Scratch Live 2.1 Manual

Scratch Live Modes

Scratch Live has three different modes of operation. You can switch between these modes by clicking the mode buttons near the Virtual Deck.

• Thru Mode
• Absolute Mode
• Relative Mode
• Internal Mode

Thru Mode

Click on the THRU button to switch between Scratch Live and regular vinyl or CDs. Click the THRU button for the respective Deck in Scratch Live. (The THRU button on the left Virtual Deck for the left channel, and vice versa.)

This will change the state of the channels to THRU mode, sending audio direct from the SL 3 inputs to your mixer.

NOTE: The THRU for the auxiliary channel is disabled by default to prevent a feedback loop occurring when recording an output from your mixer. If you want to use the THRU on the aux deck when Scratch Live is not running, ensure you have enabled it in Scratch Live before disconnecting.

SEE PLAYING REGULAR VINYL AND CDS FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Absolute Mode

ABS mode is the default mode, and most closely resembles the properties of normal vinyl. The beginning of the track is mapped to the start of the record, and by picking up the tone arm and moving the needle to another part of the record (needle dropping) you can move to a different position within the track. ABS mode faithfully reproduces the movement of vinyl control records, including stops, starts, scratching, needle dropping, rubbing and other turntablist techniques.

When you reach the end of the record using either REL or ABS modes, Scratch Live automatically switches to INT mode. This is known as Emergency Internal mode, and prevents long tracks from stopping when you run out of record. You can switch from Emergency Internal mode to ABS mode by lifting the needle and placing it in the lead-in of the control record.Emergency Internal mode will activate after 1 second. Use the keyboard shortcut F1 (left deck) or F6 (right deck) to switch to ABS mode.

NOTE: Be careful when scratching near the end of the record not to accidentally go past this point and into emergency int mode, or the track will no longer respond to record movement!

Relative Mode

REL mode observes the relative forward and backward movement of the record, but does not take into account the position within the record. REL mode disables needle dropping, but allows skip-free scratching.

SEE DROP TO ABSOLUTE POSITION FOR MORE INFORMATION.

rel mode adds additional speed controls:

Previous track – Go to the previous track in the list.

Rewind - The rewind function speeds up the longer you press the button.

Fast forward – The fast forward function speeds up the longer you hold the button.

Next track – Jump to the next track in the list.

TIP: Use the keyboard shortcut F2 (left deck) or F7 (right deck) to switch to rel mode.

Internal Mode

INT mode allows you to play tracks without external vinyl (or CD player) control. INT mode has a start / stop function and virtual pitch slider. Holding down the shift key moves the pitch slider slowly. Holding the ctrl key and clicking on the pitch slider resets to zero.

Scratch Live automatically switches to INT mode when the end of the control record is reached; you can switch back to abs mode by placing the needle in the lead-in of the control record. If you switch from abs or rel into int mode, Scratch Live automatically adjusts pitch to maintain playback speed as set by the turntable. Use the keyboard shortcut F3 (left deck) or F8 (right deck) to switch to int mode.

int mode adds these additional controls:

Play / pause reverse - Press to play, press again to stop playback. You can adjust the braking knob in the
setup screen to range from an immediate stop to a slow turntable-style ‘power down’.

SEE “Braking” FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Play / pause forward – Press to play, press again to stop playback. Uses the same braking as described above.

Bend down - Create a temporary decrease in the playback speed. Use bend down if the two tracks are in time, but this track is slightly ahead of the other track.

Bend up – Create a temporary increase in the playback speed. Use bend up if the two tracks are in time, but this track is slightly behind the other track.

Pitch Slider

Use the pitch slider to make pitch adjustments while using INT mode. Drag the pitch slider with the
mouse to make large pitch movements, or hold the shift key and drag the pitch slider to make fine adjustments.

Clicking the RANGE button above the slider changes the slider range to ±8%, ±10%, ±16%, ±50% or ±100%.

Temporary Cue

There is a temporary cue point that can be used like the Cue button on many DJ CD players. Press ctrl-L to set this temporary cue point on the left deck, and ctrl-K to set it on the right deck. This temp cue point is shown in the main
waveform as a white marker. This cue point is not saved with the track, and by default is set to the beginning of the track. Press L to jump to this temporary cue point on the left deck, and K for the right deck. If you hold down the L or K key while the track is stopped, it will play from the temp cue point. As soon as you release the key, it will jump back to the temp cue point. Note that you can use this shortcut to jump to the beginning of the track if the temporary cue point has not been set. SEE CUE POINTS FOR MORE INFORMATION.

More Playback Controls & Keyboard Shortcuts

You can also control playback using the computer keyboard shortcuts.

If "Playback Keys Use Shift" is selected in the Setup screen you will need to either hold down SHIFT or turn Caps Lock on to enable these functions.

SEE PLAYBACK KEYS USE SHIFT FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Click on the waveform to ‘scrub’ or make fine adjustments to your position within the track. This may be useful if you wish to set cue points in your tracks, and don’t have your turntables or CD players connected.

NOTE : If you play a track in int mode, and then switch to abs or rel mode, the pitch adjustment will be dictated by the turntable, so there will be a jump in pitch unless they are already perfectly matched.

TIP: Panic! If you are in abs or rel mode and you get a build up of dust on the needle that is breaking up the audio, hold down ctrl and press the int button. This will take you to internal mode, and reset the pitch to zero.

AUX Deck Controls

When you have enabled SL 3 Aux Deck then these keyboard shortcuts will control the Left Deck and Right Deck functions.

Press the ~ (tilde key) to allow the Left Deck shortcuts to control the Aux Deck functions.