If you have dropped audio and waveforms read this

DJMINGIA 7:11 PM - 21 January, 2013

Like many of you out there, we are also having problems with "blank" waveform drops and audio drops at the same time. Even after rebuilding databases, running Scratch Live at a minimum, downgrading to previous versions, turning off all non essentials (Bluetooth, wireless internet) etc, the problem still happens.

I feel the team at Rane/Serato has been doing their best to help us out and I've always felt they do a great job at answering help requests. I think that we could take the time out and help them out too if we are able to show them any commonalities that we all have in our systems. Whether it's a version of software, a specific box, an OS issue, etc.. This waveform/audio drop is a very real issue, and the more info we can give them in an organized fashion, I think the better they can analyze it and hopefully figure it out.

Below are just some things I thought of. Simply reply to this post, copy the questions and write your answer next to the question. Shouldn't take more than a minute or so, and hopefully will help shed some light on why we're all having this problem. Thanks.

1. What type of computer do you have? Please list the specific brand, model, and year it was built. Also include total amount of RAM.

2. Is your music on an internal or external hard drive? If external, what brand, model, size capacity and interface (USB, firewire, etc..) do you use? Do you know the RPM of the drive?

3. How many total songs/videos do you have in Scratch Live that are analyzed and "ready to go" that the program actually sees?

4. What version of Scratch Live are you using?

5. What Serato box are you using (SL1, SL2, etc..)? If no box, what mixer are you using?

6. When did you first notice this problem of waveform/audio drops (After an upgrade, etc.)?

7. Do you use any MIDI controllers, and if so, which ones? If not, let us know if you only use control CD's or only use control vinyl, or a combo of MIDI controllers and control CD's/vinyl.

8. If you downgrade back to an earlier version of Scratch Live, does the problem "follow you" still?

9. Are you able to get video of this problem as it happens ?

10. Does this problem happen even when you have the box disconnected and simply have Scratch Live open as a hot cue/loop editor?

I hope we can figure out this problem. Please keep in mind that I do not work for Rane or Serato. I am an independent DJ that is simply trying to find answers for all of us that are having this problem. Thanks.

DJMINGIA 7:18 PM - 21 January, 2013

I'll start it off

1. What type of computer do you have? Please list the specific brand, model, and year it was built. Also include total amount of RAM. Apple Macbook Pro, summer 2012. 4 gigs total RAM. MAcbook white, 2007, 2.5 gigs RAM. Both computers same problem.

2. Is your music on an internal or external hard drive? If external, what brand, model, size capacity and interface (USB, firewire, etc..) do you use? Do you know the RPM of the drive? External WD 2TB My Passport Studio Mac Portable External Hard Drive - FireWire (WDBS8P0020BBK-NESN). Not sure of RPM as WD does not publish them anymore unless it is the higher end 10,000 RPM Raid drive.

3. How many total songs/videos do you have in Scratch Live that are analyzed and "ready to go" that the program actually sees? About 50,000

4. What version of Scratch Live are you using? 2.3.3. Tried later and earlier versions, problem still there.

5. What Serato box are you using (SL1, SL2, etc..)? If no box, what mixer are you using? SL1, and SL4. Problem on both.

6. When did you first notice this problem of waveform/audio drops (After an upgrade, etc.)? After upgrading to 2.4.x

7. Do you use any MIDI controllers, and if so, which ones? If not, let us know if you only use control CD's or only use control vinyl, or a combo of MIDI controllers and control CD's/vinyl. Yes, Denon DN-HC4500 MIDI controller.

8. If you downgrade back to an earlier version of Scratch Live, does the problem "follow you" still? YES.......

9. Are you able to get video of this problem as it happens? I will try.

10. Does this problem happen even when you have the box disconnected and simply have Scratch Live open as a hot cue/loop editor? Not yet, though I have seen youtube video of others having it even with the box disconnected.

Zach S 10:32 PM - 21 January, 2013

Hey Mingia,

We appreciate your efforts on this.
I am going to let one of the Serato mods own and keep track of this thread because they are a lot closer to the software development but I will be following it and offering any advice I have.

Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this issue soon!

David Wood 1:30 AM - 22 January, 2013

Hey DJMINGIA,

Great work, looking forward to seeing some results, hopefully other users pick up on this, i'll posted this thread in our original thread for the other users to contribute.

Regards
Dave W

Ikhan 3:14 AM - 22 January, 2013

Quote:

1. Mid 2010 MacBook Pro 17" 2.66Ghz i7, OSX 10.8.2. 8GB OF RAM DDR3,

2. MUSIC ALL ON 1TB WD HDD internal 5200RPM, No external, however I do have an Optibay-Drive (eshop.macsales.com) in place of DVD Drive which has a ALL VIDEO on Samsung 1TB 5400RPM HDD. No other drives of music or video connected.

3. 7240 VIDEOS ALL MP4's & 17493 Mp3's

4. 2.4.2 & 2.4.3 mostly 2.4.2 now, before these two version I was running completely fine. Now I can barely run Serato bare.

5. SL1 Box, with and without external power, TTM57 & Rane 62 all have created these dropouts

6. After 2.4.2

7. Vinyl Serato Tech 1200's

8. Downgraded to 2.4.2, still follows me.

9. No video capture but I have seen plenty of youtube coverage mimic.

10. Does this problem happen even when you have the box disconnected and simply have Scratch Live open as a hot cue/loop editor?

NO

.

Zach S 6:23 PM - 22 January, 2013

I think it would be good if everyone attached their system profiles via the gray attach a file link. This will give us all the information about the computer.

Click on the Apple in the upper left corner of the screen.
Choose 'about this Mac'.
Click 'more info'.
Once the System Profiler is open click on the 'File' tab, click 'save', and save it
to your computer.
From there, upload it here.

9:45 PM, 22 Jan 2013

Ikhan attached a file: MacBook Pro.spx

Download· Permalink

LJ_WOOLSEY 5:51 PM - 23 January, 2013

My system works 100% fine, so maybe you can use that to compair?

Quote:

1. What type of computer do you have? Please list the specific brand, model, and year it was built. Also include total amount of RAM.

Apple Macbook Pro5.1 late 2008 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8Ghz / 6GB RAM.

Quote:

2. Is your music on an internal or external hard drive? If external, what brand, model, size capacity and interface (USB, firewire, etc..) do you use? Do you know the RPM of the drive?

All Music Audio and Video is Internal: Seagate 750GB Momentus XT SSD
- 2.5" SATA-III
- 7200 RPM
- 32MB Cache

Quote:

3. How many total songs/videos do you have in Scratch Live that are analyzed and "ready to go" that the program actually sees?

around 4000Videos and 30,000 Audio

Quote:

4. What version of Scratch Live are you using?

Version 2.4.3 But have used every version from 1.7.4

Quote:

5. What Serato box are you using (SL1, SL2, etc..)? If no box, what mixer are you using?

Rane SL-3 But used to use Rane SL-1

Quote:

6. When did you first notice this problem of waveform/audio drops (After an upgrade, etc.)?

Never have i had this issue!

Quote:

7. Do you use any MIDI controllers, and if so, which ones? If not, let us know if you only use control CD's or only use control vinyl, or a combo of MIDI controllers and control CD's/vinyl.

Yes Denon HC1000S. Control CD.s.

Quote:

8. If you downgrade back to an earlier version of Scratch Live, does the problem "follow you" still?

Again Never Had The Issue As Of Yet!

Quote:

9. Are you able to get video of this problem as it happens ?

If i ever get this issues i will try get my iphone out and take a video.

Quote:

10. Does this problem happen even when you have the box disconnected and simply have Scratch Live open as a hot cue/loop editor?

Again not had the issue at all yet.

Will not attach system profile.

5:52 PM, 23 Jan 2013

LJ_WOOLSEY attached a file: MacBook Pro LJ_WOOLSEY.spx

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vio0633 8:04 PM - 23 January, 2013

I have had this issue happen a lot to me and would like to post my system profile and setup. I just recently bought a new G Tech external hard drive and still testing it out to see if this issue occurs again. Same stuff though....waveforms disappearing and audio cutting in and out.

1. What type of computer do you have? Late 2011 2.4GHz i7 15" MBP. Attached specs of computer below.

2. Is your music on an internal or external hard drive? External Hard Drive is where all of my files are located. I have a 1TB 7200 RPM G Drive Mini with 16MB Cache.

3. How many total songs/videos do you have in Scratch Live that are analyzed and "ready to go" that the program actually sees? 32,851 music tracks, 3,080 videos.

4. What version of Scratch Live are you using? Newest version 2.4.3

5. What Serato box are you using (SL1, SL2, etc..)? If no box, what mixer are you using? TTM-57SL

6. When did you first notice this problem of waveform/audio drops (After an upgrade, etc.)? Ever since I opened the box when my macbook pro was new, this issue has been occurring to me. I spoke to apple about the performance issues and they are lost on what the issue could be.

7. Do you use any MIDI controllers, and if so, which ones? If not, let us know if you only use control CD's or only use control vinyl, or a combo of MIDI controllers and control CD's/vinyl. No MIDI controllers. Just vinyl and SSL (not real tech savy so I keep it old school :)

8. If you downgrade back to an earlier version of Scratch Live, does the problem "follow you" still? Yes! I downgraded all the way back to 1.9.2 and it still occurs.

9. Are you able to get video of this problem as it happens ? I have youtube videos posted of some of the performance issues I have had but it is hard to replicate what its doing as it only happens a couple of times a night. Sometimes its really bad sometimes I dont have issues. Its hit or miss :( I have started help threads here on the forum but the problem is still unresolved and open.

10. Does this problem happen even when you have the box disconnected and simply have Scratch Live open as a hot cue/loop editor? Never had issues with the offline player

8:05 PM, 23 Jan 2013

vio0633 attached a file: MacBook Pro.spx

Download· Permalink

2:14 AM, 24 Jan 2013

DJ506 attached a file: DJ506MacBook Pro.spx

Download· Permalink

DJ506 2:15 AM - 24 January, 2013

1. What type of computer do you have? Please list the specific brand, model, and year it was built. Also include total amount of RAM.

~ Macbook Pro / 15 inch / mid 2010 / 8GB RAM

2. Is your music on an internal or external hard drive? If external, what brand, model, size capacity and interface (USB, firewire, etc..) do you use? Do you know the RPM of the drive?

~ OS is internal SSD / Audio is internal HDD / Video is external 3TB Seagate GoFlex FW8000 (RPM Unknown)

3. How many total songs/videos do you have in Scratch Live that are analyzed and "ready to go" that the program actually sees?

~ 30,000ish

4. What version of Scratch Live are you using?

~2.4.3 (24321)

5. What Serato box are you using (SL1, SL2, etc..)? If no box, what mixer are you using?

~ Rane 62

6. When did you first notice this problem of waveform/audio drops (After an upgrade, etc.)?

~ Around October 2012

7. Do you use any MIDI controllers, and if so, which ones? If not, let us know if you only use control CD's or only use control vinyl, or a combo of MIDI controllers and control CD's/vinyl.

~ Turntables using Performance Control Vinyl with Novation Dicers.

8. If you downgrade back to an earlier version of Scratch Live, does the problem "follow you" still?

~N/A

9. Are you able to get video of this problem as it happens ?

~N/A

10. Does this problem happen even when you have the box disconnected and simply have Scratch Live open as a hot cue/loop editor?

~ No

DJ Matty M 12:03 PM - 26 January, 2013

I DJ in 4 different clubs, on 4 different nights each week.. I first had this problem last thursday in club 'A'.. I went to club 'B' on saturday, full set done, no problems.. Then on Tuesday I went to club 'C', again, full set done, no issues.. On Wednesday I was in club 'D', and again, full set done with out one problem.. Tonight I went back to club 'A' and all the problems that occured last week happened again tonight.. Audio drops, wave form disappears.. I've been gigging in this club from May 2012, but its only now that I'm having problems, last week and this week.. and its only one particular club! I'm baffled!!!

skritchin 5:30 PM - 26 January, 2013

1. Macbook Pro 17 inch 2.53 GHz Intel Core i5 Version 10.6.8 4GB of memory. Bought in november 2010

2. Seagate 4tb External for Mac. Use the Firewire 800.

3. about 40,000

4. 2.4.3

5. Rane Sixty Two, the issue has happened on an SL1 box too

6. After I upgraded to 2.4.3 for FLAC support

7. Control Vinyl for the most part. Mix internal almost every Saturday for mobile jobs. Rarely use control cds

8. Haven't downgraded

9. Not yet.

10. Haven't had it happen with Serato not connected to a mixer or SLbox.

Dj Luxury 9:37 PM - 26 January, 2013

1. What type of computer do you have? Please list the specific brand, model, and year it was built. Also include total amount of RAM.

Macbook Pro / 13 inch / mid 2009 / 8GB RAM

2. Is your music on an internal or external hard drive? If external, what brand, model, size capacity and interface (USB, firewire, etc..) do you use? Do you know the RPM of the drive?

~ External

3. How many total songs/videos do you have in Scratch Live that are analyzed and "ready to go" that the program actually sees?

~ 35,000

4. What version of Scratch Live are you using?

~2.4.3

5. What Serato box are you using (SL1, SL2, etc..)? If no box, what mixer are you using?

~ Rane 57,

6. When did you first notice this problem of waveform/audio drops (After an upgrade, etc.)?

~ In may 2012, I believe it may have been the switch to Lion from snow leopard

7. Do you use any MIDI controllers, and if so, which ones? If not, let us know if you only use control CD's or only use control vinyl, or a combo of MIDI controllers and control CD's/vinyl.

~ Turntables using Control Vinyl

8. If you downgrade back to an earlier version of Scratch Live, does the problem "follow you" still?

Yes

9. Are you able to get video of this problem as it happens ?

Not yet

10. Does this problem happen even when you have the box disconnected and simply have Scratch Live open as a hot cue/loop editor?

It has happened in offline mode & active mode

LJ_WOOLSEY 9:44 PM - 26 January, 2013

Can you guys PLEASE attach your system profiles! That will help ALOT!

Cheers

DJNeilG 6:29 AM - 27 January, 2013

Hi
Thanks Mingia for starting this thread, I've had this issue for about 2 months and I'm going nuts, and loosing confidence in my equipment and Serato, whixch is not a good feeling when you're trying to "hype the party"

Is this for Windows users too or just Macs?

1. What type of computer do you have?

Samsung NP-R519-FA02UK Pentium dual core with 4GB ram Windows XP. It's approx 3.5 years old, but was running Serato fine in all that time

2. Is your music on an internal or external hard drive?

All Music on Internal 500gb drive,

3. How many total songs/videos do you have in Scratch Live that are analyzed and "ready to go" that the program actually sees?

Approx 12,000 MP3s (No video)

4. What version of Scratch Live are you using?

2.4.2

5. What Serato box are you using (SL1, SL2, etc..)?

SL3

6. When did you first notice this problem of waveform/audio drops (After an upgrade, etc.)?

Had problem about 2 months, after i replaced the internal hard drive, (old one Stopped being "seen" by the PC)

7. Do you use any MIDI controllers, and if so, which ones?

I use a Kontrol X1 controller

8. If you downgrade back to an earlier version of Scratch Live, does the problem "follow you" still?

Not Downgraded

9. Are you able to get video of this problem as it happens ?

Can't recreate it but very similar to the video in DJiKhans thread

10. Does this problem happen even when you have the box disconnected and simply have Scratch Live open as a hot cue/loop editor?

Not tried that

Has anyone noticed if it happens in Absolute or Internal mode? I do 1 gig that I use Absolute mode for and never get the dropouts.

Thanks

DJMINGIA 7:35 AM - 27 January, 2013

Quote:

2. Is your music on an internal or external hard drive? If external, what brand, model, size capacity and interface (USB, firewire, etc..) do you use? Do you know the RPM of the drive?

~ External

What brand and model hard drive? Also, do you know the RPM? What interface do you use to connect to the hard drive?

DJMINGIA 7:42 AM - 27 January, 2013

I am very curious to know the RPM's of the hard drives, and whether the drives used have a separate power supply, or if they are BUS powered?

As a test, I took an old 750 gb, FW400 external drive from WD, took out the 750 gb that was inside it, and replaced it with a WD 2tb black caviar drive which is 7200 RPM and the external enclosure I put it in is powered by an external power adaptor. It is NOT powered by USB or firewire. Tried it today, no dropouts. Not sure if I am on the right track here, but I would think an external 7200 RPM hard drive powered by a power adaptor would be ideal, as opposed to say a small "pocket drive" that is BUS powered and/or 5400 RPM. More tests to come.

DJMINGIA 7:44 AM - 27 January, 2013

Quote:

2. Is your music on an internal or external hard drive? External Hard Drive is where all of my files are located. I have a 1TB 7200 RPM G Drive Mini with 16MB Cache.r/quote]

vio0633, is your hard drive powered by an external power supply, or is it BUS powered b USB or firewire?

Ikhan 7:41 PM - 27 January, 2013

Quote:

I DJ in 4 different clubs, on 4 different nights each week.. I first had this problem last thursday in club 'A'.. I went to club 'B' on saturday, full set done, no problems.. Then on Tuesday I went to club 'C', again, full set done, no issues.. On Wednesday I was in club 'D', and again, full set done with out one problem.. Tonight I went back to club 'A' and all the problems that occured last week happened again tonight.. Audio drops, wave form disappears.. I've been gigging in this club from May 2012, but its only now that I'm having problems, last week and this week.. and its only one particular club! I'm baffled!!!

I have the exact same issue, very baffling !!

DJMINGIA 12:20 AM - 28 January, 2013

For some reason my post above was all gray. Anyway, vio0633, is your hard drive powered by an external power supply, or is it BUS powered b USB or firewire?

LJ_WOOLSEY 12:38 AM - 28 January, 2013

Quote:

Can you guys PLEASE attach your system profiles! That will help ALOT!

Cheers

Really guys can you please also do this!!!

Click on the Apple in the upper left corner of the screen.
Choose 'about this Mac'.
Click 'more info'.
Once the System Profiler is open click on the 'File' tab, click 'save', and save it
to your computer.
From there, upload it here.

DJMINGIA 2:27 AM - 28 January, 2013

Does the external harddrive need to be connected for an accurate system report, or does it not matter?

DJ Matty M 3:57 PM - 28 January, 2013

Quote:

I DJ in 4 different clubs, on 4 different nights each week.. I first had this problem last thursday in club 'A'.. I went to club 'B' on saturday, full set done, no problems.. Then on Tuesday I went to club 'C', again, full set done, no issues.. On Wednesday I was in club 'D', and again, full set done with out one problem.. Tonight I went back to club 'A' and all the problems that occured last week happened again tonight.. Audio drops, wave form disappears.. I've been gigging in this club from May 2012, but its only now that I'm having problems, last week and this week.. and its only one particular club! I'm baffled!!!

I have the exact same issue, very baffling !!

I NEED this sorted! Loosing confidence!

DJNeilG 4:50 PM - 28 January, 2013

Quote:

Can you guys PLEASE attach your system profiles! That will help ALOT!

Cheers

Really guys can you please also do this!!!

Click on the Apple in the upper left corner of the screen.
Choose 'about this Mac'.
Click 'more info'.
Once the System Profiler is open click on the 'File' tab, click 'save', and save it
to your computer.
From there, upload it here.

Hi
I will attatch a system report if you can explain the same steps for Windows PC

Thanks

vio0633 5:16 AM - 29 January, 2013

Quote:

2. Is your music on an internal or external hard drive? External Hard Drive is where all of my files are located. I have a 1TB 7200 RPM G Drive Mini with 16MB Cache.r/quote]

vio0633, is your hard drive powered by an external power supply, or is it BUS powered b USB or firewire?

Mine is powered via firewire. I just finished another gig on saturday (straight music no videos) and didnt have any issues with my setup. No dropouts or anything. Still testing though. If all goes well one more gig with video then I will say that my issue has been resolved.

DJMINGIA 3:00 PM - 29 January, 2013

Quote:

Mine is powered via firewire. I just finished another gig on saturday (straight music no videos) and didnt have any issues with my setup. No dropouts or anything. Still testing though. If all goes well one more gig with video then I will say that my issue has been resolved.

I looked up this hard drive and it looks like it uses an external power supply. Do you use the external power supply in conjunction with firewire?

vio0633 6:01 AM - 30 January, 2013

Quote:

Mine is powered via firewire. I just finished another gig on saturday (straight music no videos) and didnt have any issues with my setup. No dropouts or anything. Still testing though. If all goes well one more gig with video then I will say that my issue has been resolved.

I looked up this hard drive and it looks like it uses an external power supply. Do you use the external power supply in conjunction with firewire?

No I dont use an external power supply. Its all bus powered. Mine didn't come with an external power adapter but you can run it separately so your not using the FW as your main power source for it.

DJNeilG 5:06 AM - 2 February, 2013

Just an update for information, tonight I tested doing a gig in Absolute mode and experienced same problem, so its not just in Relastive mode as I'd mentioned previously.

Also, I decided to carry on after the sound dropped out on 1 track, and after another hour or more hadn't had another problem, so it can't just be overheating etc. as this would mean it would keep happening adfter the fuirst time.

cheers

dj shadow from detroit 9:33 AM - 2 February, 2013

firewire 800 external helped me ( no issues since using firewire 800 ) instead of usb 3.0
2.9 ghz intel core i7
8 gig ram MHz DDR3

Mac OSX Version 10.7.5

DJMINGIA 6:13 PM - 3 February, 2013

OK, so did yet another gig last night, no problems. I am starting to think that for whatever reason, the hard drives need to be 7200 RPM, external, firewire, powered by an external adapter, with at least 32mb RAM cache on the drive.

I took apart my WD external case, took out the internal 750 gb drive that was in there, and replaced it with a new WD 2TB Black Caviar internal drive (SATA) that has 64mb RAM cache. Did a few gigs, no problems so far. It's slow season now, so it's not going out alot, but so far, so good.

Why the need all of a sudden for faster drives when everything else has been fine in the past? I'm not sure. Maybe it has something to do with the new way tags are written once you upgrade past 2.3 (That was the case moving forward past 2.3 right?). And then even if you downgrade to say, 2.2, it doesn't help because the tags are already written the new way because at some point you had 2.3.3 or higher. Maybe I'm grasping at straws here, I don't know. It just seems that once we all upgraded, no matter what we downgrade to, the problem is there.

Or maybe the way music streams down the USB cable has changed too, once upgraded past a certain version, which, I still don't understand why it needs to "stream" at all down a cable instead of just getting loaded into RAM in the SL boxes and/or computer. But I'm sure there is a reason.

Anyway, will keep you posted. Feel free to post the specs of your drive in detail (Manufacturer, total capacity, RPM speed, cache, what type of connection you use to hook it up, and whether it has a power adapter or not).

djgeorgegrover 7:24 PM - 5 February, 2013

I don't know if I am getting the wrong end of the stick here but it seems the majority of you are using external HD when getting the problems, however I am using the original HD in my MacBook Pro for all my music and am still getting the problems.

This definitely is a intermittent problem, as I have had the audio cut a few times and then a few weeks with no problems whatsoever and then cut outs this weekend. Which obviously makes it a lot harder to pin point.

I am now feeling really unsure about using Serato anymore until this problem is fixed, I do not see how I can provide a professional service when I do not have faith in my equipment.

Ikhan 7:41 PM - 5 February, 2013

Any progress Serato, updates?

DJMINGIA 10:53 PM - 5 February, 2013

Quote:

I don't know if I am getting the wrong end of the stick here but it seems the majority of you are using external HD when getting the problems, however I am using the original HD in my MacBook Pro for all my music and am still getting the problems.

The internal drive on the MAC is a 5400 RPM drive. This is one of the reasons why I am thinking that 7200 RPM, adapter powered, high RAM cache, NON-USB drives are the way to go.

vio0633 12:49 AM - 6 February, 2013

Quote:

I don't know if I am getting the wrong end of the stick here but it seems the majority of you are using external HD when getting the problems, however I am using the original HD in my MacBook Pro for all my music and am still getting the problems.

The internal drive on the MAC is a 5400 RPM drive. This is one of the reasons why I am thinking that 7200 RPM, adapter powered, high RAM cache, NON-USB drives are the way to go.

+1

Ikhan 3:36 AM - 6 February, 2013

Quote:

I don't know if I am getting the wrong end of the stick here but it seems the majority of you are using external HD when getting the problems, however I am using the original HD in my MacBook Pro for all my music and am still getting the problems.

The internal drive on the MAC is a 5400 RPM drive. This is one of the reasons why I am thinking that 7200 RPM, adapter powered, high RAM cache, NON-USB drives are the way to go.

+1

WOW

Until now this only an external HDD issue. Serato, are you saying, Apple HDD that comes internally with 5400rpm, is not good enough?

dj shadow from detroit 6:19 AM - 6 February, 2013

im thinking its a bug and it will be fixed in the next beta / version. they will never come out and say it like that but i guarantee it will be fixed.

LJ_WOOLSEY 12:37 PM - 6 February, 2013

Quote:

im thinking its a bug and it will be fixed in the next beta / version. they will never come out and say it like that but i guarantee it will be fixed.

You talk shit, this issue has always been around, just seems some get it worse. They have no clue as to what or why this is happening. Plus ssl is in dead water. So no there wont be no magic fix soon. But we can all hope.

DJMINGIA 3:00 PM - 6 February, 2013

Quote:

WOW

Until now this only an external HDD issue. Serato, are you saying, Apple HDD that comes internally with 5400rpm, is not good enough?

It is just speculation, but based on the posts and my own testing, I think that 5400 RPM drives may be PART of the problem. I think that external, 7200 RPM, 32 mb RAM cache minimum, firewire, power adapter powered hard drives are the way to go IF the problem is indeed the fact that the data, audio and waveforms can't stream fast enough for Scratch Live.

When possible, I for one think that the USB bus should NOT have anything on it but the SL boxes/mixer. Why take power or resources from it if it is avoidable (assuming there are other options such as firewire, esata, etc..).

Again, it is slow season right now, but the few gigs that I switched over to the new WD 2tb, 7200 RPM, 64mb cache, firewire, powered external; no problems. Will know more as the season progresses.

If you are having dropped audio and waveforms, please post your systems, and in particular, if you know, post your hard drive manufacturer, model number, RPM's, cache, If it is bus powered or powered by an external power adapter, and what interface you use (USB, firewire, etc..). Thanks.

BTW, I don't work for Rane/Serato. I am a mobile DJ.

DJ506 3:29 PM - 6 February, 2013

Quote:

...This definitely is a intermittent problem, as I have had the audio cut a few times and then a few weeks with no problems whatsoever and then cut outs this weekend. Which obviously makes it a lot harder to pin point.

I am now feeling really unsure about using Serato anymore until this problem is fixed, I do not see how I can provide a professional service when I do not have faith in my equipment.

~ Ditto

dj shadow from detroit 8:21 PM - 6 February, 2013

LJ_WOOLSEY
I dont talk shit I have been using Serato since 2005. (( Also a Beta Tester )) What do you think I just popped up here to say the Serato team will fix it for no reason ?
It's a problem and It will be fixed.
No reason to have such a bad attitude especially to someone that tries to help.... its messed up to see how this forum has changed since 2005.

LJ_WOOLSEY 11:33 PM - 6 February, 2013

agreed but its also messed up to see how serato has changed even more!!! I have also been a private invite only beta testing on ssl. and yes i have seen and helped ppl with this issue for years, alot of things got fixed by people trying certain things. But it does look like it could be an issue with serato software. Serato have no idea why this is happening and thats why they are finnaly trying to get as much info as possible to see where the issue could lie. So yes it wont be fixed anytime soon. UNLESS they get more user input of the issue to find the issue and fix it. Hell yes once they do find the issue and it is something they can fix as soon as it is fixed you will see if released across all softwares (except ITCH)

Just what you wrote some people would take it thr wrong way and not bother giving there system profiles and info because they think a fix is coming! When at this moment it is not. as no one from serato or other partners has said they have now made progress with this issue.

Also Serato DJ and Serto into seems tobe where all there time is being spent these days. So they will be even slower than normal at fixing the issue.

DJ Skritchin 7:09 AM - 7 February, 2013

It is literally corrupting my files after the drop out. what the fuck is going on?

DJMINGIA 1:52 PM - 7 February, 2013

Quote:

It is literally corrupting my files after the drop out. what the fuck is going on?

Please answer the questions in the questionnaire (The 1st post within this topic). Try to be as specific as possible when answering, especially regarding your hard drive.

To everyone here, I created this post simply for people to post their systems and possible fixes they may have figured out, and to help Rane/Serato figure out the problem. I did not create it for anything else, especially bickering and cursing. So please none of that. Thanks.

DJMINGIA 1:54 PM - 7 February, 2013

Actually, I see a person named Skritchin (Not DJ Skritchin) posted their system info. Not sure if it is the same person, if so, disregard my request to post your system. The only thing I'd like to know though, if it is the same person, how fast is the hardrive (RPM's) and do you use an external power adapter with it? Thanks.

DJ Skritchin 7:28 PM - 7 February, 2013

yeah it's me. i don't know why it won't let me log back under my skritchin user name. the external has a power adapter. i don't know the rpm. it doesn't say anywhere on the box.

djgeorgegrover 8:00 PM - 7 February, 2013

I know this is not the answer to the problem that is going on, but a lot of people who use Serato earn money from using this software and rely on it to be stable ! So, obviously this seems to be a problem since the new tags came out and 2.4.3, what if all Serato software was wiped completely from the computer and then an earlier version reloaded, would the problem still occur ?

Sorry if this does sound stupid but I do not know much about computers, only music !! Ha

dj shadow from detroit 8:31 PM - 7 February, 2013

I agree alot of Serato help has mentioned to resort back to previous versions until they figure whats going on.

dj shadow from detroit 8:32 PM - 7 February, 2013

and deleting old versions and starting fresh is also a good idea.

DJMINGIA 11:49 PM - 7 February, 2013

I agree going to an old version before 2.3.3 is a good idea. However, I believe anything related to post 2.3.3 versions has to be deleted, including all drivers, v2's, backups, etc... And then once deleted, forcing the pre-2.3.3 software to re-analyze everything, rewrite tags, and make new crates. In other words, as if it was a new computer with no trace of any SSL on it.

DJ Skritchin 3:51 AM - 8 February, 2013

I can't go back to anything 2.3.3. I have the Sixty Two.

DJ Skritchin 3:52 AM - 8 February, 2013

anything 2.3.3. and below*

DJ506 4:51 PM - 8 February, 2013

~ Gonna add my latest crash experience to this...

I was doing a High School gig last night and video was not needed.
I disabled Serato Video plug-in thinking it was a good idea because of all the random crahses.
Nope...first track in audio dropped out halfway through the track.

But...I was playing an ".mp4". So does this mean that Serato video is not to blame? Just how Serato is handling ".mp4's". Who knows?

I know one thing...I'm getting real close to hauling out the Pioneer CDJ's & mixer at the nightclub and burning CD's till this gets resolved.

- DJ506

DJMINGIA 4:55 PM - 8 February, 2013

Quote:

~ Gonna add my latest crash experience to this...

I was doing a High School gig last night and video was not needed.
I disabled Serato Video plug-in thinking it was a good idea because of all the random crahses.
Nope...first track in audio dropped out halfway through the track.

But...I was playing an ".mp4". So does this mean that Serato video is not to blame? Just how Serato is handling ".mp4's". Who knows?

I know one thing...I'm getting real close to hauling out the Pioneer CDJ's & mixer at the nightclub and burning CD's till this gets resolved.

- DJ506

I've had the problem happen on mp3's, 4's, aiff's, everything.....

djgeorgegrover 1:50 PM - 9 February, 2013

I used my Serato set up with no problems at all last night, the annoying thing is I am constantly on edge of it just giving up on me half way through the night, especially when you have a packed dance floor, it is embarrassing !

But it is so hard to say what the fix is for this at the moment, as it seems to be such an intermittent problem that no one can put their finger on it ! I have had to burn CD's as back up just in case.

Even though I don't think that there is anyone can do at the moment to pin point the problem I will say exactly what I did before using Serato last night, I used 'CleanmyMac' to wipe everything off that I did not need, I reset all my caches and unnecessary stored information, I bought 2 new shorter but thicker 2.0 cables and put CDJ's into Front USB port and Serato into back port. As I say this probably isn't an answer as it may well cut out again tonight, but it seemed to work fine for me last night. I think another major issue is everything is using such varied equipment and different set up (wiring ETC) that nothing is the same with 2 people apart from the problem that is occurring .

DJ506 7:28 PM - 9 February, 2013

Quote:

...The annoying thing is I am constantly on edge of it just giving up on me half way through the night, especially when you have a packed dance floor, it is embarrassing !

^^THIS^^

Ikhan 9:49 PM - 9 February, 2013

Quote:

...The annoying thing is I am constantly on edge of it just giving up on me half way through the night, especially when you have a packed dance floor, it is embarrassing !

^^THIS^^

Me three

DJ506 8:05 AM - 10 February, 2013

~ I've had it with this problem. 3 video/audio dropouts tonigh!
Really makes me sad. I was a hardcore Serato fan but I just can't take the stress of not knowing if the software will get me through the night. I want to be confident in my gear and this is not the case.
First thing this week I will be looking in to other options for DJ'n. :(

djgeorgegrover 11:40 AM - 10 February, 2013

So I used Serato again last night in the same venue as Friday once again with no problems, and to be honest I have never had a problem here with it before. Does anybody think that maybe vibrations from the bass could cause anything to happen, as all I know is Serato has only ever gave up on me in bassy, more confined venues. Don't know if this could be a factor ? Still the sooner this problem is figured out the more relaxed and confident us DJ's can be again !

DJMINGIA 6:29 PM - 10 February, 2013

Quote:

So I used Serato again last night in the same venue as Friday once again with no problems, and to be honest I have never had a problem here with it before. Does anybody think that maybe vibrations from the bass could cause anything to happen, as all I know is Serato has only ever gave up on me in bassy, more confined venues. Don't know if this could be a factor ? Still the sooner this problem is figured out the more relaxed and confident us DJ's can be again !

I doubt vibration would be a factor, especially in internal mode. I use internal mode, and have never had the problem for years, working in the same venues. Once I upgraded past a certain version though, I started to notice the problems, in the same venues. I think it has something to do with SSL re-writing the tags from 2.3.3 forward and the fact that harddrives need to be 7200 RPM with a high cache (at least 32 mb).

I had a gig last night, and again, no problems since upgrading my harddrive. This is quite a few in a row with no probems since upgrading, so I am hopeful. I took an old WD external harddrive (Firewire), opened it up, and replaced the drive in there with a WD black, SATA, 2TB, 7200 RPM, 64mb cache drive. I use firewire and it is powered by an external power adapter.

After trying all the other usual "tricks" on trying to fix this waveform/audio dropout problem, so far this is what is working. Keep in mind that I also deleted ALL traces of Serato on my computer and harddrives, and re-installed SSL directly from 2.3.3. I made it so it's as if my computer thinks this is the 1st time installing Scratch Live. Then I reanalyzed all tags. So far so good. I really think it is a harddrive/upgrade issue. I do not think anyone should be using USB harddrives simply because this is the path the audio streams down and you want it as uninterrupted as possible. There are so many better/faster options for hard drives, if of course your computer has other ports besides USB.

IF you have to use USB drives, check to see if you have 2 separate powered USB ports on your computer. In other words, one doesn't take from the other. Also, depending on your MAC, plug your SL box into the port that DOES NOT share with the trackpad and mouse. On newer Macbook Pro's, the port furthest away from you doesn't share with the trackpad and mouse, it only shares with the camera, which you probably are not using.

If you can't avoid using your harddrive on a USB bus, at the very least, get a Belkin USB hub that is powered by a power adapter and plug that hub into it's own USB outlet on your computer, and plug your SL box into another available port on your computer.

LJ_WOOLSEY 6:47 PM - 10 February, 2013

Has anyone just put auto play on but have all there stuff setup at home amd just left it running and see if the error comes up?

vio0633 8:57 PM - 10 February, 2013

Quote:

So I used Serato again last night in the same venue as Friday once again with no problems, and to be honest I have never had a problem here with it before. Does anybody think that maybe vibrations from the bass could cause anything to happen, as all I know is Serato has only ever gave up on me in bassy, more confined venues. Don't know if this could be a factor ? Still the sooner this problem is figured out the more relaxed and confident us DJ's can be again !

I doubt vibration would be a factor, especially in internal mode. I use internal mode, and have never had the problem for years, working in the same venues. Once I upgraded past a certain version though, I started to notice the problems, in the same venues. I think it has something to do with SSL re-writing the tags from 2.3.3 forward and the fact that harddrives need to be 7200 RPM with a high cache (at least 32 mb).

I had a gig last night, and again, no problems since upgrading my harddrive. This is quite a few in a row with no probems since upgrading, so I am hopeful. I took an old WD external harddrive (Firewire), opened it up, and replaced the drive in there with a WD black, SATA, 2TB, 7200 RPM, 64mb cache drive. I use firewire and it is powered by an external power adapter.

After trying all the other usual "tricks" on trying to fix this waveform/audio dropout problem, so far this is what is working. Keep in mind that I also deleted ALL traces of Serato on my computer and harddrives, and re-installed SSL directly from 2.3.3. I made it so it's as if my computer thinks this is the 1st time installing Scratch Live. Then I reanalyzed all tags. So far so good. I really think it is a harddrive/upgrade issue. I do not think anyone should be using USB harddrives simply because this is the path the audio streams down and you want it as uninterrupted as possible. There are so many better/faster options for hard drives, if of course your computer has other ports besides USB.

IF you have to use USB drives, check to see if you have 2 separate powered USB ports on your computer. In other words, one doesn't take from the other. Also, depending on your MAC, plug your SL box into the port that DOES NOT share with the trackpad and mouse. On newer Macbook Pro's, the port furthest away from you doesn't share with the trackpad and mouse, it only shares with the camera, which you probably are not using.

If you can't avoid using your harddrive on a USB bus, at the very least, get a Belkin USB hub that is powered by a power adapter and plug that hub into it's own USB outlet on your computer, and plug your SL box into another available port on your computer.

Can I get a link to the hard drive you installed into your WD Passport external? I have the same external and had the same issues but bought a new G Drive. I would like to take the old drive I have and upgrade it to what you got. I need a 2 TB drive for all my music videos :)

djgeorgegrover 9:53 PM - 10 February, 2013

Quote:

Has anyone just put auto play on but have all there stuff setup at home amd just left it running and see if the error comes up?

That is not a bad idea at all, but I don't think you can beat actually using it in the environment it would normally be used, as if it does work fine at home it doesn't mean that it will when you are DJin, and when using it at a gig it is easier to see what actions may have been taking place when the drop out happened. But of course by all means please do try this and then post any feedback that could be helpful ! I think at the moment any information at all is useful to help solving this !

turleybird 7:30 AM - 11 February, 2013

1. What type of computer do you have? Please list the specific brand, model, and year it was built. Also include total amount of RAM.

15 Inch MacBookPro Late 2008 Model, 4GB RAM

2. Is your music on an internal or external hard drive? If external, what brand, model, size capacity and interface (USB, firewire, etc..) do you use? Do you know the RPM of the drive?

Internal 750GB Seagate Hybrid Drive, Iomega External 1TB using Firewire only

3. How many total songs/videos do you have in Scratch Live that are analyzed and "ready to go" that the program actually sees?

~50,000 MP3s

4. What version of Scratch Live are you using?

2.4.3

5. What Serato box are you using (SL1, SL2, etc..)? If no box, what mixer are you using?

Rane 62

6. When did you first notice this problem of waveform/audio drops (After an upgrade, etc.)?

2.4.x when I first started using the Rane 62, before then I had an SL3 box and it never happened.

7. Do you use any MIDI controllers, and if so, which ones? If not, let us know if you only use control CD's or only use control vinyl, or a combo of MIDI controllers and control CD's/vinyl.

Only use Pioneer CDJs 800s MK2s

8. If you downgrade back to an earlier version of Scratch Live, does the problem "follow you" still?

Can't downgrade below 2.4 with 62 but yes I would

9. Are you able to get video of this problem as it happens ?

No

10. Does this problem happen even when you have the box disconnected and simply have Scratch Live open as a hot cue/loop editor?

No it has not happened.

7:31 AM, 11 Feb 2013

turleybird attached a file: MacBook Pro System Report.spx

Download· Permalink

turleybird 7:51 AM - 11 February, 2013

Quote:

...The annoying thing is I am constantly on edge of it just giving up on me half way through the night, especially when you have a packed dance floor, it is embarrassing !

^^THIS^^

Me Four

My boss was in attendance at the dance and was almost fired.

DJMINGIA 2:05 PM - 11 February, 2013

Quote:

Can I get a link to the hard drive you installed into your WD Passport external? I have the same external and had the same issues but bought a new G Drive. I would like to take the old drive I have and upgrade it to what you got. I need a 2 TB drive for all my music videos :)

The external WD harddrive I have is an "old school" WD black plastic style case. It has 2 FW400 ports, 1 small USB port, and 1 E-sata port. I bought it in late 2008. When I took it apart, it had a 750GB Western Digital "Green" label harddrive. These drives are called green, because they vary the RPM to conserve energy. The "black" label internal drive I put in there does not vary and is true 7200 RPM, hence more money.

Internal drives today are pretty standard with their interfaces. The interface is usually SATA (Not e-Sata). Now, if you have a WD (or any other external HD for that matter) and it is FW800, it still may have either a 5400 RPM drive inside OR a "green" style harddrive inside (Seagate has variable RPM drives too). In either case, you should be able top go inside the external case, take out the old drive and put in the new "black" label drive.

Now, for the disclaimer. You will most likely void the warranty of your external harddrive when opening it. Also, please note that there are delicate electronics in there that can fry from simple static electricity. When taking the out the old internal harddrive, and putting the new one in, it is possible you may bend the connector pins if you are not VERY careful, and then the case is ruined. BE VERY CAREFUL, and of course make sure everything is unplugged. Finally, I am not sure if this is the end all be all solution. I just know that so far so good for me when i did this. I really think it is a stream issue, hence, varying RPM's, low RPM's, and low cache's on the harddrive being not good for SSL.

The drive is a standard 3.5" form SATA drive. If you have a pocket drive, portable drive, or the like, it will not work, as those drives are most likely smaller (2.5" instead).

Here is the link to the black label. www.bestbuy.com

DJMINGIA 2:15 PM - 11 February, 2013

Also, like I mentioned in other posts I completely deleted all traces of SSL on my internal drive and external drives. This included all V2's, all databases, all history, everything. I basically searched my harddrive for the terms Serato, Scratch Live, SSL, Rane, Sixty-two, etc..... I deleted everything, including drivers and extensions.

I then installed the earliest version I could get away with (Which was 2.3.3). I made it so my computer thought it was the first time I was installing Scratch Live. I recommend NOT installing anything BEFORE 2.3.3 only because 2.3.3 was when tags started to get written differently and this may be part of the problem (conflicts between old and newer versions).

I then opened SSL, Rescanned all my files, got new ID tags on each file and deleted all corrupt files.

So that, in combination with the harddrive swap trick seems to help. I risked spending about $200 on the new harddrive, but so far so good. Please keep in mind about the $200 you may be spending if you buy the new harddrive and it doesn't solve the problem.

As far as getting the music from your old hard drive to the new one, before I took apart anything, what I did was copy all the music I had on my old drive to a 3rd drive I had lying around (overnight). Then I took apart my drive, did the swap, then transferred from the 3rd drive back to my new drive.

DJMINGIA 2:39 PM - 11 February, 2013

One more thing, if you are going to delete all traces of SSL like I did, you must do that first on all drives (internal and external including your computer internal drive) before doing any backups and before doing any swaps or duplicating drives, etc... You may lose some crates, history, green labeled files, etc.. But for me at least, it is worth it if it fixes the problem.

djgeorgegrover 9:54 PM - 11 February, 2013

Has anyone checked the speed of their fans when they are running Serato ?!

I have just checked mine and they are running too high at 600rpm, I have checked this against Apple forums and have seen an identical message regarding the fan problem I may have:
discussions.apple.com

If you purely use your laptop for DJin like I do this wouldn't of been noticed with background noise from light fans and other equipment but it could also have an effect on Serato ?! It is not until I was going through everything in the silence of my home today that I noticed it !

LJ_WOOLSEY 9:56 PM - 11 February, 2013

I run my fans at full 6000rpm when djing like many do if video djing. I have no issue yet but i just use internal drive.

djgeorgegrover 10:06 PM - 11 February, 2013

Oh okay, I am just thinking of potential things that could cause any problems and I have only just noticed the fans running high maybe I was oblivious to this before. Thank you !

djgeorgegrover 2:14 PM - 16 February, 2013

Another successful night last night DJin' with no problems. Has any one had any problems recently or does this all seemed to have stopped ?

DJMINGIA 2:46 PM - 16 February, 2013

Since doing my hard drive trick, so far so good. Did yet another gig this past Monday and one last night with no problems. I'm hopeful here.

DJMINGIA 2:47 PM - 16 February, 2013

One thing I did notice last night was the re-writing of tags thing again. A song that I had played in the past, too.

DJ506 7:59 PM - 16 February, 2013

~ Anybody using the 2.4.4 BETA?

vio0633 3:45 AM - 17 February, 2013

Quote:

One thing I did notice last night was the re-writing of tags thing again. A song that I had played in the past, too.

Im sorry but this is BS! This bug has not been fixed in the last couple of updates! Why is it they cant fix this stuff? This new beta doesnt really appeal to alot of the bugs I have seen on the forum. I hope the next major update the SSL team does addresses alot of whats going on here. Stability first then add all the eye candy and features :)

LJ_WOOLSEY 3:54 AM - 17 February, 2013

They cant fix it because they have no idea what the issue is! Hence this thread!

Sam Diamond 8:38 PM - 18 February, 2013

1. What type of computer do you have? Please list the specific brand, model, and year it was built. Also include total amount of RAM.
HP Pavilion dv6 Notebook PC, 2009, 4GB RAM

2. Is your music on an internal or external hard drive? If external, what brand, model, size capacity and interface (USB, firewire, etc..) do you use? Do you know the RPM of the drive?
Most of the library runs on 2 external 2TB hard drives. Audio from a WD My Book Essential (USB 3.0 capable, but plugged into a 2.0 port), Video on a WD 3 1/2" Sata Drive in a Black Widow dock to connect via E-Sata.

3. How many total songs/videos do you have in Scratch Live that are analyzed and "ready to go" that the program actually sees?
100,000+

4. What version of Scratch Live are you using?
2.4.3 (24321)

5. What Serato box are you using (SL1, SL2, etc..)? If no box, what mixer are you using?
SL1

6. When did you first notice this problem of waveform/audio drops (After an upgrade, etc.)?
Middle of last year...

7. Do you use any MIDI controllers, and if so, which ones? If not, let us know if you only use control CD's or only use control vinyl, or a combo of MIDI controllers and control CD's/vinyl.
Korg Nano Pad + Control CDs on CDJ-1000MK3's

8. If you downgrade back to an earlier version of Scratch Live, does the problem "follow you" still?
Have not downgraded yet, but really thinking about it...

9. Are you able to get video of this problem as it happens ?
That can be arranged...

10. Does this problem happen even when you have the box disconnected and simply have Scratch Live open as a hot cue/loop editor?
YES! It did it today while I was downsizing the library, which caused me to hit the Forum.

brandoggie 10:02 AM - 24 February, 2013

has using sl 1.9 instead of newer versions helped anyone fix dropouts?

DJ Skritchin 12:02 AM - 27 February, 2013

seriously serato stop bullshitting with serato dj and intro and fix our shit.

chicchick 8:38 PM - 27 February, 2013

Hey all - ok, so last night I ran Serato and experienced dropped waveforms in the play window. They would show up in the preview, but either not load at all, or the form would flash quickly on the screen then disappear and, no sound.

1. What type of computer do you have? Please list the specific brand, model, and year it was built. Also include total amount of RAM.
MacBook Pro 2010 4gb ram 10.6.8

2. Is your music on an internal or external hard drive? If external, what brand, model, size capacity and interface (USB, firewire, etc..) do you use? Do you know the RPM of the drive?
Internal drive (loaded in my Traktor Track collection)

3. How many total songs/videos do you have in Scratch Live that are analyzed and "ready to go" that the program actually sees?
about 2,000

4. What version of Scratch Live are you using?
2.4.3 (24321)

5. What Serato box are you using (SL1, SL2, etc..)? If no box, what mixer are you using?
SL1

6. When did you first notice this problem of waveform/audio drops (After an upgrade, etc.)? Program ran fine first time after I analyzed the tracks and had a long mixing session. No changes to computer (recent install of WAVE Editor only)

7. Do you use any MIDI controllers, and if so, which ones? If not, let us know if you only use control CD's or only use control vinyl, or a combo of MIDI controllers and control CD's/vinyl.
using cdj 400's

8. If you downgrade back to an earlier version of Scratch Live, does the problem "follow you" still?
Have not downgraded

9. Are you able to get video of this problem as it happens ?
I could - took it apart last night and started up Traktor again

10. Does this problem happen even when you have the box disconnected and simply have Scratch Live open as a hot cue/loop editor?
No, didn't seem to

chicchick 8:40 PM - 27 February, 2013

forgot to mention, sometimes a track would load after I restarted Serato or restarted the cdjs, I could play a few then the problem would start up all over again...and the very same tracks that I was playing could not now be played. I've never had a problem with these tracks before.

DJMINGIA 4:23 PM - 10 March, 2013

OK, so after numerous gigs since starting this post, and doing all the things I mentioned within this thread, I have NOT had any problems with waveforms dropping and audio dropping. Not once. The only "problem" I still get is the re-writing of tags every once in awhile. But the re-writing is weird, it won't happen when I load the song, it only happens to the song after it gets replaced in the deck by another.

Say I have a Pitbull song in deck 1 and play it for a few minutes, if I then load another song into that deck after pausing it, it is at that moment that it starts to write tags to the Pitbull song (That is when I see it at the bottom of the screen). Doesn't happen to every song I play, but a few times throughout the night.

So just to recap. I took an old, adapter powered, WD Firewire enclosure, took out the internal drive that was in there and replaced it with a WD, Black Caviar, 2 TB, 7200 RPM, 64mb cache, SATA drive. I then deleted all traces of Serato on both my internal drive in my computer and external drives, including V2's, databases, backups, MIDI, basically anything related to Serato. I searched the terms Serato, SSL, Scratch Live, Rane, Sixty-two, etc... I basically made it as if my computer was brand new. I then copied just the files (No database stuff) from my old drive to my new 7200 drive, reloaded, rescanned, re-analyzed, and and then deleted all corrupt files.

The key I believe is the external case has to be Firewire, powered by an external power adaptor, and the drive within that enclosure has to be 7200 RPM, with a cache of at least 32mb, preferably 64mb.

Do not use "pocket drives", drives that are not powered by a power adapter, and especially do not use USB drives unless you have no other alternative, and if so, make sure to use it on another BUS besides the one your box/mixer may be in and to use a BELKIN powered hub. But definitely spend the extra money and use a Firewire drive if you can.

Anyway, I hope all this helps anyone who is having the problem of dropped waveforms and dropped audio. I suggest reading through this thread to get more details on how to make this work. Thanks.

vio0633 12:08 AM - 12 March, 2013

Quote:

OK, so after numerous gigs since starting this post, and doing all the things I mentioned within this thread, I have NOT had any problems with waveforms dropping and audio dropping. Not once. The only "problem" I still get is the re-writing of tags every once in awhile. But the re-writing is weird, it won't happen when I load the song, it only happens to the song after it gets replaced in the deck by another.

Say I have a Pitbull song in deck 1 and play it for a few minutes, if I then load another song into that deck after pausing it, it is at that moment that it starts to write tags to the Pitbull song (That is when I see it at the bottom of the screen). Doesn't happen to every song I play, but a few times throughout the night.

So just to recap. I took an old, adapter powered, WD Firewire enclosure, took out the internal drive that was in there and replaced it with a WD, Black Caviar, 2 TB, 7200 RPM, 64mb cache, SATA drive. I then deleted all traces of Serato on both my internal drive in my computer and external drives, including V2's, databases, backups, MIDI, basically anything related to Serato. I searched the terms Serato, SSL, Scratch Live, Rane, Sixty-two, etc... I basically made it as if my computer was brand new. I then copied just the files (No database stuff) from my old drive to my new 7200 drive, reloaded, rescanned, re-analyzed, and and then deleted all corrupt files.

The key I believe is the external case has to be Firewire, powered by an external power adaptor, and the drive within that enclosure has to be 7200 RPM, with a cache of at least 32mb, preferably 64mb.

Do not use "pocket drives", drives that are not powered by a power adapter, and especially do not use USB drives unless you have no other alternative, and if so, make sure to use it on another BUS besides the one your box/mixer may be in and to use a BELKIN powered hub. But definitely spend the extra money and use a Firewire drive if you can.

Anyway, I hope all this helps anyone who is having the problem of dropped waveforms and dropped audio. I suggest reading through this thread to get more details on how to make this work. Thanks.

Thanks for the update! I would like to say as well that after buying my 7200 RPM G Drive mini, my issues have not happened since. I didnt delete all the serato files and go all out like you did, but replacing my hard drive has helped. Not sure why all the sudden in these new releases I have to have a 7200 RPM drive with a good amount of cache. I remember the days when SSL ran just fine with USB 2.0 externals. Oh well....im glad your issue got fixed as well as mine.

David Wood 1:23 AM - 12 March, 2013

I/O differently seems to blame when it comes to Waveform dropouts. I'm glad to hear you are starting to have better results through these upgrades.

vio0633 1:57 AM - 12 March, 2013

Quick question though Dave...DJ Mingia and myself are still having issues with SSL re writing tags upon ejection of tracks. Why is it doing this still? Any insight or support you can give us?

vio0633 1:58 AM - 12 March, 2013

Just as an FYI...im not adding cue points or updating anything on these tracks. SSL shouldnt be doing this if the original file hasnt been changed.

David Wood 2:14 AM - 12 March, 2013

Are these MP4's or MP3's?

Is this only happening when you eject the files from the deck?

What changes are being made?

vio0633 5:17 AM - 12 March, 2013

Both MP3's and MP4's. I just replicated it as we speak with both files. I will play a file in the offline player and then select a new one then it tells me on the bottom of SSL that tags are getting re written. All my files overviews have been built. All im doing is just loading track for track and its constantly re writing tags. Doing this may cause performance issues with alot of people as this puts a strain on the I/O while performing.

vio0633 5:17 AM - 12 March, 2013

I can post a video if need be Dave.

vio0633 5:29 AM - 12 March, 2013

Watch www.youtube.com

DJ Skritchin 5:26 PM - 12 March, 2013

New update. hopefully problem solved.

LJ_WOOLSEY 5:43 PM - 12 March, 2013

No!! Again unless steps are found to make these dropouts happen Serato can NOT find the solution to fix them!!!

David Wood 8:06 PM - 12 March, 2013

This youtube clip seems to be private. Could you make it public so i can watch it?

vio0633 6:22 AM - 14 March, 2013

Oops....sorry Dave!

www.youtube.com

David Wood 12:51 AM - 15 March, 2013

Hey guys,

This thread was about Waveform dropouts. We are moving away from that now, i'd like those who are still having issues be able to continue to report the findings here.

Hey Vio0633.

Have you tried re-analyzing all your files?
What happens when you replay them after you have played them, do they read tags again?
What format is the hard drive they are saved to? If the drive is not formatted correctly or you don't have the write permissions, the file tags may not be able to be saved, which would cause Serato Scratch Live to try and re-write tags very time file is loaded to deck.

Regards
Dave W

vio0633 6:40 AM - 15 March, 2013

Sorry about this Dave. Would you like me to start another help thread?

When I click on "Analyze all files" it says all of the overviews have been built.

Once SSL re writes the tags, it doesnt do it again. I clicked on a song, tags get re written, switch to another song, and then go back to the same track and its good to go. So it just rewrites everything one time.

My hard drive is formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

djgeorgegrover 9:54 PM - 17 March, 2013

Happy to say I have had no problem any more with drop outs etc, but has anyone who was having problem fully updated to the latest release of Serato ?

I am only curious as I haven't updated and didn't know if I was best kind of sticking to the status quo, if it isn't broke don't fix it... Any suggestions.

David Wood 2:04 AM - 18 March, 2013

Hey vio0633,

Try selecting all the songs in the track playlist in Serato Scratch Live and dragging them onto the Analyze button. This should force the analyzing of all your tracks again. This should then fix the issue.

Regards
Dave W

DJ Tecniq 7:21 PM - 18 March, 2013

I have had this problem before with previous versions of scratchlive. I was told to increase the usb buffer more. After doing so I've never had a dropout occur since. I believe that is the problem or atleast seemed to be for me.

DJMINGIA 2:38 AM - 25 March, 2013

BTW, I use version 2.3.3. It's the most stable as far as I can tell, and again, even up to last night, not one issue when doing all the things I mentioned in my earlier posts.

Sam Diamond 4:27 AM - 29 March, 2013

And then there's this...

I found some mp4 files were consistently having video-freeze/audio-freeze, etc... scanning the drive showed a bunch of files as having "bad clusters"... amazingly the files were the same ones that would cause ScratchLive to crap out...

I believe the problem is related to file corruption, bu that may or may not be the result of some thing happening in Serato... I have NOT used all the files that came back as bad clusters... I will re-analyze and investigate further.

David Wood 12:32 AM - 2 April, 2013

Thanks Sam, will look forward to hearing what you find out.

Awedeep 2:40 PM - 7 April, 2013

Hello,
first sorry for my english, i hope you understand me:)
i think the problem are the core audio drivers. with the new version 2.4.4 serato seperate the audio drivers so they will not be automatically installed with serato scratch live. i had the problem of dissapearing waveform and audio dropout about one year. Now its GONE.

you can try to uninstall the core audio drivers with the unsintall programm in the sl 2.4.4.

to be sure, i formated my harddisk (dont forget backup) and installed Lion new. then i install 2.4.4 WITHOUT THE CORE AUDIO DRIVERS. and now about 4 weeks i don't have any problems.

To Serato Team: Could it be that the audio drivers are the reason for this problem???

LJ_WOOLSEY 3:18 PM - 7 April, 2013

The reinstall of the os was most likly the fix there.

David Wood 1:50 AM - 8 April, 2013

Hey Awedeep,

When you say

Quote:

to be sure

did it stop dropping out before reinstall of the OSX?

Regards
Dave W

DJ Skritchin 6:45 AM - 15 April, 2013

is this problem ever gonna get solved or is serato politely asking me to switch to traktor? another fucking drop out and the file came back corrupt when the waveform came back in.

LJ_WOOLSEY 10:11 AM - 15 April, 2013

They can that solve this as yet no one has found why it does it and no one can jist reproduce it. Untill we find out why its happening it cant be fixed.

DJ Skritchin 3:25 PM - 15 April, 2013

so basically my sixty two is a paper weight.....a 2100 dollar paper weight.

LJ_WOOLSEY 3:28 PM - 15 April, 2013

Unless you can proved some derails and steps to how you can make it drop out and then serato can reproduce it.

Have you read this thread and tried everything suggested? Have you given all your details and answered all the questions?

Sorry not got time to read above and check if you have.

DJNeilG 3:27 PM - 23 April, 2013

Hi
I've been using a work around that seems to have prevented any dropouts for me for about a month.

I know others have said dropouts can occur quite quickly, but all mine seemed to be after about 2.5 hours or so.

I've taken to closing Serato program (while playing a CD in thru mode) and then re-opening the program again, without shutting down the laptop.

So far no dropouts using this method, which i know is a bit of a pain, especially as my 3.5 year old mains adaptor developed a fault, (Serato feel free to send me a new one).

As I'm restarting the software and this may be stopping the dropouts, I wondered if it was something to do with the memory or the running process.

Anyway I'm posting this as extra info for all with this problem, but like everyone, I would love a full solution from Serato to give us back confidence in the system.

thanks
Neil

DJ Matty M 7:08 PM - 18 May, 2013

Is anyone else having the drop out issue in more than one venue, or the same venue? I gig 4 nights a week, and only have found audio to drop out in the same venue every week. I had the drop out for about 5 weeks in a row, then it was fine for a few months, but the past 2 weeks its started the audio cut outs. No idea what it is as nothing was changed in the venue before or after the drop outs occurred. This is basically what happens...

1. Audio distorts
2. Wave form disappears and Audio cuts out
3. If I unplug my Serato USB, the wave form comes back
4. If I plug in my serato usb, nothing happens.
5. I've to restart my MacBook pro and look like a complete cock while the dancefloor empties.

Only 1 venue I'm having this trouble in!? Is it the venue? Is it something in the venue is fucking with my serato box?

Also, please read:

I don't use an external Serato Power adapter, I just run it off my laptop USB. One night i plugged my iphone into the laptop to charge while I was djing and the touchscreen started bugging out. I then plugged it into the wall and my touchscreen bugged out again, wouldn't do what I wanted it to do, as if it had a mind of its own...

Could there be dodgy power in the club in question, and as my laptop is plugged in is it causing my serato to bug out?

NOTE* I dj back to back with a lad who uses Traktor S4 with macbook and he never ever has an issue?

I'm giving this one more week and if not I'm going to try rekordbox

aSiNe 4:46 PM - 21 May, 2013

1. dell xps, l501x, quad core i7, 2.2 GHz, 6GB RAM, Nvidia GT540M 2GB RAM

2. internal 7200rpm

3. 6000

4. 2.4.4

5. sl1

6. about a year ago

7. traktor kontrol s1, but this problem still happens with nothing plugged in and running in internal mode

8. havent tried

9. heres a video of it about to happen :)

Watch www.youtube.com

10. i have seen it struggle to update the waveform when in offline mode but dont recall any dorp outs. dropouts generally seem to happen when both decks are loaded.

DJ Skritchin 8:51 PM - 21 May, 2013

I'm posting a track that corrupted itself after a waveform drop out. I tried to load this track,(which I have done before with no issues and have played with no issues) and when I loaded it, waveform drop, audio loss, and when serato started working again, this file was corrupt. Is serato maybe having an issue with reading the frames? because it says "contains invalid frames" after the file comes back corrupt.

DJ Skritchin 8:53 PM - 21 May, 2013

I've uninstalled and reinstalled serato, and reanalyzed all my files to make sure nothing was corrupt and removed everything that was. I've noticed when analyzing files that FLACs usually tend to never fully analyze and i have to remove the file from my crates. Maybe that's causing something? I went a month without drop outs and now they're happening again. I can't afford to have this keep happening in front of hundreds of people.

LJ_WOOLSEY 9:16 PM - 21 May, 2013

And you have tried everything mentioned above???

DJ Skritchin 9:34 PM - 21 May, 2013

pretty much.

Kid Cannibal 12:54 AM - 17 July, 2013

Hey just to piggy back on Matty there, this happened to me for the first time at a club I've played at literally hundreds of times and it was while they were messing with some power related stuff too.

Basically everything was fine for the first 2.5 hours, then, they tried to plug in a wireless mic and as soon as they touched to power strip, this happened. I restarted serato, started again, but as soon as they plugged in, same thing. After that, no one touched anything, we used a cabled mic, no problems for the rest of the night... I'm still re analyzing all my files today just in case though, AND increasing the hardware buffer as per the suggestions here.

Kid Cannibal 10:13 PM - 19 July, 2013

Still seems to be happening. Serato is still silent on this? No one has found a solution? As many have mentioned this is an easy deal breaker, it's on to another program if this cannot be fixed.

DJ Skritchin 12:34 AM - 21 July, 2013

i moved my usb buffer all the way to the right, and it worked fine for two weeks. today i had two drop outs, one was just a regular one, the second one corrupted the file.

DJ Skritchin 12:34 AM - 21 July, 2013

six months and no resolution, really? we've answered all yalls questions.

David Wood 8:56 PM - 21 July, 2013

Hey DJ Skritchin,

I've been helping you in your own thread and as you can see there are suggestion regarding your external HD, i'd like you to try these as I believe this can help you. The resolution can only be found through a troubleshooting process which we are doing together. Unfortunately your issue is obviously different than other users in this thread because your files are showing frame indexing issues after dropouts. Let us continue to seek answers in your own thread as this is the best way forward.
serato.com

Hey Kid Cannibal,

Many users here have found fixes related to there Hard Drive's. However I have seen it happen with power related issues. Make sure you have clean power, don't plug your Rane Box into the same power as say a smoke machine or strobe machine for example. I'd keep your computer and Rane hardware on a different power supply if possible.

Regards
Dave W

2:09 AM, 30 Aug 2013

This help request has been closed due to inactivity.

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