Serato vs Traktor sound quality?

[michellev]

Hi!

I was once informed that Serato is outputted as analog and Traktor as digital (in relation to using the time coded vinyl). I was unable to find any detailed information on the net, so I was wondering if anyone knows the correct signal flow for these two products and just some general information on how the serato box works?

cheers :)

[powerstruggle]

Also interested.

Once I'm setup again will be looking to get :D

[ChAbIb]

well i got serato and i always thought the output was digital but yeah it'll be interesting to actually find out the truth

[Spicy]

yeh i wonder how this works. my logic suggests that the time-code gets read via analog RCA and goes into the serato/traktor box that converts it to a digital signal, then it travels via USB to the computer you're using where it gets processed. the music that comes out is digital via USB, gets converted on the traktor/serato box into an analog signal that goes into the inputs of your mixer via RCA... ???

so the signal that goes into your mixer is always analog. i assume the quality of the sound you're talking about depends on the quality of the D/A and A/D converters on the actual audio 8 or serato box.

even if you use time-coded CDs the signal that comes out of the CD player is still analog because that's just the way it works (in which case you need to rely furthermore on the quality of the D/A converter on the CD player).

e: actually scrap this last bit about the CD players because it doesn't actually have any impact on the quality of the audio that's coming out.

[michellev]

yeh i wonder how this works. my logic suggests that the time-code gets read via analog RCA and goes into the serato/traktor box that converts it to a digital signal, then it travels via USB to the computer you're using where it gets processed. the music that comes out is digital via USB, gets converted on the traktor/serato box into an analog signal that goes into the inputs of your mixer via RCA... ???

so the signal that goes into your mixer is always analog. i assume the quality of the sound you're talking about depends on the quality of the D/A and A/D converters on the actual audio 8 or serato box.

even if you use time-coded CDs the signal that comes out of the CD player is still analog because that's just the way it works (in which case you need to rely furthermore on the quality of the D/A converter on the CD player).

e: actually scrap this last bit about the CD players because it doesn't actually have any impact on the quality of the audio that's coming out.





hey spicy,

i tried traktor for a week and then ended up buying serato and did notice a difference in the sound. serato sounds "warmer" and also the vinyl is just as tactile as normal vinyl, where as the traktor vinyl locked in time easier and the sound was exactly the same as cd sound.

i think your signal flow description sounds about right but still keen to find out a lot more about how this all works!

:geek:

[louislogic]

audio 8 box is higher specced than the scratch live box..
just visit the scratch live website and the traktor website and compare the specs on the actual boxes.. thats the bottleneck...
don't think ur going to notice much difference if any.

and to take a stab in the dark (if my memory serves, it often doesnt) the SSL box is the same quality as a regular CD

[ekwipt]

Traktors interface is better quality than Rane/Seratos, better DA conversion (Cirrus Logic converters on the Traktor box). Traktor 3 when run in 24 bit 96khz cuts some mid range in the EQ, don't know why though... Traktor Pro seemingly fixed this problem.

Keylock is supposedly crap on Traktor Pro, Audio glitches galore. Serato still has to fix theirs as well.

This is all 2nd hand knowledge from what i've read on other forums, but do some research and you'll find the same info more or less

Both are digital to analog converted is my belief (don't they have to be to make sound the other end???)

[Bracko]

it's interesting that you attribute "warmer" as "better" when it's a decifiency in the sounds quality.

RE: keylock, the system processing requirements increased SIGNIFICANTLY when under keylock. so either get a higher spec'd laptop, run a entry level with +'d RAM or don't use it. [edit: with traktor]

[michellev]

it's interesting that you attribute "warmer" as "better" when it's a decifiency in the sounds quality.

RE: keylock, the system processing requirements increased SIGNIFICANTLY when under keylock. so either get a higher spec'd laptop, run a entry level with +'d RAM or don't use it.




yes i have learned this. my taste in sound prefers this distortion tho.

[ekwipt]

it's interesting that you attribute "warmer" as "better" when it's a decifiency in the sounds quality.

RE: keylock, the system processing requirements increased SIGNIFICANTLY when under keylock. so either get a higher spec'd laptop, run a entry level with +'d RAM or don't use it. [edit: with traktor]

Check the Traktor forums, i'm talking about latest 2008 macbook pros 2.8 ghz processor and 4gb of ddr3 ram...

NI dropped the ball again........

[YossarianIsSane]

yeh i wonder how this works. my logic suggests that the time-code gets read via analog RCA and goes into the serato/traktor box that converts it to a digital signal, then it travels via USB to the computer you're using where it gets processed. the music that comes out is digital via USB, gets converted on the traktor/serato box into an analog signal that goes into the inputs of your mixer via RCA... ???

so the signal that goes into your mixer is always analog. i assume the quality of the sound you're talking about depends on the quality of the D/A and A/D converters on the actual audio 8 or serato box.

even if you use time-coded CDs the signal that comes out of the CD player is still analog because that's just the way it works (in which case you need to rely furthermore on the quality of the D/A converter on the CD player).

e: actually scrap this last bit about the CD players because it doesn't actually have any impact on the quality of the audio that's coming out.

Well essentially yes, a record by definition is analog. But the box would convert it to digital (which would be pretty easy given its timecoded).

I prefer the traktor sound to serato. Although tbh I'm not sure if the difference is real or imaginary.

I have no issues with sound on traktor when key locked. running 2.4ghz dell with 4gb ram. Usually Ive got torrents, a shyteload of firefox tabs & sometimes even cd buring in the background.

[AfroWhitie]

Sound quality should depend largely (if not totally) on what card you are actually using.

The analogue/digital points are all moot IMO

[Spicy]

Check the Traktor forums, i'm talking about latest 2008 macbook pros 2.8 ghz processor and 4gb of ddr3 ram...

NI dropped the ball again........arrrr! waiting for new software update then?

[ekwipt]

I'm on Serato would only think about moving to traktor pro if the ableton serato partnership doesn't work out next year.

[michellev]

I'm on Serato would only think about moving to traktor pro if the ableton serato partnership doesn't work out next year.



yes i heard about this!!!!!!!!!:hooray:

[ekwipt]

They're pretty tight lipped about it though... Naam 09 is on the 15th of Jan 09 hopefully we find out more

[Bracko]

Check the Traktor forums, i'm talking about latest 2008 macbook pros 2.8 ghz processor and 4gb of ddr3 ram...

NI dropped the ball again........

my laptop is nothing special and i was running both decks on key lock.

IMO laptop optimisation issue and not traktor.

[Underdog]

i use an eepc 701 for traktor with no issues at all, key lock, efx, recording etc, as Bracko says, you just need to be able to tweak your lappy to get it to work ok