Traktor DJ Studio
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| Developer(s) | Native Instruments |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 1.21 |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X |
| Type | Digital DJ Software |
| Website | www.nativeinstruments.com |
Traktor DJ Studio (now known simply as Traktor) is a DJ software package developed by independent developers and later licensed to Native Instruments. The most recent version, Traktor Pro, offers seamless looping, effects, automatic beat-gridding of tracks, advanced beat detection and Sync Lock for perfect mixing, fully featured 4-channel mixer, emulating the Xone:92 4-band EQ and filters by Allen & Heath and three other high end equalizers, real-time track management with incremental search, artwork browsing, iPod and iTunes compatibility, automatic gain control, integrated recorder supporting internal and external audio input, support for multiple MIDI controllers and advanced MIDI assignments, as well as the syncing of external gear through MIDI clock functionality.
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[edit] History
Traktor was first released in 2000 and has gone through several major application changes. The initial versions of Traktor were Traktor Studio and Traktor DJ, with Traktor Studio being more full featured (and expensive). In 2002, Traktor DJ Studio 2 was released. Traktor DJ Studio 2 offered several new features, including scratch macros. It also expanded its looping, MIDI, and cue point functionality. In 2003, Traktor DJ Studio 2.5 was released. This new version expanded the time stretching functionality, added Open Sound Control (OSC) support, and gave the user limited ability to customize the look of the interface.
In 2003, Native Instruments partnered with Stanton Magnetics to develop the software for their Final Scratch product. This partnership gave Stanton a Win/Mac version of the Final Scratch software (which previously ran in a version of Debian Linux) and allowed Native Instruments to use the Final Scratch timecode engine in their own Traktor line.
In 2005, Native Instruments added vinyl emulation capability to version 2.6 of Traktor DJ Studio. Version 2.6 included live input, streaming internet broadcasting, support for more file formats, and greatly expanded MIDI capability. Soon afterward, Traktor DJ Studio 3 added two more playback decks (for a total of four), built-in effects, Beatport online store integration, a four-channel mixer, a Universal Binary version, deck caching, and minor improvements to existing features.
On October 11, 2006, the partnership between Native Instruments and Stanton Magnetics ended, and Traktor DJ Studio 3 was renamed Traktor 3.[1]
In 2008, Traktor Pro and Traktor Scratch Pro were released. Traktor Scratch Pro had additional DVS functionality enabled, Audio 8 DJ, a proprietary audio interface, and timecoded CD or vinyl control.
[edit] Features
[edit] Four playback decks
The DJ now has the ability to layer up to four different sound sources. The four decks have Sync functionality, either to a designated “Master” deck or the Master Tempo. Decks also have independent key and tempo adjustment, giving the DJ the ability to freely change the pitch or key of a song to facilitate harmonic mixing.
Each deck allows the user to see the waveform of the loaded track in two different views. The top display offers a zoomable waveform scrolling against a fixed play marker. The lower display shows a fixed waveform of the entire song with a moving play position marker. Clicking with the mouse in either display will start playback at that position. Loop function is accessed also in the deck display, with the possibility of choosing different loop lengths and precise loop in and out cues. A much improved auto beat gridding and sync features make looping very intuitive, although checking the gridding of tracks is strongly encouraged to ensure that the beat grids are correctly placed. Also in the display are the track information, cover art, tempo, pitch and time remaining.
[edit] Effects and EQ
Each playback deck has now two assignable effects processors. However, the master output channel effects capability has been removed from Traktor Pro. Traktor Pro features 21 effects (as opposed to only 5 effects on Traktor 3), chainable in groups of up to six at a time. Effects settings can be saved to allow for automatic settings reload the next time the effect is used.
The EQ section offers several modes of operation, including emulation modes for the popular Pioneer DJM-600, Ecler Nuo4, and Allen & Heath Xone92 mixers.
[edit] Looping, beat jumping, and deck caching
Traktor Pro has extensive support for looping. Loop lengths are selected by the DJ and are musically logical in length (from 1/8th of a measure to 32 measures). Start and end points are quantized based on the BPM of the song. Once a loop is set, that loop can be moved using the Loop Move buttons, again in musically logical values. If the DJ desires, loop start and end points can be set manually to non musical values. In Traktor Pro, the loop function is now easily accessed through a bar below each deck.
Beat jumps work in much the same way as looping does, allowing the play position to be moved forward or backward within the song at a value determined by the DJ.
Both looping and beat jumping features still benefit from the deck caching functionality introduced in Traktor 3. In previous versions of Traktor, moving a loop or beat jumping would introduce a small pause in the audio. As its name implies, deck caching allows the user to determine how much RAM is assigned to each set of decks, and songs loaded into those decks are cached into that RAM for instant access by Traktor. This, combined with the “Snap to Beat” functionality, allows a user to move seamlessly within a song and opens up more possibilities for on the fly remixing. And like most of the features in Traktor, the looping and beat jumping functions can be mapped to a MIDI controller and/or mixing desk.
[edit] Track selection and Crate Flick
Traktor's file browser is similar to that of iTunes. It lists audio files by row, with columns available to describe various track properties, including comments, tags, and ratings. Information from each song’s ID3 tag is parsed by Traktor and made available in the browser, and can be edited from within the program.
Traktor Pro uses the new Crate Flick browsing system. Crate Flick shows the top portion of each track's cover as you flip through your track collection, trying to emulate the traditional dj bag, although the cover art is much smaller than the usual labels of a 12-inch vinyl record. Crate Flick can also be used for file formats that would normally not support artwork (AIFF, WAV) as Traktor Pro allows the user to assign the cover art to these files. All metadata saved by Traktor is fully portable, allowing users to easily move tracks between different computers without losing any of the saved metadata.
[edit] Traktor in the wild
Traktor is being bundled with many of the newer MIDI devices recently released, including the Allen & Heath Xone 3D, Behringer BCD3000, Numark Total Control, Faderfox and the Vestax VCI-100. MIDI templates for Traktor are also bundled with the Feena Electronics FMDJ9303, the KontrolDJ, and the Ecler Nuo series of mixers. But a dedicated controller isn’t necessary because any MIDI device can be used to control Traktor’s features. Likewise, Traktor is compatible with a wide variety of audio interfaces on both Mac and Windows.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
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