Traktor & Oldskool

I only have to be careful with things made before drum machines.

Bear in mind too that sequencers vastly improved over the 90s…and now people do it all on DAWs. Times changed.

U31, post: 6359 wrote: How come i really really struggle to lay down an oldskool house set in Traktor?
Anything post ’93 ish is no problem at all, i can make the sound in my head come out of the speakers,but try a warehouse style set and no chance… it sounds ok but it doesn’t sound “Authentic”
I can jump on VDJ and apart from the flutter not being present as i pitch bend, you’d almost think it was a vinyl set

Im aware oldskool doesn’t beat grid as easily as later house, and i know the tricks for the problem beat grids like setting two grid cue points for ins and outs..
But i think that is the problem, its too regimented.. when i mix oldskool it comes from instinct, not timing cues and pre preparation.
As much as i know that at a set point it will beat match perfectly for a transition or drop, ill hear something that will tell my instinct its time to mix out, even if it aint the pre prepared segment.
And instinct is pretty hard to rail against, so I mix out.
It aint a train wreck but it aint as smooth as i know i can do with vinyl or Virtual DJ.

Has anyone else found this, or am i some owd git who needs to jack it all in an grow old gracefully :p

Hello my Friend 🙂
I don’t know what is up with Traktor;
But I have 9,000 Old School Tracks (between 79BPM – 98BPM) and they Mix Perfectly Within Ableton;
I Know it may be Wrong to Consider Old School as ‘Breakbeat’; but that is How I Define the Acid/Rave/Old School Genre (just so it makes it ‘Easier’ for me to Catalogue); and I Feel that Regardless Of My Age I ‘Know’ this Period Really Well; and I Love It 😎
If you would like to Mix Instinctively; you can Switch Off the Warp Button in Ableton and Pitch Bend Normally;
Or of course you can Warp the Tracks as Normal and Do Anything You Like 🙂

U31, post: 6399 wrote: That is precisely the problem Emma… Even with the small amount i have so far learned in Ableton, i would do a seamles mix, Guaranteed. Because my mindset would be different for mixing and warping in Ableton.
And i would definitely warp the Set.. Its a tool and i’d use it.

Virtual Dj for me is pretty close to vinyl or cdj’s, like serato… So my mind sort of slips in to that kind of mixing by feel vibe.
Now Traktor to me is like some halfway house between Ableton but rather than embracing this, my mind seems to rail against it and treat it like im using VDJ, when its patently not!
Give me a modern house track list and i could mix in Traktor as well as any other software, it only seems to be oldskool warehouse and acid house stuff.
I suppose the answer is practice practice practice

Other than ‘Piano Breaks’ (which are Amazing); there aren’t Many of the Traditional ‘Breaks’ we get in EDM; but I would be looking at these Piano Breaks; or Most Importantly ‘Finding The Same Breakbeat’ in Tracks to Mix to – I don’t Why I am even saying this as you have Much More Experience than I do – but that is what is Working For Me in my Current Old School Set; as it is Incredible How Many Breakbeats are the Same; and will Mix Beautifully 🙂

Yes; I can Understand my Friend; when the ‘Physical Medium’ that we Both have Experience Of; Cannot really be Replicated in a Digital Form; so it is a Case Of Adapting;
I would Try Not To Be Too Tough On Yourself; as it took me 4 Months to get the Hang of How To DJ in Ableton; and I have only used Traktor Twice since I bought it;
After Many Heartaches I decided that I would have to stick with One Piece of Software and learn that (as I have VD7 Pro as well); and it was a Nightmare; because if something wasn’t Working in One Software Environment I would just Switch to Another; but really I wasn’t Getting Anywhere;
However; with Old School; it is Unbelievable just How Many Tracks Use (or are Built Around) the ‘Amen Break’ Drum Loop; so I would be looking at Tracks that Fit That Specification (or have a Gorgeous Piano Break); and Build Your Set on that Principle; I Bet doing that you could Bang Out a Set In A Night 😎