S4 Cue Frequency Issue
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  1. #1
    Tech Convert
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    Default S4 Cue Frequency Issue

    Hello all,

    I received a Traktor S4 for Christmas, and have been teaching myself the software and the controller. However, I've run into a major roadblock with the sound quality of the cue.

    When playing a track through the cue, there is a significant degradation in sound quality. The bass is missing, then it will come back and the entire mid range is gone, etc. It's like entire frequency bands are cut from the cue, and what's cut changes from song to song (Ex: Playing a Skrillex track, the bass in gone and is focused on the high frequencies, playing Animal rights loses the kick and the main riff of the song). If I flip the cue'd song into the mains, the total song is there, but some frequencies are still missing from the cue. I've tested this with three pairs of headphones all with different 1/4 inch adaptors, and have run the setup wizard to initialize the s4. I also tried switching the cue to mono in an effort to correct the problem, and the entire frequency range was there, albiet the cue was so severely dropped in volume that cueing was impossible with loud mains, even with the cue volume all the way up on the s4 and in Traktor.

    Any thoughts on how to correct this problem would be appreciated; at present, the cue is almost useless for mixing.

  2. #2
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    Change the heaphone jack to be the main output......my guess is its still gonna sound the same. After that fiddle with the locknut on the face of the S4 thats around the headphone jack.....most people have fixed the prob by tightening it a lil (clockwise), but I think its just a loose connection and the movement of the jack is what really does the trick

  3. #3
    Tech Guru antifmradio's Avatar
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    plaid
    is there any and i mean ANY kind of static sound?
    even a really quick POP in the headphones?

  4. #4
    Tech Wizard stevohill's Avatar
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    It may also be helpful to post up what your system specs are, how you're routing your audio, etc. It's also immensely helpful to post some screenshots of your Traktor Audio Settings/Routing. From what you're describing, I'm at a loss...what quality are the tracks you're playing as well?

    edit: I had a heaphone problem with the s4 before once, I never found the exact solution but it was ultimately resolved by a fresh install of the OS. Mine was a constant frequency buzz that seemed like a grounding issue from the telltale signs, but in the end I'm fairly certain it was caused by some sort of driver problem. May or may not help your situation, but always some food for thought if nothing else resolves the problem.

  5. #5
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    There's no pop or hiss, just missing frequencies when listening to a song through cue. It's like the cue is running through an 8 band EQ with a dip in the low end/mid range. I've loosened and retightened the headphone jack, and the problem persists. I'm running Traktor 2.6 through a 15" Macbook Pro, latest version of Mountain Lion, with 8 GB RAM. I'll post a screenshot of the audio routing when I get to my music computer, I'm away from it at the moment.

    I appreciate the troubleshooting so far, hopefully we can flesh out the problem! Thanks for your advice so far

  6. #6
    Tech Guru AllDay's Avatar
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    The audio routing or audio device is off.

  7. #7
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    Screen Shot 2012-12-29 at 12.29.23 AM.jpg
    Screen Shot 2012-12-29 at 12.28.59 AM.jpg
    Screen Shot 2012-12-29 at 12.28.33 AM.png

    Here are the screenshots of anything that might be connected to the audio issue...

    AllDay, how could I correct that if what you mentioned is the case?

    If there's any more information I can provide, please let me know!

  8. #8
    Tech Guru Nicky H's Avatar
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    Your routing is correct and you have tried different headphones/adapters, you say it works ok in mono so it sounds like the headphone jack itself in the S4 could be broken.
    If you can, try a pair of headphones that don't need the adapter to eliminate that, but it sounds like it's not sending a (correct) stereo signal.
    SC | MC

  9. #9
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    Yes, it does work in mono, albeit very very decreased in volume.

    Unfortunately I don't have any headphones that are straight 1/4 icy, but I've tried it with 4 adaptors/headphones now...

    Would the broken jack be a contact manufacturer route for solution?

    I wouldn't want to void the warranty fixing it myself.

  10. #10
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    Sorry for the bump, but I found something that might help point out the problem...

    I was poking around in the audio routings and disabled one of the monitors like this:

    Screen Shot 2012-12-29 at 1.14.08 PM.png

    With that setting, the cue output is fine. So long as there is only one monitor selected in the output, I've got the full frequency range. Throwing in the other monitor cuts the volume/frequencies.

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