Native Instruments Traktor 2, Traktor Pro 2 Operation Manual

Manual

Disclaimer

The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent 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 recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission by Native Instruments GmbH, hereinafter referred to as Native Instruments.

“Native Instruments”, “NI” and associated logos are (registered) trademarks of Native Instruments 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 Corporation 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 GmbH

Software version: 2.6 (10/2012)

Special thanks to the Beta Test Team, who were invaluable not just in tracking down bugs, but in making this a better product.

Contact

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Native Instruments GmbH

Schlesische Str. 29-30

D-10997 Berlin

Germany

www.native-instruments.de

USA

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5th Floor

Los Angeles, CA 90028 USA www.native-instruments.com

© Native Instruments GmbH, 2012. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

1	Welcome ..................................................................................................................			17
	1.1	TRAKTOR 2 Documentation Overview ..........................................................................................		18
		1.1.1	In This Manual ...........................................................................................................	18
		1.1.2	Other Documentation .................................................................................................	19
		1.1.3	Recommended Reading Order ...................................................................................	19
	1.2	System Requirements and Compatibility ....................................................................................		20
2 Upgrading (from TRAKTOR PRO, TRAKTOR LE, and TRAKTOR ME) ..................................				21
	2.1	Backup .......................................................................................................................................		21
	2.2	Installation .................................................................................................................................		21
	2.3	Importing Your Data ...................................................................................................................		22
3	TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard ...........................................................................................			23
4 The User Interface (Overview) ....................................................................................				31
	4.1	The Big Picture ...........................................................................................................................		32
	4.2	Interface Elements .....................................................................................................................		33
		4.2.1	Application Menu Bar ................................................................................................	33
		4.2.2	Header .......................................................................................................................	34
		4.2.3	Global Section ...........................................................................................................	36
		4.2.4	Decks .........................................................................................................................	40
		4.2.5	Mixer ..........................................................................................................................	45
		4.2.6	Browser .....................................................................................................................	46
5	The Browser ..............................................................................................................			49
	5.1	The Track Collection ...................................................................................................................		49
	5.2	Importing Music Folders .............................................................................................................		50
		5.2.1	Alternative Importing Methods ..................................................................................	52
	5.3	Tracks Managed by iTunes .........................................................................................................		52
		5.3.1	Playing Tracks Managed by iTunes ............................................................................	53

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			Table of Contents
	5.3.2	Importing a Selection of Tracks from iTunes ..............................................................	53
	5.3.3	Importing iTunes Playlists .........................................................................................	53
5.4	Track Search ...............................................................................................................................		54
	5.4.1	Filtering Playlists .......................................................................................................	54
	5.4.2	Refining a Search ......................................................................................................	55
	5.4.3	Searching for Similar Tracks .....................................................................................	55
	5.4.4	Search in Playlists .....................................................................................................	55
5.5	Working with the Track Collection and Playlists .........................................................................		56
	5.5.1	Creating a Playlist .....................................................................................................	56
	5.5.2	Adding Tracks to Playlists .........................................................................................	56
	5.5.3	Showing Tracks in Collection .....................................................................................	57
	5.5.4	Deleting Tracks ..........................................................................................................	57
	5.5.5	Sorting Playlists ........................................................................................................	58
	5.5.6	Organizing Playlists in Folders ..................................................................................	59
	5.5.7	Track Collection Subfolders .......................................................................................	59
	5.5.8	Favorites ....................................................................................................................	59
	5.5.9	Preparation Playlists .................................................................................................	60
	5.5.10	Exporting Playlists .....................................................................................................	61
	5.5.11	Importing Playlists ....................................................................................................	61
	5.5.12	Printing Playlists .......................................................................................................	62
	5.5.13	More Playlist Functions ..............................................................................................	62
	5.5.14	History Playlist ...........................................................................................................	64
5.6	Editing Track Meta Data .............................................................................................................		64
	5.6.1	Editing Track Properties via Inline Editing .................................................................	65
	5.6.2	Editing Track Properties via the Edit Dialog ..............................................................	65
5.7	Track Icons .................................................................................................................................		66
5.8	The Preview Player ......................................................................................................................		67
5.9	Cover Art	.....................................................................................................................................	68

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			Table of Contents
	5.9.1	Show Cover Art ..........................................................................................................	68
	5.9.2	Editing Cover Art .......................................................................................................	68
5.10	Collection Maintenance ..............................................................................................................		69
	5.10.1	Consistency Check .....................................................................................................	69
	5.10.2	Analysis .....................................................................................................................	71
	5.10.3	Data Directories .........................................................................................................	72
	5.10.4	Other Maintenance Functions ....................................................................................	72
5.11	Working with Audio CDs ..............................................................................................................		73
	5.11.1	CD Text ......................................................................................................................	73
	5.11.2	Audio CDs and Favorites ............................................................................................	73
	5.11.3	Eject CD .....................................................................................................................	73
5.12	Working with Digital Audio Players .............................................................................................		74
	5.12.1	iPod ...........................................................................................................................	74
6 The Decks .................................................................................................................			75
6.1	Deck Flavor Descriptions ............................................................................................................		75
	6.1.1	Track Deck .................................................................................................................	77
	6.1.2	Remix Deck ................................................................................................................	79
	6.1.3	Live Input ..................................................................................................................	85
6.2	Loading Tracks / Remix Sets .......................................................................................................		85
6.3	The Deck Heading .......................................................................................................................		86
	6.3.1	Deck Focus ................................................................................................................	86
	6.3.2	Deck Flavor ................................................................................................................	86
	6.3.3	Playback Mode ...........................................................................................................	87
	6.3.4	Flux Mode ..................................................................................................................	87
	6.3.5	Deck Layout ...............................................................................................................	88
	6.3.6	Deck Audio Drag and Drop .........................................................................................	89
6.4	The Waveform Display and the Stripe View .................................................................................		90
6.5	The Transport Controls ...............................................................................................................		91

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			Table of Contents
6.6	Loop Controls ..............................................................................................................................		93
6.7	Tempo Controls ...........................................................................................................................		94
	6.7.1	Manual Tempo Controls .............................................................................................	95
	6.7.2	Phase Meter ...............................................................................................................	96
	6.7.3	Beat Syncing .............................................................................................................	96
6.8	The Advanced Panel ...................................................................................................................		98
	6.8.1	BeatJump and Loop Move (MOVE Panel) ....................................................................	99
	6.8.2	Cue Point and Loop Management Panel (CUE Panel) .................................................	105
	6.8.3	Cue Point Types .........................................................................................................	107
	6.8.4	Deleting a Stored Cue Point or Loop ...........................................................................	109
	6.8.5	Hotcue Mapping ........................................................................................................	110
	6.8.6	Beatgrid Panel (GRID) ...............................................................................................	110
7 The Internal Mixer & the Crossfader ...........................................................................			117
7.1	Channel Faders ..........................................................................................................................		117
7.2	Crossfader ..................................................................................................................................		117
7.3	Equalizer	....................................................................................................................................	118
	7.3.1 ..........................................................................................................	Equalizer Types	119
7.4	GAIN, Cue .....................................................................................................................and PAN		120
7.5	FILTER, KEY .....................................................................................................and Effect Insert		121
	7.5.1 ..................................................................................................	Headphone Controls	123
7.6	The Internal ...................................................................................Mixer in External Mixer Mode		124
8 Using TRAKTOR .......................................................................with an External Mixer			125
8.1	Requirements .............................................................................................................................		125
	8.1.1 ...................................................................................................................	The Mixer	125
	8.1.2 ..............................................................................................................	Audio Device	125
8.2	Hardware ..........................................................................................................................Setup		126
8.3	Software ...........................................................................................................................Setup		126

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			Table of Contents
9 Using the Header and Global Sections ........................................................................			128
9.1	Header	........................................................................................................................................	128
	9.1.1 ........................................................................................................	TRAKTOR 2 Logo	128
	9.1.2 .......................................................................................................	Status Indicators	128
	9.1.3 ..........................................................................................................	Layout Selector	129
	9.1.4 ...........................................................................................................	Utility Buttons	130
9.2	The Global ......................................................................................................................Section		131
	9.2.1 .............................................................................................................	Master Panel	132
	9.2.2 .....................................................................................................	The Loop Recorder	133
	9.2.3 ....................................................................................................	Master Clock Panel	134
	9.2.4 .........................................................................................................	MIDI Clock Send	135
9.3	Effect Panels ..............................................................................................................................		136
	9.3.1 ...............................................................................................................	Group Mode	137
	9.3.2 ...............................................................................................................	Single Mode	138
	9.3.3 .................................................................................................	Audio Recorder Panel	140
	9.3.4 .............................................................................................................	Broadcasting	141
10 Mouse Control ..........................................................................for Faders and Knobs			142
10.1	Basic Controls ............................................................................................................................		142
10.2	Advanced .......................................................................................................................Control		143
11 Control via Keyboard .........................................................................& MIDI Hotkeys			144
11.1	Keyboard ........................................................................................................................Hotkeys		144
11.2	MIDI Hotkeys ...............................................................................................................................		145
12 Setting Up TRAKTOR ...................................................................................SCRATCH			147
12.1	The Turntable ...................................................................................................................Setup		147
	12.1.1 ...........................................................................	Making Connections for Turntables	147
	12.1.2 ..........................................................	Test Drive TRAKTOR SCRATCH with Turntables	148
	12.1.3 .........................................................................................	The Control Zones on Vinyl	148
12.2	CD Player ..........................................................................................................................Setup		149

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			Table of Contents
	12.2.1	Making connections ...................................................................................................	149
	12.2.2	Test Drive TRAKTOR SCRATCH with CD Players ..........................................................	149
	12.2.3	The Control Zones on CD ............................................................................................	150
12.3	Mixed Setup ................................................................................................................................		150
12.4	Enabling the Decks .....................................................................................................................		151
12.5	Calibration .................................................................................................................................		151
12.6	Tracking Modes ..........................................................................................................................		152
	12.6.1	Absolute Tracking Mode .............................................................................................	152
	12.6.2	Relative Tracking Mode .............................................................................................	152
	12.6.3	Internal Playback Mode .............................................................................................	153
12.7	Timecode Preferences .................................................................................................................		153
12.8	TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2 Troubleshooting ................................................................................		154
	12.8.1	Calibration Troubleshooting ......................................................................................	154
	12.8.2	Audio Troubleshooting ...............................................................................................	168
13 Preferences ..............................................................................................................			169
13.1	...................................................................................................................................................		169
	13.1.1	The Preferences Window ............................................................................................	169
13.2	Audio Setup ................................................................................................................................		171
	13.2.1	Audio Device ..............................................................................................................	171
	13.2.2	Phono / Line ...............................................................................................................	171
	13.2.3	Routing ......................................................................................................................	172
	13.2.4	Built-in Soundcard (only Windows) ............................................................................	172
	13.2.5	Multi-Core .................................................................................................................	172
13.3	Output Routing ...........................................................................................................................		172
	13.3.1	Mixing Mode ..............................................................................................................	172
13.4	Input Routing .............................................................................................................................		173
13.5	MIDI Clock	..................................................................................................................................	174
13.6	Timecode Setup ..........................................................................................................................		174

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			Table of Contents
13.7	Loading ......................................................................................................................................		176
13.8	Transport ....................................................................................................................................		177
13.9	Decks Layout ..............................................................................................................................		181
13.10	Track Decks ................................................................................................................................		182
13.11	Remix Decks ...............................................................................................................................		183
13.12	Mixer ...........................................................................................................................................		185
13.13	Global Settings ...........................................................................................................................		186
13.14	Effects ........................................................................................................................................		187
13.15	Mix Recorder ...............................................................................................................................		189
13.16	Loop Recorder .............................................................................................................................		190
13.17	Broadcasting ..............................................................................................................................		190
13.18	Browser Details ..........................................................................................................................		192
13.19	Layout Manager ..........................................................................................................................		192
13.20	File Management ........................................................................................................................		193
13.21	Controller Manager .....................................................................................................................		195
	13.21.1	Overview ....................................................................................................................	196
	13.21.2	Device Setup ..............................................................................................................	196
	13.21.3	Assignment Table ......................................................................................................	198
	13.21.4	Device Mapping .........................................................................................................	199
	13.21.5	Mapping Details ........................................................................................................	200
	13.21.6	Available Controller Types .........................................................................................	201
14 Advanced Operation of TRAKTOR ................................................................................			204
14.1	TRAKTOR Profiles ........................................................................................................................		204
	14.1.1	The TRAKTOR Root folder ...........................................................................................	204
	14.1.2	The Recordings folder ................................................................................................	205
	14.1.3	Complete Backup ......................................................................................................	205
	14.1.4	Restoring TRAKTOR from a Backup ............................................................................	206
	14.1.5	Creating a portable version of TRAKTOR ....................................................................	206

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			Table of Contents
	14.1.6	Automatic Collection Backup (Security Backup) ........................................................	207
	14.1.7	Repairing a Corrupted Collection ...............................................................................	208
14.2	Syncing via MIDI Clock ...............................................................................................................		208
	14.2.1	TRAKTOR as Tempo Source (MIDI Clock send) ............................................................	208
	14.2.2	Syncing TRAKTOR to an external MIDI Clock Signal (External Sync) ...........................	209
	14.2.3	Syncing two versions of TRAKTOR ..............................................................................	209
14.3	Broadcasting ..............................................................................................................................		210
	14.3.1	Streaming Protocol ....................................................................................................	210
	14.3.2	Configuring TRAKTOR ................................................................................................	210
	14.3.3	Starting the Broadcast ..............................................................................................	211
	14.3.4	How to setup a microphone for your Broadcast ..........................................................	211
14.4	The Effects in Detail ...................................................................................................................		212
	14.4.1	Introduction ...............................................................................................................	212
	14.4.2	FX Panel Modes .........................................................................................................	213
	14.4.3	Common Parameters .................................................................................................	215
	14.4.4	Delay .........................................................................................................................	216
	14.4.5	Reverb .......................................................................................................................	217
	14.4.6	Flanger ......................................................................................................................	217
	14.4.7	Flanger Pulse .............................................................................................................	218
	14.4.8	Flanger Flux ...............................................................................................................	219
	14.4.9	Gater .........................................................................................................................	219
	14.4.10	Beatmasher 2 ............................................................................................................	220
	14.4.11	Delay T3 .....................................................................................................................	221
	14.4.12	Filter LFO ...................................................................................................................	222
	14.4.13	Filter Pulse ................................................................................................................	223
	14.4.14	Filter ..........................................................................................................................	224
	14.4.15	Filter:92 LFO ..............................................................................................................	225
	14.4.16	Filter:92 Pulse ...........................................................................................................	226

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	14.4.17	Filter:92 .....................................................................................................................	226
	14.4.18	Phaser .......................................................................................................................	227
	14.4.19	Phaser Pulse ..............................................................................................................	228
	14.4.20	Phaser Flux ................................................................................................................	229
	14.4.21	Reverse Grain ............................................................................................................	230
	14.4.22	Turntable FX ..............................................................................................................	231
	14.4.23	Iceverb .......................................................................................................................	231
	14.4.24	Reverb T3 ..................................................................................................................	232
	14.4.25	Ring Modulator ..........................................................................................................	232
	14.4.26	Digital LoFi ................................................................................................................	233
	14.4.27	Mulholland Drive .......................................................................................................	234
	14.4.28	Transpose Stretch ......................................................................................................	234
	14.4.29	BeatSlicer Buffer .......................................................................................................	236
	14.4.30	Formant Filter ............................................................................................................	236
	14.4.31	Peak Filter .................................................................................................................	237
	14.4.32	Tape Delay .................................................................................................................	237
	14.4.33	Ramp Delay ...............................................................................................................	238
	14.4.34	Auto Bouncer .............................................................................................................	239
	14.4.35	Bouncer .....................................................................................................................	240
15 Tutorials ...................................................................................................................			241
15.1	Prerequisites ..............................................................................................................................		241
15.2	Goals of the Following Chapters .................................................................................................		242
15.3	Playing Your First Track ..............................................................................................................		243
	15.3.1	Quick Loading a Track ...............................................................................................	243
	15.3.2	Playing the Track .......................................................................................................	245
	15.3.3	If You Don’t Hear the Track ........................................................................................	246
15.4	Mixing In a Second Track ............................................................................................................		248
	15.4.1	Pre-listening a Second Track in the Preview Player ...................................................	248

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			Table of Contents
	15.4.2	Loading and Playing the Second Track ......................................................................	250
	15.4.3	Using Headphones to Prepare the Mix .......................................................................	250
	15.4.4	Synchronizing the Second Track ................................................................................	251
	15.4.5	Setting a Cue Point as Starting Point ........................................................................	252
	15.4.6	Snapping to the Beats ...............................................................................................	255
	15.4.7	Sticking to the Beats .................................................................................................	255
	15.4.8	Interlude: In Case the Left Track Is Over… ...............................................................	256
	15.4.9	Mixing In the Track by Using the Channel EQ and Filter ............................................	256
	15.4.10	Manual Beat-matching .............................................................................................	258
15.5	Adjusting Levels .........................................................................................................................		260
	15.5.1	The Theory… .............................................................................................................	260
	15.5.2	…and the Practice ....................................................................................................	261
15.6	Looping and Cueing ....................................................................................................................		263
	15.6.1	Playing with Loops .....................................................................................................	264
	15.6.2	Using Hotcues ...........................................................................................................	267
15.7	Adding FX	...................................................................................................................................	269
	15.7.1	Assigning a Deck to an FX Unit ..................................................................................	270
	15.7.2	Group Mode ...............................................................................................................	271
	15.7.3	Getting the FX Unit Ready ..........................................................................................	271
	15.7.4	Controlling the FX Unit ..............................................................................................	272
	15.7.5	Single Mode ...............................................................................................................	273
	15.7.6	Storing a Snapshot ....................................................................................................	273
15.8	Using the Remix Decks in Your Mix .............................................................................................		274
	15.8.1	Loading a Sample from the Collection .......................................................................	275
	15.8.2	Triggering the Sample ...............................................................................................	276
	15.8.3	Capturing a Sample from a Track ..............................................................................	278
	15.8.4	More Sample Controls ................................................................................................	279
	15.8.5	Saving A Remix Set ....................................................................................................	282

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				Table of Contents
	15.9	Using the Loop Recorder .............................................................................................................		282
		15.9.1	Choosing a Source .....................................................................................................	283
		15.9.2	Recording a Loop .......................................................................................................	284
		15.9.3	Overdubbing ..............................................................................................................	286
		15.9.4	Further Uses of the Recorded Loop ............................................................................	286
	15.10	Synchronization ..........................................................................................................................		287
		15.10.1	Introduction ...............................................................................................................	287
		15.10.2	The Tempo Master .....................................................................................................	287
		15.10.3	The Beatgrid ..............................................................................................................	292
		15.10.4	Other Useful Tools for Synching .................................................................................	293
16	Troubleshooting		........................................................................................................	296
	16.1	TRAKTOR Won’t Start ..................................................................................................................		296
	16.2	Latency Issues ............................................................................................................................		296
	16.3	TRAKTOR 2 Crashes ....................................................................................................................		297
	16.4	Updates ......................................................................................................................................		297
17	Getting Help ..............................................................................................................			298
	17.1	Knowledge Base .........................................................................................................................		298
	17.2	Technical Support .......................................................................................................................		298
	17.3	Registration Support ..................................................................................................................		299
	17.4	User Forum .................................................................................................................................		299
18 Appendix — Common Setups .....................................................................................				300
	18.1	TRAKTOR with an On-board Sound Card and Fallback ................................................................		300
	18.2	TRAKTOR with an External Audio Interface .................................................................................		301
	18.3	TRAKTOR with an External Mixer .................................................................................................		302
	18.4	TRAKTOR with a Controller ..........................................................................................................		303
		18.4.1	Controllers with Mixer Controls (and optionally a Built-In Audio Interface) ...............	304
		18.4.2	Controllers without Mixer Controls .............................................................................	306
	18.5	TRAKTOR KONTROL S4 with TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2 ...............................................................		306

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				Table of Contents
	18.6	Adding a Microphone ..................................................................................................................		307
		18.6.1	Using Your Microphone with the Loop Recorder .........................................................	307
		18.6.2	Using Your Microphone as a Live Input and with TRAKTOR FX ...................................	307
	18.7	Recording Setup .........................................................................................................................		308
		18.7.1	Recording from the Internal Source ...........................................................................	308
		18.7.2	Recording from an External Source ............................................................................	309
19	Default Keyboard Mappings .......................................................................................			312
	19.1	Transport	....................................................................................................................................	312
	19.2	Remix Decks ...............................................................................................................................		313
	19.3	Cue & Loop .................................................................................................................................		314
	19.4	Favorites ...............................................................................................................& Navigation		314
	19.5	Loop Recorder .............................................................................................................................		315
	19.6	Zoom & Layout ............................................................................................................................		315
	19.7	Scratch Modes ............................................................................................................................		316
20	Assignable MIDI ...........................................................................................Controls			317
	20.1	Deck Common .............................................................................................................................		318
	20.2	Track Deck ..................................................................................................................................		320
	20.3	Remix Deck .................................................................................................................................		322
	20.4	Mixer ...........................................................................................................................................		324
	20.5	FX Unit ........................................................................................................................................		326
	20.6	Browser ......................................................................................................................................		327
	20.7	Preview Player ............................................................................................................................		330
	20.8	Loop Recorder .............................................................................................................................		330
	20.9	Audio Recorder ...........................................................................................................................		330
	20.10	Master Clock ...............................................................................................................................		331
	20.11	Global .........................................................................................................................................		331
	20.12	Layout .........................................................................................................................................		332

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Table of Contents

20.13 Modifier ......................................................................................................................................	332
Index ........................................................................................................................	334

TRAKTOR - Manual - 16

Welcome

1Welcome

TRAKTOR 2 is the most powerful and versatile DJ software on the market. With TRAKTOR 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. In this manual, you will find everything there is to know about TRAKTOR. For information on how to use NI TRAKTOR KONTROL controllers (TRAKTOR KONTROL S4, S2, X1, F1) with TRAKTOR, or for further information on TRAKTOR's audio interfaces and their configuration, please consult the relevant documents from TRAKTOR's documentation depository, which you can access from the Help menu in TRAKTOR's application menu bar.

Differences Between Versions

TRAKTOR Light Edition 2 and TRAKTOR Manufacturer Edition 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.

Your TRAKTOR version is a Manufacturer Edition 2 version if you obtained it as part of one of the following bundled products:

▪Pioneer DDJ-T1 (Traktor Pioneer DDJ-T1 Edition)

▪Numark 4TRAK (Traktor Numark 4TRAK Edition)

▪Velocity MIDI Station (Traktor Velocity MIDI Station Edition)

Pet Names for Software and Hardware

Throughout the documentation, we will refer to the TRAKTOR (SCRATCH) PRO 2 software as “TRAKTOR 2” or simply “TRAKTOR.”

TRAKTOR Manufacturer Edition 2 will hereinafter be referred to as "TRAKTOR ME 2" or simply "ME 2." TRAKTOR Light Edition 2 will hereinafter be referred to as "TRAKTOR LE 2" or simply "LE 2."

TRAKTOR - Manual - 17

Welcome

TRAKTOR 2 Documentation Overview

Document Conventions

This manual uses particular formatting to point out special facts and to warn you of potential 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 carefully and follow the instructions and hints given there if applicable.

This light bulb 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 locations 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.

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1.1TRAKTOR 2 Documentation Overview

TRAKTOR 2 provides you with many information sources. Find an overview of the available documents and a short description of their content in this chapter.

1.1.1In This Manual

This manual covers all elements of TRAKTOR 2 in detail. Everything there is to know about TRAKTOR you will find in here.

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Welcome

TRAKTOR 2 Documentation Overview

1.1.2Other Documentation

These are the additional documents available to help you aquaint yourself with TRAKTOR 2 (find also a recommended reading order in ↑1.1.3, Recommended Reading Order).

The Setup Guide

The Setup Guide will guide you through the software (and hardware where appropriate) installation of TRAKTOR 2 from the very beginning to the first sound coming through your speakers. This should be your first stop in learning TRAKTOR 2. The Setup Guide is available on the TRAKTOR 2 registration page. Find a link to the registration page on the registration flyer, which is included in your TRAKTOR product box.

The Getting Started Guide

After having read the Setup Guide and followed its instructions, TRAKTOR should be up and running. The next step is to read the Getting Started guide. The Getting Started guide gives you a practical approach to TRAKTOR.

The 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.

The 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. Find them here:

http://www.native-instruments.com/traktor

1.1.3Recommended Reading Order

The documentation items should be read in the following order:

1.Setup Guide relating to your TRAKTOR product.

2.TRAKTOR 2 Getting Started guide and video tutorials.

3.TRAKTOR 2 Manual.

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Welcome

System Requirements and Compatibility

The whole documentation is available via the Open Manual... entry from the Help drop-down menu in TRAKTOR.

1.2System Requirements and Compatibility

For the minimum system requirements your computer needs to meet, see the TRAKTOR section of the Native Instruments website:

http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/dj/traktor-pro-2/specifications/?page=2050

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 ↑17.1, Knowledge Base for more information.

To check the compatibility with several operating systems, please have a look at: http:// www.native-instruments.com/compatibility

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Upgrading (from TRAKTOR PRO, TRAKTOR LE, and TRAKTOR ME)

Backup

2Upgrading (from TRAKTOR PRO, TRAKTOR LE, and TRAKTOR ME)

When upgrading from one of the aforementioned versions, you will need to import your user data and mappings. This is a straightforward process assisted by the TRAKTOR software; however, there are a few things to be observed when upgrading. See the following sections for more info.

2.1Backup

Before installing TRAKTOR 2 over your previous version, backup the following folders and files:

▪your TRAKTOR folder, per default found in [User]\My Documents\Native Instruments \Traktor (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 chosen another location for them.

At this point, it is a good idea to remove all unnecessary files from your TRAKTOR folder, e.g,. mappings for controllers you don’t use anymore, etc.

2.2Installation

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\Traktor 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.

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Upgrading (from TRAKTOR PRO, TRAKTOR LE, and TRAKTOR ME)

Importing Your Data

2.3Importing 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 Preferences accordingly. Read more about the Setup Wizard in ↑3, TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard.

▪Next, TRAKTOR will ask if you want to import your previous data by copying the existing user content to a new folder in your user folder. Your previous data will not be altered if you copy it to the new default folder.

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.

We recommend double-checking your imported mappings before you use them in a live situation.

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TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard

3TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard

The Setup Wizard lets you configure TRAKTOR in a few simple steps. It also is a convenient way to restart with a fresh out-of-the-box 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.

Depending on the version of TRAKTOR software you have (e.g., LE 2, ME 2), the Setup

Wizard may not offer all shown screens or selections.

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.

Exemplary Setup

Let's walk you through an exemplary configuration using the Setup Wizard:

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TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard

1.On the welcome screen, click Next to confirm you have connected any TRAKTOR controllers to your computer via USB (if you are using any).

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TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard

2.Select whether or not you want to use TRAKTOR with a MIDI controller and proceed with Next. If you are using one of NI's "KONTROL" models (S4, S2, F1, X1, etc.), select No here as TRAKTOR is already pre-configured for use with these.

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TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard

3.If you previously selected to use TRAKTOR with a controller, choose the controller manufacturer and model from the drop-down lists and confirm with Next.

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TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard

4.In case your TRAKTOR version is TRAKTOR PRO, ME, or LE, select whether you want to use an external DJ mixer or TRAKTOR's internal software mixer in your setup. Confirm with Next. In case of TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO, this screen is skipped and external mixing is auto-selected.

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TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard

5.Select a basic setup for your Decks (how many Decks and what Deck Flavors to use). This can later be easily changed from within the software. The available options can vary, depending on your TRAKTOR version.

6.The last screen of the Setup Wizard sums up your selection of options. Below you see a summary screen with an exemplary configuration of TRAKTOR with: four Decks (two Track Decks and two Remix Decks); an external DJ mixer; a German keyboard layout (derived

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TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard

from the system settings).You can click Back to change the settings made, Cancel to cancel the Setup Wizard completely, or Finish, which confirms your selections.

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TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard

→TRAKTOR starts with the selected settings and a matching interface layout, e.g., if you selected to use an external DJ mixer, TRAKTOR's software mixer will be hidden. You can always change the Layout of the user interface with the Layout selection menu in TRAKTOR's header.

To change the Deck Flavors, click on the Deck letter in a Deck's upper right corner and select a Flavor from the drop-down menu:

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