Going over to Traktor from Virtual DJ

Yo,

Basically I'm changing my software from Virtual DJ to Traktor. I've been using Virtual DJ since I started DJing, 3 years ago. I purchased Traktor quite a long time ago but I got adjusted to using Virtual DJ. But I've finally decided to change.

I feel a little clunky on Traktor therefore... Is there any forum posts/articles/videos/guides etc anything that will help a Traktor novice? I'm aware that there is the Traktor Bible and of course the Traktor manual :p

I apologise if there's already loads of posts like this one.

I know I can probably just fucking google it, but I want to hear it from the experts on this wonderful forum:lol:

Cheers.

All of these are helpful: http://www.djtechtools.com/category/...-tips/traktor/
What parts specifically do you need to learn about? For instance, I'm sure you know how to mix (You've been doing for 3 years), so you probably don't need basic mixing information. Do you need to learn about the interface?

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Originally Posted by JudemanG

All of these are helpful: http://www.djtechtools.com/category/...-tips/traktor/
What parts specifically do you need to learn about? For instance, I'm sure you know how to mix (You've been doing for 3 years), so you probably don't need basic mixing information. Do you need to learn about the interface?

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Yes, thanks for the link dude. interface would be a start. I know that shit tons of stuff are probably littered all around google/youtube etc. I can beatmatch fine I'm just a little clunky, to be honest I should just spend a good amount of time with it and work it out from there.

I've recently switched to Traktor myself. It's a tough switch b/c VDJ is so user friendly and simple. But Traktor is much much more rewarding. The issues I had when I started:
-first you need a controller that offers you enough in terms of knobs and pads/toggles. Traktor options can be overwhelming if they're not properly organized on your controller. There's tons of midi mappings on DJTT for a lot of controllers. Check if yours is on there.
-second: don't overdo it. It's easy because of how many features you have. Start with a simple double deck, two effects and EQ. The rest will come by itself once you're accustomed to it. Traktor really rewards learning.
-third: BEAT GRIDS. make sure you work out your grid to nail down your syncing and transitions. Traktor really analyzes your track in depth. So help it by telling it how you want to play the track. Ean Golden has a video on YouTube for that. Super helpful.

And most importantly: have fun !

Hope this helps in some way. Cheers !

This may be helpful for learning the interface: http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/te...de-578238/11/5

I haven't looked back once since making the switch from VDJ to Traktor. It did take a bit of time to get my head around the differences but I think it was worth it. Last time I tried VDJ I could not get on with it.

I will try VDJ8 when it comes out as I like the sandbox idea but whether that in itself will make me swap is debatable.

For me, Sandbox is a good enough reason to swap. It is a great idea, that I hope Traktor steals!!!

I'm not really sure how the sandbox would be useful. I know you could hear an effect in the future, or set a cue or a loop, but I don't really think that's going to be used as it will take your head out of the mix, and if you really want to go that deeply into basic remixes you could just use the timeline and do somewhat of a cheap and nasty production.

Maybe if they combined sandbox and editing it the timeline it could be useful as you could jump ahead and hear what you are editing while still having the track play live. but I haven't seen anything that resembles that teased. And I am wondering if the timeline will be all that powerful as it is completely changing the workflow of dj software and requires specialist knowledge of how a DAW is constructed, I suppose something like that might take about two years to learn and perfect though...

Atomix have said that the Beta testing session starts soon, but I still think it will be about 6 months before it's released to the public, so considering that at the moment traktor does all the small things better than VDJ and feels like a better program due to no skin glitches I would say go with traktor if you just want to play music and can't be bothered by all the customisation of VDJ, but be prepared to be blown away with VDJ8!!

sorry I got a bit carried away there, blame Pat LOL.

Does VDJ have "beats to cue" countdown like Traktor does?

'Cos that, combined w/sandbox, would be GREAT for me...

it has it at the moment, but it is only the amount of beats from the start or to/from a specific cue point so you can end up with the counter in the hundreds when the playhead far away from your marker, I have requested a few times to make it break up the number into [phrases:bars:beats:fractions], so it should be in the new version as it's some pretty simple maths to achieve.

Here is what I did with my skin in the current version, it has the cue name pulled in from the database, and shows the time to the cue. There is also a panel that dynamically changes the next cue and the time to it on the right where it says "breakdown". I'm waiting for the new version before I can make it modular to upload it.
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