Learning to Beatmatch with Traktor Pro 2

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
1

Learning to Beatmatch with Traktor Pro 2

Hey,

I have been using ableton live with a Korg Zero 4 + other midi controllers for a few years. I have used my roomates serato to learn to beatmatch, but no longer live with him.

I got traktor because I do not want another soundcard because the Korg Zero 4 has one with Midi and a mixer.

I want to learn to beatmatch perfectly, but only have my keyboard to use. I am trying to use the nudge on the keyboard to learn to beatmatch. I find it does not work quite as easily as with Serato. But with Traktor showing the BPM and with the sync button, everything always works out in the end no matter how my manual beatmatching is going.

Will I really be able to beatmatch well using Traktor without an external control for the timecoding? Are there any recommendations on things to do, try? Maybe turn off BPM on my view? Thanks in advance.

2

Definitely turn off BPM. If you have the visual feedback there even if you try not to look, your eyes will always sneak a peek.

3

start using the jog wheel adjustment manually. and yes turn off BPM. also use the pitch changer.

4

Turn off the Phase Meter, BPM and the Grid Markers and you’ll be fine.

5

Buy something with a decent jog wheel and pitch fader. Anything else is possible but just not worth doing tbh.

6

+1

7

agreed. after forking out for the TP2 software you might as well buy a midi controller with jogs. my first experiments with digital dj’ing were with an old+cheap hercules mk2 (that i still have and still use) with mixxx and then traktor. quite easy to beat match manually with it - esp as it has a built in soundcard with 2 stereo outs so u can use one for cueing in headphones… probably lots of better and maybe even cheaper options around now tho.

8

Indeed, turn off the phase meter might be the most important one of all. Goddamn it’s such an automatism to look at that shiny blinking unit.

9

Thanks for the recommendations guys. Forgot to check in and say thanks for the recommendations, I appreciate it.

Got 2 belt driven turntables for very very dirt cheap and been trying on them but also want to use traktor because I only have a few records.

Appreciate the help.

10

Turn off the meters and try.

Looking at the meters and trying to match by ear is really hard to do I think.

To have 2 songs in sync they don’t need to be accurate to 0.00 to have the tracks locked in.

Small adjustments periodically can keep things in line, but definitely not to 0.00.

11

Thanks.

I’ve noticed that the ± on the pitch are not sensitive at all. I mapped them to faders on a midi controller and it got even worse, so I have to use a mouse to pull the fader up and down manually. I’m guessing if I get the right controller it will be fixable?

12

Yeah I definitely was using the phase meter as a handicap, thats for sure. It is now officially off!