A little help would be useful...

Hello...
Serato?!?

Hi DjCity,

Sorry for the wait there, we are a little busy at the moment.

When you get a crash you get an option to send a report, you can copy this and save it to Textedit or a program similar. Upload that to this converation using the "attach a file" button if you want.
The crash with video could be a few things. Assigning a video to a track playing is kinda risky, however check your buffer size and graphics card VRAM and make sure you have "automatic graphics card switching" turned off

Matt P

Here are the crash reports.

Please let me know what's going on.

Hello?!?

I know you guys are busy but do you think you could take a little time out to help me with this support ticket?

I have attached 2 crash reports.

Hi DjCity,

Sorry man, again, we are swamped, hold tight.
I've had a chance to review your crash reports. Are you using video when you are experiencing these crashes? it looks like you have a USB hub? are you using that with your NS6?

What are you doing when you get these crashes? let me know as much information as you can about what happens when its crashing

Matt P

I am using video when it crashes.

I do not use a hub at all. NS6 goes straight to the MBP.

I really can't say that anything special happened when it crashed. Just regular DJ'ing. No effects, no samples or anything. I only use 2 decks and I use the dedicated video view.

I run video when I play and the media crate will attach a video clip if it's a music file that I load to the deck.
I use the navigation and load buttons of the NS6. I don't use keyboard shortcuts.

I can't think of anything else to add about the crashes.

On another issue,
I reanalyzed my library and I have quite a few tracks that play at a MUCH lower volume now than they did before I Re-analyzed them.
I have auto gain checked but it seems not to have worked.
I wanted my tracks to all have a beatgrid so I unchecked set auto BPM and checked set beatgrid.

Now my tracks are not playing at the correct volume.
How can I fix this issue?

DjCity,

Ok, first issue. Make sure you go to the energy saver tab of system preferences and turn off "Automatic graphics card switching". This will allow the computer to only use the higher power graphics card for video tasks.
Then figure out what size graphics card you have by going to "about this mac" going to more info and looking at the graphics section.
Adjust the buffer size in the Serato video tab of the Setup menu in ITCH to correspond with your graphics card.

Let me know how that goes and then we can tackle the second issue you are having.

Matt P

Hey Matt P

Automatic graphics switching is unchecked. It has been unchecked since I first purchased the MBP.

My graphics card is an AMD Radeon HD 6770M 1024 MB graphics. What should my buffer size be?

DjCity,

Your buffer should be set in the middle but you can try adjusting it to the left and see if that helps ( like around 512)

Matt p

It's set in the middle.
I will let you know how it goes.

I still have the issue of low music. What I am doing is as I find tracks that are low, I write them down and re-analyze them later in the offline player. When I re-analyze them, it brings the volume back to normal.

I have no idea how many tracks have bad volume right now.

Another issue popped up last night.

I got a new NS6.
I loaded up itch and it took a looooong time to load up. I got the spinning beach ball for a while before itch finally opened.
It was not like that with the old NS6.

Any ideas on the volume issue and the slow to open issue?

DjCity,

I'd suggest re-analyzing all your files. leave it open overnight if you have a lot. Its always a good idea to do this.

Have you updated the drivers and firmware for the NS6?

How big is your library?

Matt P

I had another crash last night. I will attach the crash report.

My library is fairly large. I will try to get you a more accurate definition of fairly large.

When I analyzed my files last week, I started having the volume problem.
All volumes were fine before I reanalyzed.

I will try it again though.

This is crazy!

There is no crash report. I saw it last night when the itch crashed but I don't see it now.

Found them...
Crash from last night and a crash from March 2nd is attached.

PLEASE let me know what is going on and how to fix this.

I have 50 crates
I have one crate with 134 sub crates
30,521 total music files as of today

Btw...

I'm on a mac so I should not have to worry about drivers right?
Firmware is up to date.

Hi DjCity,

Mac's need drivers too. Here is the link to the Numark driver - www.numark.com

Let me know how that works for you. I've had a look at the crash reports, not able to get much from them unfortunately.

Matt P

I will try the drivers.

The volume issue is really annoying.
Any help with this?

IMPORTANT!!!
How do I check which drivers I currently have?
I don't want to install drivers if I already have the latest drivers installed.

REALLY IMPORTANT!!!
The track volumes.
I am re analyzing tracks and have auto gain set to default 92db. I am still getting some tracks playing extremely low.
When I find them, I go back and re analyze them again and that fixes them.

The problem is that I have a LOT of music and there is no way for me to know which tracks are gonna be at a low volume until I play them live.

By low volume I mean I have to turn the gain ALL the way up and turn the bass mid and treble up just to get it to be close to the 12:00 gained track that is playing on the other deck.

DjCity,

Its not a problem if you re install the drivers.

If you have the volume of the individual tracks down you should be able to adjust them manually with the gain knob, while in the mix on the software. Right above the meters on each platter/virtual deck.
I'd imagine analysing the library should have fixed this. Is this happening to files stored on the external only or both internal and external?

Matt P

All my music is stored internal.

I can turn the tracks up with the gain knob on the NS6 while in the mix. The problem is that the volumes are sometimes so low that I have to turn the gain knob up all the way and adjust the treble up as well to get close to matching the volume of the currently playing track.

Analyzing the library is not working the way it should.
I am in the process of reanalyzing the library a few tracks at a time to see if that helps.

Any ideas on what could be wrong?

Hi DjCity,

It could be a corrupted file in the Serato folder, Like the database V2 file or something.

If you want to try renaming the _serato_ folder to _Serato_old. Then copying the Subcrates and Crates folders into the newly built _Serato_ folder (Serato creates a new _Serato_ folder upon startup).

If this doesn't help you can rename the old serato back to normal and trash the new serato folder.

Make sense?

Matt P

I'm starting to think it may be a hardware issue although I can't see how that could be.

My NS6 has been doing weird things.

The crashes are the worst. (Crashed again Saturday night)
Play buttons don't always "Play" Sometimes they start and instantly stop. (Very embarrassing)
Sometimes the platter stops responding properly. (Scratch mode) Play track, Touch platter to stop music but music does not stop. Instead it tried to edit the beatgrid. It slips the beatgrid. NO SCRATCHING!

What could be going on here?!?

I really don't want to go to Pioneed DDJ-SX. I really like my NS6 but I just have no idea what could be going on.

I will add my latest crash report soon.

DjCity,

Please upload the crash report. I'll have a look at that. I'm curious to know more about the scratching/editing beat grid issue. If you could let me know how to reproduce that i'd really like to see that get fixed.

Matt P

I will post the crash report as soon as I fire up the MBP again.

I went ahead and got a new NS6 so if I was having a hardware issue, hopefully that will solve it.

I'm seriously considering getting the DDJ-SX.
If I have any more problems with the NS6 and it's NOT software related....
DDJ-SX, here I come.

Dude, I hate to tell you this. Downgrading to 1.7 is the only thing that works. I fought for 2 months with this and almost dumped Itch altogether to go back to ScratchLive. Another DJ recommended the downgrade and I have been crash free ever since. I hated losing features, but I'd rather not crash in front of a crowd. Trust me, it was thhe ONLY solution.

Matt P

I have attached the latest crash reports.

I have not had a crash (knock on wood) since I got the new NS6 but I still REALLY need to know what is going on.

Thanks

DjCity,

Can you DL Serato DJ and see if you get the same crash report? I'm seeing these crash reports are both using ITCH.

Matt P

I don't understand what you mean.
The crashes are with itch, not serato dj.

Are you saying I should delete serato dj?

DjCity,

I'm wondering if you can try Serato DJ, in case its software specific. Its a free upgrade for the NS6 so it won't cost you anything.

Matt P

Hey Matt P

I see that you found the reason i'm still using Itch >serato.com

I also like the functionality of Itch and the features of itch better than Serato DJ. If Serato DJ had all the features of Itch and the functionality and workflow of itch, It would be so much better.

In the meantime, have you found any reason for my crashes?

DjCity,

Yes, I see that you prefer ITCH and understand why now. However, no further development is happening with ITCH so this problem being related to ITCH won't go away. Unfortunately we've hit a bit of a dead end here.
The crash reports are pointing to ITCH crashing and that means if its something to do with the software, then it wouldn't be getting fixed in the long term.

Regards
Matt P

I understand a newer version od Serato DJ in on the way.
I know you can't say much but can you say if it addresses any of my problems or issues?

Does it address my workflow and features issues?

I still have not had a crash since replacing my NS6 (Still knocking on wood).

DjCity,

Yes there is a new version of Serato DJ coming very soon. This should fix bugs and implement new features. Naturally i can't talk about the new software until its released.

Good to hear that you aren't experiencing crashes though.

Matt P

Do the issues I'm having with my NS6 and Serato DJ exist with the Pioneer DDJ SX?

Ineed a solution that works!

If the DDJ SX works with Serato DJ Beyer than the NS6, I might be willing to try it but I would rather not spend that kind of money on a "might work better" solution.

If the DDJ SX and Serato DJ work together better than the NS6 with Serato DJ, I might be willing to try it.
Ineed to KNOW it's a better solution before dropping cash on the controller.

Hi DjCity,

I don't think that you should buy another controller just in the hopes of it working better.

The DDJSX has shown a few of its own issues. It definitely is a lot of fun and a great controller. I enjoy it a lot.

Matt P

I am not going to get the Pioneer DDJ-SX. It does present it's own set of issues and those issues are a serious deterrent for me and my workflow.

I may get the Numark NS7 II when it comes out.

This unit will be supported by Serato DJ right? or will Serato DJ be retrofitted to work with it like it is for the NS6?

Hi DjCity,

The NS7 MKII will be supported with Serato DJ as will the NS7FX

Matt P

Matt P

Will it be a retrofit or designed for the ns7II?

I know ns7 and sdj will be a retrofit.

DjCity,

I understand, I imagine like the other release, there will be a version of Serato DJ to support the release of the ns7mkii

Matt P