Last month BentoSan posted a great tutorial about routing Traktor audio into Live in Windows. It’s here and I recommend you at least skim his article if you haven’t already read it, it has plenty of relevant links. Here is how to do exactly the same thing on a Mac, using free software.
What to expect:
- Routing of the audio of each Traktor deck into Live.
- MIDI clock sync from Traktor to Live. Allows to use Live VST beat synced. Allows to start armed clips in Live on the beat.
- Record your set in audio directly in Live.
- Low latency and excellent stability.
This DIY mod wins several awards including: most useless mod, easiest to perform mod, and most instant gratification bang for your buck mod. Adding a pair of 7″ records to your vci-100 does not make too much sense as you loose functionality of the fine pitch faders, nearly 16 buttons and you must remove the input fader knobs. Then again, its fun to do and looks great. You can also fantasize what it might be like to actually have 7″ record midi platters which would be sick! Vestax briefly brought out a mock up of a single 7″ record midi controller with motorized platter and basic controls. It was a mechanical mock up that didn’t exactly wow the crowds at NAMM 2008 but I cant think of anyone that does not like 7″ records. So here are the basic steps required to add a few to your VCI-100.
Continue reading ‘Add Records to your VCI-100 Jog Wheels’
Those of you that missed out on the VCI-100SE should not feel left out, just make your own! psychoguru, a member of our brand new forum posted these stunning photos of a black VCI-100 that he basically created himself. Well technically he converted a silver VCI-100 into the black version by getting creative and leveraging his local suppliers. The process was a simple one that can be broken into 3 stages depending on how deep you want to get.
Continue reading ‘Create Your Own Black VCI-100′
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.
Continue reading ‘Quickly set up Perfect Beat Grids’
by: Ean Golden
That new midi controller might be almost perfect, but you may find you need just a few more controls. A common HID (human interface device) is an inexpensive and simple way to add a few extra buttons to your setup without breaking out the drill and soldering iron. HID devices like the Griffin Powermate connect via usb and are usually bus powered so they will easily integrate into your setup.
Continue reading ‘HID Joysticks for Djs’
By: Bento San
The following Windows tutorial will get Traktor and Ableton all synced up and implement the concept of smart mixing into your set up. Some of you may be thinking, “What is smart mixing”? This is a good Question, and the Belvario Smart Mixer site answers it well. “”Smart mixing” is a term introduced by Moldover, a controllerist digital musician who uses a sophisticated software and hardware configuration that allows him to make fast changes to the mix with a minimum of control movement. One component of this is his “smart mixer” Reaktor ensemble, which makes it easy to do basic automated EQ mixing with a simple fader move in Ableton Live (in Live 7 it’s possible to do with only native audio effects).
You will learn how to:
1) Route Audio From Traktor and into an Ableton Live smart mixer.
2) Sync Abletons Midi clock to Traktor which will be hosting the master tempo
3) Allowing use of a midi controller in two programs at once.
Continue reading ‘Smart Mixing Traktor with Ableton’
With a limited number of physical knobs to control an ever increasing number of software goodies you need to find a way to get more out of your control surface. Using a single knob to control more than one parameter is one of the best ways to do that. A good example of this is the effects section of my VCI-100SE. Each effect in Traktor has 4 knobs and 4 buttons but my vci-100 only offers 2 knobs per effect. How can this be effective? Super knobs!
Continue reading ‘Super Knobs’
The manufacturers don’t want you to know this, but the truth is you don’t have to plop down $1,500 for the latest Allen & Heath mixer or $3,000 on a JazzMutant Lemur to do creative things with MIDI and DJ software. Sure, having a brand new DJ controller with all kinds of bells and whistles will get you excited about trying new ideas, but you might get more mileage out of something at a fraction of those prices. There are many inexpensive two-octave keyboards that offer mappable controls in a small footprint. Perhaps you still have an M-Audio Oxygen 8 ($149.95 for the Oxygen 8 V2; www.m-audio.com) lying around from your first foray into music production. Take it out and imagine how you might DJ with it. Think of how each knob and slider might best control two or more songs on the fly. It’s actually a lot more realistic than you might imagine, so let’s turn the zillion-selling Oxygen 8 into a controllerist’s dream rig. Continue reading ‘Oxygen 8 Controllerism Layout’
Many of you out there are new to the game and starting to get gigs with your digital dj equipment. As a few readers have pointed out, frequently that gear does not really mesh well with the bread and butter setups clubs have installed. Showing up and plugging in equipment can be a nerve racking affair to begin with but if there is one thing MORE scary- its your first 30 dj gigs. So, if you want calm nerves and smooth sets with digital dj gear your going to need a game plan.
For the past 5 years I have setup my laptop, sound card and midi gear in hundreds upon hundreds of clubs around the world. From a traditional Tico dance hall in Costa Rica to techno clubs in Berlin, there was always a way to make it work. Here are a few helpful things I have learned upon the way.
Continue reading ‘How to Set Up in a Club’
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