Netbook and Traktor - beginner

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
1

Netbook and Traktor - beginner

Hi all, after years of mixing techno with 1210s I want to try digital mixing, so I can start to incorporate samples, loops etc and to get more creative.

Initially I want to spend as little as possible to see how I take to this. So I have a couple of questions on equipment that you guys can help me with.

I’m looking at the Numark Mixtrack Pro, as it has a built in soundcard, comes with Traktor LE and is £169 here in the UK which is within my budget.

I intend to run it off my Asus 1005HA netbook, which is running Win 7 Enterprise, has 2GB of RAM and an Atom N280 CPU.

So my questions are:
Any opinions on the MixTrack Pro? Can it do 4 decks (I know I need to upgrade Tracktor for that).
Will Traktor LE run OK on the netbook? If I upgrade to Traktor Pro will I hit performance limit on the netbook?

Many thanks in advance for any advice.

2

This netbook’s CPU is below the recommended specifications, (which is a 2.4GHZ P4 or a Core Duo).

3

Netbook performance is nowhere near good enough to run Traktor adequately (if at all), sorry. Also the screen resolution may be a problem, you might not even be able to fit all of Traktor on the screen.

4

For DJing, I’d say don’t go lower than 13". You won’t see what you’re doing. Also 4gig ram is approved I guess. So be prepared to buy a new laptop…

As you already have a pair of 1210s, why not timecode?

5

OK looks like I will have to get hold of new laptop.

If I went the timecode route, what hardware would I need and what am I missing out on (if anything) over using a dedicated controller?

6

You would need a laptop and a timecode package (TSP (2) or SSL) AFAIK.

You may miss out on accessibility for making loops and using FX, something which most DVS users by an extra controller like the Kontrol X1 for.

7

[quote]If I went the timecode route, what hardware would I need and what am I missing out on (if anything) over using a dedicated controller?
[/quote]

You need a 4/4 audio interface at least for 2 decks.

If you REALLY intend using Traktor you’ll probably need a better laptop

If you already have the Netbook no harm in trying it out BUT you’ll most likely need 2 gigs ram minimum + XP to get it running smoothly.

You could try out Mixxx (free software), it has timecode support + it has mappings for Mixtrack pro + it has loops n stuff, but minimal FX.

8

I’m open to any alternative - have read good reviews about Traktor, and I know lots of controllers come with it preloaded (well, the light version anyway).

Basically I want to experiment with other creative things and want software that will do the beat matching / timing for me so I can play around with loops effects etc on top.

Any other software recommendations welcomed!

9

I would recommend downloading the Traktor demo and loading on the netbook if you already have it. You could find out if it runs at all.

That mixtrack pro will probably do most things you need at this point, I’m sure you could sell and upgrade if you found it did not meet your needs.

I would look into running Traktor with some timecode instead of the mixtrack. Get yourself Traktor Scratch Duo bundled with the Audio 6 or you can see if you can pick up the older package with the Audio 4 on ebay for less.

You can control the looping and effects by setting up some custom keyboard maps for the netbooks keyboard… you could also pick up some dicers or a lpd8 for not too much more get dedicated control over those elements but its not absolutely necessary.

10

Great, thanks for the feedback. I will get hold of the Traktor demo and see how I get on.

Thanks!

11

Update for anybody else interested. Installed on my Atom 330 PC and it just isn’t up to it. Glitches, stutters, etc. So now I’m on the lookout for a new PC or laptop…

12

Thanks for letting us know how you got on.

I have to say that its exactly what i expected. There is always someone that can get Traktor running on a netbook, a Texas Speak n Spell or a digital watch but in general the rule of thumb is “if you need to ask, you already know the answer”

Netbooks and Traktor are problems in the making.

Cue someone with “ive got it working on a …”:wink:

13

The S4 with the scratch upgrade could be a good option for you to do timecode and have software control. Wouldn’t be to much more than TSP and an X1.