TRAKTOR PRO 2.9. Manual Englisch (2015) - part 2

5.1

The Big Picture

 

The picture below shows the interface of TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO. Your graphical user inter-

face will look slightly different if you are using TRAKTOR LE.

The main areas of the software.

(1) Application Menu Bar: The Application Menu Bar provides access to basic functions and in-
formation about the software.
(2) Header: Here you can find various status indicators and useful functions and buttons, e.g.,
the Preferences button (cog wheel symbol).

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(3) Global section: The Global section contains the FX Units, Master Clock, the Audio Recorder,
and the Loop Recorder.
(4)  Decks:  TRAKTOR  provides  you  with  four  virtual  Decks.  The  Decks  are  the  place  where
tracks, Samples, and live input are played back. The Decks can be seen as the virtual equiva-

lent to good old vinyl or CD decks. If you previously selected to use only two Decks from the
Setup Wizard, you can make the lower Decks C and D visible via Preferences > Decks Layout >

Deck Layout; simply put a checkmark next to 

Show C & D

, and confirm by closing the Prefer-

ences window.
(5) Mixer: Sitting in the middle of your TRAKTOR window is the Mixer. It receives on its four 

channels the audio signals coming from the four Decks described above. There is one channel
for each Deck. As with any DJ mixer, the Mixer’s basic purpose is to adjust the relative level of
each channel, to control the channels’ frequency content, possibly feeding them into the FX
Units, before sending the overall result to your audience.
(6) Browser: The Browser manages all your tracks in a database, called the Track Collection (al-
so Collection). You can group tracks in Playlists, sort them according to various attributes, and
search within Playlists as well as in the whole Collection.

The Audio Recorder is not available in LE 2.

5.2

Interface Elements

 

This chapter explains the main areas and elements of the TRAKTOR software.

5.2.1

Application Menu Bar

 

The 

File

, 

View

, and 

Help

 menus provide access to basic TRAKTOR functions.

The Application menu bar (on Windows).

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5.2.2

Header

 

TRAKTOR’s Header.

The Header is the small horizontal strip located at the very top of TRAKTOR’s user interface.

Its elements are described hereafter from left to right.

TRAKTOR Logo

TRAKTOR logo.

Click  on  the  TRAKTOR  logo  to  open  the  About  screen.  This  screen  displays  the  full  version
number of your TRAKTOR software, the software credits, and some additional information.

Status Indicators

Status indicators.

Several status indicators update you about the current state of the TRAKTOR software. From
left to right:

• CTRL : displays the incoming MIDI and Native (NHL) signals. It flashes blue while a signal

is received.

• Connection (mixer symbol): shows if all listed controllers are connected—blue = all con-

nected; orange = some controller(s) not connected; unlit = none connected.

• AUDIO : displays the connection to your audio interface—blue = connected; red = not con-

nected; orange = internal soundcard selected.

• LOAD indicator: indicates how much of computing time available per audio buffer is cur-

rently used by TRAKTOR to process audio data contained in one buffer. This value shows
how stressed the audio processing is and how much headroom is left before audio starts
dropping out. The system should be kept at values below the 

LOAD

 Indicator turning red.

• System Clock : displays the time of day derived from the system time.

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• MAIN : displays the Master Output level. There are three colors: blue, orange and red. Ad-

just it so that the MAIN level meter fully uses the available range (peaks go into the or-
ange area) but without clipping (red area).

• BAT  :  gives  information  about  how  much  power  remains  in  your  computer’s  battery.  It

glows blue if you have a power supply connected and red when you’re running out of bat-

tery.

• REC : displays the status of TRAKTOR’s Audio Recorder. It turns red when recording.

The REC indicator is not available in LE 2.

Layout Selection Menu

Layout selection drop-down menu.

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 menu.
Click on the drop-down menu and choose from one of the default Layouts. You can delete, de-
fine, and save your own Layouts in TRAKTOR's Preferences.

Layout customizing and managing is not available in LE 2.

Utility Buttons

Utility buttons.

From left to right:

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• Maximize Browser : A click on this button will toggle the maximized Browser view which

comes in handy whenever you’re searching for a track in a large list.

• Preferences : here you can open the Preferences—all TRAKTOR settings are made here.
• Cruise : if you activate this button, Cruise mode starts (i.e., autoplay of the current Play-

list).

• Fullscreen : activates Fullscreen mode, where none of the operating system’s controls are

visible.

The Utility buttons are not available in ME 2.

5.2.3

Global Section

 

The Global section.

The Global section offers six distinct panels. Depending on the screen size and resolution of
your computer, not all panels can be displayed at the same time. In that case, you can reach
every panel by clicking on the corresponding tab at the far left and right. We will describe ev-
ery panel in the sections below.

Loop Recorder and Master Clock are disabled in LE 2. In addition to this, the Snap and
Quantize buttons are not available in LE 2.

Master Clock

The Master Clock.

The Master Clock panel controls the synchronization settings. We will learn about Clock modes
in 

↑

10.2.3, Master Clock Panel

.

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The Master Clock is not available in LE 2 and ME 2.

FX Units

The FX Unit 1 in Single mode.

The FX Unit 2 in Group mode.

Adding effects to songs can tremendously expand the sonic possibilities of your mix. For that
purpose, TRAKTOR provides you with a great selection of high-quality effects (or FX, in short).
These FX can be loaded into so-called FX Units.
TRAKTOR  offers  four  FX  Units.  By  default,  two  FX  Units  are  active.  Both  FX  Unit  1  and  FX
Unit 2 can be freely assigned to any of the mixer’s channels A-D.

FX Unit 1 being activated for Channel A using TRAKTOR's internal mixer.

You can choose from two different FX Unit modes in TRAKTOR: Either Single, where four but-
tons and four knobs control one effect, or Group, where you can use three effects simultaneous-
ly.
You can switch the FX Unit modes via Preferences > Effects > FX Panel Mode.

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In LE 2, only one Group FX is available, and the number of effect types has been reduced.

Only the FX Group mode is available in ME 2.

For a detailed overview of FX units, please see 

↑

15.4, The Effects in Detail

.

Audio Recorder

The Audio Recorder.

The Audio Recorder enables you to record your mix from the main output (be it TRAKTOR’s
internal main output or the master output of your external mixer) as well as from other sources
(turntable,  microphone,  etc.).  The  recording  will  be  saved  to  your  computer's  hard  disk  as  a
*.wav file. It will also be added to the Track Collection in a special Playlist called 

Audio Re-

cordings

, from which it is immediately available for playback.

The Audio Recorder is not available in LE 2.

Loop Recorder

The Loop Recorder.

The Loop Recorder is a powerful tool for live remixing of your tracks. It allows you to instantly
create loops from the Mixer’s main output signal, from a particular Deck, or from a physical
audio input. As soon as a loop is recorded, it is automatically triggered. You can then blend
between the loop playing in the Loop Recorder and your main mix. Moreover, you can save the

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recorded loop to your hard disk or, better, transfer it directly to any relevant location in TRAK-
TOR—typically a Sample Slot on a Remix Deck! The Loop Recorder can be used in Internal
and External mixing mode.

The Loop Recorder is not available in LE 2 and ME 2.

Master Panel

The Master panel.

The  Master  panel  contains  the 

MAIN

  knob,  which  controls  the  overall  volume  of  TRAKTOR,

and the Snap (

S

) and Quantize (

Q

) buttons. They are lit blue when active.

With Snap mode on, any Cue Point you create in the track will snap to the closest beat, thus
ensuring that you get directly to that beat next time you press the Hotcue.
With Quantize mode on, whenever you jump through the track (e.g., by pressing a Hotcue but-
ton or clicking somewhere in the Overview waveform), the playback jumps to the nearest posi-
tion  that  preserves  the  beat-matching,  thus,  ensuring  that  the  current  sync  doesn’t  get  lost
when you jump through the track.

The Snap and Quantize buttons are not available in LE 2.

5.2.4

Decks

 

TRAKTOR provides you with four virtual Decks. The Decks can be operated in different Deck
modes (which are called Deck Flavors in TRAKTOR terminology). The available Flavors are:

• Track Deck Flavor
• Remix Deck Flavor
• Live Input Flavor

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See the following sections for a quick overview. For a more detailed description of the Decks
and their control elements, please refer to chapter 6.

Track Deck

The Track Deck in TRAKTOR is the equivalent of a record player or a CD player in a classic
mixing setup; however, TRAKTOR's Track Decks come with an arsenal of additional mixing fea-

tures to be utilized in your mix.

A Track Deck.

A  Track  Deck  provides  you  with  a  bunch  of  synchronization,  trigger,  and  track  modification
tools: the SYNC and MASTER buttons (1), the Tempo Bend buttons (2), and the tempo fader (3).
Traditional Play and CUE/CUP buttons (4) are available as are Hotcue buttons (5) and Loop con-
trols (6).
For more detailed descriptions of the Decks and their elements, please refer to chapter 6.

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Remix Deck

The Remix Deck lets you add Samples (and loops), and create remixes live in your mix.

A Remix Deck.

It provides you with four Sample Slots (1); each of them consists of 16 Sample Cells (2) and a
Slot Player (3) on top.
Every Sample Slot comes with a Filter control (4) and a Volume control (5). There are additional
parameter controls available per Sample Slot when hovering over a Slot Player (see screenshot
below).

The Slot Parameters above the Slot Player when hovering over it.

The Sample Cells also have individual parameter controls (6), which are available from the Re-
mix Deck's Advanced Panel.

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The Advanced Panel of the Remix Deck is only visible in the Advanced Deck Layout. Dou-
ble-click the Deck's upper border to cycle through the various Deck Layouts.

The entirety of the Sample Cells (4x16 equals 64 Sample Cells in total) amounts to the Sample

Grid of the Remix Deck. To navigate through the pages of the Sample Grid, use the Page Selec-
tor buttons (7).
You can build complex sets and then save a Remix Deck as a Remix Set to your Collection.

For a better understanding of the Remix Deck (especially if you are coming from an older
version  of  TRAKTOR,  and  are  used  to  the  former  Sample  Decks),  it  is  also  important  to
know that this Deck Flavor is now a fully functional Deck, completely independent with its
own Tempo, Transport controls, Sync, and it can be scratched using Timecode. Therefore,
it shares a common set of basic Deck controls with the Track Deck, such as the Transport
buttons, 

SYNC

/

MASTER

 controls, Loop controls, etc. These unified Deck controls can be

mapped  to  a  MIDI  controller  and  respond  to  the  same  trigger  across  both  Deck  Flavors,

Track Deck and Remix Deck, so you only have to map the control once; when initiated, it

will affect the Deck currently in focus. For more information on mapping controls in TRAK-

TOR, please refer to the Controller Manager manual.

Find an in-depth description of the Remix Deck and all of its elements in 

↑

7.1.2, Remix Deck

.

For a tutorial on using a Remix Deck, please refer to 

↑

16.8, Using the Remix Decks in Your

Mix

.

The Remix Decks are not available in LE 2 and ME 2.

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Live Input

A Live Input Deck.

A Deck switched to Live Input enables you to use an external analog source such as a turntable
or  microphone.  You  can  then  apply  TRAKTOR's  FX  to  the  signal  coming  from  the  external
source.

For detailed information on Decks please refer to 6.

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5.2.5

Mixer

 

The Mixer in TRAKTOR.

The Mixer is sitting in the center of your TRAKTOR window. Its four channels receive the audio
signals coming from the various Decks described above. There is one channel for each Deck, A
to D (TRAKTOR LE will only have channels A and B). Like with any DJ mixer, the Mixer serves
a number of purposes. You can:

• adjust the relative level of each channel (2),
• control the channels’ frequency content with the EQs (3),
• feed signals into the FX Units via the FX Assign (1) buttons, and
• send the overall result to the Main section, thus generating the mix that is sent to your

audience.

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Of course, the Mixer also provides you with a crossfader (5), which allows you to make seam-
less transitions between various channels, and Headphones Cue (4) buttons to pre-listen to your
songs. Cue Mix (6) and Cue Vol knobs (7) controlling your headphones signal can be found on

the right of the crossfader (5). The AUX knob (8) controls the volume of the Aux input, which
can be fed by an external signal like a microphone.

FX assignments are fixed, and no PAN knobs are available in LE 2.

For more information on the Mixer, please read 

↑

8, The Internal Mixer & the Crossfader

.

5.2.6

Browser

 

TRAKTOR’s Browser

TRAKTOR’s Browser provides you with tools to organize your tracks and to build and maintain
your track database: the Track Collection. Search for a track in the Search Field (2), drag your
Playlists to a Favorite slot (4) for quicker access, and sort the Browser list (5) by a specific at-
tribute. You can edit all track tags here in the Browser list. By using the Browser Tree (3), you
can browse your hard drives and access various Playlists, including the special Archive, which
automatically saves a Playlist for every session. With the Preview Player (1), you can pre-listen
to tracks before loading them into a Deck. The Status Bar (6) provides basic info.
(1) Preview Player: Click the Preview Player icon in the Browser List to load a track into the
Preview Player. Alternatively, you can also drag-and-drop a track directly into the Preview Play-
er. This will allow you to pre-listen to tracks before loading them onto a Deck.

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(2) Search Field: provides a live search based on the tags of the tracks in the Collection. Read
more in chapter 

↑

6.4, Track Search

 called Finding Tracks (Search).

(3) Browser Tree:

• Track Collection: contains all Tracks imported to your Collection. They are automatically

sorted by Artist, Release, Label or Genre.

• Playlists: contains all your TRAKTOR Playlists.
• Explorer:  Browse  your  hard  drive  for  music  tracks.  This  can  be  useful  in  finding  tracks

which have not been imported.

◦

Archive: Via the Archive browser sub-node in the Explorer node you can quickly access
the folder containing all your History Playlists. Each History Playlist is time-stamped
and contains the additional columns “Start-Time”, “Duration”, “Deck” for more infor-
mation about when and how you have played the track.

• Audio Recordings: contains all recordings done with the TRAKTOR Audio Recorder.
• iTunes: provides direct access to your iTunes Library including all Playlists.
• Favorites: Favorites provide direct access to Playlists or folders. Drag and drop a folder or

Playlist onto one of the Favorites slots to map them.

• Track Info: displays the title and the artist of the currently chosen track.
• History: contains the History Playlist of your current session. It is stored automatically af-

ter every session. You can find History Playlists from former sessions in the Archive sub-
node of the Explorer node.

(4) Favorite Slot: drag and drop any folder or Playlist from the Browser List.
(5) Browser List: shows tracks depending on the source that is selected (folder, Playlist, search
results or tag-based).

• Click on the column headline to sort the list. Another click inverts the sorting.
• Right-/[Ctrl]-Click on the column headline to customize which columns are displayed or

hidden.

• Drag-and-drop columns to the left or to the right to re-arrange their order.

(6) Status Bar: displays track analysis progress, analyzing, error messages, and the overall sta-
tus of TRAKTOR.

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For further information on the Browser, please refer to 5.

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