[Traktor Pro\Soundcard] Setting up a M-Audio Fast Track Pro

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
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[Traktor Pro\Soundcard] Setting up a M-Audio Fast Track Pro

Wrote this as a personal reminder, thought it would be useful for newbies! :open_mouth:

What You’ll Get Out of This

  • Front panel headphones to monitor upcoming track/cues
  • Back panel RCA jacks for main output

1. Install Latest M-Audio Drivers
Visit M-Audio website’s section “Drivers/Updates” and download the latest drivers for the Fast Track Pro (USB Audio Series).

If you do not intend to use the sound card’s inputs, you can deactivate them in the preference panel, freeing some CPU load. (this article does not cover recording input in Traktor Pro, sorry)

2. Configure Traktor Pro
Go to Traktor Pro’s Preferences and select “Audio Setup” in the left column.
Make sure the “Audio Device” is the “M-Audio Fast Track Pro USB”.

Then go to the “Output Routing” panel and assign the proper outputs to the different channels.

3. Plugging to the Speakers

Both the TRS outputs, S/PDIF OUT and the front panel’s headphone jack mirror the RCA outputs 1 & 2.
Therefore, we use outputs 3 & 4 as main output, this way the public doesn’t hear the monitor output.

4. Headphone Monitoring
The A/B button on the front panel selects which output source is sent to the headphones.
Since we configured Traktor Pro to send our monitor to Outputs 1 & 2, we’ll have to select A (pushed out).

The knob labeled “Level” can be used to control the headphones’ volume, it is independent of the main output.

5. Rock the house!

When you want to monitor a deck, click the headphones icon, it will make the selected deck unaffected by the crossfader. Afterwards, move the cross-fader to the opposite side of the deck you want to monitor to remove the monitor output from the main output.

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Hey dude,

Thanks heaps for writing this one up ! Ill add this into the recommended posts thread that were currently putting together.

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[quote=“, post:1, topic:2564”]
When you want to monitor a deck, click the headphones icon, it will virtually (no gain or volume increase) boost the volume of that deck. Afterwards, move the cross-fader to the opposite side of the deck you want to monitor, muting it from the monitor output.
[/quote]
Just for a little clarification, shouldn’t this be the main output? :slight_smile: Because cross-fader should almost always (maybe even always?) affect only to main output. It shouldn’t have anything to do with the monitoring unless you are monitoring the main output of course. :smiley: (Did I just make my clarification more confusing? :stuck_out_tongue: )
And I think a better way to explain monitoring (cueing) a deck, is to say that it isn’t dependant of the cross-fader. In other words, cross-fader doesn’t affect the volume of the cueing done with the headphones icons. Cueing with the headphone icons gives you the opportunity to listen a deck without disrupting the main output.
And if by monitoring you meant monitoring the main output I don’t see the point of using the headphones buttons, since they only make the output to your headphones incorrect. The other track is heard too loud and in my opinion this deflects the purpose of main output monitoring. :slight_smile:
Though in combination of the both, as I quite often use them, I have a little of the main output coming to my headphones (adjustable with the mixing knob in the traktor) while having the cue button on. This is when i don’t have proper monitoring speakers to hear the main output from.
Good post though, very good pictures and clear layout. Thanks for that. :slight_smile: That little thing just started bugging me and I had to do this little ;D post to answer. :stuck_out_tongue:

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Yeah Aanrii is right thats not setup 100% correct - you should be able to hear the other deck on the headphones even though its the crossfader isnt on the right side.

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Would you not get a lower latency if you used the ASIO drivers?

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nice guide, there is a good bunch of ppl asking about Fast Track Pro as well.

and yeah, i too think there is glitch somewhere… can’t think where, coz i just woke up and am realy sleepy, maybe later in the day i return with some more info.

oh yea. an moley is absolutely right, there is nothing wrong to use ASIO interface, i.e. select M-Audio ASIO (it will then give exact same options for deck routing, so don’t be afraid)

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ASIO is only for the Windows people (AFAIK by Googling).

As for the monitoring decks, if you move the cross fade half-way to the opposite side, you’ll hear the deck properly, I say full (to mute) only if you use club’s speakers or your room speakers to beat match or something :stuck_out_tongue:

Edit away moderators! :stuck_out_tongue: End goal is to finally have a tutorial for FTP users, cuz I Googled my ass off last night for this lol… can’t believe it’s not easier (or at least documented). :wink:

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Oh! Maybe my monitoring explanation was wrong (wrote this at 4am :S) ..

The headphone icon lets you hear the selected deck even though the crossfader is on the opposite side. And the crossfader is to remove the monitor output from the main output (not the other way around :wink:)

Updated the tutorial’s explanation, is it better?

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That sounds better to me unless i missed something again :stuck_out_tongue:

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You know, I had a rule of never writing stuff after 2am… went out the window the day after :disappointed:

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Its alright i do it all the time :stuck_out_tongue: Even now its quarter part 1 in the morning hehe

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Yeah it looks better now. :slight_smile:

About the ASIO drivers, ASIO is for Windows as has been said. I think the equivalent in Mac is the Core Audio which should offer low latency? And I found some information that Fast Track Pro supports Core Audio as well.

Since I don’t have Mac I don’t know should this be selected from the audio setup similar to selection between ASIO or the basic USB. In Windows the ASIO is definitely recommended with software that supports it like Traktor. :slight_smile:

Could somebody give any verification do you have to choose between Core Audio and basic USB drivers or does Mac automaticly use the Core Audio? I did some research and it seems core audio is indeed in the core of the OSX so it wouldn’t require any special stuff to be done. Like in this tutorial you just enable the usb soundcard from audio setup menu.

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Hi guys,

Received a Fast Track Pro today and have followed this thread in attempt to set it up but to no avail.
Unfortunetly I am running Vista @ 1.83ghz, 2GB Ram. I have set-up the audio routing as below, but the sound is very low with noise and monitoring does not work.

When selecting audio device I can choose between either M-Audio USB ASIO or Fast Track Pro (4in, 4out).
Any tips?

Regards

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Hey Great Tutorial,

I just bought an M-Audio Fast Track Pro and I was having a difficult time setting it up.
But I need my mic. When I use your setting (even with m-audio drivers inputs options checked), I can’t use my mic and if I switch I can’t use my pre-cue.

So my question is:

Will my settings allow me to both use my mic and pre-cue with following settings:

-1&2(RCA) = main output
-3&4 (RCA) = monitor output
-A/B Switch turned (pushed in) to “B”

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Why would the mic mess things up with the output settings?

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Can’t help you, I’m on a Mac, sorry! :disappointed:

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No Messup, Just no sound

When I configure my M-Audio, the way describe above, I can not use my mic. The mic input will not come through the speakers.

If I switch the configuration and switch the A/B button, can I get the precue to work and can will this make the mic work?

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Hey All,

Sometimes you want to make a shout-out or just say something catchy to get the crowd pumped so if you want to use the mic with the M-Audio Fast Track Pro, you need to do the following:

  1. Make sure you have you checked the “Balance Input 1 & 2” in the advanced driver menu

  2. Use output “0 & 1” as the Master Output

  3. Use output “2 & 3” as the Monitor output

  4. Make sure you A/B switch (for the headphones) is pushed in (for “B”)

  5. Plug in your mainline to output 1 & 2 (on the M-Audio)

  6. Rock the Crowd!

Thanks everyone on this post for helping me figure this out you have all be very helpful.

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Amazing thank you guys!!!

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Just realised i forgot to put this into the FAQ, done now :slight_smile: