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In Get Started With The Traktor Kontrol S8, Pt 1, we looked at how the new flagship controller from Native Instruments works with your music files, and in Part 2 we looked at external inputs and wiring everything up. In this, the third part of a five-part series, we’re looking at how you can adjust your beatgrid on the fly. Below is the background info you need to make the most of this lesson, and the video training itself is at the bottom of the article.
Sep 11, 2014 Get YouTube without the ads. Skip trial 1 month free. Find out why Close. How to Set BPM in Traktor Pro 2 Manually. A quick short video on how to fix the BPM and the beatgrid for songs that. Mar 24, 2017 Rekordbox beat grid sucks compared to Traktor Pro! (thus messing up the set beatgrid) pope October 17, 2013 18:59 0 votes Share Facebook; Twitter. Im on traktor, but found the import from itunes way better flow wise in RB than traktor. But the first analyzing of bpm/beat grid and key is.
What are beatgrids?
A beatgrid is a uniform grid (think a “ruler”) laid along your track, with its first “marker” on the first beat of the first bar, and the other markers evenly laid out, one per beat, all the way through the track. It allows the software to accurately calculate autoloops, rhythmic effects (think echo and delay), beatjumps, and overall to accurately tie each deck to the master tempo, meaning when you hit “sync”, things do truly sync up.
And while vinyl and CD DJs used to using just two music sources may question whether all of this is really necessary (after all, to manually beatmatch two sources soon becomes intuitive, why bother with all this beatgridding stuff?), actually, as soon as you introduce more music sources, and definitely as soon as you start adding a Remix Deck or two, this all becomes essential. Indeed, the Traktor Kontrol S8, and to an extent the way Native Instruments envisages the whole Traktor ecosystem should operate, kind of demands you bite the bullet and start beatgridding your tunes.
The problem with beatgridding
Still, it’s hard work. There are even services out there that’ll do it for you, such is the resistance among some DJs to sitting there with their pile of 50 new tunes, painstakingly checking the beatgrid so all is OK for their looming gig. And if you get to a gig and discover an issue with a beatgrid (this usually happens when you hit “sync” and it doesn’t work right), adjusting that beatgrid there and then is fiddly: you have to dial up a panel on screen in Traktor and revert to the trackpad and/or keyboard and do some pretty intricate stuff. Not what you want mid-set…
The new workflow
That’s where the Traktor Kontrol S8’s onboard screen and beatgridding controls come in. They’re so intuitive, you can sometimes use them on the track that’s actually playing, never mind the one you’re cueing up to play next! So here’s how it works:
- You ensure Traktor is set to automatically “best guess” the beatgrid for your tunes when it analyses them for BPM etc. That means that each track at least has a beatgrid to start with, and most of the time this will be spot on
- On loading a track you haven’t played before in your set (and that you haven’t had time to check the beatgrid of ahead of time), you do some simple visual checks of its beatgrid. If it looks like it may need a little tweaking, by using a few simple checks and adjustments right there on the deck screen and using the knobs and buttons of your S8, you adjust the beatgrid to get it perfect (there’s a knob that lets you check the beatgrid later in the track without affecting the audio – great for the track that’s actually playing…)
- You hit “lock” to lock the beatgrid, and just as importantly, to tell you that you’ve manually checked that particular track, for next time
Job done – ready to mix! Once you’re up to speed, the above can take between a second (when the beatgrid clearly needs no work) and 30 seconds (when it’s been read incorrectly and needs a lot of fiddling), but it’s infinitely more practical and intuitive than having to adjust it all in the software on your laptop mid-gig – and the S8 with its screens and dedicated beatgrid controls makes it all possible.
What to do next
Firstly, if you’re not sure you understand beatgrids, definitely read the chapter in the Traktor software manual first to get up to speed on it all.
Then, watch the video to learn how to adjust existing beatgrids while DJing. Remember, if your music hasn’t been auto-beatgridded for some reason, get it all analysed by Traktor now so you have something to work with when you get to your gig (or when you do this ahead of time) – the onboard controls aren’t designed for the initial beatgridding, just adjusting what’s already there. Good luck!
The tutorial video
Check out the other parts in this series:
Got any specific questions about the Traktor Kontrol S8, beatgridding or otherwise? Want to add anything to this tutorial’s info? Please feel free to do so in the comments.
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on Nov 13, 2013 in DJ & Live Performance 0 comments
One of Traktor's powerful commands is the Sync feature. A highly useful function, Traktor's Sync gives you the ability to lock the tempos of two or more tracks together. When utilized correctly, this powerful tool allows Traktor to take care of beat-matching, which gives you the space and freedom to make creative musical decisions during your set.
If you're going to be using the sync function, it's a good idea to have an understanding of the following sync-related features and functions in Traktor:
Master Clock
Traktor has a Master Clock whose tempo will determine the tempo of the tracks that are Synced. You can access the Master Clock by pressing the metronome in the upper left hand corner of the GUI.
Phase: Phase is a term used to describe the position of one sound wave relative to another sound wave.
In relation to DJing, two songs are 'in phase' when the drum hits in each songs' waveforms match each other, and are out of phase when the drum hits in each song are out of alignment with each other.
Traktor has a phase meter that displays the phase of each song. To display the phase meter, open the Traktor Preferences. In the Decks section, under Deck Heading, click 'Show Phase Meter' to display the phase meter.
Beat Grid: A beat-grid is the white lines that are placed overtop of Traktor's analyzed tracks that correspond to the song's drum hits, and tell Traktor the BPM of the track. Once set correctly, beat grids will enable to you to perfectly sync your tracks in time.
In Traktor 2, there are three different types of Sync available for you to use.
Here's a breakdown of the different versions, so you can choose which type of Sync is best for you.
Beat Sync
Beat Sync is Traktor's default Sync mode, and is activated when you press the Sync command in the GUI. It can also be selected in Traktor's Preferences, under Transport/Sync Mode/Beat Sync. When you press Beat Sync, the song's tempo and phase are matched to the tempo and phase of the Master Clock.
Beat Sync will not work properly without an accurately placed beat grid on your chosen track. You can use the auto grid function when you import songs into your collection, and if needed, adjust your beat grids to properly position them.
Tempo Sync
Tempo Sync is available in the MIDI commands, (in Traktor's Preferences/Transport/Sync Mode) not the GUI. When engaged, the tempo of the selected deck matches the tempo of the Master Clock. It is useful for quickly matching up the tempos of your tracks, but you will still need to carefully match the phases of the tracks using your ears if you use this mode.
Traktor Set Beatgrid Without Analyzing Bpm Lyrics
Phase Sync
Phase Sync is available in the MIDI commands. A one time command, when engaged the tracks's phase will match the master source but the two are not locked together.
Beat Gridding
Before you begin to play sets using Beat Sync, you'll need to ensure that your beat grids are correctly placed on your tracks.
Here's what a beat grid that is properly placed looks like:
If your beat grid looks like this, you'll need to fine tune it:
Here's a reliable method you can use to adjust your beat grids.
First, you're going to want to have Traktor automatically set the Beat Grid when loading tracks. Since Traktor does a good job of correctly placing Beat Grids, this will ensure that the adjustments you make to the Beat Grids are minimal.
Open Traktor Preferences, and navigate to File Management. In the File Management section, check 'Analyze new tracks when loading into deck'. You can also choose to select 'Analyze New Imported Tracks'. In the BPM Detection section, make sure 'Set Beat-Grid when detecting BPM' is checked too.
Next, navigate to Output Routing. In Mixing Mode, Select 'External'. Make sure you set an Output for Deck A (eg. Your sound card)
In the Master Panel, turn on the Metronome in the Options section by selecting 'Tick'.
Next, click the headphones (cue) button in Deck A. This allows you to hear the tick of Traktor's metronome.
Load up a new track into Deck A, and have a look at the white markers that are now displayed on the track after it has been analyzed; this is Traktor's auto Beat Grid. Zoom in on the waveform by pressing the 'plus' arrows on the right hand side of the waveform to have a closer look at how the Beat Grid is positioned on the track.
Press Play and Sync on Deck A; your song will sync to the Master Clock. Listen to how the track sounds when compared to the sound of the metronome; you need these two to perfectly match.
Click on the Grid button (located on the left hand side, underneath the track), and use the two top left or right arrows to adjust the Beat Grid position until it's perfectly positioned on the drum hits in the track.
Once your Beat Grid is adjusted, click the small lock button (located to the right of the arrows) to secure the grid in place.
You'll get quicker at adjusting your beat grids as you continue to practice this method. Try to set up a few beat grids at a time (eg. When you import new tracks each week) rather than trying to set them all up over your entire collection in a few days.
Traktor Set Beatgrid Without Analyzing Bpm Music
I believe that by using the Sync functions available in Traktor, you'll be able to enhance your sets by focusing on more creative elements, rather than spending all your time beat matching. Now that you've learned about what each Sync mode allows you to do, you'll be able to make a solid decision about which type of Sync is best for you.
In most cases, I recommend DJs use the Beat Sync function to ensure your tracks are synced correctly. If you're working with Beat Sync, I do recommend that you spend time preparing your sets by properly adjusting all your Beat Grids. A little effort spent on preparing your tracks will go a long way, and help you to rock the crowd during your sets!