My first wedding with Traktor
Results 1 to 3 of 3
  1. #1
    Tech Wizard
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Bismarck, ND
    Posts
    78

    Default My first wedding with Traktor

    Last November I started using Traktor. I wanted something that allowed me to take advantage of the remix decks, and I've always liked the way Traktor does things. I purchased an S4 and started learning the software.

    I learned on Serato and the bar I DJ at uses Virtual DJ. Up to this point I had just been using Virtual DJ for weddings - I use it every day, and it's a pretty good piece of software. This wedding season I decided to change things up. I have been using Traktor exclusively when I practice at home, I know, though, that the only way to truly know a piece of your kit is to use it out in public.

    Before the wedding I loaded my core library of about 6,000 songs into traktor. I also added my "extra" library of 60,000 songs into iTunes. I did it this way because I didn't want to see all of the tracks I have every time I search, but I did want to have easy access to everything that I could possibly need. I also did some prep putting together a playlist for the wedding.

    I got to the wedding this past saturday (may 23) and set up my gear. In Traktor I set up Decks A & B as normal track decks. Deck D was for the F1 I was using. Deck C was set up for live input. I plugged my wired mic into the mic input in the back of the unit. I plugged my wireless mic into the live input using a 1/4" to RCA adaptor. This setup worked great. I had all the decks I needed for playing and 2 inputs for mics, which is all I need.

    During the cocktail hour/dinner music I ran autoplay from a playlist. There were a few hiccups where I ended up accidentally stopping the autoplay, but this was my first time using the autoplay on traktor. I just have to learn what I can and can not do.

    I had 1 issue with the mic - the best man had no idea how to talk into a mic. I had everything maxed out, and I still couldn't get enough sound. There's a "main" dial in the software that I didn't find until later that I could have used to turn him up even more. Lesson learned.

    When the dancing started, it was a piece of cake. When I first started using traktor I hated the library management. After using it for 6 months, and setting up the playlists right, I had no problem finding the tunes I needed for the next song.

    I had a few things happen that were quirks of the software, and I'll need to figure out how I am going to work with them.
    - In virtual DJ I use sync to match up tempo, and that's it. Virtual DJ is also smart and knows the difference between 72 and 144. In Traktor, sync isn't as simple. There were a few times when leaving sync on caused the next track to be too slow, or too fast.
    - I also use the software to change tempo of both tracks at the same time in Virtual DJ. It's a nice gradual tempo change. I still haven't figured out a way to make it sound as good in Traktor.

    All of these bugs were minor, and the only one who noticed was my girlfriend, but she's heard me DJ enough she knows when I screw up.

    Overall it was a good experience, and I'm looking forward to the wedding I have coming up next weekend. I really like DJing on the S4, and I'm glad I've found a way to use it and tractor in a mobile setting.

  2. #2
    Tech Mentor
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Jersey Shore
    Posts
    477

    Default

    People not knowing how to speak into a mic will always be a problem. They hold the mic to low, then it feeds back, then they blow into it and tap the top and they look at you like you did something wrong, When this happens I try to get their attention and motion to them to raise the mic up to their mouth.

    The tempo grids in Traktor can be wrong and and cause that doubling, just have to listen in your phones and usr the tap function to tap out the right tempo.

    You can change the tempo of both tracks by changing the tempo to the master track and both tracks will change when sync is on.

    Autoplay can be a little tricky sometimes especially if you try to change something or add a song directly to the deck in the middle. Just make sure you add to the playlist.

  3. #3
    Tech Wizard
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Bismarck, ND
    Posts
    78

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by dj matt blaze View Post
    People not knowing how to speak into a mic will always be a problem. They hold the mic to low, then it feeds back, then they blow into it and tap the top and they look at you like you did something wrong, When this happens I try to get their attention and motion to them to raise the mic up to their mouth.
    I know. I've been half tempted to come up with a card that describes the proper use of the mic. I'm doing a karaoke contest right now and I'm having similar problems. The worst was a hip-hop group that I worked with. They actually had their vocals on their background tracks, so I just left their mic volume on normal and let them sing away. They sounded better than they should have.

    The tempo grids in Traktor can be wrong and and cause that doubling, just have to listen in your phones and usr the tap function to tap out the right tempo.
    .
    I just turned sync off and did it manually. There were also a few times when the beat grids were all off. I just ignored them and did everything manually.

    You can change the tempo of both tracks by changing the tempo to the master track and both tracks will change when sync is on.
    Yeah. I think what throws me is the hard takeover when you move the tempo fader. It can cause some pretty nasty tempo jumps. One thing I had to learn was to not allow the remix deck to be the master tempo. Just a few quirks of the software that I'll have to learn how to deal with

    Autoplay can be a little tricky sometimes especially if you try to change something or add a song directly to the deck in the middle. Just make sure you add to the playlist.
    True story. I do like traktor's auto play. Just takes some time to get used to the differences.

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •