It's up to yourself where you want the track offset to be. It's to avoid cue burn.

You should simply just find what audio buffer size is best for your computer.

did you switch from phono to line on the setup screen? What was your estimated threshold when using the 1200s and what was it when using the cdjs?

s

Hi reggaematic,

It is very important you calibrate SL with the turntables per the Scratch LIVE manual. Make sure you have the noise threshold level correctly estimated (by clicking the estimate button). Also make sure that the calibration circles are as round as possible. The USB audio buffer size basically dictates the amount of latency you experience while using Scratch LIVE... thus if you have a slower machine you should increase this setting... The track start offset is a setting that allows you to adjust where the music will start on the SL record... you can offset where the music starts up to one minute in the current version. Again it is important to correctly calibrate SL before using it. Please take a look at the SL manual for a more detailed description of calibrating SL.

Struart I did switch from phono to line. I didn't check the estimated threshold. I just know that the quality was about 70% less than when i was playing the cd's. Been that i have a relitively fast computer, u're saying then i sould set my buffer size to the lowest possilbe settings?


Thanks Revoltionary, Stuart and BadCompany...

Yeah, basically.

if you are using a mac, you can't set your buffer to the lowest size (known issue). the buffer really doesn't matter what you have it set at, as long as it reacts how you want it to. if 20 works fine for you, use 20. if 10 works fine, use 10. the lowest buffer you can use now though is 2 for your computer.

Reggaematic, you need to read the manual. All of the questions you have asked are fully detailed in the manual. I use both vinyl and my CDJ 1000's and I can tell you they both work flawlessly.

All being said, back to my orignal question, why when i use the CDJ"S, the quality 70% less than when i'm play cd's?????

thanks

Can you explain how you measured 70%? And some more words what exactly is degraded would be helpful.

Hi reggaematic, I'm having trouble understanding your problem. The first thing you need to check (if you are having problems playing with your CDJ) is that the master tempo function is turned off as this will mess with the Scratch LIVE control signal.

I think he's talking about the percent-thing near the calibration circle.

The manual said that i didn't need to calibrate for the CD playera. When I played in the club, the sound sounded fake and i did have the master tempo tuned off.

Wow, you are very precise with your description "the sound sounded fake". You have been asked several times in this thread, what the hell do you mean with that? No one will be able to help you if you dont go into details.

Do you use MP3's and on what bitrate? Maybe you just notice the MP3 quality (the lack of it).

Sound is sound. How can it sound fake? ;)

Fake meaning the quality was poor, the sound that i was getting from it wasn't good. I don't know if it works better with turntables, jus know i was having problems with it in the club and i had to switch back to actual cd's because the sound wasn't as good. I wanted to know if there was anything i could do to increase the quality, but no one seems to know the answer....

Well in order to help find an answer, we need a bit more to work with. Do the files you were playing sound fine when played in iTunes (or similar)?

When you say it sounded bad, how exactly? garbled? exaggerated bass?

It sounds like you only tested your system at the club. Don't you have a set-up at home? Before trying to ask others to solve your problem, you should test your system as much as possible at home first so that you can give a better description of your issue instead of just saying that the "sound sounds fake." Maybe you encoded your mp3's from your CD's at 64kbps or something low like that? That would cause SSL to sound "fake." If you can't articulate your problem, then you can't expect anybody to be able to help you out.

Disorted?

I'll try and figure it out on my own, thanks guys......... Just one last question, if ure using SSL with CDs, should one be able to tell if ure playing from SSL or from the actual CD player. What i'm asking is, am i suppose to get the SAME quality sound from both????

You mean playing audio CDs with SSL? Absolutely, it should be the same quality if not (technically) better.

reggaematic, can you do us a favor and record the output you get in internal mode, from SSL compared to how it sounds like from cd? I think that would make all that complicated bla bla here unnecessary :)

Josh, I wasn't talkin about audio CD's I was asking if SSL sounds just as good as when ure playing audio CD's. (Pioneer CDJ's) also there is a pop sound when i'm using the hot cue's and there is lso a slight delay with the effects on the CDj's.

thanks

This is because you are manipulating the control signal. SSL can't read that properly. You have to apply after the sound has left the SSL device.

I'm confused...

OK so the deciding factor here is: The source of the audio you're playing. If you're playing an uncompressed file, the quality will be the same, if not better than if you were playing a CD on a CD player. If you're playing compressed files; as the bitrate gets smaller, the quality goes down. Bottom line: garbage in, garbage out.

I prefer diamonds in, diamonds out :D

Josh, how can the sound be better?

Better convertors than the CD player? Our box is pretty nice ya know... Lot's of CD players aren't.

I see. So... if your box is pretty good (I assume not only the DA part, but also the AD part) when can we expect the ASIO drivers, so we can record our vinyls with a high quality sound card :-)

does It makes a difference if i use mp3 or Wav files???

Sure it does.

Big difference.

Better sound quality... but, bigger files.

does the average dj use wave or mp3 file while using ssl?

There seem to be a common understanding that from 256 kbps up MP3 will sound acceptable in a club. But there are also DJ's who only use wav as they find MP3 not good enough.

Do most sites offer wavs? I've only found high-quality MP3s...

Download will take to long for wavs and I guess they also don't want to make the hires master available for download as it will be shared quickly. We need digital watermarking technology here...

Oh ok. I sort of reckoned that...

When I double click on the crates to change the name, it doesn't allow me to, does anyone else have this problem???

Go to setup screen, check "allow file removal" and then RTFM.

Thanks Nik, it work by me clickling on "allow file removal" i didn't see RTFM.

FYI: RTFM = Read The [insert favorite "F" word here] Manual. :-)

u'll very funny, why should i read the "f" manual when i can get the aid of my fellow dj's, i thought that's what this forum was partly for. :-) thanks again

PS: I can't find my manual

Pff. I dislike such guys who let others do the work.

Most of us are willing to help but, in case we can't answer quickly enough... use this: www.rane.com

Reggaematic, are you saying that the level is lower when using SSL than playing CDs - if that is what you mean - yes this is a known issue. But all you would need to do is have the soundman or woman raise the DB output of you signal, It is a little lower but its not as drastic as you have described in this post.

Also I encode all of my MP3s at a CBR (Constant Bit Rate) of 192. This quality is just fine for playing MP3s in the club and it is almost impossible to tell the differnce off this as to playing vinyl or CDs.

I am aware that VBR (Variable Bit Rate) is a better technology, and I have read that the Lame Engin Encoder, is best for VBR, --

but has anyone used iTunes' VBR engine? I wonder if it works with SSL and it is a good encoder. ANYONE? Thanks in advance.

Isn't 256 recommended? I have several 192s though.

Uncompressed audio is recommended ;-) And after uncompressed, use a good VBR codec (it gives more bits to more "complex" audio parts and saves bits on less complex audio parts, put into simple words, CBR wastes bits on less complex parts, plus VBR means, nearly constant quality with variable bandwidth usage, while CBR is equivalant to constand bandwidth usage and variable (! compressed sound quality differs during one track !) quality all in the same mp3 track).

If you can, use an uncompressed format like .wav. If I need to make space, I go with .ogg files... I only use MP3s when I DL them from the label's own site.

I have used the VBR codec in iTunes. Works fine for me. Before ssl, I never really used iTunes. Now I am convinced that it is a wonderful application to have.

iTunes rules. I just never used their VBR codec. All the MP3 groups insist that the only way to go is the Lame Codec 3.1 engine - so i was just wondering about the iTunes one.

As far as using .WAV for your files, it is pointless - its just a waste of space. OGG will most likely be the best thing.

Try this test to really prove a point.

Encode a song first as a .WAV then at 192 and then at 256kps - you ear is not sophisticated enough to even hear a difference. - at least in a club setting - maybe studio monitors may give subtle hints but I doubt the average person could even tell. ( But make sure when you try this test - to have someone else load the songs and play them in the dj booth while you are in the club listening and see if you can correctly guess which is which - I bet you cant do it. )

Looking forward to hearing everyones results.

I, respectfully, disagree... using an uncompressed format is not 'pointless', as you have previously stated. All compressed formats (even .ogg files, which I love) are lossy. Just because most listeners can't tell the difference in quality (and I do agree with you on this point), doesn't mean that one should use inferior quality files. Some of us CAN tell the difference... plus, the best sound quality is something we should all strive to achieve... music is an artform and should always be viewed in the best possible light.

Good points DBB,

I basically am talking about it being pointless from a space saving point of view. I have 8954 and that uses 40.03 gigs. Most of my files are 192. If they were .wav I would have a nightmare organizing it on different drives. But I still satand by my test - the human ear will not be able to tell a difference on a club system.

How can music like grunge be viewed in a best possible light? ;)Special music for special people, I guess.

I understand completely... file size can become an issue. In that case, as you suggested, .ogg files would be the way to go (thanks to Serato for supporting this format).

All 'club systems' are not alike... most are rather poor, but a few have stellar systems in place - this is where you will really notice the degredation in sound quality. This is just like life... all about balancing the pros and cons to suit one's needs.

Much respect, White Lightning! :-)

What do you mean by mp3 groups? And what lame version are you talking about? 3.1, Are you sure?


OGG might be the best thing when it comes to compressed files, in terms of quality and space usage, but it there is nothing better then the real thing aka lossless compressed means wav, aiff, flac etc.

I think he means mp3 trading groups.