One of the most popular DJTT articles was a discussion in 2012 about choosing between modular setups or all-in-one DJ rigs. Despite the influx of tons of fantastic all-in-one controllers and standalone gear like the XDJ-RX, modular DJ controllers are still a very popular, affordable, and versatile choice. Today DJTT community member Belmont shows off how he mixes with a Midi Fighter 3D, Midi Fighter Twister, two Kontrol X1 Mk2s, Traktor, and any four channel mixer.
Gear Used In The Video
Belmont shared the specifics of the gear he used in this video:
- Allen & Heath Xone 42 – with an external sound-card (MOTU UltraLite MKIII Hybrid) that has four independent channels coming out from Traktor into the mixer. (You can use any four channel mixer – built in soundcards make for optimal convenience!)
- Kontrol X1 MK2 – used to control four decks, FX control, Loops and Beatjumps.
- Midi Fighter Twister – used to control Deck D, sequencing drum beats.
- Midi Fighter 3D – used to trigger single-shot samples and launch some clips.
- Sennheiser HD25 – for monitoring.
- 4 port USB Hub – used to connect all USB devices.
- Chroma Cables & Chroma Caps – used to add some color to my setup 🙂
FX ASSIGNMENT + MAPPINGS USED
- Fx1: Single Mode – Delay T3 (Decks A,B,C)
- Fx2: Group Mode – Wormhole, Beatmasher, Filter (Decks A,B,C)
- Fx3: Single Mode – Reverb (Decks A,B,C,D)
- Fx4: Single Mode – Tape Delay (Deck D)
- Note: Remix Deck FX only is activated in channel 1.
On the Kontrol X1 MK2s, Belmont only used the default mapping, but for the Midi Fighters he used some custom mappings from the DJTT Maps repository:
- Midi Fighter Twister: Traktor Sequencer
- Midi Fighter 3D: Sample Player
Watch a detailed explanation of the setup where Belmont discusses his magic use of the tape delay with the remix deck and samples:
Listen to more of Belmont’s mixes here on Soundcloud.
Read More: Creative Ways To Use The Traktor Remix Decks Or Samples In A Real DJ Set
Do you have any magic FX for the remix decks?
Share them in the comments below!
Hi Friends: (sorry if Not a place for my question) I got a Allen & Heat K2 & Midi Fighter Twister .. somebody have a map for this controllers work together? Or give me references for how to do? Thanks & good post Dan White 😀
The link to his soundcloud is giving a 404.
His set builds nicely
Okay but how do you set that all up nicely in a club where there is no space for a modular setup? Do you bring a towel and put your stuff on the CDJs or Technics?
Do you have any magic FX for the remix decks
can’t fix my balls on it
im actually mostly interested in the way he routes his FX units… ive been having a hard time figuring out a stable routing setup where i dont have to constantly turn on/off my effects per deck… it just gets me way too confused when im in the middle of a live setup
So basically he has his FX running globally except for the tape delay which only affects his sample deck… hmmm…gotta try out this routing!
Speaking of modular setups, im currently on an extended trip 8 hours away from where i normally live (that’s 8 hours of time difference) and i didnt expect to be gone this long so i only brought a launch pad and launch control with my ipad and macbook pro with me… now that im staying for an extended period of time i’m trying my best to get a minimal controller setup going so i can play a few gigs here….
the thing i hate the most with knobs is bank switching… even with pickup values and modifiers, i want to look down and know that if my knob is 2 o’clock then its corresponding value is at 2 o’clock. so right now im trying to figure out how to set it all up… the deck controls are already done on my launchpad it’s finding a way to control the mixer and the effects…. ipad with custom templates is cumbersome at best… havent had any good chance with touchosc. touchable is fantastic but its for ableton only.
I think i’ll have to bite the bullet and buy me an extremely overpriced (where i currently am) launch control XL…
[…] Mixing With Traktor On A Modular … – One of the most popular DJTT articles was a discussion in 2012 about choosing between modular setups or all-in-one DJ rigs. Despite the influx of tons of … […]
I feel like this video is barely scratching the surface when you think how much you could do with that amount of control. Some clever midi mapping would do wonders even with fewer control surfaces. But then again I’m def not into this minimal kind of music.
The techniques used in this video are interesting and definitely show the power of traktor, but I also feel that this video reaffirms a common stereotype that is that traktor’s features really only benefit those who play techno/tech house/minimal.
I’d love to see a video like this but with someone playing a more upfront genre (drum and bass or trance as examples) and using a lot of the traktor features. Sadly through NI’s marketing and even some of the content on this website, I feel traktor is getting pigeon-holed more and more as a platform that really only benefits certain genres.
I play uplifting Trance using Traktor, but instead of the remix decks I use Ableton, and control plugin instruments with my pair of Allen & Heath xone k2.
Traktor audio 10 goes out to my xone 4D and all audio goes through Ableton live before the final mix back in the 4D.
I have NordBeat loaded up on my iPad2 which is a drum machine and xynthersizer for melodic sequencing. each app having it’s own MIDI channel number, and following the time signal from Ableton.
it’s more accurate to manually match Traktor and Ableton, than to send MIDI between the two programs.
I play uplifting Trance using Traktor, but instead of the remix decks I use Ableton, and control plugin instruments with my pair of Allen & Heath xone k2.
Traktor audio 10 goes out to my xone 4D and all audio goes through Ableton live before the final mix back in the 4D.
I also run NordBeat app on my iPad as a drum machine, and xynthesizer for melodic elements.
Working on it.. My live breaks chops on a twister are steadily getting better.. This is actually what I’ve been working towards for a while.. techno/minimal/trance aren’t really my thing.
youre totally right. this is why i use traktor as a tech house and house dj. little bpm shifts (+/-) 5 and everything stays beat gridded. Add in samples or ext drum machine and it all needs to stay in time.
I feel the itch to go modular too. but i don’t want to spend 800$ on a mixer, get four midi fighter 3d’s, and two x1’s. because for that price i could just get a s8. but I’m not big into scratching. just do general mixing with all genres. love doing electro house though. so i feel like going modular, but the s8 has everything i need. what do you guys think?
Dont have to get a mixer. Buy a mixer style controller and do your mixing internally on traktor. Thats what i do. Modular should = cheaper
mixing internally in Traktor requires a more powerful computer.
Get something like the allen and Heath k2, along with the Kontrol X1. Portable, reasonable price, modular, expandable.
eat sleep tape delay repeat.
It was just alright.
Anybody know – if you hit Capture to fill in a remix cell, how the hell to you clear it?
Hold Shift and Press “Capture/Delete” on the F1 I believe. Or maybe add this function as a insta hotkey… Add In –> Remix Deck/Direct Mapping/Cell Delete Modifier. If anyone is interested you can turn to set this command in to a hold type action and then use it anytime as a global shift+Pad trigger to delete.
I’ll like too ask if u think is better a set up with traktor + abeton or traktor only. Because ill like to add a sequencer to my actual set up ( x1 mk2 and djm 900) and i was considering the idea of having a twister with ableton for have a full 4 deck traktor plus a sequencer… However really enjoyed the video ?
You’d unlock a ton more potential with Ableton for sure. I think the Twister works fine as a sequencer in this setup though.
You could do Traktor decks A, B, and C as track decks routed through channels 1, 2, and 3, then Ableton routed through channel 4 of the 900. That’s what Trevor Nygaard does except he has a Xone Db2 (I think): https://youtu.be/5DA7npOEU10?list=PLCFB7C9785EC8FD07
Nice setup, the kind of thing i’ll be able to replace my actual ableton live-set setup for more versatility. I really like the step sequencer thing on the remix decks.
A great video showing off the twister and how people are using a modular setup to increase their creativity!