Need help setting up my modular set up with Traktor

[Fraktionz]

Hello DjTechtools, so after months of researching about djing and djing gear I finally took the plunge and bought the pieces for my modular set up. Picked up all my gear used as I'm on a budget.

My gear:

• KORG KM-402 4 channel mixer (to mix everything down)
• NI Kontrol X1 (for decks A and B transport control)
• Native Instruments Maschine (because I've started with producing and think it would be fun to incorporate some simple live playing in)
• Traktor Pro 2 Software

So question!: Notice, I do not have a soundcard!! I am asking is there any specific soundcard I need? Or since I'm using Traktor I have to get NI soundcard? Also when I do have this soundcard, how would I set it up so that I can use the internal decks via Traktor Kontrol X1 and mix externally via Korg KM-402. Also how to fit the Maschine in with all of this?

I have done a lot of research but googling how to use external mixer with internal decks has only led me to how to operate timecode, which is not part of my question.

All tips or walkthroughs for how to get my set up, well set up would be so appreciated as I can't wait to finally just get down to playing on all this gear I've worked had to select and gather!

Sidenote: The NI Maschine I bought used on this forum, I was just finally able to try and both of the LCD screens are showing very bright with almost no contrast making them not readable unless you're eyes are right at them, does anyone know what this problem may be?

[The Pancaker]

Get an audio 6 (I also think an audio 4 should work as well) and route the outputs to your mixer's inputs. I'd also suggest getting a second X1. With just that you'll have a proven by many setup.

As for contrast/brightness

Page 32
http://www.lightsounds.com.au/conten...maschine_m.pdf

[Fraktionz]

Get an audio 6 (I also think an audio 4 should work as well) and route the outputs to your mixer's inputs. I'd also suggest getting a second X1. With just that you'll have a proven by many setup.

As for contrast/brightness

Page 32
http://www.lightsounds.com.au/conten...maschine_m.pdf

Thanks for help. I'm not sure what routing is though, please bare with me I've done much research but still much is left not understood. Basically the rcas of my mixer input will connect to audio cardoutput? Is there a necessary input or output for Maschine as wel?

And thanks for the manual! I followed those instructions and made it slightly better but sitll very much unreadable...really makes me think it's not a setting problem. Further information on this problem there's a white border on each of the lcds and the blue is very light no matter what brightness or contrast combination I try. Just tried to take pictures but it just shows up as all white in the pictures

edit: And from a top angle they are absolutely unreadable and just look completely light blue, only from sideways sitting position there is any visibility at all of the text.

[jaredweiss]

Are you planning on using the maschine as a standalone device with its own input into the mixer or will you have it controlling some aspect of the computer? If you go from the maschine directly into the input for the mixer there shouldn't be any problem. If its controlling a software on the computer like Traktor or Ableton, you'll need to use an output from the soundcard to bring it into the mixer. It really depends on how you want to use the maschine though.

To route the audio you just select the soundcard as the audio device in Traktor and in Output Routing set the mixing mode to external.
Once you've done that you can set the outputs for each of the decks as the individual outputs on the soundcard. Then you just need to hook those outputs from the soundcard to the inputs on your mixer and you're good.

[photojojo]

4X2 channels each, one left and one right means an Audio 8 will give you just enough outputs to fill a four channel mixer. When you plug an Audio 8 in to Traktor you'll be able to choose it as the sound card in preferences and then select the outs on the 8 as the outs in Traktor. Then you take an RCA from each of those outs on the sound card and plug them into the in's on the mixer.

If you're going to use the Maschine live in a DJ set you'll have to dedicate a channel on the mixer to it. Just like in Traktor, you'll be able to select the Audio 8 in the Maschine software, then you would select what channel on the sound card you want to send the Maschine sounds out on. So you could select channel D as the Maschine channel in Maschine preferences. This means that you will only be able to use three decks in Traktor because Maschine is occupying Channel D on the sound card and in turn a channel on the mixer.

You could route deck D in Traktor but if Maschine is playing a track on deck D and a Track is playing on Deck D at the same time they will both play on that mixer channel.

You do not route Maschine through Traktor. You can midi sync it however. Here's a write up on that using an Audio 10. http://www.traktorbible.com/en/t2_maschine_ta10.aspx

You don't need a NI sound card.

[Fraktionz]

Thanks guys! I think I understand the routing thing now. No soundcards available locally right now used, audio 10 seems so steep, any reccomendations to able to hook 4 channels up to computer (right now I'm not using 4 channels but in the future for expandability, 2 or 3 output soundcard suggestions also definitely would be helpful in the mean time)

Also my plan is to use the Maschine to control the Maschine software alongside with Traktor and play the maschine samples if that helps clarify my needs. Not to midi map it to any other program.

[jaredweiss]

Just a quick correction to what I said earlier. I forgot that the Maschine doesn't have an output on it so you need to use an output from your soundcard in order to make sure it works correctly (i got Maschine screwed up in my head with MPC). If you don't route it through Traktor you could just set the output of the software to the soundcard you use.

That means you'll need at least a 6 or 8 (or 10) output soundcard.

Whats your budget?

[Fraktionz]

Oh okay sounds good! And my budge is $250 Canadian. Living in Winnipeg further limits me on this.

[jaredweiss]

Hmm. $250 isn't much for a soundcard. You could do what I did for a while and just get a cheap usb soundcard on ebay, but the quality will be bad and it'll probably die on you in the middle of a gig. I once bought a $30 card from ebay and had it give up during a show.
I'd say your best bet is to look on craigslist and ebay until an acceptable deal on a used card comes up. Either that or go with an Audio 6 now and upgrade later.