Pinnacle Systems Torq MixLab LE, Torq MixLab Getting Started

GETTING STARTED

Torq MixLab | Getting Started | 1

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Welcome

Congratulations on your purchase of M-Audio’s Torq MixLab DJ system! M-Audio is an
industry-leader in professional music products for computer-based musicians and DJs. What
you hold in your hands is a piece of that heritage—a piece of the very products used daily
by professionals around the world. With the Torq MixLab package, you will DJ using your
collection of audio files on your computer. You can even record the results and burn them
onto CD, or copy them onto a media player.

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Installation

1. Connect the included USB cable between the
X-Session Pro and an available USB port on your
computer.

2. Insert the Torq MixLab disc into your computer’s
CD-ROM drive

• Windows: The

installation should
start automatically.

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• Macintosh: The

disc will mount and
display its content.
Double-click “Install Torq”

3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the software installation.

4. Launch Torq by double-clicking the new link that was added to your desktop,

or...

Start > All Programs > M-Audio > Torq LE > Torq LE (Windows)

or...

Macintosh HD > Applications > Torq LE > Torq LE (Macintosh)

That’s it – Torq is ready. Now, how does it work?

Let’s go through a few practical examples together and find out:

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Torq MixLab | Getting Started2

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Tutorial

Part I: Preparation

First, we’ll need to check a few settings required for the following examples

1. Click the icon in the upper right section of the Torq LE window. The Audio
Preferences dialog opens.

2. Make sure your soundcard is selected under “Audio Interface”.

(Windows users: If a driver with the word “ASIO” in its name is available, select it)

3. Click on the field labeled “Master Output” and check the available choices:

a. If “Left / Right / Left -- Right” are

available:

• Select “Left” for Master Output

and “Right” for the Cue Output.

b. If there are multiple entries

listed in the Master Output field,
and some of them say 1/2 in
their name and others say 3/4:

• Select a “1/2” driver for the

Master Output and a “3/4”
driver for Cue Output.

• Make sure to connect your

sound system to your
soundcard’s first
stereo output and your
headphones to
your soundcard’s second
stereo output.

For serious DJing, you need a
soundcard that features separate
stereo outputs for pre-listening
(cueing) and for the sound the
audience hears. Your soundcard
features only one stereo output.
Torq still allows you to use all of its
features, including pre-listening,
by using a trick: Torq splits your
soundcard’s stereo output into
two mono outputs – one for pre­listening and one for the audience
(the left/right choices in this
dialog). All you need to follow
the examples in this tutorial is a
Y-adapter cable that connects to
your soundcard’s stereo output
via a male 1/8” jack and provides
two female 1/8” jacks for your
headphones and your sound
system. You can find such cables
at every well stocked electronics­or music store. Please also check
the full Torq User Guide for more
information, which can be found
on the in the Torq LE application
folder.

Torq MixLab | Getting Started | 3

Part II: Overview

Torq MixLab is composed of two parts:
the Torq LE DJ software and the M-Audio
X-Session Pro DJ controller. Torq LE is a
full-featured DJ application that has all the
functions you’d find on expensive DJ CD
players and turntables. It plays back music at
varying speeds and pitches and automatically
matches tempos of songs, creating smooth
transitions between tracks. You can also
perform remix tricks such as looping and
instant jumps to other locations in the song.
Lastly, Torq LE allows you to apply effects
to the music and fully control the mix of the
songs. The M-Audio X-Session Pro provides
you with hands-on control over Torq LE. After
plugging the X-Session Pro into one of your
computer’s USB ports, Torq LE instantly
recognizes it. Moving the controls on the
X-Session Pro results in the corresponding
on-screen controls moving in kind. This is
the best way to DJ since you can perform
multiple tasks at once on the controller, as
opposed to controlling only one thing at a
time with the mouse.

DJing is an art. As with any art, it takes
practice to become proficient. However,
there are many features in the Torq MixLab
package that will jump-start your learning
process. This manual describes the features
and use of the Torq MixLab system and offers
insight into the art of DJing. Once you are
proficient with Torq MixLab, the sky’s the
limit—you’ll be ready to take the step up to the
tools used by the pros!

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Food For Thought

In some ways, DJing resembles the
circus tricks of spinning plates or
juggling objects. As the DJ, it is your
job to “keep everything up in the air”
in a smooth fashion, so that the music
never stops as you move from one song
to another. All of the tools available to
you merely influence and cajole the
playback of music that would normally
play straight through, uninterrupted
and independent from each other
from beginning to end. It is therefore
a necessity to think one step ahead
of where you are, since some DJ
techniques must be performed before
you actually want your audience to hear
them. This ability to anticipate changes
in the music directly relates to how well
you know the music in your library. If
you know the structure and patterns of
a song like the back of your hand, you’ll
know what sections are appropriate for
looping, interesting places to introduce
filters and other ef fects, and empty or
quiet areas where you might need to mix
in another song. Intimate knowledge of
your music library is also what helps you
select the right progression of songs, by
choosing songs of similar style and feel.

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Getting the Music Together

Torq MixLab | Getting Started4

In case this is your first stab at mixing,
we’ve provided you with an exciting
and diverse collection of music from
various M-Audio M-Powered artists.
During installation, the installer copies
this collection onto your hard drive, in a
folder called “Torq Traqs.” If you are a
Windows user, you’ll find this folder in
your “My Music” folder. Mac users will
find the folder in their “Music” folder.

In order to help you select songs, Torq
LE includes a Browser and Database
to organize your music library. To
search and sort your music librar y with
ease, simply add your music folders to
the Database. To illustrate, let’s start
by adding the “Torq Traqs” folder to
Torq LE’s database:

1. If you’re using a PC, click the “+” in front
of “My Music” in the Browser pane. If
you’re using a Mac, click the “+” in front
of “Music” in the Browser pane.

2. Right-click on the “Torq Traqs” folder
(CTRL+click if using a Mac with one
mouse button) and select “Add to
Database.”

3. Torq LE now includes the “Torq Traqs”
folder in any searches of the Database.
You can confirm this by clicking on
“Database” in the Browser pane—the
following list of songs should be
displayed: