Traktor - The way forward?

[wezg]

I feel like a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to DJing - I'm a vinylist and think that records are such an important part of the trade that they should be supported by anyone who claims they are a DJ.

However, I recently got hold of Traktor and have been using it to showcase certain promos and the odd tune in my mp3 collection I haven't got on vinyl.

I must admit it is a neat little program. However, I am disgusted by the autobpm feature - It just makes DJing lazy - Of course you don't have to use it but it it tends to just operate. I can't understand how a generation of DJs might be growing up not knowing the critical process of beatmatching at all.

I find I get a few computer glitches where the sound cuts out a lot. I've never used Traktor to play live and would hate to ever become wholely reliant on it - Computer failures must be common and in a nightclub environment I would hate to be without my trusty vinyl.

I can see advantages to the travelling DJ in that they can take their entire music collection with them on the move and not have to lug heavy vinyl about... It enhances versatility but is pushing the digital sound too much maybe - Anologue and vinyl is better. My mate who runs a good record shop reckons that a lot of the top DJs who play CDs and MP3s still prefer buying the tracks on vinyl and then recording onto digital format themselves. A better sound.

I think the FX unit is first class on Traktor but in honesty I generally find that FX in a DJ set are a bit gimmicky and spoil the sound - DJs have a tendency to overuse them. If the sound was meant to be superflanged then the artist would have recorded it himself.... I know little about looping as I've never been a CD DJ. I listen to the like of Richie Hawtin talk about the possibilities and it does excite me but maybe I'm too set in my ways to start learning new tricks...

I was wondering what you guys thought of Traktor? Are you using it? Any problems during live sets? What do you condider the advantages and disadvantages?

[tubby]

I use it most of the time. Traktor is a cpu pig, so if you don't shut down as much background stuff as possible and have a decent computer you will get glitches. it's also nowhere near as reliable as some other packages, but is improving slowly.

I mix about half on timecode, and half internally, with auto-matching. It might be considered lazy, but I can loop, layer and genreally screw around with the music that way. If i'm just mixing one track to the next, it not so much fun that way and I'll use timecode instead.

[CBG]

Top post mate.

It shits me to fucking tears when people go on about being DJs and then reveal they use programs like Virtual DJ, with the auto beat matching. Someone said it here about a month ago and i completely cracked it. And sadly, it is a growing phenomenen. I read about so many people that claim they are DJs and mixing and using computer based programs!! Grrr. its commonely the producer crowd.

Myself, I dont use vinyl, but i do like it.

Have you considered Serato, by Rane? From what I've gathered, it is the CDJ-1000/Technics 1200 of DJing and its a similar setup to Traktor without the auto beat matching.

DVS is great mate, and with serato you can almost completely seperate yourself from the program with Absoloute mode (ABS), which requires you to move the needle to the correct point on the record.

Relative (REL), which is reccomended, it sorta 50/50, your vinyl controls the program, but you can use hot cues within the program and click on where you want the song to be. The needle will continue to work as it would until the record ends.

Internal (INT) not recomend, nothing to do with the timecode. Designed for hack DJs with an ability to D/L a cracked torrent.

[CBG]

I think the FX unit is first class on Traktor but in honesty I generally find that FX in a DJ set are a bit gimmicky and spoil the sound - DJs have a tendency to overuse them. If the sound was meant to be superflanged then the artist would have recorded it himself....

I have to respectively disagree with this.

These days especially, I believe songs are produced with a reasonable margin for 3rd party creativity. Such as remixes and more so, effects.

Imagine if you went to flange in a song and it was already flanging?

With the remixes, you listen to an album like cosmic gates new album and think 'oh yeah not too bad, bit boring though' however IMO they have just left room for improvement such as a banging remix.

[defanutley]

I use serato scratch live & I love it ,

I couldn't dream of going backwards ,

I used to buy cds for the cdj1000s and now they are collecting dust

[CBG]

I use serato scratch live & I love it ,

I couldn't dream of going backwards ,

I used to buy cds for the cdj1000s and now they are collecting dust

hmmm... i think using serato with the CDJ is a little gay...

[defanutley]

hmmm... i think using serato with the CDJ is a little gay...

[SourceRaver]

I use Final Scracth (the first version) and Virtual Dj occasionally when I cant use the TT's. VDJ may beatmatch the music but believe me its nowhere near as acurate as a good Dj with turnies. I find most mixes need to be adjusted slightly so a good midi controller is required (I have a Hercules console but have since found the Behringer to be better).

Most music starts its life in digital form so I dont have a problem playing MP3's on my turntables. I've also had a play with Serato and I got the feeling its more reliable than FS/TS.

I also love vinyl but the price is so high compared to MP3's. I also got tired of competing with other Dj's at the local record store and collecting enough records online for delivery would sometimes take weeks.

[CBG]

I use serato with turntables not cdjs, the cdj are collecting dust

Fair enough

[tubby]

cdj's and tine code systems can be very useful. No need to burn cds, you get all the search, sort, tag options, the effects, looping, cues etc.

[defanutley]

cdj's and tine code systems can be very useful. No need to burn cds, you get all the search, sort, tag options, the effects, looping, cues etc.

only with select cd players

but yes the midi control cdj is a top idea

[tubby]

not really limited by the cd deck, all those extra options are within the software. the limitation by the cd deck would be pitch accuracy and scratch control eg cdj100 at 0.1, is still going to be 0.1 through the software. but you can still loop in the software (in relative mode) even when you can't on the deck itself.

[alexmtin114]

I am using Traktor Pro.This is a software for live mixing and mix production eith expression search.Some of the most thrilling new features are the expansion from 2 to 4 playback decks and an emulation of the new.

[CBG]

I.am.a.gimp.who.talks.like.a.robot.and.bumps.threads.saying.monotonous.irelevant.things

[Buck_Choi]

Lol. good to revive. this thread any way..

any way i use Traktor scratch pro with audio 8.

and all i really wanted/needed it for was to use the mp3's from my computer to my cd decks. saved me time from burning/transferring to usb. and the odd broadcasting and recording.

still a bedroom dj so i havent taken it into any parties and what not.

would you still consider me a fail dj? using traktor?

[eggssell]

yeah traktor makes you a fail dj like carl cox, pete tong, hawtin, dennis ferrer, craze, klever, grand master flash.

traktor and all dvs systems is just a method of delivery, it doesnt determine greatness. whether or not if you use beatmatching. i mean people these days dont seem to give shyte to cdj users who use sync and loop buttons, but back in the 90's we called them cheats. but now that im older and wiser i dont think that way anymore.

[Buck_Choi]

about traktor. does any one know via timecoded cd's when you loop and you turn the platter backwards does it cut the loop? with any other cdj' or cd player..? in relative mode..

i tried with mine and it doestn seem to work. could just be me or maybe traktor itsself.

thankyou.

[CBG]

turning a platter while in a loop doesn't cut a loop on CDJs either, it would only slow the song down. To cut the loop, you need to press out, then out again. Or chose a new IN point, pause scroll with the platter and find an OUT point.

What do you mean by cut

[eggssell]

hey buck not sure what you mean by cut either. but with traktor in relative mode and you have set a loop, it basically assumes the looped part runs over and over until you release the loop.

therefore if you run it backwards it will run the loop backwards and when it reaches the start of the loop and you keep going backwards it should go to the end of the loop. if that makes sense.

or numerically speaking if you looped say beats 5 to 8 in a phrase, and you start to turn the platter backwards at beat 6 it should play the beats

6 5 8 7 6 5 8 7 6 5.......

[Tomy]

traktor = 4 decks at once FTW

[Buck_Choi]

i mean cut the loop as in..

you press loop in then loop out over a 4 beat.

dont know techincally but lets say thats 1/1 then when you move platter backwards it instead of me pressing loopin again and it cutting it to 1/2 me moving the platter does it. some the more i move the platter it would go 1/4, 1/8, 1/32.

i think i saw it on some video not sure if it was traktor but... it just gives a bit more freedom to "cut" the loop in half and half again but also to increase the loop size again.

if that makes any sense. if not post up and ill try to clarify some more

Thank you for your help.

[eggssell]

ohhh, okay you mean half the loop, and half again until it stutters.

yes you can do that in traktor but no not using the platter UNLESS you have mapped the platter to be a midi controller. you prob saw rafik do it as he assigned a midi knob to control loop time (ive done the same with my MPD).

alternatively you can use hotkeys on your laptop, or a mouse to point to the loop size buttons underneath the wave.

[Buck_Choi]

ahh.. thats what i want how do i get to do that.. with a normal cd player? have a tutorial of some sort like i dont want to map everything just that to change while in loop.

[eggssell]

aiight ill dig around djtechtools im sure ean did a basics of traktor effects (else you can look, im videoblocked)

but without a controller, the only way to do it without using mouse is to map laptop hotkeys eg Q W E R T Y, Q being loop in, W loop out, then the rest being the different loop sizes. then you can just press each key as you want to change the loop size.

once you hit loop out (or actually also if you hit the loop size you are currently in) the track will just continue to play. there should be no need to touch the platter or the cdj's.

[Buck_Choi]

but i want to use the platters cdj :] haha i dont want to be touching the laptop apart from loading music into the decks. ill try playing around with it see what i could do =]

am i able to map without a usb port into my computer?

with the 2 cd decks into mixer mixer into audio 8 then into computer.. no need for a direct connection from cd decks into computer..