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Question about a certain setup

Learn To DJ With Digital DJ Tips › Forums › Digital DJ Gear › Question about a certain setup

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
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  • January 8, 2016 at 8:33 am #2333121
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    First: Yes this is possible.

    However: This is a very advanced setup. To pull this off you would have to know A LOT about Traktor AND Ableton to make it work. Which by asking this question you clearly do not. So I would strongly advise against this setup for you as a beginner.

    If you want to go down that road I would recommend starting with a beginner Traktor controller and work it from there.

    January 8, 2016 at 4:17 pm #2333661
    Shikhar Sengupta
    Participant

    That is true, I don’t know much on how to use the programs physically, but I’ve been looking at articles and videos (particularly DJTT) for tutorials/examples on how to use those programs. And after mulling this setup in my sleep, I have another thought: I’ve been studying on Ableton for the past two months on its basic uses/setup for music producing and live DJing (that’s why I wanted to see if I can incorporate Traktor and Ableton)

    But, after reviewing the complexity behind combining both Traktor and Ableton as a single setup, is it possible to use the Z2 as a sound card and midi controller for Ableton Live? And could Ableton be optimized to be used a DJ setup?

    January 11, 2016 at 9:52 am #2335141
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    As a sound card: yes
    As a midi controller: technically yes, but you would have to program the mapping yourself. Ableton programming skills are needed and in my opinion for Ableton you need A LOT of buttons more.
    DJing in Ableton is different from anything else, as it is not deck based as traditional DJing is, it is shot based.
    So preparation time is HUGE. I have done it and you could say that if you prepare a 2 hour set you need at least 8-12 hours of preparation time to slice the tracks, set them to shot slots etc.
    So if you have no experience in DAW or do not know what this means, then you will have zero chance to pull this off.

    For a beginner I would always recommend to learn DJing from the ground up with a traditional DJ software. Learn what is going on and then move towards more complex setups, when you know what you are doing.

    January 11, 2016 at 3:59 pm #2335631
    Shikhar Sengupta
    Participant

    Thanks for the advice Terry 🙂 When you posted this, I already searched through the editorials and various “overviews” of Ableton as a DJ software. My thoughts on the Z2 have changed too, and now I’m aiming for the APC40 and a Komplete Audio 6 sound card after reviewing the APC’s functionality with Ableton is better than the Z2. And I have been studying the Ableton interface as well, so I’m not lost on what DAW or shot based preparations look like (still have to get my hands in there of course.)

    As for a beginner software, I have used one on an Ipad whenever my mom hosted her karaoke nights, so I understand the as-simple-as-it-gets elements of fading between tracks and song selection, but as with free DJ software, that was the full extent of my learning capabilities.

    In other words, adapting to Ableton may not be easy, but I’m certainly not considering it impossible for me as a beginner.

    January 12, 2016 at 8:45 am #2336071
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    It is not impossible at all. But there is a much steeper learning curve than with a traditional approach and I wanted you to think it over, as their are a lot more setbacks on the way than with the traditional way.
    But if your mind is set on it and you do not get frustrated by setbacks easily, then it can be a fun way to do things.
    Just be sure that is whant you want to do, as even though you can do certain things with this kind of DJing that is harder the traditional way (it is not impossible since Serato Flip or Stems, just harder) it is that when DJing with Ableton there are a lot of traditional DJ things that you cannot do at all with your way and prolly never will be able to do.

    January 15, 2016 at 3:32 am #2338501
    Shikhar Sengupta
    Participant

    Well Terry, a bit of a follow up:

    After I reviewed the S4 on DJ Tech Tools and its benefits, I realized I was looking at DJing in a complex way. You did mention this before, but I don’t think I fully understood it. Now, I know that learning with Traktor could be a potential gateway into combining Ableton into the mix.

    But for now, I think I will use both Traktor and Ableton for their intended purposes: to DJ and to create samples for DJing.

    All I need to do now is just wait patiently for my money to come in to make the initial investment 🙂

    January 15, 2016 at 8:35 am #2338611
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    Nice, I hope it all works out for you. Let us know how it goes after you took the first steps.

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