Rane SL 1 User Manual

SETTINg THE STANdARd FOR PROFESSIONAL djS

RAN E SL1 FOR SERATO SCR ATCH LIVE • OPE RATOR’S MANUAL 2.4.4

Important Safety Instructions

For the continued safety of yourself and
others we recommend that you read
the following safety and installation
instructions. Keep this document in a safe
location for future reference. Please heed
all warnings and follow all instructions.

Do not use this equipment in a location
where it might become wet. Clean only
with a damp cloth. This equipment may
be used as a table top device, although
stacking of the equipment is dangerous
and not recommended.

Equipment may be located directly above
or below this unit, but note that some
equipment (like large power ampliers)
may cause an unacceptable amount of
hum or may generate too much heat
and degrade the performance of this
equipment. Only use attachments and
accessories specied by Rane. Refer all
servicing to qualied service personnel.
Servicing is required when the apparatus
has been damaged in any way, such as
spilled liquid, fallen objects into an opened
chassis, exposure to rain or moisture, a
dropped unit, or abnormal operation.

FCC Statement

This equipment has been tested and
found to comply with the limits for a Class
B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of
the FCC Rules. These limits are designed
to provide reasonable protection against
harmful interference in a residential
installation. This equipment generates,
uses and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used
in accordance with the instructions,
may cause harmful interference to
radio communications. However, there
is no guarantee that interference will
not occur in a particular installation.
If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television
reception, which can be determined
by turning the equipment off and on,
the user is encouraged to try to correct
the interference by one or more of the
following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving
antenna.

• Increase the separation between the
equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on
a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced
radio/TV technician for help.

FCC Declaration of Conformity

Brand: Rane
Model: SL1

This device complies with part 15 of the
FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) This device
may not cause harmful interference,
and (2) this device must accept
any interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired
operation.

Responsible Party:
Rane Corporation
10802 47th Avenue West
Mukilteo WA 98275-5000 USA
Phone: [phone]

CAUTION: Changes or modications not
expressly approved by Rane Corporation
could void the user’s authority to operate
the equipment.

This Class B digital apparatus complies
with Canadian ICES-003.

Cet appareil numérique de la classe B
est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du
Canada.

2

RAN E SL1 FOR SERATO SCR ATCH LIVE • OP ERATOR’S M ANUAL 2 .4.4

Copyright Notices

© 2013 Rane Corporation. All rights
reserved. Scratch Live and the Scratch
Live logo are trademarks of Serato.
Trademarked in the U.S. and other
countries. Licensed exclusively to Rane
Corporation. This software is based in
part on the work of the Independent JPEG
Group, and uses libpng code, copyright
© 2000-2002 Glenn Randers-Pehrson.
The Scratch Live Control Tone, the audio
pressed on Scratch Live Control vinyl
and Control CDs, is copyright ©2004­2013 Serato. The Control Vinyl and
Control CDs are licensed for personal
use only. The creation of personal
backups of the Control CD is allowed,
however duplicating Control CDs for
commercial benet is strictly prohibited.
For avoidance of doubt the duplication
or creation of Control vinyl for any use
is strictly prohibited. Please respect our
copyright. Windows XP, Windows Vista
and Windows7 is either a registered
trademark or a trademark of Microsoft
Corporation in the United States and/or
other countries. Apple, Mac, Macintosh
and iTunes are trademarks of Apple
Computer, Inc., registered in the US and/
or other countries.

Wear Parts

The SL1 interface contains no wear parts.
The vinyl records and CDs are wear parts
as described in the Limited Domestic
Warranty section at the end of this
manual.

Introduction

Refer to the separate Quick Start guide
that was included in the box. If you lose
yours, a new copy (along with this manual
and all other documentation) may be
downloaded at rane.com/scratch.html. To
keep up with the latest tips, and to check
for Scratch Live software updates, visit
the Ofcial Scratch Live Forum at serato.

com

Minimum System Requirements

• Available USB port.

• 1280 x 720 screen resolution or
higher.

• 2 GB RAM, more for a large library.

• Hard drive space for music:
5400 RPM minimum, 7200 RPM
recommended for high resolution
audio playback.

PC

• 2.2 GHz Intel Core Duo.

• Windows XP with Service Pack
3 or higher, or Vista with Service
Pack 2 or higher, or Windows 7.
We recommend Windows 7 over
Vista.

Mac

• 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo.

• OSX 10.5.8 or higher.

PLEASE NOTE: These are the
minimum requirements to run
Serato Scratch Live without optional
plugins. For best performance
or when using optional plugins
we recommend you use a
higher spec computer. For more
information please visit serato.com/

scratchlive#minspecs.

RAN E SL1 FOR SERATO SCR ATCH LIVE • OP ERATOR’S M ANUAL 2 .4.4

Check List

These items are included in the box:

• SL1 interface.

• Scratch Live software install disc.

• 2 (two) control CDs.

• 2 (two) control records.

• 1 USB cable.

• 4 stereo RCA cables.

• Package of 4 rubber feet.

• Quick Start Guide.

• This manual.

3

Contents

Important Safety Instructions 2
FCC Statement 2
FCC Declaration of Conformity 2
Copyright Notices 3
Wear Parts 3
Introduction 3
Minimum System Requirements 3
Check List 3

Getting Started 6

Installing Scratch Live 6

Mac 6
Windows 6
Additional Windows Drivers 6
Starting the Software 6
Using the Tool Tips 6

Connecting Your Hardware 7

Connecting the SL1 7
Turntable Setup 7
CD Player setup 7
Connecting A Mic 8
Optional Power Supply 8
Kensington Security Slot 8

Calibrating Scratch Live 8

The Noise Threshold 8
How to Calibrate Scratch Live 8
The Scopes 8
Calibration Troubleshooting 9

Importing and Playing Music 9

Importing Your Music 9
Supported File Types 9

Whitelabel.net 10

Preparing Your Files 10

How to Analyze Files 10
About Corrupt Files 10
Playing Music 10
Track Display 10
Set Auto-BPM 11
The Offline Player 11

Playback Control 11

The Control Record 11
Vinyl Scroll 11

Main Screen Overview 12

Virtual Deck 12
Visual Aids 12
Tempo Matching Display 12
Track Overview Display 12
Main Waveform Display 12
Beat Matching Display 13
Master Gain 13
33 / 45 Speeds 13
Tracking Indicator 13
Tap Tempo 13
Key Lock 13
Repeat 13
Censor 13
Eject 13
Autoplay 13
Reverse Input Control 13
Track Gain 14
USB Dropout Indicator 14

Scratch Live Modes 15

Absolute Mode 15
Relative Mode 15
Internal Mode 16
Temporary Cue 16
More Controls 16

Cue Points 17

Setting Cue Points 17
Enable Hot Cues 17
Triggering Cue Points 17
Editing Cue Points 17
Customizing Cue Points 17

Looping 17

Auto Looping 18
The A - Slot 18
Loop Roll 18
Loop Roll with MIDI 18

SP-6 Sample Player 19

Loading the SP-6 19
Playing Samples 19
SP-6 Instant Doubles 19
SP-6 Play Modes 19
SP-6 Pitch Controls 20
SP-6 ‘Play From’ Selector 20
SP-6 Track Overviews 20
SP-6 Slot Volumes 20
SP-6 Output Selector 20
Individual Output Selectors 20
SP-6 Sample Banks 20
SP-6 Mute Buttons 20
SP-6 MIDI 20

DJ-FX Plugin 21

Ultra Knob Mode 21
Super Knob Mode 21
Effects BPM Multiplier 21
Deck Assign 21
Show Parameters 21
Macro Edit Mode 21

Display Modes 14

Library Views 14

4

RAN E SL1 FOR SERATO SCR ATCH LIVE • OP ERATOR’S M ANUAL 2 .4.4

MIDI Control 22

MIDI Controller Setup 22
Assigning Controls 22
MIDI Platters 22
Assigning MIDI to Other Controls
22
Ctrl-Click Functionality 22
Presets 23
Native Controller Support 23
MIDI Devices 23
Technical Information 23

Organizing Your Music 23

Grouping Tracks into Crates 23
Subcrates 23
Smart Crates 23
Sorting Your Files 24
Using the Song Browser 24
Searching 24
Prepare Window 24
History 24
Serato Playlists 25
Uploading Serato Playlists 25
Live Playlists 25

File Management 26

Rescan ID3 Tags 26
Relocate Lost Files 26
Editing ID3 Tags 26
Library Zoom 26
Display Album Art 26
Adding Album Art 26
Status Icons 26
More Info on Corrupt Files 26
Deleting Crates and Tracks 27
Copy & Move Files & Folders 27
Copy & Move Crates 27
Scratch Live Backup 27

Recording 27

LiveFeed 28

Mixing With One Turntable Or
CDPlayer 28

Menu Settings 28
Record Gain Knob 28
Sampling from Vinyl 28

Additional Setup 30

Hardware 30

USB Buffer Size (Latency) 30
Audio Input Level 30

Playback 30

Track End Warning 30
Playback Keys Use Shift 30
Lock Playing Deck 30
Sort Cues Chronologically 30
Enable Hot Cues 30
Use Auto Gain 31
Hi-Fi Resampler 31
Play From Start 31
Instant Doubles 31
Play From First Cue Point 31
Braking (INT Mode) 31
Audio Output 31

Vinyl Control 31

Adjust Loops with Vinyl 31
Next Song on Flip 31
Enable Vinyl Scroll 31
Reverse Vinyl Scroll 31
Vinyl Scroll Speed 31
Drop To Absolute Position (REL
Mode) 31
Drop To Cue Points (REL Mode) 32
Vinyl Start Offset 32

Library 32

Read iTunes Library 32
Protect Library 32
Customize Crate Views 32
Center on Selected Song 32
Show All File Types 32
Include Subcrate Tracks 32
AutoFill Overviews 32
Font Size 33
Album Art Size 33

Display 33

Maximum Screen Updates 33
Audio Cache 33
Show Album Art On Deck 33

Plugins 33

Enable SP-6 Sample Player 33
Enable DJ-FX 33
Serato Playlists 33
Serato Video 33

Troubleshooting and Frequently
Asked Questions 34

Corrupt File Descriptions and
Diagnoses 35

Scope Reading and Fixes 36

Declaration of Conformity 38

Limited Warranty 39

Keyboard Shortcuts 29

RAN E SL1 FOR SERATO SCR ATCH LIVE • OP ERATOR’S M ANUAL 2 .4.4

5

Getting Started

Installing Scratch Live

Mac

1. Insert the Software Installation CD-

ROM and double-click the installer icon.
or
Launch the installer you just

downloaded from serato.com.

2. Follow the on-screen instructions. Once

the installation is complete, Scratch Live

will appear in your applications list. You

may like to drag the Scratch Live icon to

your dock for quick launching.

3. Plug in your SL1. No extra hardware or

driver installation is required.

Windows

It is important that Windows users install
the SL1 drivers as well as the Scratch Live
software. The easiest way to do this is to
allow the Scratch Live installer to do all
the work.

1. Connect your SL1 before you insert
your installation CD. When you rst
connect it, Windows will attempt to
install the drivers via the hardware
wizard. Cancel and close the hardware
wizard.

2. Insert the Software Installation CD­ROM. Make sure your SL1 is connected
rst. If a window doesn’t open
automatically, browse to the CD drive.
Run setup.exe.

or
Launch the installer you just

downloaded from serato.com.

3. Follow the on-screen instructions. Once
the installation is complete, Scratch
Live appears in the Start Menu under All
Programs > Serato > Scratch Live.

Because the SL1 was connected prior to
installing Scratch Live, no extra hardware
installation is required.

NOTE: Select the custom install option
if you wish to change the installation
location of Scratch Live.

Starting the Software

Close all other programs on your Mac or
PC. When you load Scratch Live for the
rst time, you will see the screen shown
above.

Using the Tool Tips

Click on the ? icon to enable tool tips.
Tool tips provide a handy way to learn
the various features of Scratch Live.
Move the mouse over a section of the
screen to bring up a context-sensitive
tool tip. Holding the mouse over the ?
button with tool tips turned on will show
you a list of all keyboard shortcuts. Tool
tips are available in several languages.
Scratch Live will display the tool tips in
the language that your computer is set to.
If your language is not available, the tool
tips will be displayed in English.

Additional Windows Drivers

Once Scratch Live is installed, any
additional hardware that is connected
will be recognized and the drivers will be
automatically installed.

6

RAN E SL1 FOR SERATO SCR ATCH LIVE • OP ERATOR’S M ANUAL 2 .4.4

Connect your Thru Outputs to your

MIC IN

TO MIC

PHONO LINE PHONO LINE

FROM TURNTABLE
OR CD PLAYER OUT

FROM TURNTABLE
OR CD PLAYER OUT

FROM TURNTABLE GROUNDFROM TURNTABLE GROUND

GROUND

USB TO COMPUTER

Mixer. The THRU outputs on the SL1
are used if you want to play regular vinyl
or CDs during your set. They allow you
to bypass your Scratch Live software,
sending audio direct from the SL1 inputs
to your mixer (i.e. the sound from your
records or CDs). Connect these to your
mixer inputs, matching the level of your
decks. In general, turntables are phono
level, and CD players are line level.
Once your THRUS are connected, you
can switch to your vinyl or CD’s using the
phono/line switch or transform switch on
the top of your mixer.
If you hear the sound of your control
discs instead of music from Scratch Live,
you are listening to the thrus rather than
the line outputs.
The thrus only work when the SL1 is
powered, either by a computer over USB,
or by the optional DC power supply.

Connect the SL1 to your computer.
Using the provided USB cable, connect
your SL1 to an available USB port on
your computer. Connect it directly to
your computer and not through a hub or
splitter.

Connecting Your Hardware

The Scratch Live control records and
CDs are pressed with an audible tone
specically developed for controlling the
Scratch Live software application.
The SL1 interface converts the control
signal coming from each deck into digital
audio, to be sent via USB to the Scratch
Live software, which decodes that signal
into a stream of information based on
what the DJ is doing with the control disc.
A ‘Virtual Deck’ replicates the movements
of the control disc. Audio les loaded
onto the Virtual Decks are then played
back through the outputs of the hardware,
with any manipulation of the control discs
reproduced on the audio, effectively
emulating vinyl control of the les loaded
in software.

Connecting the SL1

To integrate an SL1 unit into a typical DJ
setup, connect it to your turntables (or CD
players) and mixer as follows:

Connect the Turntables or CD Players.
Plug the cables from your decks, into the
input sockets of the SL1, plugging the left
deck into input 1 and right deck into input

2.

Connect the Line Outputs to your Mixer.
The output from Scratch Live comes
from the OUTPUTS on the SL1. Using the
included RCA cables, Connect the LEFT
DECK LINE OUTPUTS into a left line input
your mixer, and the RIGHT DECK LINE
OUTPUTS into a right Line Input of your
mixer. If your mixer has selectable input
levels, set these to Line level.

Turntable Setup

Set the tone arms to the
recommendations of the cartridge, such
that the needle never leaves the record,
but not heavy enough that it heats up
signicantly. Both produce poor tracking.
Grounding is extremely important when
using Scratch Live. Make sure you have
good connections from the ground wires
of your turntables to the grounding post of
your DJ mixer. All DJ mixers with turntable
inputs have built in grounding points for
this purpose. If you do not ground your
turntables properly, the control signal will
be noisy and the tracking of the record
position will be erratic.

CD Player setup

Disable all built-in effects on the CD
player, including keylock/master tempo.
Ensure the input level in Scratch Live is
set correctly to accept a LINE level signal.

See “Audio Input Level” on page 30.

RAN E SL1 FOR SERATO SCR ATCH LIVE • OP ERATOR’S M ANUAL 2 .4.4

7

Connecting A Mic

Connect an optional standard dynamic
microphone to the SL1 Mic Input using
a ¼" unbalanced Tip-Sleeve cable or
adaptor. Connect the Mic THRU output to
a Mic input on your DJ mixer.
Use the MIC GAIN knob on the SL1 to
attenuate the mic input level. This is only
a trim control, and will not turn off the mic
when turned all the way down (counter­clockwise). Use the Mic controls on your
mixer to turn the mic off.

Optional Power Supply

Connect an external power supply to the
SL1 to power the THRU channels when
USB power is not present. This allows
you to play vinyl or CDs without a host
computer; useful for permanent installations
or using more than one computer.
The power supply is 9 volts DC, 300 mA,
using a P6 type barrel plug. Any substitute
must meet these specications.

-(5.5mm) +(2.5mm)

Kensington Security Slot

You can use a Kensington
security cable to attach the SL1
to an immovable object. Each
side of the SL1 has a Kensington
Security Slot. Refer to the instructions
provided with your Kensington Lock.

Calibrating Scratch Live

Since Scratch Live is controlled by an
analogue signal, there is no guarantee of
what state that signal will be in by the time
the software gets to interpret it. Therefore,
Scratch Live needs to be able to handle a
wide range of signals, and be congurable
to use them optimally. Calibrating is just
conguring the software to your situation.

Calibration is equally important for both
vinyl and CD users of Scratch Live.

There are two parts to the Scratch Live
control signal: The directional tone, and
the noise map.
Listening to the control vinyl, the
directional tone is the 1 kHz tone. The
noise map sounds like random noise over
the top of the tone.
The directional tone provides the
current speed and direction of the record,
while the noise map tells the software
precisely where on the record the needle
is currently.

The Noise Threshold

A threshold is a lower limit, below which
a process will not occur. In the case of
Scratch Live, the noise threshold is the
limit below which the input signal will not
be interpreted as control signal; in other
words if it’s below the threshold, it is
considered noise and ignored.
This setting is necessary because a
stylus is very sensitive, and will inevitably
pick up noise from the environment as
well as the signal on the record, especially
in the noisy environment of a live show.

How to Calibrate Scratch Live

With music playing in the background
(from any source), put your needle on
record with the turntable stopped. If
you are using CD players, the same
rules apply. Have the CD deck paused
or stopped while calibrating. Ensure the
input level in Scratch Live is set correctly
to accept a LINE level signal. See “Audio

Input Level” on page 30.

Click and hold the estimate button
until the slider stops moving. Moving
the threshold slider to the left will make
Scratch Live more sensitive to slow record
movement, but also more sensitive to
background noise.

Repeat the process for each deck.

Things to remember:

• Your needle must be on the record.

• Your turntable (or CD player) must be
stationary.

• The background music playing must be
at a similar level to which you will play
your set at.

• You should calibrate Scratch Live every
time you play.

TIP: If the slider jumps to the far right,
then you have a problem with noise
in your turntables/CD players/mixer.
Check all your connections and make
sure your equipment is well earthed.
In some situations you will not be able
to improve the signal quality, and you
will have to play on regardless. In this
situation, stick to rel mode.

The Scopes

The scopes on the Setup screen in
Scratch Live display the input signal as a
phase diagram. The key factors to look at
on the scope display are crisp clean lines,
round shape, and the tracking percentage
in the lower right corner.

8

RAN E SL1 FOR SERATO SCR ATCH LIVE • OP ERATOR’S M ANUAL 2 .4.4

Start both turntables or CD players. You
will see green rings appear in the scope
view, as shown above.
For optimal performance the inner ring
should be as close to circular as possible.
Use the scope zoom slider (1x to 16x)
to zoom in or out as necessary. Use the
scope L/R balance and P/A balance
controls to adjust the shape of the inner
ring.
The number in the top left corner of the
scope view gives the current absolute
position within the control record or CD.
The number in the top right corner is
the current speed in RPM. In the bottom
left is the current threshold setting, and
the number in the bottom right shows
the percentage of readable signal – this
number should be close to 85% when
your system is calibrated properly.

Calibration Troubleshooting

After calibration, the number in the upper
right corner of the scope view should say

0.0 while the needle is on the record and
the turntable is stopped.
If that number is uctuating then
manually move the estimate slider to the
right until that number is stable at 0.0.
If you’ve moved the slider all the way
to -24 and its still uctuating then you
have a grounding or interference problem
somewhere in the chain.
If so, the rst thing to check is that
the grounding wire coming from your
turntable is connected to your mixer’s
grounding posts.
Next, make sure that the SL1 isn’t
sitting next to a power source such as a
power strip or power box and that the rca
cables connected to the SL1 aren’t laying
across other power conducting cables.
If you are still experiencing issues, you
might have to adjust the placement of
your setup. For example, make sure bass
bins aren’t directly under the turntables.

for more calibration troubleshooting
help see “Scope Reading and Fixes” on
page 36.

Importing and Playing Music

Importing Your Music

The easiest way to load music into your
library is by using the Files button:

1. Click on the Files button to open the
les panel. The left side of this window
displays various locations on your
computer hard drive (and external
drives if you have one). Click on these
locations to navigate your computer and
nd your music.

By default, your music will usually be
found in either “Music” (Mac) or “My
Music” (Windows).

2. Once you have located your music,
drag the folder or les you want to
import onto the purple “ All...” icon.
This is located to the left of your screen
at the top of the crates and playlist
window. If you wish to import all of your
music, just drag your whole music folder
onto this icon.

TIP: You can also import by dragging
files and folders directly from Windows
Explorer (PC version) or Finder (Mac
version) into the Scratch Live library.

TIP: Adjust the
size of the Files
window by
clicking and dragging near the three
dots up or down. The vertical crates
window adjusts left and right.

Supported File Types

Scratch Live supports xed and variable
bit rate .MP3, .MP4, Ogg Vorbis, .AAC,
.AIFF, .ALAC, .FLAC, .WAV and Whitelabel
(wl.mp3) le types. M3U playlists are also
supported. For more on Whitelabel.net
audio les, see “Whitelabel.net” on page

10.

RAN E SL1 FOR SERATO SCR ATCH LIVE • OP ERATOR’S M ANUAL 2 .4.4

9

NOTE: iTunes Music Store DRM files
cannot be played back by Scratch Live.
iTunes Plus files are DRM-free.

Whitelabel.

Preparing

Playing Music

Click on the “ All...” icon to show all the
tracks in your library. Use the keyboard
shortcut Shift + Left Arrow to load the
highlighted track on to the left deck, and
Shift + Right Arrow to load the highlighted
track on to the right deck.

TIP: You can also load tracks to Virtual
Decks using the mouse. Click and drag
a track from the track list area on to
either Deck.

To start playing a track, simply put
the needle on the record and start the
turntable. The track will start playing as
soon as it detects the signal from the
control vinyl (or CD).
In ABS mode, the track will play from
the position dictated by the placement of
the needle on the record. If you place the
needle at the beginning of the record, the
track will start playing from the beginning.
You can skip through the track by picking
up the needle and placing it further into
the record, just as with regular records
(this is known as needle dropping). See

“Scratch Live Modes” on page 15.

Track Display

When a track is loaded, the track name,
artist and length are displayed in the track
title bar, and the Virtual Deck shows a
solid black line. If the track has BPM or
key information written in the tag this will
also be displayed. See “Set Auto-BPM”

on page 11.

net

The Serato Whitelabel Delivery Network is a unique system that allows record labels to digitally deliver promotional releases directly to DJs. To download Whitelabel audio les and to sign up to receive updates on the latest promotional releases, visit whitelabel.net.

Whitelabel Audio Files

Whitelabel.net audio les are a unique
format (le extension wl.mp3) developed
by Serato. They are specially prepared for
use in Scratch Live; pre-analyzed, tagged
with song and artist info, BPM and album
art where possible.
Whitelabel audio les play as high
quality 320 kbps stereo audio in Scratch
Live when Rane Scratch Live hardware is
connected. Without Scratch Live hardware
connected, or when playing these les
through other mp3 software and devices,
they will play as low quality 32 kbps mono
audio.
Whitelabel audio les are promotional
releases from records labels available to
Scratch Live DJs for free from Whitelabel.
net.

Your Files

Before you play your music in Scratch
Live, It is important to rst analyze your
les.
The analyze les function processes
the songs in your library to detect le
corruption, saves the waveform overview
to an ID3 tag*, and calculates auto-gain
and BPM values.

How to Analyze Files

To analyze les start Scratch Live with
the SL1 disconnected. On the left side
of the main screen, click the Analyze
Files button to automatically build the
overviews for all the tracks in your library.

TIP: You can drag and drop individual
folders, crates or files onto this button
to force the building of overviews at
any time.

About Corrupt Files

If Scratch Live detects a corrupt
le it will tag it with a corrupt le
icon:
It is very important that you delete ANY
corrupt les from your library as they can
cause Scratch Live to crash regardless
if you play the le or not. See “Status

Icons” on page 26 and “Corrupt File
Descriptions and Diagnoses” on page

35.

10

RAN E SL1 FOR SERATO SCR ATCH LIVE • OP ERATOR’S M ANUAL 2 .4.4

Set Auto-BPM

If this option is checked while analyzing
les, Scratch Live will calculate the
estimated tempos of your les. If Scratch
Live is condent that the auto-BPM
estimate for a le is accurate, it will be
written to an ID3 tag* in the le. The auto­BPM function will not be applied if the
track already contains BPM information.
To re-analyze these les and use auto­BPM or auto gain on them, drag them
onto the Analyze Files button. If you
know your les BPM will fall within a
certain range, use the range drop down
to avoid double or half value BPMs being
calculated.

*ID3 tags contain data about your

tracks and are saved inside the files
themselves. Genre, track name and
artist are examples of common tag
information. See “Editing ID3 Tags” on
page 26.

The Offline Player

The ofine player is a useful tool for
preparing crates, auditioning tracks, and
setting cue and loop points. The ofine
player is available when Scratch Live
hardware is not connected, and outputs
through the current default audio device.
Load a track to the ofine player by
dragging and dropping onto the deck, or
pressing shift + left arrow. If the end of the
loaded track is reached, the next track in
the current playlist is played automatically.
Click the Ofine Player Controls button
(outlined below) to expand and hide the
ofine player controls.

Playback Control

The Control Record

The control record has two sides. The
rst side is 10 minutes long and contains
the Vinyl Scroll section. The second side
is 15 minutes long. Scratch Live can be
congured to work with records playing
at either 33 RPM or 45 RPM, depending
on your preference. The record has thin
marks every minute, and a thicker mark
every 5 minutes (when playing at 33
RPM). These marks are to assist you when
using needle dropping to move through
the track. These marks do not affect the
playback of the track.
The mode will switch when it reaches
the end of the record so your track won’t
stop. See”Absolute Mode” on page

15.

The Control CD

The control CD
has two tracks.
The rst track is 15
minutes long and
controls playback.
The second track
is 40 seconds long
and controls vinyl
scroll.

Vinyl Scroll

Vinyl Scroll allows you to select and load
tracks using only your turntables (or CD
player) – no contact with the computer
necessary! To use Vinyl Scroll with
turntables, lift the needle off the record
and drop it into special “bonus track”
section at the end of the record’s A side.
The movement of the control disk now
controls the selected track within your
library. Lift the needle out of the Vinyl
Scroll section of the record and into the
lead out (between the Vinyl Scroll area and
the end of the record) to change crates
or iTunes playlists. Go back to the Vinyl
Scroll area of the record to choose a track
within the crate or playlist. Once you have
found the track you wish to play, put the
needle back at the beginning of the record
and it will load automatically. This feature
is available to CD users. Go to track 2 on
the control CD to access Vinyl Scroll. Find
the track you want to load, and go back to
track 1.
The track you selected will be loaded
and ready to play. You can reverse the
direction of Vinyl Scroll and set the
sensitivity in the Setup screen.

TIP: You can also use Vinyl Scroll in the
prepare window. See the options for
“Vinyl Control” on page 31.

For information on rescanning, moving,
copying, deleting and backing up les,
see “File Management” on page 26.

RAN E SL1 FOR SERATO SCR ATCH LIVE • OP ERATOR’S M ANUAL 2 .4.4

11

Main Screen Overview

Virtual Deck

The Virtual Deck
shows everything
about the speed
and position of a
track. As the vinyl
rotates, so does
the line on the
label. The circular
progress bar around the edge is a visual
representation of the position within the
song, and can be set to ash to warn
you that the track is nearing its end. The
time and remaining time are displayed in
minutes and seconds. The pitched BPM
(BPM with pitch adjustment multiplier
added) is shown on the left of the Virtual
Deck, and the turntable speed as a
percentage pitch shift is shown on the
right of the Virtual Deck. If the track has
no BPM information, pitched BPM will not
be shown.
If you are playing regular vinyl, notice
that the Virtual Deck behaves strangely
as Scratch Live attempts to decode the
incoming signal. This will not cause any
problems, but you may nd it distracting.
You can unload the currently loaded track
using the eject button next to each Virtual
Deck.

TIP: Use the keyboard shortcut shift­alt-arrow to unload a track from the
Virtual Deck.

Visual Aids

When the track is playing several
waveforms are displayed. Each shows a
different aspect of the track being played.

Tempo Matching Display

The Tempo Matching display area
provides a helpful tool for beat matching.
Scratch Live detects the beats within the
track, and places a row of orange peaks
(for the track on the left side) above a row
of blue peaks (for the track on the right
side) in the Tempo Matching display area.
When the two tracks are matched to the
same tempo, the peaks will line up. Note
that the tempo display is aligned with the
beginning of the bar, so the peaks keep
their relative position as the track plays.
This display does not show the relative
timing of the beats, only the track tempos.
The peaks still line up when the tracks are
at the same tempo, but are out of sync.

Track Overview Display

This view provides a complete
overview of the track waveform,
and includes a marker to show
the current position within the
track. This view is useful for
nding transitions within the
track. The waveform is colored
according to the sound spectrum
– red representing low frequency
bass sounds, green representing
mid frequency sounds and blue
representing high frequency treble
sounds.
You can jump to different
positions within the track by clicking on
the Track Overview display (disabled
in ABS Mode). Grey lines behind the
overview show the length of the track – a
thin grey line every minute, and a thick
grey line every 5 minutes. The overview
will be lled when you load the track onto
a Virtual Deck. On slower computers,
you should disable Autofill overviews in
the Library tab of the Setup screen. See

“Preparing Your Files” on page 10
and “AutoFill Overviews” on page 32.

Main Waveform Display

This view provides a close­up of the track, including
color coding to show the
frequency of the sound;
red representing low
frequency bass sounds,
green representing mid­frequency sounds and blue
representing high-frequency
treble sounds. You can
also switch to a three-band
spectrum view by holding
the ctrl key and clicking
on the waveform. Click on
the waveform to ‘scrub’ or
make ne adjustments to your position
within the track. This applies to INT mode
only, and may be useful if you wish to set
cue points in your tracks without your
turntables or CD players connected. The
Main Waveform is zoomed around the
current position in the track. See “Cue

Points” on page 17 and “Scratch Live
Modes” on page 15.

TIP: Use the + and – keys to zoom in
and out.
TIP: Waveform can be either vertical or
horizontal. See “Display Modes” on page

14.

Kick Drum

In this example, the red part
of the wave represents a kick
drum, while the purple part
represents a snare drum.

Snare Drum

12

RAN E SL1 FOR SERATO SCR ATCH LIVE • OP ERATOR’S M ANUAL 2 .4.4