Here is my method to easily beat grid your tracks by setting up a set of simple hot-keys. The best way to figure out the precise BPM of a song and ensure that any loop you drop is perfectly in time is by using beat-grids. When Traktor first analyzes a new song in your collection it determines the peaks of the wave form. 9 times out of ten these peaks are also the down beats, which means the BPM accuracy and auto loop features should work fairly well most of the time. When you get to a breakdown or start dealing with rhythmically complex material though, only beat grids will insure consistently accurate mixes. Setting beat grids and cue points can be a cumbersome process though so I will show you how I blow through 10 tracks in less time than it takes to brew a cup of coffee.
First, you will need to set up a series of hot-keys. You download my set here (Hot Key TKS) or just add the following to your personal set-up
1= Set Cue
2= Set BEat Grid
3= Lock Cue (set to toggle)
9= Track BPM increment
10= Track BPM decrement
SHIFT +9 = Track BPM increment Fine
SHIFT + 10= Track BPM decrement
+ = Cue Pause
DELETE= Instant cue play
Helpful but not required
V- Pitch bend focused deck Down
N- Pitch Bend focused deck Up
These are laid out in such a way that you can not only quickly perfect the beat grid of a track but prepare it for your set with cue points and everything. Take a look at the following video as I demonstrate my personal process for preparing songs.
If you would like, you can directly download the song from the video with the cue points
Great video!!!!! You have no idea how much you are helping people online, finally a video about beatgrids. Thank you for your help and this one is going into my iphone for careful analysis. Once again thank you.
Hey, Ian, I see you’ve got your Key (11B) there on the info panel - which ID3 field do you write the tag in?
Never mind, I watched the video through the end. As far as I know, Traktor will not write a tag to a song that’s loaded into a deck. Thus, you will have to either unload the song or load something else into the deck and then write the tags.
Also, it does not make sense to me that you’re moving the grid. You say “we need to adjust the tempo” and “use the ‘move grid right’ key” BUT that is supposed to change where your beat marker is, not the tempo! That MAY align the grid later in the song, but it would move the initial beat marker away from the snare. You change your BPM from 103 to 102.7 and then to 102.8 and you say you’re using the ‘move grid right’ key - it seems to me that you are actually using the ‘track BPM decrement fine” key, no?
nice subliminal blip at the start!
uh oh, now everyone with a pirated version of traktor will know how to beatgrid! ;)
anyways, great video!
Great video! Thanks!!
I don’t get why you prefer putting the beatmarker on a snare. Is it OK if I put it on the second beat? What’s the difference? Could it change Traktor’s behavior when using synced FX or simply the Sync button?
BTW, thx for the video.
Nice to see another Video from you Ean, nice work as usual.
I aggre with Neo, your videos are really helpfull, and really clear explanations… Thank you Ean for this another great tutorial !
Great video Ean, and thanks for the time on cue placement.
I’m confused though.
Doesn’t a measure usualy begin on the downbeat (what would have been the first beat in the waveform of your video), not the snare? I realize you can lay your beatgrid cue anywhere you want, but doesn’t that also tell Traktor that is the first beat of the first measure?
I’m still trying to grasp music theory, please correct me if I’m all screwd up.
Thanks! Nice tuto…
(It helps that my name showed twice while showing the forum. ;) )
I think Ean chose the snare because it’s sharper and more defined than a downbeat, hence it would be more accurate in the end.
Regardless, you can always increase/decrease the BPM as shown, so I don’t think it would matter much. Probably just personal preference I’m guessing.
Thanks for for positive feedback guys, now that the VCI-100SE is done I can focus on making more videos.
There is actually a really good reason to put the beat marker on the snare if you want Trakotr to sync 2 songs up to each others grids. It has to do with the music production itself. If you sync 2 songs up by their snares then chances are that they will be in sync 99 percent of the time because snares always fall in a consistent rhythmic pattern that has very little swing.
However if you use the first beat in the song (a kick) these vary greatly between songs. Some producers push their kicks forward some let them fall back. Some kicks have a small pre-kick that precedes the actual one.
This principle also applies to beat griding in ableton.
I’ve read the same argument for learning beatmatching - instead, you snare-match, especially genres like DNB and breaks.
HI Ean,
Great Video..
Almost the way I do it.
But I have a problem.
I Started ripping my vinyl and some tracks did very well with beatgridding,
but some did not.Mostly the first 3 minutes of a song are good to handle,
but after that a very slow bpm change takes place (My Turntable is correct, because some some songs with a length of 8 minutes where perfect),
so it is impossible to beatgrid the whole song.
I know there is warping in Ableton Live,But do you know An alternative and more simple Solution?
Cheers,
Anthony
Drop more breat grids. find where the beat goes off and drop another one. This will not do any good if the tempo is slowly going off or changing constantly but i the problem is a sudden shift or jump in the grid then a 2nd beat marker will fix that.
I Tried up to 8 gridmarkers, but it didnt work.
I found out that I have 3 behaviours of vinyl recordings.
-Songs that are OK
-songs that are beatgridded in the beginning,the middle of the song then goes out of sync,at the end(4/5minutes)They come back in sync.
-songs that are beatgridded for about 3 minutes and then go out of sync.
So the tempo is slowly going off on behaviour 2&3,
Do You have any Sugestions how to solve this in an easy way?
+/-5000 records are waiting to be recorded:)
Try several turntables to confirm that its indeed the records and not your belt drive.
Thank for the great video and explanation Ean, i feel like its christmas time!! now i get to go through my whole collection and do some beatgrids!!! hehe gonna take a while@
ahh, kinda like beat-warping in ableton. How necessary is this? I can ride the pitch on any odd tracks.. i guess, if u are really getting creative u need that insurance. I really liked the basics walk through on cue points tho. It gives me some organization to something that i have been doing kind of haphazardly thus far.
wondering if it would be possible to convert ableton asd files to traktor beatgrids.. perhaps an interesting concept since the ableton approach to warp makers is much easier for a simple man like me to grasp :)
I have almost 5000 tracks which now need to be beat gridder correctly.. I am looking forward to it kind of.. :)
perhaps I will wait until I can take a holiday off work and dedicate some proper time to it..
Thx Ean for clarifying that kick/snare thing.
I would love it if you had tome to make a similar tutorial for Ableton Beat grids and wrapping. Because I have bought Ableton too and I always struggle on this part of my work, maybe some hints would be helpful.
Ean Golden
Apr 10th, 2008 at 9:11 pm Quote
Try several turntables to confirm that its indeed the records and not your belt drive.
I Did some tests,and its indeed my belt drive turntable that has no constant speed.
(the belt was recently renewed and other things to optimize its performance,but unfortunately it was not enough)…
Thanks for help.
Cheers Anthony
Ean,
Can you share the title/remix of that Beatles track you used on this demo? Nice job with the video!
Cheers.
That track is a remix I did about 4 years ago, you can download it in the post. :-) I already included a link.
very nice!
Dope Remix Ean! Thanks!
Please, repost the video! :)
It’s still there - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBzejpuGk5Y :)
Thanks, anonymous… I tried to watch here on this page, it didnt work, but youre right, its still there.
Hey Ean,
tyour provided hotkey dont work for some reason!? in the hotkeys setting tzraktor only gives me at each key three question marks and everything turns red? you know what the reason could be?
thnaks for the tutorial, been looking for one like this forever…
Which Traktor version are you using? I am having that problem with the 3.4 beta version.
The Windows hotkeys aren’t working for me either. I guess I will set it up manually.
We have learned the problem is a new Traktor 3.4 update that I was beta testing. Any TKS files created with the new version are incompatible with older versions of Traktor.
the tks file don’t work for me.. I loading the file but when i press the buttons it doesnt do anything.. ???
the tks is still helpful, becuz it loads the right directives into your hotkeys and then u just need to assign them.
question(if anyone still reads this thread): when u write file tags does it right it to the track or somewhere in traktor? wondering if the cue points/grids will stay with me when i upgrade. …guess, it would be logical that it is written to the track…
_ if you right click and choose write to tags then yes, its written to your mp3. that TKs is broken- the assigments are all there but the values will not work in anything before 3.4 because of incompatibility. Just use the guidelines in the article and re-assign them.
How do I beat grid old songs that drift? I know how to do it in Ableton by dropping multiple markers… can that be done in Traktor?
Hey. I think it’s hard to hit it the right place if you just listen. I have to stop the track and set it. Do you have the same problem or does it just require some practice before you can do it fast? :)
With practice, you will get it, then its more musical too!
I’ve loaded the .tks file into traktor and I don’t see any changes? Is the file corrupt?
Never mind I didn’t read down all the way till the end of the page to see in fact the file is broken.
I’ll follow the guide. Thanks Ean.
hey ean,
so i got my tracks beat gridded and saved.
but when i rename the tracks the beatgrid info gets lost…
the reason i rename the files is because i have a format for my files, to keep track of bpms outside of traktor -
ARTIST - SONG TITLE (REMIX) - BPM.mp3
the thing is i renamed a file because the BPM was incorrect and thus lost the beatgrid and cue points… are there any work arounds to this, or should i try and not rename my files after i beatgrid them….
thanks,
ryan.catcher@gmail.com
Ean,
I don’t know if I’m just messing it up or you posted somewhere else on how to do this, but when setting up my traktor for easy beat grid mapping, I tried using separate pages in traktor so I could assign the my Korg padKONTROL to beat grid on page 4 and have normal operation in page 1-3. For some reason, I can assign midi controls in page 1, but not in 2-4, for my VCI-100 or the Korg. Is there a way to do map it like that, or can you only assign one midi note per control, and if so, why do they have multiple assignments for each separate page?
Phaidon
After browsing the forums a little bit, I found what I was looking for and solved the problem. Thanks anyway for the great info that is on this site, cause it is extremely helpful to those that are just making the switch.
Phaidon
Finally I got it working,thank you for this great tutorial.
Now this may sound like a crazy tip for songs that seem difficult to beat-grid, but I’ve experienced this myself and it can seriously affect how well traktor can read all the beats. Make sure that when you are ripping your records that you are recording through a phono pre-amp, like your normal DJ mixer, before going into your sound card input. Do not rip your records by just connecting your turntable directly to your sound card input, no matter how much you think that it sounds ok and appears to get decent levels. The reason the phono level pre-amp is needed is because records are recorded with special EQ’ing that a phono pre-amp, or more correctly RIAA pre-amp, corrects for. A normal DJ mixer has this special EQ’ing corrections built in because it’s meant to “decode” vinyl… Ever wonder why there is sometimes a switch near the inputs that says phono/line even though they sound similar?
If you record without this pre-amp correction, you will get a digital recording that has all the wrong frequency emphasis and traktor will have a difficult time deciphering the beats. And even worse, the audio will technically be all wrong. And while it may appear workable at first, it gets way worse in the breakdowns.
I’ve just about had enough of this, I set the beatmarker on the 2 beat which has a snare, then i move through the track and line up the grid to the beat using the 9&0keys , then i look through the beginning of the track which i have already done and that has all moved away from the grid after aligning the end?! WTF!!?!?
Hi chaps,
anyone knows how to set the Cue point manually on Traktor Scrach Pro?
loop set in
Loop set in ????
any more info please?
It says video no longer available on my computer :(
Is there anyone who is making this .tks file for Traktor Pro available?
Wow! Never knew this, I always thought it was just the level of the signal. I have always plugged my decks into phono so never had chance to hear the difference. Everyday is a school day!!
Worth mentioning then, though not ideal, is if people don’t have any form of pre-amp, mixers included, they can eq the track afterwards with an eq curve the is the negative of the RIAA one. Again, though, this is not ideal.
I’m working on something similar at the moment, but you best off doing it yourself. Firstly you get to define the keys/buttons you want to use yourself and secondly you will begin to understand Traktor more.
Here is how I’ve assigned my keys:
- ‘[’ = Loop In/Set Cue
- ‘]’ = Store Cue/Loop
- Shift + ‘]’ = Set Grid Marker
Loop Size & Set: Int. Mode= Direct; Value= 8
Monitor Cue: Int. Mode= Direct; Value= On ***
Beat Tick: Int. Mode= Direct; Value= On
Show Advanced Panel: Int. Mode: Direct; Value= Grid
- Ctrl + ‘]’ = Lock BPM: Int. Mode= Toggle
BPM Tick: Int. Mode= Direct; Value= Off
- ‘P’ = Cup (Cue Play): Int. Mode= Hold
- Shift + ‘P’ = Cue/Loop Move Mode: Int. Mode= Direct; Vaue= BeatJump
Cue/Loop Move Size: Int. Mode= Direct; Value= 2
Cue/Loop Move: Int. Mode= Previous
- Ctrl + ‘P’ = Cue/Loop Move Mode: Int. Mode= Direct; Value= BeatJump
Cue/Loop Move Size: Int. Mode= Direct; Value= 32
Cue/Loop Move: Int. Mode= Next
Loop Active: Int. Mode= Direct; Value= off
- ‘-’ = BPM: Int. Mode= Inc; Res= Min
- ‘=’ = BPM: Int. Mode= Dec; Res= Min
- Shift + ‘-’ = BPM: Int. Mode= Inc; Res= Fine
- Shift + ‘=’ = BPM: Int. Mode= Dec; Res= Fine
- Ctrl + ‘-’ = Move Grid Marker: Int. Mode: Down; Res= Min
- Ctrl + ‘=’ = Move Grid Marker: Int. Mode: Up; Res= Min
How it works:
1. Load and start a track and focus that deck. Use the ‘[’ key at anytime to drop a temp cue point. If you missed your cue point simple hit ‘Shift + P’ to jump back 2 beats so that you can drop it again. To hear if you have it in the right spot tap P, don’t hold it. This is usefully for beat gridding as you will hear if you’ve missed the start of the drum hit or not. If it is not spot on don’t worry about trying the above steps to get it perfect.
2. Once you happy with your temp cue HOLD down the P key, which will keep the play head on it, then hit ‘Shift + ]’. This will place a beat grid marker and also set a loop and activate the tick. When you release the keys and track continues playing you will be able to hear how far off, if at all, you original temp cue was. Tidy it up by usin CTRL + ‘-’ or ‘=’ to move the beat grid so that the ticks fall on the right spot.
3. When the tick is lined up, hit CTRL + P to skip forward and end the loop. To adjust the BPM use the ‘-’ and ‘=’ keys (looks more like - & + when you look at the keyboard) to fine tune the BPM, using shift as well to make bigger changes. Please note the it is impossible to make minute changes using the keyboard so you may have to grab the mouse to make changes of 0.001. Once you’ve got the BPM hit CTRL + ] to lock the grid and turn off the tick.
4. To place other cues, use the method in step 1 and the Hold P and press ] to store a cue point.
Hope that makes sense ;)
*** I’ve included this as I’m using an external mixer and it has to be switched on to hear the tick. You might not need this for n internal mixer but have tried it out.
Damn formating!!!
Second try:
Here is how I’ve assigned my keys:
- ‘[’ = Loop In/Set Cue
- ‘]’ = Store Cue/Loop
- Shift + ‘]’ = Set Grid Marker
—————-Loop Size & Set: Int. Mode= Direct; Value= 8
—————-Monitor Cue: Int. Mode= Direct; Value= On ***
—————-Beat Tick: Int. Mode= Direct; Value= On
—————-Show Advanced Panel: Int. Mode: Direct; Value= Grid
- Ctrl + ‘]’ = Lock BPM: Int. Mode= Toggle
—————BPM Tick: Int. Mode= Direct; Value= Off
- ‘P’ = Cup (Cue Play): Int. Mode= Hold
- Shift + ‘P’ = Cue/Loop Move Mode: Int. Mode= Direct; Vaue= BeatJump
—————-Cue/Loop Move Size: Int. Mode= Direct; Value= 2
—————-Cue/Loop Move: Int. Mode= Previous
- Ctrl + ‘P’ = Cue/Loop Move Mode: Int. Mode= Direct; Value= BeatJump
—————Cue/Loop Move Size: Int. Mode= Direct; Value= 32
—————Cue/Loop Move: Int. Mode= Next
—————Loop Active: Int. Mode= Direct; Value= off
- ‘-’ = BPM: Int. Mode= Inc; Res= Min
- ‘=’ = BPM: Int. Mode= Dec; Res= Min
- Shift + ‘-’ = BPM: Int. Mode= Inc; Res= Fine
- Shift + ‘=’ = BPM: Int. Mode= Dec; Res= Fine
- Ctrl + ‘-’ = Move Grid Marker: Int. Mode: Down; Res= Min
- Ctrl + ‘=’ = Move Grid Marker: Int. Mode: Up; Res= Min
Great video as always, Im still having problems with making the beat grid. I messed it all up to hell, and I didn’t save anything and I restarted Traktor and all my messed up beat markers are still there. Is there a way to reset all them and bring the song back to normal?
you will just need to manually delete the grid in the cue section on the GUI
Great video. Thanks Ean :)
I got the most stupid question of all, now i have those beatgrids. How i can use it to juggle? Because that is what it is for right? I want to play with it like you do with the arcade buttons modification.
Hi there
I just bought final scratch Pro and i will like to know how to make all my tracks to beatmatch perfectly.
I saw lots of video tutorials about how to beat grid but none for final scratch Pro or the few are in German which doesn’t help.
Can you please help?
thanks
Hey Ean,
A really great video, gave me the pointers for a lot of things I figured out but not all the way through… :-)
Anyway, after practicing the method a bit, I sat and watched the video again to get the finer points, and this is my question:
There is a point in the song where you missed the exact correct cue point, and it appears you somehow fixed it without having to actually play and drop the cue again. Is there a way to do that? I find it especially hard when not playing in snap and I sometime want to move my dropped cue just a tiny little bit forward or backward…
Thanks for your help, it really means alot to all of us out there trying to fumble in the dark!