Traktor - Using Keylock make tracks sound wimpy

[mostapha]

Never touch key lock unless it's absolutely positively needed. Even then once the mix out track is cut I push the tempo up and disengage KL. I used KL at my last stateside gig and noticed significant lag between the what I saw on screen and what came out of the PA. I almost shit thinking my comp had gone tits up 4 tracks into a set.
I think that the OP understands that "upconverting" mp3 to wav/flac is pointless. I believe he was curious to know whether the way mp3 are decoded and processed had an effect on the key sampling/processing for keylock--which I think is a pretty valid hypothesis. And if it does have an effect should he upconvert simply to use KL with better results. Probably not worth the effort though...

The thing is that the damage is already done. It's not the fact that the file is an MP3 that causes the issue, it's what the mp3 compression algorithm does to the files that makes key lock slightly worse. Up-converting the file won't fix the damage that's already been done…it'll just waste disk space.

That being said, I really don't hear that many artifacts of keylock (including the decreased transient response that people complain about) and I never really have. It's probably my room, but I really think it's a minor issue compared to everything else that can–and usually does–go wrong in a sound system.

Personally, I find that tracks being pitched away from their natural tone is more distracting…but I never really noticed that on vinyl.

Maybe I should cover up the keylock indicators and turn off the feedback on the button on my X1 to do a (semi-)blind test and see if I actually have a preference when I don't know what to expect.

I guess it would be easier to do a mix in Ableton and render one copy using repitch and the other using complex and see if I have a preference between them…

Actualy I found most cds to use CDA files

They store the same information, the actual format is not actually all that relevant.

[MuzicFreq]

I know, was just saying though

[MuzicFreq]

I believe that the problem is mitigated somewhat by the fast cpu setting in preferences and also by not changing the tempo (pitch?) by more than 4 percent or so...just my experiences

thanks for this info, does work well. Mixing tracks that are 132 and 135 only change 2.2% and doesnt sound bad. though the further it goes the more noticable it is

[Mylestec]

That being said, I really don't hear that many artifacts of keylock (including the decreased transient response that people complain about) and I never really have. It's probably my room, but I really think it's a minor issue compared to everything else that can–and usually does–go wrong in a sound system.

Same here... really hard to tell the difference when in my studio.. (KRK Rokit 8's).. no acoustic treatment other than sound absorbent furniture and curtains...

Seems like a real minor issue when you consider that on a small club system usually the sound quality is so poor you will never hear the difference. Conversely, on larger higher quality systems the signal processing rack will restore any lost punch.