Oh, and 2 other (irrelevant) things that you could maybe answer me:
1. Where is the history of the tracks played (at the order I played them in) in each session? That is, how can I see what tracks I played & in what order, to say, 3 days ago?
2. Is there a way I can record the whole set using the ssl software? (If not, will this be made possible anytime soon? And meanwhile, how else can I do this without the use of external hardware?)

Hi Henry - are you experiencing usb dropouts when this problem happens? i.e. does the small orange usb dropout light (to the left of the Scratch LIVE logo on the main screen) light up momentarily while playing? If so, I would suggest making sure that bluetooth and wireless are switched off. Also, run Scratch LIVE off your left usb port as this is more stable and draws less power.

As for your other 2 questions; in the new public beta version of Scratch LIVE 1.9 - we have introduced a history feature, which will allow you to review and reuse information from previous sets. This will be available for download later today, however as it is a beta version I wouldn't recommend using it out until all feedback has come in and any potential bugs are ironed out. Click this link for more info: www.serato.com

You can record your sets using the Rane TTM57 mixer, however there is no way to record them in Scratch LIVE using the Rane SL-1 box.

Thanks

Hi again Aroha,

I tried switching off the air port & also the bluetooth, as you recommended, but same old story... :(

I really cannot see where this usb dropout light is - there's nothing next to scratchlive logo... Well, maybe I didn't understand what you meant... Thing is, that when this momentary (fraction of a second only) glitch/stutter/stall occurs, the Tracking Indicatior (the grey line right above the Abs, Rel and Int buttons) empties out a little bit & goes red (for that instant only), and then it fills right back up while the track continues playing!

Please note that this ONLY happens ONCE in any given track, for the instant I explained above, and ONLY during the 3rd OR 4th OR 5th beat (chronologically) after I play the track off a cue point (that I've cued on my cd player). It DOESN'T happen AFTER, anywhere else during the playback of the rest of the track! This always happens in the BEGINNING of the track's playback (whether that be the start of the track, or the start from the cue point I've set on my cd-player).

According to the ssl interface's explanation (using the "?" button), the tracking indicator shows the signal's strength coming from the cd-player. So in my logic, it would seem that at the moment of the glitch, something's going wrong with the signal's reception... Since I've also tried changing the usb cables too, to no avail...

The last possible explanation I have (since we seem to have eliminated all other possibilities...), is that there might be something wrong with the SL1 box itself! I really hope not...... Is that possible? How can I cross-check this? If something is wrong with my hardware, do I get it replaced by you? (I've bought it NEW & SEALED from ebay.co.uk february '08).

PS. Just so I give you a clearer image; my setup settings are as such: usb buffer size (latency) = 10, maximum screen updates = 60, audio cache = 15, on the "playback" tab, under "general", I have all options ticked. Also note that I use the latest Macbook Pro (detailed above), i use pioneer cd-players, and always play in absolute mode.

Thanks for your help!

oh, by the way, what did you mean by "left" usb port? the macbook pro only has 2 usb ports (how annoying..), and they're both on the left side of the macbook... Did you mean the left one, of those two? (Does that make a difference?? - besides I generally use that one...)

hello?

Hi henryb - sorry for the late response, it was a long weekend here in NZ.

Firstly, the usb dropout light is only visible when you're experiencing a usb dropout, so if you've never seen it, then chances are this isn't your problem.

Have you tried reducing the maximum screen updates and increasing the usb buffer size?

Does this problem happen when you're using both virtual decks?

Thanks

Thanks aroha - unfortunately nothing changes when I change the setting you advised! No, the usb dropout light doesn't light - just the tracking indicator line that i mentioned above momentarily empties a bit and goes red! I've even tried using another sl box from a friend and same old story!
It happens while i'm playing a track simultaneously (mixing it) with another, but ALSO when I play the track on its own!
I REALLY need to get rid of this problem though.......

PS. I don't know if this matters to your assessment of my problem, but this usually doesn't happen right when I open & start playing with serato - it usually starts about 30mins after I've started my set... (It's like the stupid hardware, or software, gets "tired" and starts malfunctioning... lol - but seriously, maybe some application in my mac (or my pc before i got the mac) loads up on its own and starts causing trouble!)

Wow, that's strange that the same thing was happening with your PC and now your Mac, and also with someone else's SL1. Can you try this: click on the Scratch LIVE application icon and click control + I to bring up the info box. Drop down the General menu. Is the box saying "Open Using Rosetta" checked?

no - neither the "open w rosetta" nor the "locked" options are checked! (and they're not "clickable" either...)

Have you experienced this problem with other CDJs? Also, what is happening with the tracking indicator above the virtual decks? Are they turning red frequently when you're not scratching or cueing?

Do you calibrate Scratch LIVE before playing?
What do the scopes look like when you experience this stall?
Are your control CDs worn?

cntrl cds are brand-new condition. it's happened with other cdjs too. Like i said, the moment i press the play button (off a cue point, or from the track's start - abs mode always - the grey line fills up normally and goes all grey all the way, but at the instant of the stall (in EITHER the 3rd, 4th, or 5th beat), the grey line pulls back a very small length and goes red between the line's end and the max level! This happens for less than one second, and fills right up again as the track continues to play normally. (Of corse it screws my mixing up, and i have to correct it with the jog wheel!)

I don't know how to calibrate sl and i also don't know what the scopes are meant to look like so i can compare...

oh - i don't know if this is relevant - but i've noticed that sometimes when i leave my mac switched on all night long (or for many hours), when i THEN decide to open the sl application & play, the sound coming out of my speakers is messed up! It sounds like there's constant cellphone static! Sounds like a memory/processor problem! When i restart it's fixed though!
The only reason i thought this might be relevant (like i wrote it jan 27th) is because maybe something happens after my mac (or my pc) has been switched on for a while. Maybe some processes begin on their own and they mess things up?

Here's a tutorial on how to calibrate Scratch LIVE which may help you: www.serato.com

and an article about the scopes, so you know if you've got a problem or not:
www.serato.com

Do you experience the stalls/stutters when you're using the Scratch LIVE cue points? Or only when cueing manually on the CDJs?

The static/distortion issue you've mentioned sounds like a problem which many of our users have experienced with the new Macbook Pros, which have 4GB of RAM installed.

www1.serato.com

You may wish to report this to Apple, and if possible get an Apple tech to remove 2GB of RAM, as this seems to remedy the problem. I wouldn't recommend doing it yourself though as you don't want to void the warranty. Restarting prior to a gig seems to be a temporary fix to this problem if you don't want to go down the RAM track. Apple are aware of the problem as plenty of users have reported it.

i have another problem ever since i've upgraded to 1.8.3 - sometimes when i open the sl application, the order of certain subcrates (i haven't noticed it on crates - not saying it doesn't happen there too) are messed up! That is, not in the order i had left them at when i was last there!
This also happens with the order of some of the columns inside the crates. Eg, i always have BPM as the first column, FILENAME as second, and then COMMENT and LOCATION as 3rd and 4th. When i open sl again, and go inside these folders/subcrates, i very often see the order messed up! (eg SONG might be 1st, then BPM, then ARTIST, and so forth...)
Does this happen to eveyone with 1.8.3? Is there a fix? When will 1.9 be relased?

Thanks for you time!
Henry

PS. I'll get back to you here with the calibration issue above when I've had the time to look into it

oh, and i don't know if this matters, but when i say the order of the subcrates are changed, i actually mean sub-sub-sub-sub-sub-crates... you know, to be precise... :)
thanks again!

Hey again Henry. Are you using an external hard drive, and if so are the songs in these subcrates sourcing from both your internal and external hard drive?

If so, to keep Scratch Live from loading these fields in a random order, you need to have all the files in question stored in one location, i.e. either your external or internal drive.

no - only the internal hard drive of the mac is used...

Do you have different partitions set on your hard drive that you're accessing your music files from?

nope - ive partitioned my macbook pro disc into 2 partitions - a small one for windows and the rest for osx. all mp3s are in osx and so is ssl. i rarely ever even reboot in windows - its jus there if i need 2 run a specific program that cant b run on osx... So, basically, i'm working on my mac, from my mac, and its all just there and still gets messed up!

oh - by the way - regarding the initial problem of momentary stuttering/stalling of a track - i'm not completely sure yet, but it seems that it is eliminated when i turn air port off... i'll know soon if that was the problem all along, as i'll be looking out for any stalling with air port turned off, and i'll get back to you on that. If this really was the problem; is there a workaround? I mean, it'd be good to have anxiety-free access 2 the net while playing at a gig...

Hmmm. I haven't come across this before and have tried to replicate the problem with multiple subcrates within subcrates, but I haven't been able to. I may have to come back to you on that one, once I've spoken with our developers.

As for the stuttering/stalling being solved by turning airport off, airport is known to slow SSL down, so the workaround would be not to use it while you're gigging.

Aroha hi again!

That's it - I HAVE REALLY HAD IT!! The airport being switched off doesn't solve the problem at all! (It is SLIGHTLY better; in that it doen't happen that often - but it still happens!!)

I had videoed a couple of these stalls with my PC laptop in the summer, and I just videoed them again today with my new macbook pro at home (I can't sit there videoing my laptop at a club gig obviously...). You REALLY must see what exactly is going on, as my explanation hitherto may have been inadequate...

I have therefore zipped 9 little videos taken with my cellphone - and I have uploaded them to Rapidshare for you to download!
The download link is:

rapidshare.com

(If you don't have a Rapidshare account, just select the "Free User" button in the page this link will take you to, and then select "Save File")

Then just unzip the folder (no password), and see these videos PLEASE!!!! They show the "stall" (or "stutter") in the one of the first beats when I play a track off a cue point. (Like I had said, sometimes I will

The other vids show how this little glitch screws up the mixing out loud (so everyone thinks the dj is the one screwing up!) as the tracks go out of sync!, other vids show the setup screen circles and what happens to them at the moment of the stall, and another vid shows the home setup & equipment I'm using. This of course happens even when I play with Pioneer 1000 MK3's too, so it's obviously not the cd players' fault! Nor is it the Serato hardware's fault either as the same thing happens when I use anyone else's Serato hardware too! Nor can it possibly be the laptop I'm using, 'cause I just spent over 2200 us dollars to get the latest bloody macbook pro, since I thought that my Acer PC-laptop was to blame!!!
PLEEEAAASE find SOME way to help me because I have completely given up hope!

Thanks for your time again Ahora!
Henry Biquet

PS. If any other Serato user reading this forum topic has any ideas, please also download the link to see these vids too! Any help would be greatly appreciated!

By the way, if you choose "Free User" on the Rapidshare page, you will have to wait for a 50-second countdown before you are able to download the folder. (Just in case you didn't already know...)

Hi again, thanks for the videos. You said that you've posted one with the "screen circles", which I'm assuming you mean is the scopes windows in the setup screen? I can't find this video, but would be curious to see what happens during these track stalls.

Just to confirm; have you tried different control CDs? I know you've said your CDs are in new condition, but they could still be giving you grief. It's definitely a tracking error.

Have you tried switching your RCA cables?

Oh and do you have keylock on on your CDJs?

Hi again

By keylock, I presume you mean the "master tempo" button (pitch lock) - right? If so - no I don't have it on - as my pitch control doesn't work right when I do so when using ssl. (I only use the Key Lock button on ssl to lock the pitch)

Yes, I meant the scopes' windows, the video IS there - I just checked it again. It's the video I've entitled: "SETUP SCREEN= STALL HAPPENS AT 0.12 MACPRO". In it, the first two tries don't "perform" the problem - the third, final, try does. As you'll see, the scope circle kind of "splashes" while the track skips/stalls (you can hear it in the video too), and then it regains its initial circular shape as the track plays on.

The titles of the vids I've sent you describe them - they note the exact time in the vid where the stall occurs. (I'm supposing you haven't read the titles as you hadn't seen the vid labeled "Setup screen..." that you asked about).

I've tried changing RCA cables many times, but no difference.

The control cds are brand new, perfect scratch-free surface, and have also never left home. They are the ones used in the vids taken at home. The control cds I use when djing at gigs, are COPIES of ONE of them (on cdrs). (I only dj with cdr copies at gigs & clubs so that I don't run the risk of losing the original copies).

In deducing the cause of the problem by elimination, one may hypothesize that if, say, one of the cds had some kind of error to begin with, making copies of these cds, just copied the problematic control cd! That, I guess, is possible; but BOTH my original control cds at home perform the same problem! (If that finally IS the problem, the probability of the SAME problem having been written on TWO cds is extremely low! - Otherwise you would definitely have heard of this glitch by many other Serato users before me...)

The LAST possible solution I can think of is to make a couple of copies of a friend's control cd (someone who doesn't experience this problem, that is...), and see if this changes anything.

Please tell me what you think before I go asking for copies... :)

Sorry Henry - I found the video, for some reason it had stored somewhere weird on my computer. I'll get back to you shortly.

Hi Henry,

The video shows a definite loss of communication between control signal and Scratch Live.
See you have already tried different CDJs, RCA cables and USB cables, and it was also doing it on your old computer, the only thing left is the SL 1 box. - it could be something simple like a loose connection inside somewhere. Do you have access to another SL 1 (friends etc.) you could try?

no no - i've tried a different sl box - same thing! (see message above: 11:27 AM 27 January 2009)

what about the faulty original control-cds "theory"?

Hello Henry,

Your initial problem sounds like the known issue with the current technology which is that when you create a cue point on your cd player and then press the cue to jump to that position, it takes at least 8 milliseconds for Scratch LIVE to register the action your trying to do on your cd player.
To avoid this pop/glitch, create your cue (using ABS mode in SSL), and then move the jog wheel slightly forward and backwards on your cd player.
Once you make this movement you will notice the play position in the software jump to the part of the track your wanting to start from.
Move the play position in the software to the very beginning of the kick drum or hi hat your wanting to start from and then press play on your cd deck to play from that position.
If done in this manor you should not experience any pop/click/glitch.

Hi Zach

I haven't really understood what u mean... Please note that I always play in abs mode anyway.

What I do to mark, and play from, a cue point on my cdjs, analytically, is:
I reach the approximate point to be cued, press the play/pause button so that the track is paused NEAR the exact cue point (you can hear the track stuttering in the headphones, then use the jog wheel (or the search buttons) to find the EXACT cue point, and finally, I mark it with the Cue button!

When I begin mixing this new track, into the one that's already playing out loud, I play with the cue and play buttons, repeatedly, until I decide the point at which I will release this track to play out loud together with the former one (you can see me doing this in some of the videos).

If I have understood u correctly, u asked me to do smthng which i already do anyway (getting the software to read the point cued beforehand) right? I need to always have the cue point i want "marked" with the cue-button, so that I can always be readily able to play around with the cue-play-cue-play-cue-play buttons. I do so pretty fast too; so if you meant finding a cue point and THEN "leaving" it so that ssl sees where it's at, that doesn't solve my problem... :( (I'm assuming that's what you meant because otherwise, if I have marked a cue point (cue-button pressed), and then just move the jog wheel, nothing will happen/move if the cue-button is pressed...)

what about the faulty original control-cds "theory?

I think it would be a good idea to try a copy of your friend's control CDs so we can narrow down every possible option. Let's get this fixed!

Hi henryb,

From the looks of your videos, especially the "STALL HAPPENS AT 0.17 MACPRO.mp4" video, your CD deck cue position seems to be drifting on its own accord. It that video, are you simply pressing the cue button to jump back to your set point, hitting play and then hitting cue again to jump back to the same, previously ontime, cue point? It looks like the first time the cue button it pressed, the cue position is on, but keeps drifting further away from that position after every cue button press.

Perhaps a little tweaking within the setup screen will help reduce the latency. This will help us rule out latency as a possible cause :)

Try this:

First, adjust the USB Audio Buffer setting to the left (as far as it will go). This will cut down the delay/latency.

Next, manually adjust both noise threshold sliders to -72. This will allow SSL to pick up the control signal a bit faster and hopefully help to cut down latency, as well.