What DJ Tools Works For Me And The Programs I Find Useful

In this forum I would like to share what I believe is the perfect Dj Setup with a little of what I am using and what others have influenced me to use. I've been reading the Forums for months now and I have gathered many helpful Tips & Tricks along the way that has proved to be very helpful.

~For those new to SSL prepare for an amazing Dj tool that will impact your djing abilities~

1st, I Use two Denon CD Turntables, the S5000 and Denon's Mixer the X1500. These CD players work great for giving a great vinyl sound… Since the Scratching doesn’t actually come from scratching the records/disc… rather it comes from the control signal, so using CD or Vinyl is pretty balance in my opinion. The only getting use to is the size of the platters. Using these with SSL allows you to never have to burn or buy Cd's ever again and the scratching ability is perfect if you have a somewhat fast computer with added RAM... My computer had 512 RAM shared and I upgraded to 1 gig RAM and I saw a great improvement. SSL will also work great with TT, but I see using the Denon's work better with mixing b/c you have on the fly cue points, breaking, echo, reverse, etc. They are also light and they make for a fast Dj setup.

2nd, I use an older Compaq Presario 2110US. It has a 1.6 AMD processor and now 1 gig of upgraded Ram with an 80 gig HD. I have formatted my computer to my needs with nothing but the programs I am going to use. I defrag and CHKDSK often to keep my computer running clean and fast. I try to keep in mind that since I'm using my computer as my main source of media I have to take care of it or it won’t take care of ME!
Tip 1: Go to RUN in your START menu, type in MSCONFIG go to the Start up Process and disable all. This will allow your computer to run at a faster rate without using your entire memory
Tip 2: Go to the Forum about "Windows XP optimizations for Scratch LIVE" scroll down to WINDOWS XP AUDIO TWEAKS. Try and take advantage of this b/c it will definitely help.
Name: Windows XP optimizations for Scratch LIVE
Forum: www.scratchlive.net

3rd, My Mp3's file names are PERFECT with the file names looking like this... ARTIST - TITLE - BPM. Doing this allows me find media fast and Import media fast. I also store all Rap, Rock, House; etc in different folders doing so makes a hard copy of my Genres.
Tip 1: Use Mix Mester's BPM counter... It’s Free and it will give you Almost Perfect BPM reads.
Name: Mix Meister bpm analyzer
Homepage: www.mixmeister.com
Tip 2: Use ID TAGIT... It’s Free and very easy to use, it also allows you to make mass changes to your MP3 file names!!! Once you use Mix Mester's BPM counter Add the BPM's into your MP3's File name. Doing so guarantees it won’t be lost.
Name: ID3-TagIT
Home page: www.id3-tagit.de
Tip 3: Use Apple’s QuickTime… It’s Free and when you download you will also get the iTunes MP3 file manager/player similar to Windows Media, but when you import your media to iTunes and make playlist, the playlist will also show up in the SSL program, Very helpful!!
Name: QuickTime 7 with iTunes 6 for Windows 2000/XP
Homepage: www.apple.com
Tip 4: Use “Harddisck ogg recorder”… It’s Free and records well. The program doesn’t use much memory and you can record in WAV
Name: Harddisck ogg recorder
Homepage: www.fridgesoft.de

4th, if you use the control CD’s instead of the vinyl ~ burn copies so you don’t ruin the originals.
Tip: Sometimes it could be helpful to burn the first track as the control signal and use the rest of the CD as various music mixes as a backup for if your computer crashes.

5th, Keep up-to-date with all updated versions of your SSL. You’ll find the Updates useful
6th, BACKUP EVERYTHING!!! Don’t let months and years go to waste by not using an external HD to backup your media and programs.

7th , Building Overviews is very important, doing this will take a lot of time and a lot of memory so playing music that has not been ‘Overviewed’ could be very risky and might cause you some trouble.
Tip 1: Don’t wait till the last minute to do this. Do this days or even weeks before the big show.
Tip 2: After “Building Overviews” look through the media to check which flies have the cracked CD or iTunes Icon. Doing this will give you the opportunity to redownload the media.
Tip 3: Try not to use media less than 128 Bitrate, using this media is going to take away from the quality of the media. I have found that 128 Bitrate is sufficient enough in quality for me. Using wav would be nice, but you better have the space!!!

8th, Keeping your computer organized and up-to-date with all Software and Firmware updates is in my opinion very important Backing up media and programs will also payoff. Everything listed above is information that I have found useful throughout the forums of SSL, I truly believe SSL is a break through in DJing. Combining Vinyl/CD and MP3 is one of the biggest advances for DJing. Grant-it there are many other products out there that offer the same technology, but SSL is getting it right with compact size, updates and forums like these to keep users in touch with ideas and opinions

Everything I have listed above is strictly opinionated and informational, I just wanted to gather all of the stuff that I have found useful over my months of reading the forums and compile it together for another inspiring Dj. If I left something out please add to this topic.

this should be a sticky

Nice post, dude!

hats off to Dj Blaze! i second nominate to be a sticky :) kinda like a one-stop-shop complete with links and all.

- dj mike coquilla

I 3rd sticky this

STICKY ICKY ICKY

Nice post. But I think you should raise the minimum bitrate to 192.

-Niche

Very nice thread.

Thanks, please add to this list of stuff as you see needed. I'm always looking for more tips & tricks!

I hope others can benefit

~Blaze

Blaze, check your PM please.

great work on this topic. i found it very helpfull

Just joined the forum and found this post very helpful. Thanks for the Info.

I Love It Thanks For All The Tips!!

Amen

Blaze, u on point with this one.. thanks a lot man!!

My first post ever and I had to put it here...you def helped a young playa out Blaze...Keep doin what u do!

Great Info Blaze!!!!

id3 tagit it seems to be gone or link not working anyone have this program that they can pass it on to me???

This definately should be a Sticky. Thank you for taking the time to type all of that. I will def take some of your tips and apply them.

*sticky-ed

Thanks Sam!

Xcellent!!

great thread!

Great thread, although I found this quite interesting:



The absolute lowest I would consider running is 256. Then, only because I can't get a copy at 320. Run a frequency analyser over two copies of the same tune (compressed from wav) at 128 and 320. The difference is quite substantial, especially at the low-end which, for me (a dnb dj), is quite important.

Just a quick question... I purchased SSL two weeks ago, and wanted to know which would be best to run SSL: PC or MAC? Does it matter? Will SSL run just as good if I used a PC rather than a MAC? The reason why I'm asking is because I've heard that MACs are better for multimedia stuff (but then again, my source wasn't a DJ). Can someone please advise me with what might be best... Thanks!

i've spun side by side dj's using macs (i use a dell lappy). that's the beauty of ssl, both platforms work fine. just make sure u keep em kool (i've read all over this forum of folks loosing their lappy to heating / ventilation issues...both pc/mac)

Other than Limewire, does anyone know where I can download some music?

helpful!

No problem my fellow DJ comrades... Thanks Serato moderator for making this a sticky.

Nice Post. I'm currently stationed in Iraq where i dj for the troops. I just got my SSL Box today. I'm still waiting on my turntables to come in. Should i wait until then or go ahead and load the software now. Blaze you just might have saved me a bunch of time.

Thanks
DJ Ltizzzle
Camp Taji, Iraq
www.armytimes.com

I'm glad i could help, as for myself I'm stationed at Spangdahlem, Germany serving here until 2010 so if you come through let me know. I DJ for the local clubs and the clubs on base... it’s a blast, but it can be hard sometimes to balance work and my dj career. I would go ahead and load your SSL on your computer and get it setup, like building your overviews and also make sure the title of your songs are the way you want them. You won’t be able to operate your SSL without the interface hooked to a mixer and TT, but read through the manual and study the shortcuts for the program, it will pay off.

DJ LTIZZZLE, load the software and begin building overviews for your files, cleaning up the library and any other things that can come to your mind.

you can use it internally for fun

Oh snap. I didn't i could use it internally. Ok thanks primeoner. I'll go ahead and load the software today. I'm still waiting on my TT's to make it over here. I'm just ready to get started. Question? I'm using Virtual Dj right now for all my partys. Can i use SSL the same way until my TT's get here? NE input would be cool.

DJ Ltizzzle

you can dj using just your computer and internal mode...you just have to have a mixer already...with keyboard short cuts and such, you can do a lot...probably nearly everything except for scratch...

Thanks Dj Dub$ack. I'm using mixmester to do my BPM tags right now. I'm trying to clean up my music files so SSL will work better. I just got the box set V. 1.3, so i'm learning that until i'm ready to pull it out for show.

Ltizzzle

yup. i cant see why you will not be able to use ssl the same way.
practice withit first to get the hang of it all but you should be fine

yo Tizzle....mine came with 1.3 too...trust me when i say this...go to the download section in this forum and download the upgrade to 1.5...check it...

install 1.3...get it set up and whatever...ready to go...and once you are at that point...come to the forum and download 1.5 and open the file you download once its done and your 1.3 will automatically turn into 1.5

1.5 has fixed a lot of bugs from earlier versions...there is more short cuts...better setup options...it allows looping...you should definatley go ahead and get 1.5

last tip...there are posts in here about short cut keys...and also there is a help button on your screen...turn the help on and drag your mouse over a section on the screen and you can get the quick low down...aight main, holla...

Good looking out. So, ur saying just go from 1.3 to 1.5. I haven't even learned the program yet. Would it be easier for me to just learn 1.5? I have noticed a bunch of folks saying they had a hard time adjusting to 1.5. Is there a manual with 1.5? Or can i still us some of the Box set manual to get a grip on things. Someone let me know ASAP. My turntables just came in today and i'm bout to crack the box open and GET IT..

"That Dude Ltizzzle"

you can get the manual off the download section too...and im not sure why folks are having that hard of a time adjusting...the program hasnt really changed since 1.3 so its basically the same...it just has a few added features...and they worked some bugs out...its preferrence....but since 1.5 is the newest version...and you are just starting...why learn an old version...why experience some bugs or whatever that you dont have to??? plus, its basically the same so if you start using 1.5 and dont like it...you can download 1.4 or use your 1.3 and you will already know how to use them....anyways...this is just my personal opinion...of course do whats best for you...

sounds good bruh. I just got done reading a thread about 1.5. So, in your opinion do you feel it's safe to use?

there are numerous threads about 1.5 crashing...and mostly it is due to bad mp3 files from what the Rane people are saying...so in my opinion it is just better at recognizing bad files...so if you rescan your id3 tags from the setup screen and then build overviews of all your files to make sure they arent corrupt...and then delete any corrupt files or send them to Rane so they can examin the files...you should be straight...but really...this is a practice that should be done with all versions...do a search on "building overviews" if you need more help on that...there are tons of posts about it...

personal opinion again....go ahead and get started with the newest version...and go ahead and get rid of all your corrupt mp3 files...(most corrupt mp3 files come from bootlegg downloading sites and swap files sites)...i have never had a corrupt file that i have loaded up from the original cd....just a side note..

Ok. I'm downloading the Manual and software for 1.5 now. As for the shortcuts. Do you have to us them? Their has to be a way to just type and search and then drop the file on the TT's. Maybe cause i'm switching from Virtual dj to this one. It just seems like a lot to be remembering those shortcuts to do stuff. Please advice. I'll post some feed back in a couple of days. I'll be working the bugs out in the room before i bring my stuff out for show. This is a great forum.

"that dude ltizzzle"

yo tizzle...the short cuts are pretty easy...but you can go with the mouse all the way if you wanted...i just think the short cuts are easier...like if you have a cue point saved on the left deck, you can hit the number 1 on the keyboard and jump to that cue point...or you can put the mouse over the little box for cue point 1 and click it...to me the shortcuts are worth learning...there is even posts in here with stickers and printouts to label your keys...you mentioned dropping the songs on tt's...if you have a song highlighted in your library...all you have to do is hit cntrl + left or right depending on which side you want that song to go to...easier than clicking, holding and dragging...especially with a laptop mouse...also...just learn a few at a time and do the rest with your mouse...once you are comfortable...try and learn one or 2 more shortcuts...

Hey Dj Litzzzle and Dj Dub$ack... you could use private messages instead of using this forum as a messenger.

...and spoiling this thread with non-topic-related stuff.

dully noted. sorry about that.

everyone says 128 is a minimum. but i really feel 128 needs to be eq'd out if you use it (esp the highs) and even then doesnt really have enough freq range to sound good when yr blasting the shit.

192 or more is where its at. but i use 128s all the time, some people dunno how to rip a CD properly.

To support DJ Blaze...check out these tips:

www.DJCZer.com

Nice Dj C-Zer, I am deffanitley tracking your page and we both seem to see eye-to-eye on alot of topics you talk about on your page... Exspecially with organization, and BACKUPS!!! One thing that i found interesting is the Clipping fix for mp3's, I downloaded the program and i'll see how it works. Thanks!

I use Rocket for music and E-mule for programs.

Thankfully to my radio career, the labels send me music typically weeks before it hits the radio. The conversion is from Wax 2 High Quality MP3. If you're interested message me.

Yo Dj C-Zer,

I would love to get down with that. I'm currently Djing in Iraq for the troops over here. I've been ordering a lot of music from www.mixunit.com and listening to XM radio and downloading the songs from Limewire. What would it take to get wit ya?

"That Dude Ltizzzle"

Oh, I saw a post earlier on here about Hard Drives. I recently bought a 500Gb Western Digital eXternal for 299 from WWW.jrmusic.com hope that helps someone.

I'm having a problem in 1.5 with creating Crates/Overviews. I just ripped a couple Cds then i tried to drag the folder over to my crate and nothing happen. But when i try a different folder it works fine. Can someone help me? Why are some of the folders dragging and others not?

Great thread!! I just started using SSL and building my media collection, but it takes forever to convert my vinyl to mp3's... Is there a faster way of doing this? What are the better tools to use to do this? I heard some people selling music collections on HD or DVD's.. Any info would be appreciated.

Thx - DJ Ibe

Nik39 would be the one to ask, I just started out fresh and built my Mp3 collection from scratch. I wish I could help more on this topic. Any takers out there?

Does anyone know of a good program to convert my WMA's to MP3's?

Jodix Free WMA to MP3 Converter
Jodix.com

you will love this tool>

Good looking out Thsndpro. That saved me weeks on end.

The only concern i have is where its says, "The program is a freeware and does not contain any form of malware, including but not limited to: spyware, viruses, trojans and backdoors." do you think it would be ok to extract on our PC's, Thsndpro?

The actual concern is, "but not limited to: spyware, viruses, trojans and backdoors". Whats that supposed to mean?

i downloaded and it worked fine except for it doesn't add all the track info. So, what i did was empty my itunes and changed the settings to convert to MP3 format's at 192. The cool thing about itunes is. If you ripped a Cd before using itunes. It will automatically recall the tracks along with the everything you had about the track. So, that is what i'm doing now. Hopefully, that helps someone. Just make sure that if you go get music files from someone that they have everything in MP3 format already. I got some music from a friend and it's all in WMA(pain in the you know what).

Ltizzzle

hey there i was wondring if there is any program that i could run with serato while i mix so i can save the mixes and make a demo cd

Tip 4: Use “Harddisck ogg recorder”… It’s Free and records well. The program doesn’t use much memory and you can record in WAV
Name: Harddisck ogg recorder
Homepage: www.fridgesoft.de

I used this software at my last show and recorded 186 minutes of mix and it didn’t affect SSL at all. The mix quality turned out ok except I had the volume turned up to loud for the line input that Haddisck was recording from. It caused a little distortion, but next time I’ll get it right.

wild turkey...hahaha...true...need some sprite and some ice...yo, i use cool edit pro...it records great...and you can do lots of stuff to your mixes after you are finished with them and break it into tracks, record you talkin over it afterwards....there is tons of extra stuff you can do with cool edit pro as well as record audio, vocals, instruments...whatever....

so you guys are saying the SSL records direct to the hard drive no external hardware needed? Using this Harddisck OGG record... interesting...

what's the website for cool edit pro and is it free

You still need a soundcard, you can use the internal one on your laptop as long as it has a line input.


Syntrillium, the company that used to make cooledit and cooledit pro, where bought out by Adobe, Adobe changed the name to Audition. It's not free website here www.adobe.com

Ok... I popped my cherry last night with SSL 1.5. Everything went smooth expect for the usb light dropping on and off. Tell me is the light suppose to go away for a while? There was times when i was mixing and there was no light at all. The songs during that time sounded like they were dragging. I made sure that i used the USB cord that was provided. I even made sure it wasn't too close to the mixer. Other than it worked fine. I even found out that if you didn't get a chance to make an overview you can still play the songs as long as they are in the correct format. I just want to say this forum and all the cool tips really helped me on my first gig.

"That Dude LTizzzle"
Camp Taji, Iraq

DJ C-Zer: I've never heard of rocket, what's the website?

I need help... I'm not sure what the problem is, but my music is distorted when the gains on my SSL is turned up in the middle. I have to turn the gains and the master gain all the way down in order for the sound to be clear. Is there something wrong? If someone could give me some feed back that would be great. Thanks!

DJ LTIZZZLE, post a new thread in the help section

mhermosilla410, post a new thread in the help section - sounds like you have your wiring mixed up.

so r u sayin id i use this program adition or cool edit pro or what ever they call it would i be able to use serato while the other program is saving bc i got my music in serato so it wouldn't slow down my serato thats the hole point?

SSL for me runs strong exspecially the 1.5 1536, I've been running Harddisck ogg recorder in the background and haven't had any problems.

Blaze, what's the website for hardisk ogg recorder

Name: Harddisck ogg recorder
Homepage: www.fridgesoft.de

WWW.MEDIAMONKEY.COM

Try too get music from news groups

yeah actually i just figured out a way to stay on top and it only cost 8 bones a month. If you have audio city or ne other program that can record sound that passes into your sound card. Just sign up for Xm radio online service. Set ur program up so when you record it's balanced. just sit and listen to the radio once you hear the song you want record it. After you're done just save the file as .wav or MP3 and name it whatever the song was and that's a wrap. I'm in Iraq, so this helps me get good clean music with no viruses from Lime wire.

Ltizzzle
camp taji, Iraq
"It's hot as Hell"

Tip 2: Use ID TAGIT... It’s Free and very easy to use, it also allows you to make mass changes to your MP3 file names!!! Once you use Mix Mester's BPM counter Add the BPM's into your MP3's File name. Doing so guarantees it won’t be lost.
Name: ID3-TagIT

Hi Can anyone explain how I add the BPM reading to the file name with this program , any help would be much appreciated

L

First run all your mp3s through mixmeister BPM analyzer.
In ID3-TagIT,
select all the mp3s you want to rename
press ctrl+R
In the format box type in the format you want to use for the filename.
e.g. To have your filenames appear like this
03 - Justin Berkovi - Mystery Girl - (132BPM).mp3
enter
<K> - <A> - <T> - (<E>BPM)

there is a much easier program out there that does the BPM and the Hormony codes for you and it writes them too. www.mixshare.com

LTizzzle

wow, nice find

Yo Dj_Mike_Coquilla check out following thread

FREE Auto BPM detector and ID3V2 tagger

try music meister 6 for getting your tracks in code. it does it automatically. not 100 % but it defiinitely improves your mixing abilities

thanks Ltiz www.scratchlive.net

actually i was trippin over tha mixshare prog. i like how tha way i allows you to build keep track of an actual mix. i have all my ideas spread all over tha place....on table napkins, receipts, on scratchpaper, ...basically anything i can write on (like my palm of my hand, but usually dissapears after awhile)

ha ha ha. That's what's hood.

the limewire is bad for us. pirates is bad for us. i can help. thanks

Once again i'm sorry. I have just bought the new Pro tools 7.1. Piracy is not my style. I have bought everything i own out right and i'm deeply sorry.

Thanks Soon-2-be-ex-fs2user. I agree. I was told about it from the forum. I'm currently in iraq i do order all my music from Mixunit. I also order all software from Guitar center. I never intentally looked to pirate anything. That is my mistake. I don't download music. I buy it.

LTizzzle
Camp Taji, Iraq

Very good to hear - at least you KNOW your music and don't have to go digging through each track wondering what was this nonesense love song doing here.

No doubt DJ C-Zer. I know exactly what's on my hard drives. There isn't a song i don't. I think it's important to buy your music. I think it makes you a better dj..

Needles?

I'm currently using the Ortofon Digitrack needles. They are cool, but i've been looking at the Shure M44-7 Competition DJ Cartridge or Shure M44G DJ Cartridge for Scratching and Mixing

Let me know what you think.

Hello, I just downloaded ID3-TagIT. I tryed formating my MP3's like you recommended (ARTIST - TITLE - BPM. When I format my MP3 directory it creates a directory (folder) with the MP3 in it. It formats the Directory txt just fine, but not the actual MP3...? What am I doing wrong lol?

go to www.mixshare.com there is a program there that writes the BPM Tags and the Harmony codes directly to your MP3s

...today's your lucky day...
The secret...BIT TORRENT
Bit Torrent is a concept, a thing. Using Bit Torrent Programs like Bit Comet (for windows) or uTorrent (Mac) is a serato dj's dream come true. Download the program for FREE. After downloading and setting up options/pref's, go to various torrent sites: www.torrentspy.com www.thepiratebay.org www.bushtorrent.com . Here you will find everything you want and more importantly what you didn't even know you wanted. U need to "save target as...", then open that torrent file in the Bit Torrent program you have chosen. This ends up creating 2 files (1 with the link for downloading and the other is a folder which contains the downloaded files). If you have windows...BIT COMET IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST.

tHIS IS significantly faster and more secure than p2p's like limewire and kazaa. Yesterday alone I downloaded over a thousand funk, soul, and RnB tracks...absolutely crazy classic breaks. It's astonishing. If you ever collected records, you owe it to yourself to do two things: 1) NEVER STOP BUYING & USING VINYL, and 2)DOWNLOAD EVERYTHING YOU'VE ALWAYS WANTED ON WAX, BUT COULDN'T FIND, REALLY REALLY FAST, USING THIS METHOD.

So, have fun and say bye to your girlfriend if you have one.

Peace,
DJ Krucial, of the MILKCRATE MERCENARIES (BOSTON)

No doubt you are right. Recently found the Top USA Charts from 60s to 90s. Many gigs of goodies and all at your finger tips. Hard to say no to bit torrent. Then again, it's a lot of music to go through and parse out what it is that you will really play and what is not. Long live the torrents.

dj KRUCIAL and DJ C-Zer, you both are thieves, promoting illegal activities. A shame to see it here doing it in the public.

how is it more secure? as far as I know, none of the trackers you mentioned are encrypted. although it's "harder" to frame a BitTorrent downloader since you're not technically downloading the whole file (just bits and pieces of it from multiple users so it's technically harder to track) in order for a BT tracker to work it actually needs exact IP information—which is enough to convict in some cases. These days just downloading the torrent file is probable cause.

As nik39 said, dj KRUCIAL and DJ C-Zer, you are promoting illegal activity, which is obviously not permitted here. Do not do it again. You have been warned.

it'd be a shame to have this thread locked... how bout havin the mods edit/gut out the bad stuff and keep tha good stuff.

I agree downloading music is str8 up wrong. I like to buy my music. When u own the Cds/vinyl str8 up the sound is alot better. If you really care about the crowds ur playing too give them the best product possible. BUY UR MUSIC.... How would u like it if some sat at your show and stole your style. That u worked so hard to perfect. That's the same way artist feel when u use stuff like torrent. For all you know ur downloading a virus.


LTizzzle
camp Taji, Iraq

YOU STOLE SOMEONE ELSE STYLE @ some point..... I'm not promoting jacking your music, but If you came over my house and I decide to let you copy all my tracks, then its not stealing, so if I give my music away then its okay!!!

u got a point.

What unit you with LTizzle??

I was up @ ANACONDA running missions out of there about 10 months ago.... I'm an 11B, so stay safe... you got your Tables and SSL overthere with you?

No, it is stealing, as you dont own the tracks. They are not your property. Read the license agreements. If those were your property you could make copies and sell them legally... which is bootlegging and I am sure you will agree without hesitation that this is stealing.

if I sell them then its stealing, If I give them to you then its a gift!! so you are saying I can't give you a CD for xmas because you didn't buy it? or I can't make MP3's of my CD's??

No. You cant give it away. Thus its stealing, you are stealing from the copyright owner and giving it to someone else.


Thats what the law says in the states.


As long as...
* you still own the original
* dont breach a copyprotection (DCMA)
* dont give it away to anyone
you are fine. Its not allowed to keep the mp3s and give away or sell the CD.

I think you are allowed to buy a CD and give it to someone else. Generally the rule is you are only allowed to make first generation copies of music and only for your personal use

Yes, as long as you don't make a copy for yourself... In addition, if trading CDs with friends is illegal, than I'm sure 3/4 of the US is guilty.

Hm, I didnt say you can give away or lend the original CD to someone.

I think we need to stay on topic guys this is a tips and tricks forum, you can send private messages if you would like to have a conversation.

~Blaze

okay sometimes when I'm using Rapid evolution to calc my BPM.... it doesn't write to the TAGS, anyone else having this problem?

Dude, what does this have to do with this topic? .. I would suggest, start a new thread about this. ;)

I had this problem... Make sure you set your line/phone setting on your mixer to "Line" For my mixer (DJX-700) it was a button on the back near the inputs...

What DJ Tools Works For Me And The Programs I Find Useful please

Hi, after a long time i'm back in the forum.

For me I had a cool idea to improve my setup. Now I added a old gamepad with 8 Buttons and X/Y Axis in combination with "Joy2Key" (it's a free programm). Now I can assign keys to the gamepad, so now i can scroll with the gamepad, choose Jugglepoints, select tracks and so on.
I have the gamepad on my mixer during work, so it's perfect for fast juggling or track selection.

The next days i will publish an ID3v2-Tag-Editor with a integrated beatcounter as a freeware programm, cause i'm fed up with the existing software. The Mixmaster is good, but he has some problems with Hip Hop and i could not edit my tags, so i am working on a better solution. You'll get a link in this forum.

DJ Smooth B.

P.S. greets to nik39 & Sam

WAddup Smooth :)

You should post pics about your pad, and how it works.

Also I didnt know you were into programming... Or who did you hire to code the id3v2 tag editor? :))

Peace!

Ok, ok, follow the link and you'll get the programm, my settings for serato and a pic of my gamepad with description :-)

nycs-finest.de

the program works with every gamepad, just unrar it and start the *.exe

For me, i copied the folder in my program-folder and made an entry in autostart, the program starts minimized.


And yes, i am in programming, this is what i do in real life... :-) at this time i am more in djing, so i hired myself to this

Have you seen the pics from the music-fair???

check my website: nycs-finest.de


2 Turntables & 1 Love

PEACE!!!

Why Yes You can go to Napster and get the unlimited package for $9.00 a month and you don't have to worry about poor quality and Viruses sms.napster.com

Napster DRM protected tracks dont work with Serato.

who's using mp3 checker??? is it a good tool??? any serato/rane guys recommend this?? might be the end of corrupt file!

www.mp3checker.com

You can Remove DRM from Music remmember google is your friend

Smooth were is the BPM tagger @? or what is the progress

thanks

@LightFighter:

The BPM-Tagger is still in progress. I had a lot to do the last days...
I have a little problem to write back the id-tags, but i'll fix it, the rest is perfect.

Has anybody checked my idea with the gamepad and "Joy2Key" ???
Give me some feedback, i use this solution at the clubs and i am happy with this!

I've used the Joy2Key, but i dont feel comfortable using a game controler to dj i just stick with the Key board short cuts that SSL provides.

im gona try that out with my mp3s.seems a good idea and saves hassle building the overviews all the time looking for corrupt files.

guys i would like to thank you for all your advice, tips & tricks.

I'm gonna save this page just in case I forget anything.

Recommend you all do the same!

Tony - what do you like and dislike with the differences between Virtual Dj and SSL?

Smooth B whats good with the BPM tagger?

I've never used it, and since the new update to 16220 my build overviews have been going great! Thanks SSL keep the Updates coming

Yep, the new SSL has been great.

DJ Krucial spins in some of bostons hottest gays clubs....I wonder why ?

Happy People PaidInFull?

is there an osx version or equivalent of mixmeister bpm analyzer?
djBlaze
Tip: Sometimes it could be helpful to burn the first track as the control signal and use the rest of the CD as various music mixes as a backup for if your computer crashes.
djBlaze you are fucking brilliant!!!
So just make every track number 2 on the every cd an absolute killer of a track, that way when serato crashes, go straight back into proven reliable CDJ1000MkIII mode.

www.scratchlive.net

No, but this may help: scratchlive.net

mi pregunta es para que sirve el tunes en el serato , yo apenas compre el serato .

Hi everyone.
These are the usefull progs im currently using on my PC and laptop.
First two are a bit of topic for this thread but they seem to make PC's faster and more stable and therefore improve SSL performance.
Bad thing is they ain't free but they all come with a free trial so u will be check them out yourself and see they are worth the cash.

First prog is System Mechanic 6 Pro which can be found here;-
www.iolo.com
Its PC optimizatiation tool and its very good and easy to use. Now the Pro version is about £70 but u can get a basic version for about £40. One of the best features it has is a warning icon which pops up in the windows taskbar which informs u when your PC performance can be improved. When this happens you just run System Mechanics "comprehensive tune up wizard" and it tweaks, de-frags, speeds up, and stablizes your PC. Its a cracking program and i always run the "comprehensive tune up wizard" on my laptop before i go to a gig with SSL to make sure make sure my lappy's running as smooth as poss for the gig.
Only two features i don't use with System Mechanic are the included Firewall and the anti Virus features. I already have a virus and firewall combo im happy with. Make sure if you download and install the trial vestion u disable these feature if you already have a Virus and Firewall software, or else you start getting conflicts.

The other programs i've found usefull are for working with MP3's.
So far i use 'Mixshare' for BPM and key detection. Thanks to whoever found and posted the details of this prog in the forum. I found it to be the best prog when it comes to BPM and key detection. I used to use mixmeister but i've ditched it since finding mixshare as mixshare will actually write the BPM and key tags unlike mixmeister which just stores them in its own database. I've also found it to be more accurate than mixmeister. Another good thing is its a Java app so it can be run on OSX as well. Only bad point is its a bit slow.
Another good thing about mixshare is that the developer/creator is pretty fast at implementing and improvements and bug fixes which have been suggested in the mixshare forum.
The link and detailst about mixshare can be found elsewhere in this forum but here's the link anyway;-
www.mixshare.com
Oh yes and its free to use. Id recommend donating to them tho as its a superb little app.

The other program i've found this week is (in my opinion) the best MP3 tagging software out there.
The program is called Ultra Tag Editor and can be found here (free trial available);-
www.atelio.com

This program is superb as it can write in ID3v1 and ID3v2 tags. Its also got a cool feature called the ultra tagger which can generate the 'artist, track name, album, etc' from the mp3's file name. One of the best features of this program is that you can batch scan a load of un-tagged mp3's and consult the the CDDB database for the tag field info which you can then write to all the tags. I tried this out with an mp3 vinyl rip the other day of a pretty rare dub album. It got all the info correct apart from the the genre field (it said it was reggae but i classed it as a dub album). This program rocks... Just download the free trail and have a play and you'll realise how good this program is for tagging mp3's.

All the best and hope all this info is of some use to all SSL users.
Any more questions about the progs please post and i'll do my best to answer them.

kippax, nice post.


Mixmeister (at the least the free bpm finder) writes it actually to the tracks as ID3 tags.

Nice Add dj kippax,
Its good to see some new ideas. But let me say this I used Mixshare and I did not find the program very friendly... MIXED IN KEY at www.mixedinkey.com, this programs writes BPM's and KEYs to the file and ID3 tag, it will cost but if you want to mix harmonically then I guess sometimes we have to suck it up and pay, lol! The program will use a lot of time and CPU use so make sure you have time, it took me about a week to process about 45,000 songs... But it works wonders once you know how to use the keys it provides.

care to share some examples of key mixing? thanks in advance Blaze n Kippax. (examples meaning what song mixes well regarding their key)

Wats an ID3 Tag?

en.wikipedia.org

Arrghh!!!
I thought today i'd finally finished batch tagging all my MP3's for key and BPM info. Well i was wrong!!! I started adding them to itunes only to find massive amounts of BPM and Key data missing.
Im really tempted try mixedinkey if its faster than mixshare and mixmeister.
DJ Blaze how would you compare 'mixedinkey' to 'Mixmeister' and 'Mixshare'? I don't mind paying if it's a quality program.

Im tempted to try a newer version of mixmeister if i can get it to write the tags. The old version i was using was faster than Mixshare when detecting and correcting BPM/Key data, but did seem less accurate (i couldn't get it to write tags).

I've got a couple of big gigs coming up pretty soon and i really wouldn't mind sorting my BPM/Key problems fast. Mixshare is a bit slow so i might have to try other faster methods!!!

Any help?

Dj Mike Coquilla, you can go to this link www.djprince.no and it will show what songs that can be mixed in key automatically by matching bpm and keys. I find mixing in key works wonders when doing progressive house and different types of electronic music just because you can control the mood and tempo by changing keys... kind of like using keys the same way we can use Genre!

Dj Kippax, Mixmeister is what I used before MixedInKey and it seemed to actually work faster. MixedInKey is only slower because it’s finding the keys at the same time. The accuracy is the same just because they both use the same idea to find BPM (mathematically) I'm assuming. I noticed that Mixmeister as well as MixedInKey would give me half or double the speed in BPM for some tracks just because some songs are just too crazy for the programs to figure out the correct BPM. Buy Mixed in Key if you want Keys for your tracks only.

hola de mexico ,quien de mi patria tiene el serato

wow, that was cool Blaze, Thanks :) ... i entered Holiday (Madonna) and it spit back with 118 BPM & in the key of G. then when i clicked on that track, it spit out a bunch of songs with that key (G) as well as bpms 115 thru 121

i made sense, cause i could picture (in my head/or ear) the songs Billy Jean (MJ) & Facination (Human League) matching quite nicely (both 118 BPM & in the key of G)

nice site

^^ i = it made sense

No Problem Mike.. but now you see the need to mix in key, that’s why I bought the program because it can give you keys for all of the mp3s on your comp. So when you mix at the club you can find what song would work well without having think too much.

OK OK OK. Hands down which is better? Mixedinkey or Mixshare?

Mixshare...It's free..hehehe

tru

only problem I have with Mixshare is its slow as a month of sundays

I can't get mixshare to download? Anything I need to do. I already got the mixmiester, just want to see whats better.

I would say Mixedinkey, just because i couldnt figure out how to use mixshare. Mixedinkey is more user freindly in my opinion and its easy to use.

auttomattik,
Mixmiester is just for BPMs, Mixshare is just for Keys I think I really could get it to work though, Mixedinkey is for BPMs and Keys --- but will cost

*Mixshare is just for Keys I think, I really could'nt get it to work though

No, Mixshare (the program is actually called Rapid Evolution) can do BPM and Keys, and from what I hear is more accurate than Mixedinkey. Rapid Evolution is free, Mixedinkey is not.

And what's so hard about it? Add your tracks, highlisght them in the browser, right click and select detect->BPM, Key or All.

Enrique, Bis de Costa Rica. Parece que no hay mucho latino aqui con el programa pero si tienes preguntas ponlas en el area de preguntas, posiblemente si puedes hacer una busqueda en ingles vas a encontrar la mayoria de las cosas que buscas. Este post es para lo que dice: programas de DJ que te ayudan en tu trabajo.

Me puedes escribir privadamente tambien, talves te puedo ayudar.

Gracias.

Is anyone else having problems with ID TAGIT, I have fixed all my tags, converted tags to file name, save info in V1 & V2.3 but i cant get Mixshare, Scratch, or Torq to reconize the new new TAG's.

I-Tunes is the only thing that can, but even after opening I-Tune files from programs, still no luck

Help..........

I still can't get mixshare to download, that's the problem, is there some trick. I've never had this problem before.

The program?

Pues el Itunes es para que te ayude organesisar tus canciones compa. Mandame un mensaje si necesitas mas ayuda.

So what do I need to make sure the clarity of all my mp3 is good I got some that sound a little distorted to me. For my mix tapes I use cubase and wave lab. Should I import my mp3's in there and bump up the birate will that work????

There is a rule of thumb you need to be aware of when working with any media, whether it's audio, video or imagery....
Its known affectionately as S.I.S.O
Basically it means that once any media has been compressed to a lossy format (such as mp3) the information discarded to save size is lost forever.... bumping up the bitrate on a bad sounding mp3 will merely give you a bad sounding mp3 which takes up more space.
You want to make your tracks sound better, re-rip them using a higher bitrate.
Oh, and S.I.S.O stands for Shit In, Shit Out

I use window media player to rip all my Cd's to 192. You can have it save all files in MP3 format instead of Wma

once your MP3 is crap its crap!!! I only rip @ 320

what cd player is recomened and what type niddels

que tipo de agujas se recomienda yo tengo las white label y que cd player se recomienda

Enrique los tecnicos recomiendan los Shure pero los whitelable deben trabajar bien tambien. Pruebalos primero y nos dices como te fue en un nuevo post. Los CD players no tienen que ser de una marca especifica, solo asegurate de que sea algo que tu manejes bien. Buenas marcas de tocadiscos de CD son Pioneer y Denon. Buena suerte.

Nice Notes.. but i'd say at least 210kbps... the downloads from itunes sound terrible anyway... anything helps... i know i'd be willing to way 20mins to download a song if i got a better sounding file

Shure M44-7 or M44-G

Thanks for the help everyone!! Now the issue I'm running into is USB buffering size as low as possible.. I can run it at about 6 or 7 without any USB drop out, I wouldn't even care but the scratch I use the most is chirps and when I double up on my chirp it gets pretty sloppy.. I have already went to the start up menu and disabled everything. I'm using a new dell with a 1gig of ram. I don't know to much about computers what else can I do to get the USB buffer size lower????

Peace
XXX

You may want to invest on some extra RAM since its not very expensive nowadays. However the RANE techs may be able to confirm whether thats exclusively a CDP intensive task (chirping) or if its a function that could be helped by having more RAM, not sure. I would imagine thats a CPU related task in which case more memory would not help. But still having a little extra memory if you can afford it is great.

make sure your not running a bunch of shit in the back ground disable the wireless!! shit like that what kind of cpu is it? not a celeron i hope?

XXX: what's your screen updates set to? You may want to drop it down to, say, 30 or less, especially if you don't use the screen that much. Turn down the audio cache and uncheck the "autofill overviews" box. That should gain you some cpu.

Also try taking your battery out while you're plugged in. Some systems have poor power management drivers that constantly ask the battery what its charge is, which takes up more cpu than it should.

Whoah, thats interesting...

Hey Richard, sloppy seconds?? ;P

Anybody doing DJ training on Scratch Live?
I know that hardly anybody would need to know how to DJ, but learning to use this technology and computers would seem like something somebody could teach. Not that I need it, this is right up my alley, but just curious.

con cuanta memoria de ram es recomendada para que trabaje al 100% el programa serato

how many memory of ram is recomended
thanks......

la agujas white lebel trabajan bien y son muy claras en bajos en medios y agudos , las shure m447 ya las probe y mi conclucion es que ambas las recomiendo , por que no hay peros en el audio.......pasan la prueba con 10....................

Si, las 447 son muy buenas cuando se trata de "scratching" y "backcueing" (como se dice en Espanol?) pero me imagino que la calidad del sonido sera muy poca la diferencia. El 447 es el preferido de la mayoria en este foro. Yo use los Ortofon Electro y me gustan muchisimo.

Creo que es la primera pagina del manual que tiene los requerimientos tecnicos para el programa. Bajalo en .PDF y estudialo ;)

scratchlive.net

Dudes, English...

he does not speak english and there is no "foreign dj" section on the forum. Excuse our french. Spanish I mean... ;)

yeah tu diles

jaja... que se queden calladitos!

Dudes, go to a spick forum or something...

Shadup.

Dude, go DJ in bars...

Trat, manners please.

DJ BIS and co, please start a new thread for your discussion if it's not relevant to the topic of this thread.

Seriously dude, that's just plain rude! How is it any different than walking down the sidewalk and seeing a couple people talking in Spanish and complaining because you can't understand?

Americans especially (including myself) have gotten off the hook way too easy—practically everyone knows English—so it's really irratating when someone complains when they can't speak a second language. I really wish I could have paid more attention in my high school spanish class—2 years of it and I know maybe 20 words. Pathetic.

I gotta agree with SpinThis! here...
That IS just plain rude... I'm not even spanish and i'm offended...
The anonymity of the internet has REALLY ruined the old "Do unto others" philosiphy imo... :(

ok gays , i spick english and spanish i will try not too spick any spanish ok sorry dont get mad............
im in mexico baja tijuana...............................
here the djs are bilingue 100% if not you getnot find a job or dj gig................
here we charge $80 to 150 dlls and hour
i tink if i whas in the usa i will charging abouth 200 to 400 and hour...........

is me again hi matt g from serato i think im not the only
mexican dude whit the serato program here ,when some boty bys the product needs some info , if you dont speake inglish what are you gona do,, get my point......
i think you need to put a spanish or other lenguages at this fourm.....
dj bis is the only guy ho speak spanish thats wy i was spiking whit hem....ok
soory..................

No, don't add other languages. Learn English, it will come in handy - believe me. Serato is in English too so you can understand it anyway, just try. You guys can always go create any releated Serato site if you want in your native language, nobody stopping you. Germans do that all the time, respect for that.

And rude? It's not as rude a starting discussions in other language that no one understands. You can allways PM.

Cup off coffee, anyone?

Trat, you were out of line. Racial slurs are not acceptable. It's time you let it drop.

enrique, we will be adding areas of the forum for other languages hopefully soon. In the meantime, you're welcome to start new discussion threads in Spanish in the current areas.

Matt, you're calling me a rascist? I live in the Netherlands but are not a native inhabitant, so I know where certain lines are. Is asking people to stop trashing a usefull thread with useless gibbrish wrong? Please tell us...

There are three rules here. You agreed to them (www.scratchlive.net) when you signed up. The first rule is be nice to others. You broke that rule. This is your one warning. There won't be another.

You didn't answer my simple question.

i dunno bout you people, but images of a bug hitting a windshield of a car at max speed comes to mind

You know wut was the last thing that went thru that bugs mind mike?







Its ass :D

LOL, and right you were.

enrique, you are bilingual, i thought you only spoke spanish. people would benefit from undertanding your comments if you wrote them in english.

Yeah, speak English

What I can't figure out is how Trat gets to put more posts even when he is banned. The forum's server must truly be having problems, lol.

dj bis is because , i can spick good inglish but not rightit
thats the problem........

Hey man, you are doing very well. Lets leave it at that... :)

Great Tips. I use Magix Audio Cleaning Lab for converting my crates of Vinyl to MP3. It quickly removes scratches as well as the ability to adjust some of the dynamics such as EQ. I also use this program to record my sets. It doesn't bog down my system, records in both MP3 and Wave fomats, and allows me to fine tune the mix afterwards. I can fix the EQ and volume level the mix with a touch of a button.

The posts on harmonics are great. I can't wait to use them. I wonder if the color labeling feature of serto would be a good way to tag track harmonics. I haven't found another use for this feature.

Racism pisses me off. Trat not to beat on an old bag, but you say you're in the Netherlands. Say you were in Mexico because you got deported for coming to the USA. If you knew what the Federalies do to people like you calling them 'spicks'. You'd be carrying a jar of Vasoline everywhere you go. Think hard before putting others down. I was born in San Diego, CA so I'm American, but my nationality is Mexican. Fluent in both languages, I'm sad to read your comments on here putting others down. Be humble.

For Enrique:
Enrique, si necesitas ayuda con Serato, mandame un mensaje. Estamos serca como yo vivo cerca a Baja California. Saludos.

I just wanted to say to DJ Blaze...Thank You!!! Your tips help me decide what I needed to do to tailor SSL to me. I purchased SSL about a month ago. I read all the forums, tip & tricks pages for months prior to purchasing and still reading them. Blaze what you wrote help me to quickly build my data base and start using SSL within a week.

I have a HP Pavilion AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3200+ running at 2.2GB. I upgraded the RAM from 512 to 1GB. I got all the programs you suggested, Mixmeister, ID3-tagit, and I-tunes, cleaned up the hard drive and defragged it. I purchased a 350 GB Western Digital external drive to store all my music files.

About 2 weeks after I purchased SSL I use it for the first time at a gig and flawless. No hang-ups, no freeze ups, everything went well. The very next week I flew from CA to Italy to do a gig and took SSL with me. The hard drive went thru the security scanner, the whole nine with no problems. Of course I was scared about the scanner erasing the external drive. A few hours before the show I did a sound check at the club, hook everything up and once again flawless. There was another DJ that opened up for me that night and he used CDs and Vinyl and except for the smoke, curtains being opened around the DJ booth and the MC introducing me, the transition was flawless.

Without your tips, my trial and error process would have been 3x as long. Like you, I'm in the AF also and it's really hard to jungle that career and a DJ career with both taking up more time than a day allows.

Rane/Serato you did it with this one. You have taken an old school dj like me, who is still fond of the vinyl. I even had a hard time processing the CDJ concept and you converted me to the digital age of djing with SSL. I will still continue to buy vinyl and cds to get my music. But just not having to carry the crates, cd cases alone is worth the time and effort.

Once again DJ Blaze, Rane/Serato Thank You!!!

Oh yeah, my tip is to read what DJ Blaze wrote and do it if you are a new user or haven’t figured your way thru SSL.

DJ DaSoulMan

i want to buy turntables (technics 1200) but i dont have enough money so if you live in new york and you have a pair ..please e-mail me (dj-maya@hotmail.com) i really need it ..thanks

erm... now that really doesn't stay very much on topic at all now does it Dj Maya??

Maya, find your way back to the Final Crash forums.

hey man this was a very helpfull tips thanx heaps blaze

beau-zee NZ

Anytime beau-z, But i'll have to update these tips when i get a chance i've had alot of changes since i made this forum that might be helpful.

Hey wzup everybody!!! i'm not new in the forum, i've been here for like 4 months, all the tips and info that all you guys provided have been really useful 4 me.
Honestly i've never wrote a comment or something til 2day, and the reason is RACISM!!! That is just F**k'd up! All of us are here 4 the same reason: "DJ'ing" we all have the same passion 4 music, no matter language or race, there's different kinds, styles, etc... but it's all music.
I was born in mexico and i'm proud of it, no matter what people say, i speak both english and spanish. RACISM=IGNORANCE
For everybody in this forum i'll be glad 2 help y'all in whatever i can. as lon as i can of course..KEEP DA FLOOR BOUNCN'

Blaze - look forward to reading that.

Cheers.

Good programs to utilize serato

OK so thur all this talk...

WHAT PGM IS BEAT FOR BPM WHEN USING MAC FOR SERATO AND ITUNES???

oops Best

I agree 100 % with Bambino. I'm from belgium , lots of shit going on here as well, but let's keep this post for dj tools guys . Rascism is unacceptable , but the guy got banned. Let's all move on . 1 Love

I agree 100 % with Bambino. I'm from belgium , lots of shit going on here as well, but let's keep this post for dj tools guys . Rascism is unacceptable , but the guy got banned. Let's all move on . 1 Love

yo nice post, anyone got an inclusive plan of attack for us mac users? And salam use Beatunes for bpm tagging on mac.

DJ BLaze , THis is Dj E-tech From the Bay Area Cali. I fly for the Air force And I go to Spangdahlem, Germany a few times a year . I saw all your tips on this forum and they are very helpful, Thank you. Hit me me so we can hook up when I fly out there again. flyingtenz@yahoo.com

No problem! i'll hit you up soon.

wuz up my fellow djs!! Just wanna let yall know i think having these forums is great for all SSL users and is good to see djs from everywhere exchanging ideas and tips and so on...well i just got my SSL package about two weeks ago and the truth is (and i know this may sound kinda of stupid to some) but i dont know how to scratch yet...i've been djing for about 3 yrs now but i used to use CD players and just beatmatching the songs so i never used scratching...i've been trying for hours every day since i got the SSL software but it seems everytime i let go of the record (vinyl) it takes a second for the song to start right or to gain its normal playing speed...any tips for this or anything i might be doing wrong?? I will really appreciate any help you guys can give me on this...thanx a lot and KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

you need to give it a slight push off.. or hold the vinyl lighter so that you are not making the platter slow down as much and use a slicker slip mat (i use butter rugs) to decrease the friction

^^^^ I also have some custom designed Slikmats too tha work realy well www.slikmats.com (they have my slip mat i designed in the customer designed slipmat showcase gallery.slikmats.com )

thanx a lot for ur tips Disturbed!! will definitely give it a try as soon as i get back home...THANX!

With the new Serato 1.7 (includes auto BPM and auto audio levels), these tips need to be updated

anyone know of a similar program for the mac??
us mac users need tips too haha
peace

oh and thanx prizo ill give beatunes a try

oh and big ups to matt g for keepin it so real...
what is racism doing here of all places...this is why i love music so very much.
it brings people of all races and backgrounds together...
trat has no soul...literaly and in slang terms...jeeeze learn your roots buddy.
one earth one love...
b-leaf

i noticed this software says it cannot analize music protected by itunes. ie. bought from itunes..
this worries me because alot of my music is from the itunes store...
has this been a problem for you...or can you manually check the bpm and add it yourself...
any comments would be appreciated...
peace

+1000 for beatunes it's a great program, like tangerine too

I've found the the most powerfull MP3 tagger:

Jaikoz


It's available for PC and Mac OSX.

Look there: www.jthink.net

what would be a good software for macs for cutting up songs?
there are some songs that i want to take out the intro and what not..
any idea?
aside from garage band? which i dont have with my mac.. *sad face*
let me know
thanks

I use Peak.

It is a very priecise editing tool used by top pros.

I also like Ableton live, but I use peak for strictly editing.-good for setting up loop tools also

Use both of them too...
Peak or Wavelab for editing and Ableton for live situations...

PC users delete Itunes and use mediamonkey!!! great for adding album art and organizing your MP3's, ripping, etc
ITUNES = anything that tries to take over your PC is bad!!!

Is this significantlly The same as Itunes??...and why...whats wrong with Itunes on PC

itunes sux. It's just plain BOSSY. If I could ween myself off of Smart Playlists I'd do away with it!

first it demands to get artwork and do gapless detection. it also doesnt understand m3us properly and keep their tracks in order when triggered from the web.

3 big faults in my opinion

you can do that with mediamonkey the smart playlist, go check it out you can torrent if for the gold version!!

question about the
Tip 2: Use ID TAGIT...
Name: ID3-TagIT
Home page: www.id3-tagit.de
will Serato always be writing tags and analzing after i use this product, also does the track length 'time' stay in there as well?

track lenghts remain as they are in the tag. In fact all tags remain the same unless you modify them yourself. SSL only adds its own bits of info when you create loops, add colors and overviews to the tracks. That's it.

ID3-TagIT is the shiznit.

The new version forces you to do all that on XP? Whaaa?

i assume win and mac itunes are almost identical. i am using a mac and getting those issues. i can fix the m3u problem with a mac/pc app called m3u2itunes

both options can be turned off in preferences.

I would LOVE to know where I can find that preference and turn it off. Don't see it anywhere in iTunes 7.0.2

really, please give exact details where then.

Artwork can turned off in the General Pane... uncheck "Automatically download missing album artwork."

There's no preference for gapless detection but I think turning off the crossfade option unofficially does the trick.

Do you have any specific examples of m3u? If you're having problems, file a bug report. Most likely the m3u isn't "standard".

no, do a little research regarding m3u's. try clicking on any m3u really. it will play the first track then the order gets messed dependig on your column sorting prefs. tons on info out there on this one. there are some hacks to fix it but its not out the box.

turning off the crossfade option will not stop the gapless detection. it will keep coming back to haunt.

Let's not turn this into an iTunes love or hate it / support thread eh? There are more appropriate places for that.

you're right Spin. I've started a thread in the Help section: www.scratchlive.net so hopefully brickheads like me who still want to use iTunes can get some workarounds.

im a little confused on how to use id3 tag-it. i just imported a bunch of songs into serato and I want them to be listed Title - Artist- BPM. Right now everything is bunched in the title column. Can someone list step by step the instructions on how to switch everything over to the above format. I would greatly appreciate it

to add to my first comment, i know you are supposed to highlight the tracks and hit control r and type in the formula, but do u have to copy and paste from id tagit into serato. i dont know how to transfer what is in id tagit into serato. and by doing this will the files show up as not found?

Windows vista home does it work with itunes and the serato or what do i need to do down grade ot win xp?

buy XP from Newegg and rock on. Vista is not being supported by SSL.

yet

IS ANYONE FAMILIAR WITH A SOFTWARE MP3GAIN, AND DOES IT WORK? SCREAM BACK AT ME DJCROCK1@TMAIL.COM

Please. Less caps lock.

People will be more likely to respond to your actual question, if you don't use caps lock -- instead of getting replies like mine, asking you to use less caps lock.

"Caps Lock are not a crime!"
"Caps Lock are not a crime!"

Chant with me!!! lol

CAN any of the less technichal forum participants help me out PLEASE? THANKS in advance :)!!!!

I use MP3 Gain and it works perfect and fairly fast considering what its doing!

DJ Crock, you will find discussion on mp3gain through the search function: www.scratchlive.net

You can also use Scratch LIVE 1.7's auto gain feature (www.scratchlive.net), which achieves the same or similar results to mp3gain.

hmmm you know I forgot about the autogain feature, I will experiment. Thanks alot guys!!!!

Hi, I'm new to SSL and coming from Traktor dj. I would like to know because you mention on this post that you are able to use the effects on the 3500 like echo, reverse etc. How can you do that please explain.

Thank you.

Well, the effects wont work within SSL because it distorts the signal. I sold my denons and bought 1210 M5G's so its been awhile since i've spun on cd decks. I think braking works though!

Blaze,
I am new to SSL and I must say reading this post and using some of your suggestions have proven to be very valuable.

Thanks alot !

I am also new to ssl, and was wondering is there a way create sets within certain crates.

bigjoe: upgrade to 1.7 which introduces subcrates which may do what you want.

I just seen the video on the ssl version with the video feature... that shitts hotis it gonna cost extra?

all updates are free

wrong i hear. that is extra.

Updates are free. Thank your local Serato rep.

video right? costs extra when it becomes availible. just like pitch n time will be.

serato updates will be free. (video and pitch and time are separate)

Historically, core updates have been free. Serato could change this at anytime btw...

Video will be a seperate application I hear.

Matt G
Serato, Moderator

April 1, 2007, 8:15 AM
The video program will be a separate programme from Scratch LIVE, so yeah, it'll cost. We've made it a separate programme because lots of people don't want extra stuff added to Scratch LIVE that they wouldn't use. So Scratch LIVE itself is staying focused on audio while the new separate programme focuses on video.

I'm not sure how much it's going to cost yet, but I don't think it's going to be reasonable, so not to worry.

He doesn't think it's going to be reasonable? That is kind of worrying ;)

Haha. That was a typo :) Should have said: "I don't think it's going to be unreasonable".

great... guess i better start upgrading to support video hahahah... so much for anyone running minimum requirements welcome to the age of terabyte drives and 10 gig dual channel ram chips. Dual core processors? hahahahha... man not to mention searching and downloading video... ok i'm done bitching.

Damn kako5256 I never even thought about that!!!

Did I miss the link?

April's fool ?? :)

shouldnt matter, all itunes purchased tracks are aac and protected (can't be used in serato). U willl have to convert to mp3 prior to use anyway.

HEY BLAZE, pretty good stuff u have going on here man. is there a way u can send ur BPM info to scratch live using the mixmeister without having to type each BPM IN . THANKS

are you using mixmeister or mixmeister bpm analyzer? when i did mine i had to run both.

i am running bpm analyzer only

should be showing up then. maybe you need to rescan tags with serato

First of all hello to everyone, I am new here. I wanted to ask a question. Every single time I record a mix onto my computer I hear small skips, sort of like a cd skip. If I do an hour long set, there will be about 6-7 skips in that hour. Just a small skip/jump but never the less irritating. I usually use Sound Forge or Audacity to record.

I have a fairly fast computer in my opinion so shouldnt be bogging down.
3800+ Athlon
3 gigs ram
and a real tek audio card.

Any suggestion would be GREATLY appreciated. Thank you all.

D

Make sure to turn off any unnecessary programs before you start your recording.
You may have antivirus software busily scanning the recorded file as you create it.
Also make sure to defrag your hard drive once in a while to help with the writing of larger files to disk.
Finally, check what model of realtek audio card you have, and make sure you have the latest drivers for it. Very possible that your problem is simply a buggy driver for your audio.

According to the specs on your machine, you should have no problem whatsoever recording skip free from SSL.
I have very similar specs on my desktop, and it records perfectly, with my buffer set at the lowest setting.

speaking of buffer.... Im not to keen on exactly what to set it at and how it effects the recording. It was set at 2 (seconds) and buffers (10). This is with Cool edit pro. I just started playing with the buffer to see how it reacts to the changes. Yeh..... must be my sound card, cause I turn off my anti virus, and defrag regularly. Thanks though for your suggestions

hey there i was wondring if there is any program that i could actually convert all my mp3 songs from a bitrate to another bitrate easily ? Hope you guys know what i'm talking about. When I say "easily", it means i can select or mark down a bunch of mp3s and then just choose what type of bitrate and then hit a "GO" button and let it runs by itself to convert everything..... Pls help...

I'm sure there is a program out there, but converting to a higher bitrate will still result in the same quality as it was at lower bitrate. I dont think it is possible to increase the quality by converting the size. Someone please correct me if i'm wrong. I think this has been discussed in past threads.

Sorry I'm still very new to this forum. I hope somebody could suggest me with some programs to do the convertion. And Dj Blaze, I really hope wat you said is not true. Coz man hell I gotto reripp all my songs all over again ? and some I do not even have the original hard copy like the ones i downloaded from the Internet? oh no....

djskoolboymix

I was in the same boat, but now i strickly rip at 320 bitrate 128 is good, but with the size of hd now go ahead and go for quality.

thanks Dj Blaze but I really hope I can solve it by just converting it from the old bitrate to a new bitrate. If not I do not know where to find those 320 bitrates for my old mp3 songs...

Unfortunately Dj Blaze is right. Converting to a higher bitrate will actually potentially lose you quality, and will never gain any quality. Once the audio information is thrown away in the initial rip you can never get it back.

If you want higher quality audio then you'll have to rerip from the original source, unfortunately.

question. I'm using Ableton live 6. I'm producing a show for the camp and one of the singers gave me a Mp3 by prince (7) is the name of the track. Usually, you can grab the intro, break and outro to create an instrumental (hope im right). On this track there isn't one. Is there another way to create an instrumental when there is nothing to loop.

Please advise
dj Ltizzzle

LTIZZLE, You can you the free kn0ck0ut plug in (Google It) It does a decent job of removing lyrics if you play with it

That's what's up. Thanks Young Shiz..

Does anybody have suggestions for a music site with high bit rates?

www.digiwaxx.com

1200squad.com

Nero-perform a batch convert. Quality will not improve. I would just leave them alone, unless you're converting from Variable Bit Rate (VBR) to a Constant Bit Rate (CBR).

DJCITY.com
They're offering a digital media pool, monthly dues though.

This works?!!

If it does how will I be able to do it and approx how much time will I have left over on the CD to burn for various mixes?

Within the next month I'll actually get the hardware but one thing that I fear with any of these new dj software interface programs is 'crashes', so I'm always looking for all possible ways and avenues that could potentially recover from what will be my ultimate nightmare.

Thanks

Advocate

it works, i do this also, the ssl control signal is only 15 minutes so you will have the remaining time left for other audio tracks,,,,(aprox 65 minutes worth)

what's up everybody. I just downloaded the rapid evolution programm as bmp analyzer. I can't find any help menu to learn how to use it. Any suggestions?

LOL, its an pretty quircky interface, indeed. Mess with it, there is a tutorial section on the website I am pretty sure. You should be bitchin' at them overthere, not here!!! hehe.

i tell u what! if i dont hear any feed back, i guess i'm gonna start a new discussion about it. Because i'm still trying to figure out how to use it.

Yeah, go to their website's forum and start a thread... that's where i go when I have a question about it. Then again, its all in the FAQ, you just need to looky-look.

thank u man. BTW i checked your page, very interesting.

King Solo try using,

Name: Mix Meister bpm analyzer
Homepage: www.mixmeister.com

this program is so easy to you use its unreal.. just drag and drop the mp3s or you can open a whole folder and it will give you the bpm

Serato 1.7 and beyond does the bpm's for you. Mixmeister is cool, but sometimes they get the bpm's wrong.

Agreed... and Serato's bpm analyzer rounds the bpms either up or down depending on the range of bpm. It also stores the .00 decimal points which can be used later.

thanks a lot sikkasoundz. I wanted to use it mixmeister but it's not for mac that's why i installed mixshare or rapid solution whatever it is. I know i have an intel but for awhile i wanna stay away from windows.
I also tried the serato bpm analyzer but sometimes i found it difficult to save the bpm. On top of that, i also realize that u can only do a specific bpm search. for example, say u wanna type 90 as bpm, it would only give u 90 bmp tracks. But if u wanna look for tracks bpm betw 90 - 95 or 85-90, u can't. I mean that's what i experienced, but if i'm wrong please people correct me cause i just realized that it's really helpful sometimes using bpm.
I can't find the one who posted the mess, But it was saying that when u have thousands of songs sometimes u can't even remember what u have. I never used bmp's to mix, i always go by ear, but sometimes u might have brainfart, especially with this technology that lets u carry all your stuff in one bag. That means that u can be original/creative everytimes u spin, and not using the same routines over & over.

I know it sounds like a long shot, but what if he uses T-Racks or something similar to clean up the sound. Would this help the mp3 any to re-master the track and prepare it for 320kps? It may be a painful process, but once he has a profile done for it, it should be reusable for those tracks that sound bunk.

Hey does anyone know the alternative to DJ Blaze's programs for Macs? Also anyone know how accurate the Auto BMP on serato is?

SSL's BPM detection is very good.

I was reading something about SSL's BPM detection does it round at all? Also on the topic of Apple's does anyone know a way to swap keys on the macbook or even set keys? The macbook only has one left ctrl and its a pain to have to use two hands to load tracks.

No, SSL doesn't round the BPM value, in fact it uses 2 decimal places for better accuracy. However in the browser it will be displayed rounded. This was agreed upon as many users complained and didn't like decimal BPMs in the browser display as this messed with their organization. It might an option in a later version to show/not show decimal BPMs in the browser.

As far as changing keys on a Macbook, you know can use the right Shift key (right above the arrow keys)+left/right arrow to load tracks.

the bpm in serato is really good but now i have another question. Is it best to build the overviews with the check mark for set auto bpm @ "none" range, or is it it better to give a value like 58-115, 68-135 range ect ect?

I would think it would be better to give it a value based on the type of music your building overviews for, otherwise you'll end up getting doubled BPM's for instance a song with 70 BPM's will turn out like 140.

SSL also uses the command (apple) key for its shortcuts so you can do a command-left or right arrow to load tracks, too.

Anyone know how to just Auto BPM a folder in SSL? Instead of the whole collection?

If you mean folder as in from the Import area, go into the folder and highlight all the songs (Ctrl+A) and drag them onto the build overview button.

sweet, i'll give that a shot - thx

Shoot. Im spending 18hrs right now building overviews and Auto BPMs for my entire library (approx 5000 songs) I set the "none" range. I hope it doesn't bite me in the ass. I might have to go back in and do them by crate next time. Ugh.

one more program i fine usefull is extract now. usefull for extracting various archives such as zip, rar, ect. and it's freeware. let me know what you guys think

Hey folks, got a new fun and fairly easy to use software for anybody that wants to synchronize hard drives, creates mirror back-ups and other advanced duplication functions.

• Beyond Compare ($30): www.scootersoftware.com

I use it for advanced cloning of my external DJ hard drives and for other backup purposes in my home network. I have used various other programs including Microsoft's old but free "SyncToy", but I can say there is nothing like this around.


• DupeTrasher ($14.95): www.asmdev.net

I run into all sorts of duplicate copies in my DJ library, sometimes its just promo release stuff that came to me at different times in a year and I added the release without realizing that I already had it in my collection... now you got duplicates, some times more than 2! lol and you are thinking why this track that you played yesterday no longer has the cue points that you had added, etc... Its a DUPE! lol git rid of it and all other dups with this easy to use app. I love it.


Alright, thats all for now....

Hello All,

Just wanted to share some information about MP3 technology as i have been reading a lot of posts pertaining to questions and comments about the MP3 in this thread.

MP3 Encoding:

As many of you have probably noticed when listening to your music collections, there is an extreme difference in quality between a 128kbps MP3 file and a 320kbps MP3 file. The fact of the matter is that ALL MP3 formats will not sound as "good" as an original recording. This is due to the amount of lost data from the original recording when a song is encoded as an MP3 file. MP3 files are compressed versions of an original recording. There are three primary types of MP3 encoding methods. VBR (Variable Bitrate), ABR (Average Bitrate) and CBR (Constant Bitrate). Each of these encoding methods allow for various compression levels, but most commonly you see compression rates between 128kbps and 320kbps. These values represent the amount of data that is contained within an MP3 file based on a per second factor. Read this article for more information: wiki.hydrogenaudio.org

Recommendations:

When downloading music, the best MP3 encoding for quality VS file size is VBR.

The best tool available for creating VBR MP3 files is LAME (lame.sourceforge.net)

FYI: The Scene releases all of their music encoded with LAME as V2 VBR MP3 files (~192kbps).

MP3 Playback:

If you're still using iTunes, Winamp, or Windows Media Player for listening to your music collections, then I would like to introduce you to Foobar2000. www.foobar2000.org

At first glance, Foobar2000 does not look like anything special. The default configuration file makes it cosmetically look like a dinosaur in comparison to the more conventional applications. However, the feature advantages of Foobar2000 are astonishing and with some time spent customizing the interface (not easy) or some time spent downloading alternative interfaces you can enhance the cosmetics to suit your taste and needs. I'm not going to get into explaining all of the features of Foobar2000, as most of this information can be found on their website, and by "google-ing" the name. What I would like to explain is how Foobar2000 has helped me with my ScratchLive experience.

Corrupt Files:

Many of you have probably noticed the disc with the crack on it appear for numerous MP3 files in the far left column of your music library list within ScratchLive interface. Many times this is due to corrupt tags and/or invalid audio data within the data stream of a particular MP3 file.

Instead of disgarding your corrupt files or trying to find a replacement, try opening up your corrupt files in Foobar2000. Select them from the playlist and right-click to bring up the options dialogue box. Under the "Utils" section there is an option called "Rebuild MP3 Stream". Select this option and let Foobar2000 do its thing. Afterwards, go back to your ScratchLive library and select your corrupt songs and drag them on to the "build overviews" button and allow ScratchLive to complete the process. I have had great success with this method and have been able to save about 95% of the tracks that I would have normally spent hours trying to find replacements.

Wow, Teej... This was definitely great information and I will take into consideration everything you have mentioned above! Thank you for the advice and letting everyone benefit off of your research!

Whoah, this just saved me HOURS!!!

Foobar is by far the most advanced music organizer/tool out there (that I know of), I just can get over the crappy interface, etc...

Serato did not allow me to do drag and drop into Foobar, but iTunes did, that's how I quickly transfered all of my messed up songs to Foobar. Close to the same average success rate, about 95%.

Thanks Teej!!!

Wow Teej,

That was a hell of a training right there... that was good..
I have trashed I dont know how many corrupted files because I didnt' know about that program.... I'll take it into consideration and I'll put it to the test....

Thank you again for all that info,

bump on tha fubar

Hello all... it's been asked roughly 3 times in this thread already, but what are the Mac equivalents of software such as Mix Meister BPM analyzer, ID3TagIT, etc.

Thanks in advance.

Simple answer: SERATO!

It does the best BPM counting currently available IMO.

It does great volume calculation. If you are using Serato to spin your tracks you rather not use other programs.

It tags music, but not like ID3TagIt, backtrack on this thread or do a quick search on the forum. There should be something already out there to fit Mac user's needs for ID3 tag Editing.

here i have a small freeware windows jingle-player for 8 samples. you can drag and drop samples or load with a file browser. the help-file is in german but you won't need help :-)

Screenshots & Download: nycs-finest.de

i plan to implement midi-support.

Hey Smooth, so you run a cable from your laptop's line-out to the mixer?

right, it's the best way to work with a sampler...

nice!

hi i am using a pc and i build overviews and did id tags but whenever i shut down ssl and open it back up my column marked "album " always have songs that i have to double click to change the info on it , can anyone tell me why

yea hit the rescan button and you will be updated.

This was an INCREDIBLE help!

I honestly don't have the patience or inclination to learn the interface of yet another "player" application, so it won't be replacing my winamp.

However... I installed Foobar, opened it. Opened SSL and sorted All by the left column. For each "corrupt" song, I hightlighted it in SSL and hit CTRL-R. This brings it up in an explorer window. From there I dragged each into Foobar, right-clicked on it and chose Utils-Rebuild MP3 stream. Then back in SSL, all I had to do was drag the "corrupt" track back to the "build overviews" button and voila--no more corruption! It keep the filename and tags, so there's no need to re-import or any other messing around.

This is just fantastic! Thanks so much for the info. Only one track it didn't work on, but that's alright--still saved lots of PITA.

Thanks, the prog is dope. I just fixed hella tracks. 5 thumbs up!!!

do you mean the the jingle-master ?

Is there a similar program that's compatible with a Mac?

VMWare Fusion is a great emulator for WinXP etc. whilst in OSX.

Is anybody using encryption software on their hard drives to protect from would-be thiefs that could take your laptop or external drive?

This Is Mean awsome blog uso!!!

A couple of dope appz that i have found for tagging files. MP3 ID3X and Media Rage. MP3 ID3X is great for batch converting like the album or genre for a whole folder. Media Rage does everything imaginable to a mp3 and mp4. They are both Mac OS X. So give em a look.

acomdata hybrid drives has locking software which i use. Only problem is your hard drive has to be either mac or pc compatible for the program to work flawless.

I have Denon S5000 CD players, but I have read that they do not work well with Scratch live. I am very close to purchasing scratch live, but was afraid of compatability issues with SSL. I have Technics 1200's as well, but it would make it a lot lighter on gigs to use S5000's. DJ Blaze, what if any issues do you have using S5000's with SSL?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

djjluv,I never had any trouble with my S5000 and SSL. The performace was awesome with no compatability issues at all... which is probably comparable to just about any CD turntable on the market these days. Although the CD decks worked great i ended up going back to my 1200s, somethings in my opion just can not be replaced for example the weight of the platter and just the feeling of viynl altogether which plays a big part of performing mixes and scratching. if you plan on keeping your cd decks take advantage of burning the first track of your cds as the control signal and use the rest of the cd as backup music just incase something goes down naw mean ;-)

Thanks for the help, one more question, is there a problem with the pitch control on the s5000's with ssl?

Damn. . . .It's been awhile. . .but G'Dam the info that Teej brough up. . .

Good Looking on the info guys. . . I can always rely on the forums for any info I need. . . .

Windz One"

I have never been able to figure out how to use my Denon DNS1000's with SSL. I just use Tech1200's and always have a CD cued up at a gig just in case. I prefer that over just having SSL on CD and having nowhere to turn when you lappy decides to go to shit.

knock on wood I have had no troubles and I play gigs a couple times a month for 5 hours straight. Run that laptop good and hard without a hiccup.

and it's a PC! lol

So back to the issue, how do you get the DNS1000's to work. I agree that it would be less to lug around while traveling.

IM NEW TO THE FORUM BUT IN MY OPINION SSL GIVES ME EXCELLENT ADVANTAGES BEING A TRAVELING DJ. IM GLAD THERE ARE HELP FORUMS ASSOCIATED AS WELL AND IT FEELS GOOD TO GET SUGGESTIONS AND COMMENTS FROM OTHER DJS TO MAKE OUR CAREERS ADVANCE. HATS OFF TO SCRATCH LIVE!!!!SAYNOMORE

Dude you need to tone it down.... ^^^^

Internet NEWB?

Also to djjluv, did you see what this thread is about?

Why not search the forum for a relevant post regarding the problem you are having first? Then if you don't find anything relevant you can create a new post in the corresponding support are in the forum????

;0(

This might be old, but the newer Denon 4500's (controller) works fine with Serato and the TM57 Rane Mixer. You just need all the updates and have sufficient dedicated USB ports on your labtop. A decent hard drive and RAM. I also have the older Denons (first version), but have upgraded. And yes, low quality or lower bit rate means lower quality sound. You can't improve a bad source. You can manually change your track names by resaving. I choose to set up this way, file, bpm, bit rate then the song, etc... I list all my info in the file, artist/song/bpm ,etc... It's alot, but it works for me. And there is a way to not have Serato double up the bpm.

OMG i know you, hit me up djkadee@yahoo.de

who you talking to djkadee :-)

hi, to you dj blaze. my email is currently out of order hit me up at this one djkadee2@yahoo.de

I sent you a PM, hit me me through that.