The Wedding of Traktor and Maschine, Part 4
This workshop series explains how to use Jack
for Windows to send the audio of each Traktor deck to a sound configured as Input in Maschine. Once the Traktor audio is in Maschine you can
apply all Maschine effects and plugins to it.
Another input of Traktor Audio 10 or Traktor Kontrol S4 will be used to playback the Maschine sounds.
This workshop part shows the configuration for Windows 7.
The parts of this workshop
Part 1: Setup for external mixer mode with Traktor Audio 10 (Mac OS X)
Part 2: Setup for internal mixer mode with Traktor Kontrol S4 (Mac OS X)
Part 3: Setup for external mixer mode with Traktor Audio 10 on Windows 7 (coming soon)
Part 4: Setup for internal mixer mode with Traktor Kontrol S4 on Windows 7 (NEW)
Part 5: MIDI Clock Synchronisation of Traktor and Maschine (UPDATE)
Part 6: Insert and Send Effects (coming soon)
Part 7: Some free plugins
Download links for this part
Part 4: Setup for internal mixing mode with Traktor Kontrol S4
The advantage of the hybrid DJ controllers (audio interface and controller integrated into one device) is, that you need only one device. Almost all hybrid controllers use the internal mixing mode of Traktor, i.e. the audio of all decks is mixed into the Mix Out signal inside the Traktor software mixer. That’s why almost all hybrid controllers are equipped with two stereo outputs only (one is used to the Master Out signal, the second one fort he Monitor Out/Headphone signal). As the number of audio channels is limited the production costs of these integrated audio interface is lower than for a soundcard that has 10 inputs and 10 outputs, like the Traktor Audio 10.
The limited number of stereo channels that a hybrid controller like Kontrol S4 has, limits the routing possibilities you have, if you want to integrate Maschine into your Traktor setup.
Other than explained in part 1 and 3 of this workshop series, you cannot route each Traktor deck individually into Maschine for further audio processing with the Maschine FX and your installed plug-ins. In internal mixer mode you can only route the Master Out signal to Maschine. In the setup explained in this workshop we will route the Master Out of Traktor into Group A/Sound 1 of Maschine. The processed audio will then be sent back to the Master out of the Kontrol S4 audio interface.
Additionally the groups B to H will be used for sounds made in Maschine with either instruments or samples. The output of these groups will be routed as Live Input into deck D and the playback of these sounds will be synced to the Traktor MIDI clock.
The routing schema looks as shown in the following figure:
Even though this workshop will use the hybrid controller Traktor Kontrol S4 as an example, the principle can be transferred to other hybrid controllers easily (like Allen&Heath Xone:DX, Denon MC 6000, or Pioneer DDJ-T1) and even to other controller/audio interface setups, where no hybrid controller is used, but a separate DJ controller and a separate soundcard.
Step 1: Installing Jack for Windows
In this step you will install and configure Jack for Windows.
- Download the installer for Jack 1.9.8 and install Jack.
- Open the start menu and search for the Editor. Right-clickt the icon of the Editor and select Run as administrator.
- In Editor, choose File/Open, browse to the folder "32 Bits" below the Jack install folder. If Jack is installed in C:\Program Files\Jack v1.9.8\, then browse to C:\Program Files\Jackv1.9.8\32Bits.
- Open the file jackrouter.ini.
Section [IO] of this file is used ti define the number of virtual inputs and outputs Jack shall proviode. For our example setup we need 2 input ports and 4 output ports.
- Change section [IO] as shown in the following figure. Save the changes and quit Editor.
- Open the start menu, open the Jack program folder, right-click the icon Jack Portaudio and select Send to/Desktop (Create shortuct).
- Goto your Windows desktoop and find the shortcut you just created. Right-click on the shortcut and select Properties. Open the tab Shorcut if it is not opened yet.
- Add the following parameters to the Target textbox:
-d "ASIO::Traktor Kontrol S4"
The parameter -d is used to define the name of the audio driver Jack shall use. If you use Traktor Kontrol S4, then enter the parameter as shown in the figure.
If you use another hybrid-controller or another audio interface, use the name
of your soundcard instead. Use the following steps if you are not sure which
name to use: Goto the startmenu, search for Jack Command and launch the
shortcut. Enter the following command into the command prompt:
jackd -d portaudio -l (lower
Now all detected soundcard drivers are shown. Search fot the ASIO
driver for your soundcard.
The Parameter -p followed by a numerica value is used to set the size of
the audio buffer (in samples). Start by using 256; increase the value in 128
steps if you hear clicks and pops.
- Click OK to close the Properties dialog.
Goto the Windows desktop and launch the Jack PortAudio shortcut. A new command
prompt is opened the the Jack Audio Server is started. Now all audio
applications can use the JackRouter driver and its virtual ports.
Leave the command window open as long as you use Jack. To quit JackRouter,
switch t the command window and press Ctrl+C.
Step 2: Configuring the Input Routing and Output Routing in Traktor
In this step you will setup the Input Routing and Output Routing in Traktor.
- Launch Traktor and open Preferences/Audio Setup.
- Open list Audio Device and select Jack Router.
- Open the Output Routing panel and configure the routing as shown in the following figure.
The Master signal is sent via Jack Router to Group A of Maschine and from there
back to the outputs 1/2 of Kontrol S4. The Monitor signal is routed via Jack
Router and will be sent directly to the outputs 3/4 of Kontrol S4.
- Open the Input Routing panel sand configure Input Deck D as shown in the following
This step is necessary to route the output of Maschine groups B-H as live input
into deck D.
- Open the Decks panel and set the Deck Flavor of Deck D to Live Input.
- Close the Preferences dialog, keep Traktor running and continue with step 4.
Step 3: Configuring the Input Routing and Output Routing in Maschine
- Launch Maschine and choose File/Audio and MIDI Settings.
- Open the Audio tab and select Jack Router in list Device.
- Switch to the Routing/Inputs tab. The assignment between the
four external inputs and the virtual Jack channels should look as shown in the
- Switch to the Routing/Outputs tab. The assignment between the
first two outputs and the virtual Jack channels should look as shown in the
- Close the Audio and MIDI Settings dialog.
- Load the Maschine project file TraktorMaschineKS4.mprj (see Downloads).
This Maschine project file contains the following settings:
- The group A is renamed to Traktor Master.
- The first sound of Group A is configured as Input. The source for this input is set to Ext In 1. This external input will be connected in Jack Router to the Master Output of Traktor.
- The output for group A is set to output Out 1. Out 1 will be routed in Jack Router to the outputs 1/2 (Master Out) of the Kontrol S4 soundcard.
- The output of gropus B to H is set to Master. The output of Master is set to Out 2. Out 2 will be routed later in Jack Router to the two inputs that are used as Live Input for deck D.
The last step for the audio routing is connecting the virtual and physical ports.
Step 4: Creating the Connections in Jack
Now you need to configure the connections between the virtual ports of Jack OS X and some connections to the ports of Traktor Kontrol S4.
- Open the start menu and search for Jack Control. Right-click the icon of Jack Control and choose Send to/Desktop (Create shortcut).
- Goto your Windows Desktop, search for the icon of Jack Control, and double-click it to launch Jack Control.
- Click on Patchbay.
- Click in the Patchbay dialog on Load, and select the file PatchBayKS4Maschine.xml, which is in the ZIP file you can download for this workshop (see Downloads).
This file contains all connections that are needed for our example setup.
Once the file is loaded the esstablished connectiond are visible.
You can setup all required connections manually as well. To do this click Connect in window Jack Control to open the Connections dialog.
Click on one of the nodes in list Readable Clients/Output Ports (for example Traktor) and then select the port you want to connect.
Then go to list Writable Clients/Output Ports (for example Maschine), select the target port, and click Connect.
|Send Port||Receive Port||Description|
|Traktor Out 1/2||Maschine In 1/2||Traktor Master Out to Maschine
|Traktor Out 3/4||System Playback 3/4||Traktor Monitor Out to
of Kontrol S4
|Maschine Out 1/2||System Playback 1/2||Master Signal to Output 1/2 of Kontrol S4|
|Maschine Out 3/4||Traktor In 1/2||Audio from Maschine Groups B-H
as Live Input
into Traktor, Deck D
Step 5: Send MIDI Clock from Traktor to Maschine
To get the Maschine sounds tempo synced to the tempo of Traktor, you need to
create a MIDI clock connection between the two applications.
Part 5: MIDI Synchronisation of Traktor and Maschine shows how to proceed.
This ends part 2 of this workshop series, have fun with the advanced routing and all the new possibilities you have with this setup.
Authors: Jens Krzikalla/Rainer G. Haselier
Published: August 17, 2011