Traktor is unstable.

I've had a long history of Traktor screwing me over at live gigs.

After 8 months of relative security (minus the very occasional 1 second audio drop out), it did it again.

I gig out over 200 times a year. It has a rate of failure of about 1%, but last night that jumped up exponentially, crashing twice in the same set.

Macbook Pro 2013 Retina Display / Traktor S4 MK II managed to crash in the middle of a set, meaning I had to turn on a mix on a CDJ, restart my computer, and mix back in. No other programs running, WIFI was turned off, all new cables, and the USB port that is closest to the screen.

This is completely unacceptable. This has happened to me 3 times prior to this with Traktor, and the most recent program update seemed to iron the issues out. Before that, it was the fact that the MKI S4 is just completely incompatible with new MacBooks.

This is akin to a car manufacturer selling automobiles that can just randomly stop accelerating for an unbeknownst amount of time while driving.

How is Serato Scratch Live's stability these days?

I've had some issues with newer releases of Traktor, I've reverted back to 2.0.3, and no issues at all

I think you're being to rough.
I understand you had problems and want to move to another software, but that being said, I don't think NO ONE should use it.
I've always used Traktor (up to date) at my gigs (unluckily they're not as much as you do) along with a Mixtrack Pro and had no issues at all.
Likes are always subjective, and experiences too. Try expressing your thoughts in a more impersonal way.
As for your issues, I'd try making a backup of preferences and collection and re-installing the software.
PS: Nice gear mate! :)

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Originally Posted by Tenova

I've had a long history of Traktor screwing me over at live gigs.

After 8 months of relative security (minus the very occasional 1 second audio drop out), it did it again.

I gig out over 200 times a year. It has a rate of failure of about 1%, but last night that jumped up exponentially, crashing twice in the same set.

Macbook Pro 2013 Retina Display / Traktor S4 MK II managed to crash in the middle of a set, meaning I had to turn on a mix on a CDJ, restart my computer, and mix back in. No other programs running, WIFI was turned off, all new cables, and the USB port that is closest to the screen.

This is completely unacceptable. This has happened to me 3 times prior to this with Traktor, and the most recent program update seemed to iron the issues out. Before that, it was the fact that the MKI S4 is just completely incompatible with new MacBooks.

This is akin to a car manufacturer selling automobiles that can just randomly stop accelerating for an unbeknownst amount of time while driving.

How is Serato Scratch Live's stability these days?

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Tone your ridiculous thread title down. There are about 10 things I would point to that you should check on your own setup before you start throwing stupid accusations around.

One corrupt file could cause the problems you describe. Have you run your files through a checker to look for corruption?

I havent had a crash in over a year.

All Controllers and laptops crash eventually. Get over it.

Never had a crash that I can recall in the past three years, one of those years being a weekly residency. Let's dial the hyperbole back.

Is it funny that, as soon as I saw the thread title, I knew it was a mac user? Yeah, defintely tone it down.

In the world of complex, real-time control and multi-track playback plus effects in an often hostile environment using multiple interconnected machines I'd call 1% pretty freakin' amazing rather than unstable. Without being 'mr in the bad old days', try playing vinyl gigs with 1% failure of needles, decks, crossfader etc etc...plenty of cdjs just up and die too.
It's 100% shitty when it happens during a gig but you did the right thing and were prepared. Did the party die? Probably the biggest thing that got hurt was your pride. If Serato is in any way more 'stable' it can only be in orders of decimal points and tbh we have no idea what your Mac setup is like. Did you post at the NI forum, send your crashlog? Just for reference do you keep a full clone of your Mac?

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Originally Posted by Tenova

This is akin to a car manufacturer selling automobiles that can just randomly stop accelerating for an unbeknownst amount of time while driving.

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How bout a race bike that occasionally blows up?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD6Qd-HGtAc

Yup, it happens. And this guy has an entire TEAM of people with him at all times to make sure it doesn't. A 1% failure rate is not "unacceptable." Sorry dude, I think you're being unrealistic. I've had CDJs shit the bed, pitch controls on decks flake out, and even mixes go dead on a channel. NOTHING is 100% reliable.

I think I remember being told to use the USB port farther from the screen. I don't think that would cause an actual crash, but it is something. You can check the USB bus in System Profiler....the audio interface (your S4) goes on the port with the fewest internal things (e.g., Keyboard/Trackpad, Bluetooth Controller, IR receiver (if they still have those)).

Other than that, which version of OS X are you using? Is it properly patched (but not bleeding edge, well...as close to bleeding edge as Apple gets)? Is your drive in good shape? Are your cables good?

There are a lot of things to be sure of. Switching platforms doesn't actually solve any of the others.

FWIW, Serato DJ was flawless for me, but I haven't used it nearly as much as you've used Traktor lately.

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Originally Posted by mostapha

I think I remember being told to use the USB port farther from the screen.

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The USB further from the screen on non-retina MacBooks is just MARGINALLY faster. I always put my soundcard on that one. Probably more superstitious than anything at this point.

I have used both, Serato Scratch and Traktor for hundreds of gigs and never ever had one single crash (first Macbook Pro late 2007, then Retina Macbook Pro late 2013). A friend of mine had the exact same setups and had crashes and problems all the time.

The difference in this case was, that I put a lot of effort into maintaining a proper system and I read a lot about optimizing your setup and he is the kind of sloppy, try and error guy. Whenever he had "crashes" and "problems" it took me about 5 minutes to fix it. Wheter it was a quick run through his traktor preferences, some switched cables or broken/dirty needles.

This is why I think that 98% of all problems with Traktor and/or Serato are from human error and not from the software.

Have you simply tried to turn your latency up a little bit?
That was my issue for a while, when I switched to the newest Traktor.
Somehow my controllers had a little less latency after the update, wich caused my xone4D's soundcard and macbook to crash.
Turned it back to the latency I was used to and Tadaaa (Tadam) it worked again.
I must agree with you that the latest Traktor got a little bit heavier to handle, but that can't be the problem, I run on a mid 2012 13" macbook pro, and with the old traktor I was roughly using 10% of my CPU, and it now raised to 15% max..

I always run a small test before a gig wich is very effective.
Just turn on 4 decks (or 3 and a remix deck even better) turn on 3 FX decks and route all tracks to them and start selecting the 4th FX deck like a mad man! This takes pretty much all Traktor can do.
(I also turn on everything in ableton but bladiblabla)
If it crashes turn your latency up a bit.

Also if your using a USB Hub make sure it's a powered one. And never ever put the soundcard your using (in or outside a mixer/controller) in the USB hub, but I guess that wasn't your problem..

Make sure your USB-MIDI cables are all right, having a broken one causes major crashes with traktor.

99 out of 100% of all crashes is caused by just not checking your gear/ settings before a gig.

Look, here's the issue:

I keep having USB dropouts on immaculately maintained gear, and immaculately maintained Macbook Pros. I consider myself a Traktor "power user," and am a huge advocate of the software, until these mishaps occur.

WiFi/Bluetooth is always off. Cables are always new/high quality (gold tipped ones or the ones that come included). No other programs running in the background. Both 15" MacBooks have been made after 2013, one with Retina display and one without. The issue has persisted from 10.8 until 10.9.4 (what I'm currently running).

Yes, I have scanned for corrupted files using the recommended utility from Native Instruments. I have been using a Traktor Kontrol S4 MKII (multiple units) each time, minus once whenever I was using a Komplete Audio 6 to route audio because I was afraid that it was an S4 specific issue. It exists across both platforms. The devices always have external power hooked up to them.

Yes, I have had full system diagnostics ran on my Macbook to ensure everything is running properly.

I'm at wits end. Native Instruments suggested (the tech support's personal opinion) that the Haswell chipset is still unstable in my Macbook Pro and that being that I use Traktor 30 hours a week on average, that I may be best off rolling back to an older model Macbook Pro that lacks the Haswell chipset that could possibly be causing issues every so often.

I was okay with this and ready to accept it until I looked up my previous serial number that was on my last Mac and found out that it had an Ivy Bridge chipset, and I still had audio dropouts occur.

Now, I'm back to square one. The representative even told me that I use Traktor a lot more than most people and that my case is a little unique for that reason. Perhaps there is still some incompatibility with USB 3.0 that surfaces every now and again? I'm okay with downgrading...I just want my software to work.

Another possible option is that I have some very corrupted data somewhere in my computer, even though I've scanned religiously for corrupted audio files, that is causing the software to malfunction and has carried over between platforms.

To reiterate: these issues only flare up once every 6 months or so. Recently, it has started happening way more often, like once in every 30 hours of use.

More issues: Traktor Z2 outputted distorted audio for 2 minutes before power cycling this past weekend, followed by a subsequent audio drop out.

Mac OSX 10.8.2/2011 Macbook i7/Traktor 2.6.8

All recent drivers installed. WiFi/Bluetooth off. All devices externally powered. All optimizations suggested by Native Instruments done.

THOUGHTS? [Ticket#2014112410006974]

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There is something rotten in NI at the moment.

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How about you complain on every single thread in the whole internet about how bad NI treats you...?