Numark MixtrackPro+ TSP2 and timecode - which NI card?

[Veronica]

Hi guys,
I am new to time-coded vinyls, or, to be honest, vinyls in general :)
and I need some very basic help!

I‘ve had a Numark Mixtrack Pro for some time now and I think I know how to use it:) Now I want to learn how to play from vinyls: I recently bought Numark TT1625 decks and I plan to use them with Traktor Scratch pro 2 and timecoded vinyls.

What I want to have in the end is a set up that will allow me to play using:
A) either just my MixtrackPro+Traktor (not using decks at all), or
B) the MixtrackPro+Traktor+decks+timecode vinyls.

Before spending -potentially - hundreds of pounds on software and sound card, I would like to make sure I imagine my set up right.
Below you see a picture that I stole from syntet1c post on VDJ forum – this is how I imagine my set up would look like. Laptop with TSP2 connected to MixtrackPro will allow me to play without decks. If I want to play with decks, I connect them to an NI soundcard, which is connected to my laptop. So is MixtrackPro. All this together allows me to use timecode

Now my questions:

- am I getting it right? I have this irrational worry that my MixtrackPro should be connected directly to the NI soundcard, rather than to my computer. But I only have a USB cable for it
- Which of the NI soundcards is enough? I find it very unlikely I would want to upgrade to a more sophisticated system (the only thing I might get in addition to things listed is either a different controller or an additional standalone mixer), and I think a6 would be enough for me – is that correct?
- You can also buy used NI a4 DJ – can I connect decks to these?
- Is there anything else I should know?

Sorry for such a long post
Thanks a lot for any input!

Veronica

And this is the stolen picture:

[makar1]

Your picture looks about right. The Mixtrack will only be connected to the computer, as it will serve as a MIDI controller, without using its sound card.

The A6 is enough for two turntables. You can also use the A4 if you like (it will do everything you need), but there are some minor additions and upgrades in the A6.

[Veronica]

The A6 is enough for two turntables. You can also use the A4 if you like (it will do everything you need), but there are some minor additions and upgrades in the A6.

Hi makar1, thanks for your reply.
The only possible upgrade I might want to have is to get a standalone mixer instead of my numark (or in addition to). I imagine then a6 would still be ok, but a4 not?

thanks
Vera

[Veronica]

Hi Guys,
I need some basic help again!

In my original post i wanted to ask if it s possible to have a set up where decks are connected to a NI card without an external mixer to use timecode vinyls, while a midi controller is connected to my laptop to be used as a 'mixer' though midi commands. Please see the file that I attached in my original post to see what I mean here.

I was explained this is possible, therefore I bought NI A6+TSP2+timecode vinyls to go with my Numark Mixtrack Pro and Numark decks

Now I am trying to set it up with no success. I can easily get Mixtrack Pro to work with TSP2 - no surprise.

But I can't get the Mixtrack to work with A6. When I connect a6, Traktor immediately detects it, and i can work in a6 mode. But in this mode I should have an external mixer - the decks would be connected to a6 and then to the mixer, and the mixer would allow me to switch between channels and would send the output to my soundsystem.
But this is not what I wanted. I want the decks to be connected to a6, while my mixtrack pro should be my 'mixer' controlling traktor by midi commands. In 'audio setup' traktor settings tab I can either chose a6 - but then the software doesn't see Mixtrack Pro, or 'asio4allv2' - but then the software doesn't see a6.
Is there a way to use an external midi controller and a6 simultaneously? Maybe I can hook up a6+decks+timecode to traktor and then manually assign midi commands to Mixtrack? But how do I get faders back in timecode mode - I don't have faders, because normally an external mixer switches between channels (I haven;t even tried to configure timecode yet, as I don't have anything that would be a mixer).

And If I get this thing to work somehow, where would my output be? With just mixtrack pro, output comes from mixtrack. With a6, I would imagine output would be from a6 main RCA (rca 1 and 2). But that would mean the signal from decks would go to traktor, where it would be controlled by mixtrack, then it would go back to a6, and from a6 to my amp. Does this make sense at all?

I really need help on this one, because my very limited understanding of what's going on tells me it is impossible to do what I want to do with the equipment I have. Maybe I should have bought a8 where a midi controller can be connected directly to a soundcard? Or is there something dumb that I am doing or something obvious that I don't see? I am very happy to hear i'm dumb if it let's me move forward!

thanks a lot

vera