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Re: [idm] mixing mp3s - Traktor Review

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◇ merged from 2 subjects: mixing mp3s · mixing mp3s - traktor review
2002-03-16 13:18qwerty [idm] mixing mp3s
2002-03-16 19:25Static Beats Re: [idm] mixing mp3s - Traktor Review
2002-03-17 14:44Tom Pereira Re: [idm] mixing mp3s - Traktor Review
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2002-03-16 13:18qwertyhello... can someone recomend me a good software for djing with mp3s... does anyone work w
From:
qwerty
To:
IDM , IDM-making
Date:
Sat, 16 Mar 2002 14:18:52 +0100
Subject:
[idm] mixing mp3s
permalink · <001d01c1cced$44e5a260$3d451dc3@qwerty>
hello... can someone recomend me a good software for djing with mp3s... does anyone work with that that? i've had atomix mp3 but i don't really like it... thanks --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org
2002-03-16 19:25Static BeatsYes hello, I just recently purchased Traktor after hearing much about it. I got it just a
From:
Static Beats
To:
qwerty
Cc:
Date:
Sat, 16 Mar 2002 11:25:57 -0800
Subject:
Re: [idm] mixing mp3s - Traktor Review
permalink · <068701c1cd20$668ba580$9865fea9@administi3vumh>
Yes hello, I just recently purchased Traktor after hearing much about it. I got it just a couple weeks ago actually... Incidentally, my background is 7 years of vinyl mixing. With the advent of CD only releases, limited and deleted pressings, MP3's and the internet, it's high time we have a tool that expands our talent to encompass all forms of music. If you can get it onto your computer you can play it with Traktor. I've tried a bunch of other programs and found them to all be sorely lacking. Traktor is the best I've found so far. It can be controlled by midi, by keyboard, and by mouse. It's fairly intuitive to use and after 2 or 3 days of playing it can be sufficiently mastered. There's definitely some nifty features to this software. The ability to cue and loop are nice as are the effects available for each track. The overdub feature is particularly useful as it allows you to record a mix in one pass and then record over it on the second or third - adding effects or tweaking the levels. A few things to note: 1. An ASIO soundcard is recommended for the cue/mix feature. If you don't have an ASIO card you will need 2 seperate soundcards to hear master versus channel. 2. Don't buy the software directly from Native Instruments. I paid $200 for my copy and then found it shortly after (15-20 minutes after I placed my order) for $150. I called them on it and they would not refund the difference - actually it took them a week or so to even reply to my email - and by then the product had already been shipped. So, here's a URL to one for $150: http://www.audiomidi.com/manufacturer.cfm?manufacturer_ID=127 3. If you've never mixed before I believe this is a good start but although it has an 'auto bpm' feature it still requires a sufficient amount of skill to master. 4. The manual is a bit sparse (less is more?) so after you've got the basics down you're really gonna have to learn more advanced techniques on your own. 5. I've only tried mixing this with straight 4/4 techno so I'm not sure how well it would handle BPM's of other genres. The concept remains the same however and the pitch bend feature is an *invaluable* tool. 6. The "scratch" features are a joke. If you're buying this because you think you can scratch with it then turn away right now and buy some Technics. 7. The reverse feature doesn't work all that well because it doesn't keep pitch. It would be the equivalent of hitting stop and then reverse - the beats will be off. Maybe you could try reversing a loop and seeing if that works.... 8. The tap tempo option crashes the software anytime I try it with a track already playing. If the song is playing and you I and manually set the BPM's it kills my soundcard leaving it in an endless loop - requiring a full computer reboot (Windows 2000 is my OS). 9. The BPM features are a bit funky and I'm still working out the kinks. For now, I've found I need to note on a seperate piece of paper what the BPM's for each track are. Traktor seems to sometimes save this info and sometimes not. If you use the 'sync' feature to match the beats of two tracks and Traktor has mistakenly recognized the BPM's of a particular track as matching the other then they will be horribly mismatched. 10. Although you can turn certain visual elements on and off, a 1024x768 resolution is not enough to fit in the entire software window with all options (most of them needed) turned on. It does have a nice full-screen mode but it's lacking toolbars to scroll the window up and down. The question - is it worth the money? Well, if you're looking for an MP3/wav/wma/cda/etc. mixer this is the only one out there worth it's weight. However, if you're just looking to expand your mixing skills to include other types of media I'd recommend waiting until Final Scratch is out - sure it's a few hundred dollars more but as a traditional DJ I've found making the transition to software rather difficult. I still want to feel the record in my hands and I need a physical mixer to bring it all together. Making a mix CD with Traktor is taking me about 3 or 4 times longer than it would normally take me with vinyl. First is the learning curve, second is the medium, and third is the reduced hands-on feel that I've come to associate with mixing vinyl. Still, I'm finding the software to be really fun, intuitive and easy to master. If you've got the money I'd definitely recommend it - you'll be hard-pressed to find anything out there that's similar and works this well. Shimone/Justes http://www.staticbeats.com | Electronic Music http://www.shimone.org | Digital Photography ----- Original Message ----- From: "qwerty" <miro.merlak@fer.hr> To: "IDM" <idm@hyperreal.org>; "IDM-making" <IDM-Making@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Saturday, March 16, 2002 5:18 AM Subject: [idm] mixing mp3s
quoted 14 lines hello...> hello... > > can someone recomend me a good software for > djing with mp3s... does anyone work with that that? > i've had atomix mp3 but i don't really like it... > > thanks > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org > For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org >
--------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org
2002-03-17 14:44Tom Pereira>5. I've only tried mixing this with straight 4/4 techno so I'm not sure how >well it woul
From:
Tom Pereira
To:
Date:
Sun, 17 Mar 2002 14:44:29 +0000
Subject:
Re: [idm] mixing mp3s - Traktor Review
permalink · <F125wne32uW1MJcC9SH00004fa4@hotmail.com>
quoted 3 lines 5. I've only tried mixing this with straight 4/4 techno so I'm not sure how>5. I've only tried mixing this with straight 4/4 techno so I'm not sure how >well it would handle BPM's of other genres. The concept remains the same >however and the pitch bend feature is an *invaluable* tool.
I've made a chilled beats and a breakbeat mix with it successfully, but it's auto BPM detection really works best with straight 4/4.
quoted 3 lines 6. The "scratch" features are a joke. If you're buying this because you>6. The "scratch" features are a joke. If you're buying this because you >think you can scratch with it then turn away right now and buy some >Technics.
Seems weird to me, they put time in working out how the interface would work, but the audio just isn't realistic.
quoted 5 lines 8. The tap tempo option crashes the software anytime I try it with a track>8. The tap tempo option crashes the software anytime I try it with a track >already playing. If the song is playing and you I and manually set the >BPM's >it kills my soundcard leaving it in an endless loop - requiring a full >computer reboot (Windows 2000 is my OS).
I get this crash too, but I found the crash only occur if you OK the dialog whilst the tempo is still at zero, which can happen if you haven't tapped enough.
quoted 5 lines 9. The BPM features are a bit funky and I'm still working out the kinks.>9. The BPM features are a bit funky and I'm still working out the kinks. >For >now, I've found I need to note on a seperate piece of paper what the BPM's >for each track are. Traktor seems to sometimes save this info and sometimes >not.
It should always save the tempo with the playlist, but you need to click 'lock bpm' value within the tempo dialog otherwise it can arbitrarily decide to change the tempo at some other time assuming it's auto-bpm can do a better job. You should note that the .nml files are readable XML, so you can actually edit playlists yourself by hand outside the program. I've kept a master list of tracks which I can cut and paste into a customised playlist, so that I need not re-enter the bpm and cues.
quoted 3 lines If you use the 'sync' feature to match the beats of two tracks and>If you use the 'sync' feature to match the beats of two tracks and >Traktor has mistakenly recognized the BPM's of a particular track as >matching the other then they will be horribly mismatched.
Yeah, the sync occasionally works but most of the time gets it's knickers in a twist and starts ramping the speed to try and lock things together. The visual synch offset bars are occasionally useful, but I always sync by hand. [...]
quoted 4 lines I'm finding the software to be really fun,>I'm finding the software to be really fun, >intuitive and easy to master. If you've got the money I'd definitely >recommend it - you'll be hard-pressed to find anything out there that's >similar and works this well.
I'd heartily second this recommendation, I've had it a while now and it's a lot of fun. My beat matching skills have always been poor since I don't have my own decks to play with, but this software has opened the door to mixing music, which was always too time consuming and depressing for cack-handed old me. You can concentrate on playlists and with the bpms locked you can experiment with mix combinations really quickly. Bye, Tom. _________________________________________________________________ Join the world?s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org