setups
TRAKTOR 2 with a Controller
Controller with Built-In Audio Interface
1. Open
Preferences > Audio Setup
.
2. Choose the audio interface of your MIDI controller as Audio Device , in this example:
Trak tor Kontrol S4 (ASIO)
.
3. Open
Preferences > Output Routing
.
4. Choose Internal Mixing Mode.
►
With the S4, the outputs will be auto-configured. If you use another MIDI controller, select an output pair for Output Master and one output pair for Output Monitor .
►
If your audio device provides another output, you can assign this to the Output Record .
1. Connect the respective outputs accordingly, i.e. use a cable (usually RCA) to connect the Master Output of your MIDI controller with your amplifier or speakers and plug your headphones in the Monitor Output.
2. Open
Preferences > Controller Manager
.
3. Click
Add > Import
, then navigate to
Default Settings > Controller
and choose your con troller from the list.
4. Move a fader or knob on the MIDI controller (e.g. the crossfader) and observe the CTRL status indicator. Whenever you move anything on the MIDI controller, it should show activity by glowing blue.
→
You’ll also notice that the corresponding control in TRAKTOR (in the above example, the crossfader) will also move as you manipulate the MIDI Controller.
Controller without Built-In Audio Interface
►
Follow the instructions given in chapter
11.2, TRAKTOR with an External Audio Inter face .
1. Open
Preferences > Controller Manager
.
2. Click
Add > Import
, then navigate to
Default Settings > Controller
and choose your con troller from the list.
3. Move a fader or knob on the MIDI controller (e.g. the crossfader) and observe the CTRL status indicator. Whenever you move anything on the MIDI controller, it should show activity by glowing blue.
→
You’ll also notice that the corresponding control in TRAKTOR (in the above example, the crossfader) will also move as you manipulate the MIDI controller.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 123
Appendix A – Common Setups
TRAKTOR 2 with a Controller
11.4.2 Controllers without Mixer Controls
MIDI controllers without mixer controls serve usually as additions to an existing setup. For example, this can be in conjunction with a TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO/DUO 2 setup with an external mixer, but also using it as secondary controller along with a primary MIDI control ler is also possible. In TRAKTOR, do the following:
1. Open
Preferences > Controller Manager
.
2. Click
Add > Import
, then navigate to
Default Settings > Controller
and choose your con troller from the list.
3. Move a fader or knob on the MIDI controller (e.g., the Browse encoder on the S4) and observe the CTRL status indicator. Whenever you move anything on the MIDI controller, it should show activity by glowing blue.
→
You’ll also see that TRAKTOR responds to the MIDI controller (in the above example, the selection highlight in TRAKTOR’s Browser List will move).
11.5 TRAKTOR KONTROL S4 with TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2
TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2 enables you to use your S4 with Timecode control. Proceed as follows:
1. Plug your turntables or CD Players into the inputs C and D of your S4.
2. Put the LINE/PHONO switch to PHONO if you use turntables and to LINE if you’re us ing CD Players.
3. Open
Preferences > Audio Setup
and select
Kontrol S4 (ASIO)
as Audio Device .
►
The turntables / CD players are routed to Deck C and D per default. If you want to have them on Deck A and B, you need to re-route them manually:
1. Open
Preferences > Input Routing
.
2. Choose
In Ch C left/right
for Input Deck A and
In Ch D left/right
for Input Deck B .
3. On Decks A and B, click on the Deck letters and make sure you have chosen
Scratch
Control
.
11.6 Adding a Microphone
If you want to use a microphone with TRAKTOR, connect it to the microphone input on your audio interface and follow the instructions in the subsequent sections.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 124
Appendix A – Common Setups
Adding a Microphone
11.6.1 Using Your Microphone with the Loop Recorder
In case you are using the TRAKTOR AUDIO 10, the input is the MIC-labeled input in the
MAIN area on the front panel. This input is routed to TRAKTOR's Input FX Send (Ext) channel by default, which again outputs signal through the MAIN OUT on TRAKTOR AUDIO 10's front panel by default. You can then use your microphone input with TRAKTOR's Loop Recorder straight away.
In case you do not use the TRAKTOR AUDIO 10 as your audio interface:
1. Click the cog wheel symbol to open the Preferences window, and select the
Input Rout ing
page.
2. Assign the channel to which you connected the microphone to the Input FX Send (Ext) channel in TRAKTOR. Use the drop-down menu next to the corresponding label to as sign the channel.
3. Adjust the input gain of your microphone input channel if your audio interface pro vides a gain control (TRAKTOR AUDIO 10 does). Monitor the gain setting with the lev el meters right to the drop-down selection menus.
→
You should now be able to use your microphone with the TRAKTOR Loop Recorder.
11.6.2 Using Your Microphone as a Live Input and with TRAKTOR FX
In case you want to add FX from the TRAKTOR Decks to your microphone signal, you can assign your microphone input to an empty Deck (A to D, whichever you currently don't use for mixing):
1. Click the cog wheel symbol to open the Preferences dialog, and select the
Input Routing page.
2. Assign the channel to which you connected the microphone to an empty Deck (A to D) in TRAKTOR with the drop-down menu next to the corresponding label.
3. Adjust the input gain of your microphone input channel if your audio interface pro vides a gain control (the TRAKTOR AUDIO 10 does).
4. Monitor the gain setting with the level meters right to the drop-down selection menus.
→
The effected signal is then output at whatever channel the relevant Deck is assigned to in the Output Routing page of the Preferences window (in Internal mixing mode, however, the output is always the master out).
►
When you close the Preferences window, press the relevant Deck letter and select Live
Input .
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 125
Appendix A – Common Setups
Recording Setup (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
→
You can now use your microphone as a live input and add your voice to your mix!
11.7 Recording Setup (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
Fig. 11.4 – The Recording Panel
TRAKTOR 2 provides a recording feature that allows you to record from internal and exter nal sources. The way this function works depends on your setup and also on the available input and output channels of your audio interface. In the following examples, we will use a
TRAKTOR AUDIO 10 soundcard for exemplification.
Note that TRAKTOR records audio in *.wav format and the recorded files can get large pretty quickly.
11.7.1 Recording from the Internal Source
Recording from the internal source only works in Internal mixing mode.
In this setup we use TRAKTOR’s Internal Mixer and the Internal recording method. This means TRAKTOR records from the Master Output of its own mixer. You don’t have to do any cabling with this method. In TRAKTOR, do the following:
1. Open
Preferences > Output Routing
.
2. Choose Internal Mixing Mode.
3. Open
Preferences > Mix Recorder
.
4. Choose Internal as Source.
5. Choose where the recordings should be saved or leave the default settings
My Docu ments/My Music/Traktor
(Windows) and
User:Music:Traktor
(Mac OS X).
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 126
Appendix A – Common Setups
Recording Setup (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
6. Choose a Prefix , e.g. live_jan15th_ - this prefix will be added as part of the filename which also contains a timestamp. Defining a prefix makes it easier to sort and find your recordings afterwards.
7. Choose a file size at which your recording file will be split. If you want to burn your recordings to CD later, a file size of
650 MB
is recommended.
8. Click on the cassette icon to right corner of the Global section to open the Audio Re corder.
9. Load a track in a Deck and click Play.
→
You should see the level meters move now.
1. Adjust the recording level with the
Gain knob. It should not clip!
2. Click the Record button to start the recording!
After you finished your recording, you can directly load the file from TRAKTOR’s Browser >
Audio Recordings onto a Deck.
11.7.2 Recording from an External Source
Recording from an external source works in Internal and External mixing mode and is also suited for TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2 / DUO 2 users.
Recording in External Mixing Mode from an External Source
In this mode, you can record from any external source you like. Since we’re in External mixing mode here, we will use your analog hardware mixer as source. This setup requires a second output on the mixer, often labeled REC OUT or OUT 2. Connect this output pair to an available input pair of your audio interface, e.g., Inputs 9|10 (= Channel D) of the
TRAKTOR AUDIO 10. In TRAKTOR, do the following:
1. Click the cog wheel symbol to open the Preferences window, and open the
Output Rout ing
page.
2. If not done already, choose
External mixing mode.
3. Open the Input Routing page in the Preferences window.
4. Assign the channel to which you connected the mixer to the appropriate channel in
TRAKTOR. In case of the TRAKTOR AUDIO 10, it should be auto-configured to Chan nel D.
5. Open the Mix Recorder page in the Preferences window.
6. Choose Extern as Source.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 127
Appendix A – Common Setups
Recording Setup (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
7. For External Input , select the corresponding input channel of your audio interface. In our example with the TRAKTOR AUDIO 10, this would be
Channel D
.
8. Choose where the recordings should be saved or leave the default settings:
My Docu ments/My Music/Traktor
(Windows), or
User:Music:Traktor
(Mac OS X).
9. Choose a Prefix , e.g., live_jan15th_ - this prefix will be added as part of the filename which also contains a timestamp. Defining a prefix makes it easier to sort and find your recordings afterwards.
10. Choose a file size at which your recording file will be split. If you want to burn your recordings to CD later, a file size of
650 MB
is recommended.
This would be the typical setup for a TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO/DUO 2 user to record a live set. However, other setups are possible. Instead of the mixer, you could connect a mi crophone with your audio interface and record your voice. If you want to know how to add a microphone to your setup, please read chapter
Recording in Internal Mixing Mode from an External Source
The external source in this setup can be a turntable, a CD player, a microphone, etc. All you have to do, is to connect the device of choice to an available input of your audio inter face. In this example we use a microphone on Channel MAIN of the TRAKTOR AUDIO 10 soundcard. In TRAKTOR, do the following:
1. Click the cog wheel symbol to open the Preferences window, and open the
Output Rout ing
page.
2. Choose Internal mixing mode.
3. Open the
Input Routing
page in the Preferences window.
4. Assign the channel to which you connected the microphone to the corresponding channel in TRAKTOR. In case of the TRAKTOR AUDIO 10, it should be auto-config ured to Input FX Send (Ext) .
5. Open the
Mix Recorder page in the Preferences window.
6. Choose Extern as Source.
7. For External Input , select the relevant input channel of your audio interface. In our exam ple (TRAKTOR AUDIO 10 soundcard), this would be Input FX Send (Ext) .
8. Choose where the recordings should be saved or leave the default settings
My Docu ments/My Music/Traktor
(Windows), or
User:Music:Traktor
(Mac OS X).
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 128
Appendix A – Common Setups
Recording Setup (Disabled in TRAKTOR LE 2)
9. Choose a Prefix , e.g. live_jan15th_ - this prefix will be added as part of the filename which also contains a timestamp. Defining a prefix makes it easier to sort and find your recordings afterwards.
10. Choose a file size at which your recording file will be split. If you want to burn your recordings to CD later, a file size of
650 MB
is recommended.
You cannot record a turntable via a line level channel. If you want to do this, use a phono-toline level converter, which is available at your local music retailer.
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 129
Index
A
Adjusting levels
Audience
AUDIO indicator
Audio input
Audio Setup
Fallback
AUTO button
AUX knob
B
Backup
Beat Grid
BPM
Browser
Maximize Browser button
Index
C
fader
FX Assign buttons
GAIN knob meter
Channel fader
Clock
setting the Clock’s tempo (BPM)
Collection
Importing
Common setups
CPU
Crossfader
Cue Points
Deleting a Hotcue
Cueing
Customizing TRAKTOR
Deck Flavor
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 130
Effects
Look
MIDI and Mappings
Routing
D
D/W knob (FX Unit)
flavor
Demo Tracks
Distortion
DRY/WET knob (FX Unit)
E
Assigning a Deck to an FX Unit
Saving FX (Snapshot)
using when mixing in a track
External Mixer
Index
F
Faders
Tempo
Favorites
Features
Audio Recorder
Browser:Browser list
Cue Points:Setting a Cue Point
Customizing TRAKTOR
Decks
FX Units
Hotcues
Internal Mixer iTunes
Jump to Start button
Loops
Mixer:Channels
Mixer:Cue Vol knob
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 131
Recording
Samples
Snap Button
Synchronization
Forum
default
tempo-synched
FX Assign buttons
FX Buttons 00001-00003
assigning to channels
controlling
D/W knob
DRY/WET knob
Index
G
GAIN knob
Group mode
GUI
Application Menu Bar
Decks
H
Header
Headphones
Hotcue buttons
storing
I
Import
Mappings Import
Music
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 132
K
Keyboard Shortcut Overview Card
Keylock
Index
L
Layout selector
Levels
Library
iTunes
Limiter
Loading
Layout
samples
LOOP IN button
LOOP OUT button
adjusting the loop size
Playback
REC button
Loop section
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 133
Index
Looping
Loops
adjusting the size
storing
M
MAIN
Main level
MAIN level meters
Manual Beatmatching
Manual Conventions
Mixer
Mixing
by hand
Matching Levels
using automatic sync
Music
Importing
Loading a Track
Mixing
Pre-listening
Synchronization
Music folders
N
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 134
Index
O
Overdubbing
Overview
P
Play button (Deck)
on Track Decks
Playlist
Preferences button
Pre-listening a track in the Browser
Preparing the mix using headphones
Q
Quantize button (Q)
Quick Loading
tracks
R
Record button
Recording
Internal Recording
Recording a loop
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 135
S
Loading a Sample (Collection)
Loading a Sample (Track)
playback mode
Sample Controls
stopping & skipping back to start
unloading
Scratch
Absolute mode
Calibration
Missing Channel
Relative mode
Scope
Tracking modes
Troubleshooting
Wrong Input mode
Index
external mixer (analog)
TRAKTOR KONTROL S4 and TRAKTOR
SCRATCH
Single mode
Skipping back to start of track
Snapshot (FX Unit)
Status
Utility Buttons
Storing a Hotcue
Switching between Deck flavors
SYNC button
Auto Mode
Beat Grid
Clock mode
Phase meter
Snap button
Synching concept
Tempo fader
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 136
Tempo master
Synchronizing tracks
by hand
System requirements
Index
T
Tempo
automatically adjusting (Sync)
Tempo fader
Tempo master
setting a Track Deck as
Track
loading
Track Collection
Importing
TRAKTOR Clock
TRAKTOR Versions
TRAKTOR 2 Logo
Help:Forum
Help:Knowledge Base
Help:Support
no audio
TRAKTOR won’t start
Tutorials
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 137
Index
video
U
UNDO button
Updates
Upgrade
Upgrading from TRAKTOR (SCRATCH)
PRO/DUO and TRAKTOR LE
User Forum
Using four FX Units
Utility Buttons
V
Video tutorials
W
TRAKTOR 2 - Getting Started - 138
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Key Features
- Timecode vinyl or CD control
- Two deck layout
- Mixer with effects
- Loop recorder
- Hardware controller compatibility
