The Bridge.

[Drowzy]

I'm an aspiring dj and producer. and im doing lots of research and building my music library as i save up for my first bit of kit to go with the software ive already purchased. Following this site ive fallen in love with traktor. However, serato's bridge with ableton is very very appealing since its my primary DAW. My question is should the bridge and the ability to perform my own music and intertwine it with other peoples music seamlessly deter me from staying with traktor and its awesome sync function and FX capabilities? or is there a solution to integrate traktor and ableton so that switching dj software or buying another laptop isnt a necessity. Also does the bridge solve the FX drawbacks within SSL. meaning can i use ableton's FX on non-ableton tracks on my decks in SSL?

-- before i get attacked by purists and such, im not afraid of learning to beatmatch but traktor doing it for you is really really nice haha .

[JuanSOLO]

Currently you cannot apply Ableton FX to anything other than whats inside your Ableton set, unless you route your audio from a deck, back into Ableton. I dont have Serato or the Bridge but I am heavy contemplating it.

You should watch the preview videos on the Serato site to see what it does. It will answer most questions about how it works.

If your not using Timecode Vinyl to control Traktor, you can route to Ableton using Soundflower very easily, using Ableton for post FX processing and then some.

[Drowzy]

im thinking about getting an APC40, 2x CDJ800 MKII, and a DJM 800. [expensive for a beginner i know but i dont wanna have to buy new kit for a long while] so i mean ill be able to use traktor or serato.

i mean i really like the idea of having it all on one screen not having to jump between traktor and ableton on screen which you'd have to do with sound flower right?

thats really unfortunate about not being able to use ableton's FX on serato as a whole. I feel like that shouldve been a major part of the bridge.

[JuanSOLO]

I dont have the Bridge but I think it is a bit misunderstood. At first I was like everyone else and thought it was backward and they should have hosted Serato inside Ableton.

But after using Ms Pinky in Ableton for a while, and going back to Traktor, and really thinking about how the Bridge works, it seems to make a lot of since. Generally I have an all in one Ableton Set. I know it through and through, these days having it on deck sound like an awesome way to DJ. Personally I am going for it.

As far as needing to jump between windows, I dont really have a need for that. My Ableton rig is pretty much locked down and memorized. I dont really need to see it for the way I use it. I just need my controller to reflect it's changes. However when I was doing things a bit different I had Traktor and Ableton set up on spaces, and it was hella easy to map the spaces to a controller and bounce between them. It was fun actually.

My next recommendation. DONT GET an APC40. In the long run they get faulty. My Faders are going bad, and the same for many other users. It's only been a year and I take good care of my gear. There's better controllers fer sure.

[Drowzy]

what do you suggest instead? an ohm64 or something? i guess a launchpad could do the trick as well. Thanks so much for your help. And as far as spaces is concerned i dont have mac sooo thats an issue. however i do want to get one.

[JuanSOLO]

I dont own an OHM 64 but they sure seem cool.

There have been a lot of controllers released over the last 2 years and I have bought a lot of them. AND I regret many of them. I'm hoping to see some new stuff soon. Things that are less like toys and more dependable, and ergonomically perfect. I really like the XONE 1D style stuff. I like the 8x8 button matrix stuff.

To me this looks about perfect, too bad it's one of a kind. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WQU-...layer_embedded

[rishi]

My question is should the bridge and the ability to perform my own music and intertwine it with other peoples music seamlessly deter me from staying with traktor and its awesome sync function and FX capabilities

No. You just perform your music in different ways depending on the software used.

or is there a solution to integrate traktor and ableton so that switching dj software or buying another laptop isnt a necessity.

Yes. You can run Traktor and Ableton at the same time. You can send midi clock to sync them but in my experience this was unreliable and my preference was to be able to control tempo in both and use pitch bend when required to keep them in sync. Keep in mind that both apps will hold consistent tempo's very well so the second method is entirely feasible.

Also does the bridge solve the FX drawbacks within SSL. meaning can i use ableton's FX on non-ableton tracks on my decks in SSL?

I love creating my own FX Racks in Live but as pointed out above you can only apply them to your live clips and less you route SSL audio into live which I would not recommend. However, I think SSL effects are developing rapidly and very well - In some ways (super knobs and ultra knobs) I prefer the Serato FX to Traktors. I am a relative newcomer to Traktor and am loving many aspects of it but the FX section doesnt excite me at all.