Traktor Scratch vinyl loses signal

DJ Gear & Hardware CDJ & Vinyl DJing
1

Traktor Scratch vinyl loses signal

I’ve seen this pop up before but no actual answer that worked for me. I’ve got an A8 with vinyl timecode on my MBP. It seems that after about 10-15 minutes, the signal (bar next to the timecode analyser) goes to zero and it defaults to internal mode. the only thing that fixes it is either restarting TSP or unplugging the sound card.

I thought it might be the timecode vinyl so I’ve been using the 10 minute side for now, but it started again on this side. The signal bar starts jumping as it goes up and down, then completely goes. Any ideas? I’m on 1210s with concorde pro carts. I’ve also tried earthing on the mixer instead of the sound card. Not sure which is best practice…

2

Couple things to check out that can affect your signal:

  • RCA connections. Make sure if you wiggle them, the calibration circle doesn’t turn into just a white line
  • grounds (which you have done)
  • cartridge or connections. Check the 4 “dots” on your needles, and the dots inside the tonearm for corrosion. A little alcohol on a q-tip or a pencil eraser will clean those up for you. Don’t lick the contacts, its really bad for them. It will work in a pinch, but avoid it as much as possible.
  • USB cable. Try switching to a different cable
  • audio load level. This is what some people think of as the cpu load. Its the little bars in the top. If they are going red, they can crash stuff in traktor. (Raise your latency to fix redlining audio load)
  • did you try kicking your soundcard yet?
3

Audio load barely hits 50%. Will try the q-tip thing. Is it worth replacing the timecode vinyl?

4

How old are your needles?

5

They ain’t new… Do old needles cause this problem? One is a Concorde Pro S and the other is Concorde Pro S-II. They are both second hand but from different sources. I’ve been using them a couple times a week for about 3 months.

One thing I notice is the volume indicator for the (I assume) turntable input, below the signal bar, is really low.

6

Could be your needles. Have you got a friend that spins? If so, borrow a needle/cart from them and try. Unless your records are damaged, they shouldn’t be causing that issue.

7

definetly test the needles. seen something similar occur in serato when the needles had worn out.

8

As far as low turntable input, you may try to use the Audio8 control panel to increase the phono input levels a little more.

9

I’ve ordered some fresh needles and cleaned the contacts. Let’s hope!

10

I’ve had this problem before. A needle change fixed it. Hope it works out for you…

11

I recent got a record cleaning brush and it makes a difference. I recommend using one if you don’t put your records away or cover your turntables. The dust will wear your needles and records prematurely.

12

OK. I’ve replaced the needles and thought that fixed it, but after a while the signal bar would start bouncing and the calibration circle would get wonky again. Is there a way to boost the input signal from the TTs? It seems to hover at around 20%. I’ll try getting new vinyls when I get paid. Dammit.

EDIT: the calibration circle seems to start bouncing around a lot after about 20 minutes of play.

EDIT 2: Swapped USB cables, tried plugging in without the split cables that come with the A8, same result. Swapped the TTs over and the wonky signal from the right one swapped over. Could be borked TT interconnects?

13

I had a similar problem today. Come to find out i had to much gear plugged in one power strip. (I live in a older house)

I couldn’t get timecode to calibrate for more than 1 min. Ended up unplugging my amp & plugging in the A6 in it’s place. Everything calibrated & was great. When I plugged the amp back in it would go back to low input. Plugged the amp in another plug on another wall & everything was fine.

Thought it was worth a shot for you to try spreading your power around?