TRAKTOR PRO 2.9. Manual Englisch (2015) - part 1

Welcome to the World of TRAKTOR!

TRAKTOR is the most powerful and versatile DJ software on the market. With TRAKTOR, 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 TRAK-
TOR'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 TRAK-

TOR's application menu bar.

Differences Between Versions

TRAKTOR Light Edition 2 and TRAKTOR Manufacturer Edition 2 are limited in certain fea-
tures compared to the full TRAKTOR (SCRATCH) PRO 2 version. The differences will be docu-
mented 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 sim-
ply as “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."

Welcome to the World of TRAKTOR!

TRAKTOR - Manual - 17

1.1

Document Conventions

This document uses particular formatting to point out special facts and to warn you of poten-

tial issues. The icons introducing the following notes let you see what kind of information can

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 informa-
tion may often help you to solve a task more efficiently, but does not necessarily apply to
the setup or operating systems 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 the software

and paths to locations on your hard disk or other storage devices is printed in italics.

• Text appearing elsewhere (labels of buttons, controls, text next to checkboxes etc.) in the

software 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.
• References to keys on your computer’s keyboard you’ll find put in square brackets (e.g.,

“Press [Shift] + [Enter]”).

►

Single instructions are introduced by this play button type arrow.

→ Results of actions are introduced by this smaller arrow.

1.2

TRAKTOR Documentation Overview

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

Welcome to the World of TRAKTOR!

Document Conventions

TRAKTOR - Manual - 18

1.2.1

In This Manual

This manual covers all elements of TRAKTOR in detail. Everything there is to know about

TRAKTOR you will find in here.

1.2.2

Recommended Reading Order

The documentation items should be read in the following order:

Welcome to the World of TRAKTOR!

TRAKTOR Documentation Overview

TRAKTOR - Manual - 19

Setup Guide relating to your TRAKTOR product.

TRAKTOR Getting Started guide and video tutorials.

TRAKTOR Manual.

The whole documentation is available via the Open Manual... entry from the

Help

drop-down

menu in TRAKTOR.

1.3

System Requirements and Compatibility

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

http://www.native-instruments.com/traktor-pro-2/specifications

Please note that meeting the system requirements does not guarantee running all TRAKTOR
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

↑

18.1, Knowledge Base

for more information.

To check the compatibility with several operating systems, please have a look at:

http://

www.native-instruments.com/compatibility

Welcome to the World of TRAKTOR!

System Requirements and Compatibility

TRAKTOR - Manual - 20

What’s new in TRAKTOR 2.9

TRAKTOR 2.9 introduces one major new feature:
This chapter provides a quick overview of some substantial changes to the core of the TRAK-

TOR 2.9 software, along with other feature enhancements and improvements.

New Stem Deck Flavor in TRAKTOR PRO

TRAKTOR  2.9.0  introduces  a  new  Stem  Deck  which  is  capable  of  playing  and  mix-
ing  .stem.mp4  files.  Thanks  to  the  Automatic  Deck  Flavor  Switching  that  was  introduced  in
TRAKTOR  2.8.0,  a  Deck  will  automatically  switch  to  Stem  Deck  whenever  you  load
a .stem.mp4 file. The Stem Deck functions identically to a Track Deck, but just has additional
sub-mix features for controlling the 4 Slot Volumes, Filters, and FX Sends for the stems.

Stem and Remix Deck Sub-mix Controls in Controller Manager

The sub-mix controls for the Remix Deck have now been upgraded to Deck Common controls in
the Controller Manager. Controls like Slot Volume, Slot Filter, Slot Mute, and Slot FX Send
Amount are now located in “Deck Common > Sub-Mix”. When mapping a MIDI Controller to
these controls, these controls will now control a Stem Deck or Remix Deck, whichever type is
loaded. If you had MIDI Mappings for Remix Deck mix controls previous to this update, those
controls are now automatically mapped to the Deck Common Sub-mix controls for conven-
ience.

Stem file management in Browser

To support management of .stem.mp4 files, a new smart folder called “All Stems” is added to
the Browser Tree. All Stem files in the Track Collection can be found quickly by clicking on
this node in the Tree.

Performance Optimizations

Playback of Stems requires more resources from your computer, so the team implemented a
number of performance optimizations to TRAKTOR to reduce the overall CPU load. These opti-
mizations can be enjoyed even when not playing Stem files.

What’s new in TRAKTOR 2.9

TRAKTOR - Manual - 21

Upgrading (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; how-

ever, there are a few things to be observed when upgrading. See the following sections for
more info.

3.1

Backup

Before installing TRAKTOR 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.

3.2

Installation

Follow the instructions from the Setup Guide carefully.
As a general rule: start with the software installation before you install the hardware (TRAKTOR
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.

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

Backup

TRAKTOR - Manual - 22

3.3

Importing Your Data

• When you start TRAKTOR for the first time, the Setup Wizard greets you with some simple

questions regarding your setup. This will adjust TRAKTOR’s look and Preferences accord-

↑

4, 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, the mapping system has been changed. While some mappings created with pre-
vious 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 situa-
tion.

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

Importing Your Data

TRAKTOR - Manual - 23

TRAKTOR'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 au-

tomatically sets the available options accordingly.

• It resets all other TRAKTOR 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:

TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard

TRAKTOR - Manual - 24

On the welcome screen, click

to confirm you have connected any TRAKTOR control-

lers to your computer via USB (if you are using any).

TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard

TRAKTOR - Manual - 25

Select whether or not you want to use TRAKTOR with a MIDI controller and proceed with

. If you are using one of NI's "KONTROL" models (S4, S2, F1, X1, etc.), select

here as TRAKTOR is already pre-configured for use with these.

TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard

TRAKTOR - Manual - 26

If you previously selected to use TRAKTOR with a controller, choose the controller manu-
facturer and model from the drop-down lists and confirm with

TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard

TRAKTOR - Manual - 27

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

. In case of TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO, this screen is skipped and external mix-

ing is auto-selected.

TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard

TRAKTOR - Manual - 28

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, de-
pending on your TRAKTOR version.

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

TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard

TRAKTOR - Manual - 29

from the system settings).You can click

Back

to change the settings made,

Cancel

to can-

cel the Setup Wizard completely, or

Finish

, which confirms your selections.

TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard

TRAKTOR - Manual - 30

→ 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 TRAK-

TOR'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:

TRAKTOR's Setup Wizard

TRAKTOR - Manual - 31

The User Interface (Overview)

This chapter will introduce you to TRAKTOR’s user interface.

Take the time to read these few pages, as they will familiarize you with the way TRAKTOR

works and provide insight on the power of its design.

Preparation

TRAKTOR uses a set of user interface layouts to organize its graphical user interface. These
are called "Layouts" in TRAKTOR terminology. You can access them from TRAKTOR's Layout
selection drop-down menu in the software's Header.

Use the Layout selection drop-down menu to select a Layout.

Depending on which Layout you select, certain elements of the user interface will be displayed
while others will remain hidden.
To make all elements described hereafter visible:

►

Select the Mixer Layout from the drop-down menu.

If you are using TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2, you will most likely use an external mixer instead
of TRAKTOR's internal software mixer; however, to follow the explanations in this manual, you
should also select the Mixer Layout.

The contained layouts differ for ME 2.

The User Interface (Overview)

TRAKTOR - Manual - 32

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