Which DJ software - Live, Traktor or summat else?

lipidfish · Post by **lipidfish** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:13 pm

I have the same type of BPM problems and I've decided that Live is just not the product for me, as far as DJing is concerned.

Live is great - *Really Great* - if you have a predefined set all within the same BPM range. Also, you need to spend a couple of minutes at least working on each track.

With Traktor I can pick any song from my collection at any time. I am not very much interested in matching beats and defining loops.

In the past I've assembled 10 - 20 minute pre-rendered "minisets" in Live with Remixing / Mashup stuff on it, then played it as a song in my Traktor set. Sure, I'm not doing it on the fly - but at least it's my own work.

Dj-Grobe · Post by **Dj-Grobe** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:42 pm

DECKADANCE + ABLETON

nonnus · Post by **nonnus** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 6:22 pm

Dj-Grobe wrote:DECKADANCE + ABLETON

how do use them together ?

suspended childhood · Post by **suspended childhood** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 8:03 pm

do you have to warp every song....

I warp all the songs that are mixable and the ones that vary in tempo I leave unwarpped...but set the start point

are you really MIXING the songs that vary in tempo? or over lapping/ blending?

Dj-Grobe · Post by **Dj-Grobe** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 8:19 pm

nonnus wrote:
Dj-Grobe wrote:DECKADANCE + ABLETON
how do use them together ?

I cant tellyou how usee a piano........you decide how use:
You can use like table for launch, or you can use like tool for kill the neighborwood....... you can be solist, or you can combine with band, or anything you want.
You dedice how an what you shoul do.........

I sugest download deckadance, configure and test and you can decide how use, but basically is a tool for use turntables with ableton and beatmix or scratch, that is the more important feature deckadance VST mode can offer, the rest is under your imagination!

Best regards.

dphouse84 · Post by **dphouse84** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 8:27 pm

sweetjesus wrote:
8O wrote:Cheers folks. Will give the Deckadance and Serato demos a whirl tonight...

It's a shame, cos Live is agonisingly close to what I need, just not close enough. Wish it could do everything!
i couldn't agree more with your sentiments for live performance purposes..

i wish they had cue points within clips GRRR *shakes fist at berlin*

i ususally just loop a bar and tap play when needed... works for me!

and serato is butter.
had it for two years and absolutely luv it.
just wish they would implement a midi clock.

Klinikal · Post by **Klinikal** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 8:28 pm

Dj-Grobe wrote:DECKADANCE + ABLETON

I think it's a bit overload

I'm not a fan of software combos in live situation - more software running=more chance to have a crash.

Deckadance as a standalone can load VST and VSTi's. So You can load Your favorite vst instruments or effects and add some taste to Your mixes.

Traktor is also very good DJ software.

Try all, judge all, and then buy the weapon of your choice

Cheers.

nonnus · Post by **nonnus** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 8:41 pm

Dj-Grobe wrote:
nonnus wrote:
Dj-Grobe wrote:DECKADANCE + ABLETON
how do use them together ?
I cant tellyou how usee a piano........you decide how use:
You can use like table for launc, or you can use like tool for kill the neighbor who is learning to play the piano, you can be a killer of complete the best pianist....... you can be solist, or you cna cmbine with band, or anything you want.
You dedice how an what you shoul do.........

I sugest download deckadance, configure and test and you can decide how use, but basically is a tool for use turntables with ableton and beatmix or scratch, that is the more important feature deckadance VST mode can offer, the rest is under your imagination!

Best regards.

i was just trying to find a bit more out more about the live / deckaadance integration not really that much philosophy...

tx anyway !

Dj-Grobe · Post by **Dj-Grobe** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 8:55 pm

If you have turntables i really sugest tets DD.
If you just want make beatmixing for live gigs, the best is ableton, you can do remix / reworks on the fly beatmixing etc etc etc....well i think you knwo what you can do with ableton.

Deckadance and traktor , i think are just softwares for use with turntables........
The winner of digital dj is ableton, and DD or Traktor i think only are good for use with truntables and timecode vinnyls.

I like salmon dnace remix on yourspace, can buy in some place?

Bets regards.

musick · Post by **musick** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:12 pm

There are two options: traditional DJing with Serato or ty to find a new direction with Live

Dj-Grobe · Post by **Dj-Grobe** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:29 pm

Or both : )
Thta is greta point, old school djing + ableton

nonnus · Post by **nonnus** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 2:41 am

i always separated djing from producing with ableton

i usually dj with cdjs,
but i sold my old ones 3 months ago
and in the meanwhile i had so many new music i needed to play it,
so i remembered i never really used ableton for it
it was fun and relaxing

it still feels abit like djing as i never set final warp markers,
i always move the 1 marker to align the tracks and eventually create some swing

in the meanwhile i have been getting most of my new music thru beatport and in portugal we are still not allowed to legally burn these tracks on cd to play them so i needed to start thinking about another way to do it (poliically correct)

i have tried the serato system,
checked ms pinky and also deckadance sometime ago

still curious about these hybrids like deckadance or pinky pluggo running inside ableton

now i am trying to decide the direction to go regarding djing (btw, i am not scratcher or turntabilist)

dj: great you enjoyed that track ! tx alot !
pm me so i can mail u a link...

muthafunka · Post by **muthafunka** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:26 am

Traktor's great for less beat-matchy sets...great for beats too mind you. The on-the-fly looping is v. good too, wish that could be implemented somehow in Live.
Would Reaktor's Ammobox not give you some further means of combining analog control/digital files/varying tempos?

oblique strategies · Post by **oblique strategies** » Mon May 05, 2008 12:40 am

80 –

Question: are you trying to play songs one after another, or are you trying to mix the songs together for seamless transitions/segues?

When I DJ eclectic sets that do not require beat matching, I use this technique to accurately preview different parts of the clip:

1. Right click on the start marker of a clip in the clip view.
2. You will see contextual menus with warping options.
3. Choose “Warp 120.00 BPM From Here” –the exact BPM will match the global BPM setting.
4. I then preview the clip.

This turns on all the warp-based tools, but leaves the file essentially un-warped as long as the clip was un-warped when it was dragged into the session because Live assigns the global BPM to any clip that is dragged in un-warped.

My Warp preferences:
1. Loop Warp Short Samples: Unwarped One Shot
2. Auto-Warp Long Samples: Off
3. Default Warp Mode: Re-Pitch
4. Default Groove: Straight

I use Re-Pitch as the warp mode, but using a different mode does not seem to effect the sound in any way since no warping is actually taking place.

Warping should be disabled to accurately set the Cue point.

I always un-warp the clip prior to playing because I use tap-tempo to set delays & other time based effects to match the song. If you leave the clip warped & change the global tempo, the clip will change too.

Unfortunately, Live has many features that are not available for use if the file is not warped; it’s one of my main gripes with Live.

8O · Post by 8O » Mon May 05, 2008 6:28 am

Cheers for the replies. I tested the full Traktor 3 demo recently and really liked it - much, much better than Traktor LE. I think I'll go for that...

oblique strategies - thanks for the tips, I know it's kinda possible with Live with limited functionality, but after using something like Traktor, all the faffing around with warp settings (when all I want it unwarped sound) is distracting. Especially in a live situation, where I've usually left it so late that I have about 10 seconds to choose and cue up the next track. I do a mixture of beat-matching and judicious stop/start, depending on the music involved - being able to very quickly preview & set the cue point will help me no end. And, unfortunately, I am getting resigned to the fact that Live is a little to cumbersome for this. Traktor 3 was a pleasant surprise, actually.

Cheers!