The following tutorial by Ean explains how this is done and provides a few examples of things you can do with your Maschine to add some extra flavour to your sets.
SEND MIDI OUT OF TRAKTOR
This creates a MIDI output from Traktor to a “Traktor Virtual Output” port, which other programs in the computer can connect to.
ENABLE TRAKTOR MIDI INPUT (IN MASCHINE)
Make sure that the Traktor Virtual Output is enabled under MIDI inputs in Maschine and all other MIDI input is disabled. Be careful when connecting things like a Pioneer DJM-900, which can also send out MIDI clock and take over your syncing!
ENABLE MIDI SLAVE SYNC (IN MASCHINE)
This disables Maschine’s internal playback engine and waits for another program to “Press Play” and start the clock.
SEND CLOCK FROM TRAKTOR
The Play/Pause button will start sending out the BPM and begin playback in Maschine. To reset the cycle of the phrase, press the SYNC button.
START UP BOTH METRONOMES
Turn on both metronomes to check sync (they should be perfectly in phase). In Traktor the metronome plays back through the cue channel by default, so make sure to turn on your headphones or change the cue output.
SYNC THE CLOCKS
Chances are very high that the metronomes are not perfectly in sync. Use the MIDI sync offset slave command in Maschine’s preferences to sync them up before every set.
OUTPUT THE AUDIO
Both programs can run the same audio card, so I run Maschine out of the same output for deck C/D. This doubles up that channel, but greatly simplifies the overall setup. You could use a routing program like Soundflower to route Maschine’s audio into Traktor as well for further effects and sampling, which is also a lot of fun but beyond the scope of today’s article!
IN CONCLUSION: CONDITIONS, TERMS, AND QUESTIONS.
Chances are high you might have some perspectives or experience that should be added to this article, so please let us know in the comments. This process was designed and tested on a Mac, but things are slightly different for Windows users:
- There’s no Traktor Virtual Output on Windows
- Instead you need a MIDI interface (sound cards like the Audio 8 or even the S4 and Maschine could work)
- Run a MIDI cable from MIDI Out back into the MIDI in
- In Controller Manager, set the output and input to the MIDI interface
As usual. thank you for your support, and commitment to making digital DJing a creative, fun experience for everyone!