Numark Virtual Vinyl REFERENCE MANUAL

REFERENCE MANUAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................... 1

INTRODUCTION TO DJING..................................................................................................... 2

INSTALLATION / UPGRADE NOTES ..................................................................................... 4

THE INTERFACE - ZONES ...................................................................................................... 5

BROWSER ZONE..................................................................................................................... 6

FILE SYSTEM / FOLDER STRUCTURE PANEL (1) .......................................................... 6

FILE / SEARCH RESULTS PANEL (2)................................................................................ 8

ICON DESCRIPTIONS ................................................................................................... 8

ID3TAG SUPPORT.............................................................................................................. 9

RETRIEVING ID3TAG DATA ......................................................................................... 9

DISPLAYING VirtualVinyl 5.0 DATA FIELDS (ID3TAG) COLUMNS ........................... 11

ADDITIONAL VirtualVinyl 5.0 DATA FIELDS ............................................................... 12

AUTOMIX PLAYLIST (3).................................................................................................... 13

PLAYLIST CONTROLS ................................................................................................ 13

PLAYLIST SETUP ........................................................................................................ 13

PLAYLIST & AUTOMIX MANAGEMENT ..................................................................... 14

SIDELIST (4) ...................................................................................................................... 16

FILE SYSTEM / FOLDER STRUCTURE ORGANIZATION .............................................. 17

FAVORITE FOLDERS .................................................................................................. 17

VIRTUAL FOLDERS ..................................................................................................... 18

FILTER FOLDERS........................................................................................................ 18

DATABASE MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................. 20

GLOBAL SEARCH DATABASE ........................................................................................ 21

VARIABLE SEARCHING .............................................................................................. 22

OTHER TRACK OPTIONS ................................................................................................ 22

DECK CONTROLS ................................................................................................................. 23

INTERNAL MIXER CONTROLS ............................................................................................ 26

TOP TOOLBAR CONTROLS ................................................................................................. 27

THE RHYTHM WINDOW ........................................................................................................ 28

MANUAL BPM CORRECTION .......................................................................................... 29

CONFIGURATION SETTINGS ............................................................................................... 30

SOUND SETUP ................................................................................................................. 30

OPTIONS ........................................................................................................................... 31

PERFORMANCES............................................................................................................. 33

SKIN ................................................................................................................................... 35

KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS................................................................................................ 35

NETWORK ......................................................................................................................... 37

REMOTE CONTROL ......................................................................................................... 38

CODECS ............................................................................................................................ 39

VIDEO ................................................................................................................................ 40

INFO................................................................................................................................... 41

TIMECODE CONTROL........................................................................................................... 42

DJING WITH ONE TURNTABLE ....................................................................................... 45

THE SAMPLER....................................................................................................................... 46

PLAYING SAMPLES.......................................................................................................... 46

RECORDING SAMPLES ................................................................................................... 47

SAMPLE OPTIONS ........................................................................................................... 47

EFFECTS ................................................................................................................................ 48

VIDEO ..................................................................................................................................... 49

TRANSITION EFFECTS .................................................................................................... 49

VIDEO EFFECTS............................................................................................................... 50

OPTIMIZATION.................................................................................................................. 51

KARAOKE .............................................................................................................................. 52

BROADCASTING AND RECORDING ................................................................................... 53

RECORD FROM ................................................................................................................ 53

RECORDING TO A FILE (“RECORD FILE”) ..................................................................... 54

BURN CD ........................................................................................................................... 55

BROADCASTING TO THE INTERNET (“BROADCAST”)................................................. 56

REMOTE CONTROL WITH THE iCDX .................................................................................. 58

CONNECTING AND INITIALIZING THE iCDX.................................................................. 58

iCDX CONTROLLER MAPPINGS ..................................................................................... 59

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to VirtualVinyl!

VirtualVinyl is a revolutionary software which allows you to mix audio and video right from your computer. We have designed VirtualVinyl to be simple and intuitive to use but do not be fooled — there are many advanced features to explore and customize.

VirtualVinyl features everything you need for imaginative performance and mixing:

• Two virtual decks for loading audio and video tracks, short clips and karaoke

• Extensive browsing functions utilizing ID3Tag and custom information fields

• Comprehensive mixer with all the features that you would expect from a traditional

mixer (EQ, gain, crossfader)

• Audio and video effects processors

• Sampler for recording and playing back audio clips on the fly

• ClipBank for playing back video clips on the fly

• Looping engine

• Real-time recording of your mixes

• Real-time webcasting of your sessions

Additionally, VirtualVinyl includes many innovative features to help you spend less time with the tedious, time-consuming aspects of DJing and mixing:

• Automatic beat matching for quick mixing

• Computer Beat Grid for easy visual mixing

• Dynamic Hot cue points

We developed VirtualVinyl to be the most complete and extensive DJ software on the market today. We have provided an exhaustive set of features for you to take advantage of and create great mixes. Whether you are a beginner or a professional DJ, you will find working inside VirtualVinyl to be fun, intuitive and highly efficient.

If you are new to DJing, we recommend that you read the “Introduction to DJing” section of this manual — it contains basic information on the art of DJing, which you might find useful before diving into the software.

We highly recommend reading this manual in its entirety once you begin using VirtualVinyl — it will help you learn and understand all of its many features so you can get the most out of your VirtualVinyl.

We sincerely hope that you enjoy this great product!

INTRODUCTION TO DJING

The work of a disc jockey can be divided into three tasks:

1. Choosing the music (programming)

2. Mixing the music

3. Modifying the music (remixing)

The first task consists of choosing the appropriate music, which obviously depends on the type of evening and your style. Generally a good rule of thumb is to avoid playing all the hits” from the very start of the evening and to keep some in reserve to generate new interest when the audience starts to become tired.

Numark VirtualVinyl allows instant access to all your titles, playlists, and a list of suggestions. It’s ultimately up to you to decide what makes your audience move. The software cannot replace your talent.

The second task consists of “mixing” the tracks. DJs are accustomed to connecting their tracks in a fluid way by keeping a constant flow of music in order to give the impression that the music is seamless. This mostly applies only to a certain category of music, where the rhythm is very pronounced, such as house, hip hop, or r&b.

Traditionally, the DJ mixes a track in two phases:

Initially, a DJ will modify the speed of the track he wants to mix in, in order to equal the speed of the current track. This stage is necessary to prevent the songs from clashing and give synchronized beats. The speed of the music is measured in BPM (Beats per Minute) — this measures the number of beats over one minute in time. A song with 160 BPM is very fast, whereas a song with 60 BPM is very slow.

The traditional DJ uses the “pitch” adjustment on the turntables to accelerate or slow down the number of revolutions of a record and thus changing its BPM. In Numark VirtualVinyl, the BPM is calculated automatically as soon as you load a track to either player and the pitch can be adjusted automatically to match that of the song already playing. Once BPM on both songs are the same, it’s necessary to sync or line up the beats so the two tracks sound as one.

Traditionally, the DJ will put their headphones on only one ear and listen to the track that they want to introduce (known as cueing). With the other ear, the DJ listens to the mix that the public hears. The DJ will then speed up or slow down the incoming track with their hand and using the pitch control, in order to synchronize the beats. In Numark VirtualVinyl, the rhythm window indicates the position of the beats of each song, allowing you to easily see whether the songs are matched and synced. Then, when the two tracks are beat-matched and synced, the DJ will begin using the crossfader, volume faders and equalizer to bring the new track into the mix. This is called a transition.

The third task of a DJ is to modify the music with various effects or by mixing various tracks or samples, in order to create an impression of a “remix” and to give a more personal and artistic feel to a mix.

The effects traditionally used are scratch, loops, and samples:

A scratch consists of creating an entirely new sound by playing a small portion of music repeatedly. This is achieved by moving that same portion of music back and forth at different velocities while using the crossfader to sharply cut the sound in and out of the mix.

A loop consists of isolating a passage from a title and playing it repeatedly in a looping fashion. As the loop ends it will fluidly go back to the beginning and play again, prolonging the duration of the passage.

A sample consists of a recorded passage which can be played at key moments in the mix to build up interest or anticipate a track that is being mixed in.

There are many creative ways that scratches, samples and loops can be used and Numark VirtualVinyl provides some great, easy-to-use tools for you to utilize all these techniques in your mix. By simplifying and streamlining the technical aspects of DJing, Numark VirtualVinyl allows you to focus on the most important part of the DJ experience — your imagination!

INSTALLATION / UPGRADE NOTES

If installing VirtualVinyl 5.0 as a fresh, clean install please make the following notes:

Default application path provided during the install is C:\Program Files\VirtualVinyl 5.0\

All Application Configuration, Plug-in, Skins and Support Files are stored in C:\MyDocuments\VirtualVinyl 5.0

**VERY IMPORTANT – EXTERNAL DRIVE USERS**

You should have your COMPLETE gig ready computer setup connected before launching VirtualVinyl 5.0 for the first time.

When upgrading to VirtualVinyl 5.0 the default application path stays the same and the new application configuration, plug-in, skins, and support files are copied to C:\MyDocuments\VirtualVinyl 5.0. Since VISTA does not like applications writing data to the Program Files folders, the Development Team moved these entries to a more accessible location so they wouldn’t be placed in the Microsoft managed hidden folders profile environment.

*For Power Users who have changed the location of their MyDocuments from the default Microsoft setting (C:\MyDocuments), your new/copied files are stored there in the VirtualVinyl 5.0 folder.

The NEW core VirtualVinyl 5.0 Database is now titled VirtualVinyl 5.0 Database.xml and is stored in the following locations:

Windows XP: C:\MyDocuments\VirtualVinyl 5.0 Windows VISTA C:\_UserName\Documents\VirtualVinyl 5.0

The NEW VirtualVinyl 5.0 Database system segments the database to each drive attached to the system. Each additional database file will be found on the ROOT of that drive and is titled VirtualVinyl 5.0 Local

Database.xml.

Upgrade note: Because of the ‘split’ database files and depending on the size of the v4.x database XML, the

FIRST LAUNCH of VirtualVinyl 5.0 after upgrading may act like it has stopped at the applications splash screen. Please be patient and look for activity on the hard drive(s). VirtualVinyl 5.0 is reading the v4.x database and splitting the various entries across the respective hard drives of the system.

What is stored in the NEW Database files?

 Path to the file  Analyzed data about the tracks  ID3Tag Display Information  Automix Information

Example of a database entry:

*(not representative of all information stored)

The ‘split’ database files provide users of external hard drives the ability to COLD or HOT SWAP drives between single or multiple systems. This allows for multiple DJs of a club or venue to utilize 1 VirtualVinyl 5.0 installation and not have different OS logins in order to maintain separate databases unique to each DJ. Now, the DJ just walks in plugs in the external device and begins playing.

THE INTERFACE - ZONES

Before beginning to use Numark VirtualVinyl, familiarize yourself with the controls and “zones” of the software. Upon opening the application, an interface menu is displayed. Interfaces called “skins” feature different configurations, layouts and functionalities of the software. Let’s begin by selecting “Internal mixer interface” to become familiar with the most important features of the software. To change to a different skin while the software is running, click on the “Config” button (located at the top right corner of the interface) and select the “Skins” tab.

BROWSER I SAMPLER / EFFECTS I RECORD

Browse your music folders, create, edit and save your playlists Adjust effects video, and audio, Record and save mixes

DECK 1 CONTROLS

Drag and drop music from the browser to this virtual deck. Track title, beats per minute display, counters and transport control for the deck are located in this zone.

DECK 2 CONTROLS

Drag and drop music from the browser to this virtual deck. Track title, beats per minute display, counters and transport control for the deck are located in this zone.

MIXER ZONE

Crossfader, gain, volume and PFL controls are located in this zone.

RHYTHM WINDOW

This window tracks the waveform of each song loaded or playing on a deck. This area also features a Computer Beat Grid (CBG) used for visual mixing and beat-matching.

BROWSER ZONE

The Browser Zone is where you can navigate and organize files stored on a local, external, or network hard disk. The browser contains the compatible file types (i.e. whose extensions are associated with the decoders in Numark VirtualVinyl) to access the compatible extensions list. Click the “Config” menu then choose the “Codecs” tab. See the “Codecs” section of the manual for further details.

The Browser zone is divided into 4 key panels:

1. File System / Folder Structure

2. File / Search Results

3. Automix Playlist

4. Sidelist

FILE SYSTEM / FOLDER STRUCTURE PANEL (1)

VirtualVinyl provides several applicationmanaged organizational groupings and a few third-party interfaces by default. Also provided is the ability to create additional navigation aid capabilities. To better understand the managed groups and interfaces, click the “Config” button and view the “Browser” tab.

The “Browser” tab allows the selection of the various managed groupings that can be viewed. Each ‘checked’ item will have an associate entry on the File System / Folder Structure panel (1).

Desktop – shows the File System navigation option.

Napster – shows the integrated Napster search. Using this feature requires a Napster login. Login

information can be provided by a right-click on the Napster Globe in the “Browser” panel interface and choosing “Login…”

Genres – provides a generated tree of Genre types based on the imported ID3Tag Genre field. By selecting on the various listed genres, the file browser panel (2) only shows those entries which match the tag.

*POWER USERS – Typically only one genre is stored in the ID3Tag; however, since VirtualVinyl imports and stores this data in it’s own database, multiple genres can be assigned to a single file by separating each genre with a semi-colon ‘;’ . This action is performed in the File Info dialog the Genre field for the file.

History – provides access to data stored about each previous session of VirtualVinyl. The data is stored as .m3u playlist files in the MyDocuments\VirtualVinyl\TrackHistory folder. History data is saved on the fly in order to provide running history of played tracks for each 24hr timeframe of use.

*POWER USERS – By default VirtualVinyl will separate the history playlists at 9AM. This is based on a registry entry titled TrackCutHour – change this value to have your history playlists split at a different time. Time is based on a 24-hour clock, so 9PM would be 21. Please note that altering registry entries incorrectly can damage the software or your computer!

iTunes – displays iTunes playlists and uses the information stored in the playlist to access the associated files. If the files don’t exist per the playlists path, an ‘Error’ may show up in the deck’s display when attempting to load the track.

Crates – allows access to the crates structure created and utilized by the Serato ScratchLive application. Same as the iTunes option, if the reference to a file is incorrect an ‘Error’ message will be displayed in the desk’s display when attempting to load the track.

Playlists – show or hide the contents of the MyDocuments\VirtualVinyl\Playlist folder where Automix playlists are stored.

Favorites – show or hide any folder favorites. Favorite folders are created by right-clicking on a folder

in the Desktop navigation structure and selecting “Set as favorite” from the menu or by using the icon on the panel’s right divider bar.

VirtualFolders – show or hide any created VirtualFolders, created by clicking on the

icon found on

the right divider bar.

FilterFolders – show or hide any created FilterFolders, created by clicking on the right divider bar.

icon found on the

FILE / SEARCH RESULTS PANEL (2)

VirtualVinyl provides several elements of information about each track. The information is a combination of ID3 Tag and VirtualVinyl defined data fields. By default, the title of the song and artist are listed for each file along with columns for beats per minute (BPM) and duration (Length). The width size for each column can be modified individually and you can sort the column contents clicking on the column. For example, clicking on the artist column sorts the browser entries by artist, initially in ascending alphabetical order. Click again to view in descending alphabetical order.

The track’s title and artist are automatically filled in, as long file is named according to two standard conventions: (artist) title.ext OR artist - title.ext OR the “Tags” option is set to “Read ASAP” in the “Config”, “Browser” tab, Infos Gathering section. See the “ID3Tag Support” section of the manual for further details.

The BPM and length information are calculated automatically when a track is loaded to either deck. All track information is then stored inside the respective drive’s database files for later recall. All data is stored and saved at time of discovery or data entry directly to the database(s).

ICON DESCRIPTIONS

This title is unknown and was never played or scanned by Numark VirtualVinyl.

This title is known and has been scanned by Numark VirtualVinyl.

This title was played during this session.

Indicates a video file.

Indicates a karaoke file.

Indicates that the BPM difference between the analyzed song and current playing song is too great. This is a track that you might wish to avoid playing next.

ID3TAG SUPPORT

VirtualVinyl features extensive ID3 Tag support. However, it is not the same support that many other applications implement. VirtualVinyl has always provided the fastest access to information about the tracks in the database. Adding direct ID3Tag access to every file would have considerably slowed VirtualVinyl 5.0’s ability to browse and search, as can sometimes be experienced with other applications.

VirtualVinyl 5.0 stores identified ID3Tag fields as part of its own database. This stored data can be updated at anytime. And because it is not direct access, any of the information can be changed using the File Info dialog and will not affect the core ID3Tag info of the file. Also, since video type files don’t have ID3Tags, VirtualVinyl 5.0 is able to make these fields available for storing information about the video.

RETRIEVING ID3TAG DATA

This can be accomplished in several methods at different points in time. The first and what will be the most common way of retrieving ID3 tag info is using the Configuration

 Browser tab’s Infos Gathering options.

TITLE/ARTIST

 Smart – allows VirtualVinyl 5.0 to determine what it should retrieve. If a field is missing from the

traditional parsing of the filename and data resides in the ID3Tag, then VirtualVinyl 5.0 retrieves the data

 Only from Filename – traditional parsing of the filename data  Only from Tag – only use the data stored in the ID3Tag

AUTOMIX PLAYLIST (3)

The Automix feature allows VirtualVinyl to automatically beat-match and transition between tracks stored in the Automix Playlist on the right side of the Browser. Note that Automix will mix the tracks in the playlist on a single deck, which allows you to use the opposite deck for staging the first song to be used once you decide to stop the Automix process. By default it is Deck 1. However, if Deck 2 is selected as the active deck prior to starting Automix, then Deck 2 is used.

The Automix feature will pull tracks loaded in the Playlist. Playlists are groups of tracks prearranged in a desired order of play. To access the playlist, move your mouse or drag songs over the “Playlist” panel (3) on the right side of the browser. The window automatically expands to show the working area and current list if populated.

PLAYLIST CONTROLS

Activate / deactivate Automix

Access the Playlist management menu

Lock the Playlist panel to a set width and block the auto-shut of the panel. You can also lock it and reduce its size to zero if you do not wish for it open automatically.

PLAYLIST SETUP

Tracks to be auto-mixed can be placed into the Playlist panel from the File Browser panel (2) by dragging and dropping the track titles into the Playlist window (3). Predefined playlists may also be used and auto loaded.

In the Configuration Playlists”. The available values are Disabled, Smart, and Always.

 Disabled – contents of the playlist are displayed in

the center browser panel only.

 Always – when a playlist is selected in the browser

the contents are automatically loaded to the playlist.

 Smart – doesn't change the playlist when you click on a playlist

folder, if the actual playlist has been manually edited

 Options tab there is an option for “AutoLoad

PLAYLIST & AUTOMIX MANAGEMENT

You can use the Playlist management menu (click on the functions, as well as how tracks are loaded in the playlist.

Automix Type – 4 modes

 NONE – this is a simple CUT mix that plays

the entire file from start to finish, including any gaps at the beginning or end

 SMART – VirtualVinyl attempts to determine

the optimal mix point based on the outro of the current track and intro of the upcoming track – mix time varies from ~4 to ~8 secs depending on the tracks

 FADE (skip intro/outro) – attempts to remove the dead air

intro or outro segments and creates a crossfade point based on the settings of the Automix Length

 FADE (keep intro/outro) – keeps the entire track from

beginning to end and creates a crossfade point based on the settings of the Automix Length

Automix Length – Length used for the Automix FADE types. Lengths are 0 seconds (CUT), 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 seconds fades using the FULL crossfade.

Repeat – Two different ‘Repeat’ options are available:

When clicking on the options button (‘+’), the ‘Repeat’ option lets you repeat the whole Automix Playlist. Once all tracks have been played, the Automix will start over again with the first track in the list.

Prior to or during the Automix, right-click on a song and select ‘Repeat’ to have the selected song repeat continuously until ‘Repeat’ is deselected.

Clear – clears the entire playlist

Shuffle – shuffles the contents of the playlist

Remove played – removes already played tracks from the playlist

Remove duplicates – removes possible duplicates from the playlist

Save – saves the playlist for future use

icon) to specify different Automix

Sequential Order Play Display – The playlist navigation during automix play of what is playing and what is next is sequential from top to bottom (like most media players). The the track which is currently playing is always highlighted. If the Repeat option is on, the playlist will repeat from the beginning once the final track has played out.

Add, Move or Remove Track – Reordering tracks by adding more, moving their order, or removing can be done at any time.

Jump and MIX NOW – While Automix is active, double-click on any track in the Playlist and VirtualVinyl will use the assigned crossfade Automix settings and mix that track immediately. The playlist will then pickup from that point forward.

Keyboard Shortcut Actions for use with Playlists:

“Put in Sidelist / Get from Sidelist” – a keyboard shortcut action “switch_sidelist_playlist” provides the function for moving track lists between the two panels.

“Make Virtual Folder” – a keyboard shortcut action “vfolder_fromplaylist” provides the function for creating a VirtualFolder from the current playlist contents.

See “Keyboard Shortcuts” section on page 35 for more details.

SIDELIST (4)

VirtualVinyl incorporates its own version of a waitlist called the Sidelist. The Sidelist panel (4) can be used to hold tracks that the DJ knows they will play sometime during their session. It also provides a location for VirtualVinyl to move tracks that were loaded but never played because a new track was loaded to the deck. The Sidelist can also be used to stage and construct Playlists and VirtualFolders by drag-and-droping tracks into the Sidelist panel.

AutoSave Unplayed

When the option “AutoSave Unplayed” is enabled in the Configuration  Options tab, all tracks added to a deck but then never played are added to the Sidelist when a track replaces it on a deck.

Keyboard Shortcuts load_fromsidelist and free_sidelist provide easy access to tracks for loading to a deck or clearing the entire list, respectively.

See “Keyboard Shortcuts” section on page 35 for more details.

FILE SYSTEM / FOLDER STRUCTURE ORGANIZATION

In order to simplify browsing and provide better file management, VirtualVinyl provides three methods for organizing the database.

On the left panel border there are three folder options:

Create Favorite Folder – pick a folder from the drive to always display in the browser

Create Virtual Folder – create a folder for manually populating with specific files

Create Filter Folder – create a folder based on a filter string that is run every time the folder is selected

Right clicking on any of these folders provides access to various operations:

 For Favorite folders options include Add or Remove contents of folder to Search DB, and

BPM Analyze options.

 Filter folders contain an option for accessing the filter dialog for changing the filter string.

 Virtual folders have a Rename option.

 All folders have options for moving the order of the folders up and down in the tree and for

removing or deleting the folder.

FAVORITE FOLDERS

A DJ may want to define a collection of directories which are most frequently used – for example, “Hits of 2006” or “My Music.” The best solution is using the Favorite Folders. Think of Favorite Folders as Shortcuts to a folder located on your hard drive.

To set a Favorite Folder, browse the “Desktop” folder and navigate to the desired folder location. Click to highlight the desired folder, then click the yellow favorite folder icon

The selected folder will be added to the end of the list, on the same level as the “Desktop” folder. To remove a favorite folder reference, select it and click the icon again.

You may also accomplish this by right-clicking on a folder and choosing “Set as favorite” from the menu. To remove a Favorite Folder, simply right-click on it and choose “Remove from favorite”.

VIRTUAL FOLDERS

Similarly to Favorite Folders, Virtual Folders aid you in quickly accessing music stored on your hard drives. A Virtual Folder, however, holds a collection of shortcuts to tracks instead of shortcuts to folders.

You can create a virtual folder by clicking on the red Virtual Folder icon the new folder a title.

Now browse the database or run various searches to find tracks which you would like to group together in the Virtual Folder. Drag and drop the tracks into the new Virtual Folder and next time you want to play these tracks, simply select this Virtual Folder.

Please note that dragging tracks into a virtual folder will not physically move the files into that folder — it will only create a shortcut to where the files are located.

To remove a Virtual Folder, right-click on it and select “delete.”

FILTER FOLDERS

A highly dynamic and creative way to organize a collection of tracks is to apply conditions which automatically filter (search) the database for tracks that match the outlined criteria. VirtualVinyl calls these types of folder Filter Folders.

Create a Filter Folder

Click on the blue Filter Folder icon

Give the NEW filter folder a name. For example - Top 100 Played

and giving

and a Filter creation dialog is displayed.

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