Caution Ugly Rant Coming Up!

Screw this... I'm tired of the endless frustration dealing with this new Macbook & Traktor "Pro" DJ setup! Any and every form of creative inspiration quickly gets sucked out of me everytime I flip open my laptop to open iTunes and/or Traktor.

I was more comfortable back when using T2.6 and a Powerbook. I had over 3000 songs set-up PERFECTLY ready to DJ, any event, any style anywhere! Now since "upgrading" my hardware and software everything is F**Ked up. and I haven't felt confident enough to play out at a gig for over almost half a year! The joy and love is gone.

Between dealing this new Mac hardware, it's wonderful OS, and ALL the surprise incompatibility and unreliability headaches between this new software, hardware and my music collection... I'm thinking of just selling it all, to return the simpler and reliable days of 2 Technic 1200's & a few crates of goddamn sweet vinyl!

Remember the days of... Simply picking 2 records, throwing em on the table, setting em up, pressing play and POOF! 100% of the time instant DJ gratification, cause everything works the way you'd expect it to... THE WAY IT SHOULD!

Now, I spend hours and hours reading manuals, searching through redundant forum postings, messing with ID3 tags issues between Traktor and iTunes, software crashes, clicks, pops, AND random shut downs (Macbook's lovely RSS "random shutdown syndrome" yet to be addressed by Apple)...

I don't think I'm an idiot, and I consider myself to be relatively computer savvy and I can read but DAMN IT! I'm a DJ not a problem researcher, beta tester, data entry clerk, or goddamn computer technician! A music loving DJ!

Anyone else feeling the same here?

 

Change

Fear of change is natural. The new software is superior, and once you get comfortable with it you will like it. I too had a bit of a period where I was stressed about the change.

Recomendation
Using your old setup for gigs and practicing with the new version on your free time. Once your are comfortable make the switch-not "when it come out necessarily"

If you have any questions(specific) feel free to shoot me a message.

 

Focus on getting a bunch of tracks sorted to tide you over and then use these to master the software and the operating system. Then when you have the system sorted to play the tracks, sort the rest.

It pains me to start playing a set knowing that I could be doing so much more but it is a learning process. When you have it mastered you will be laughing and having a good time

 

It's not random (If it's what I'm thinking about). Shutdown occurs when you are in a high sound level area doesn't it? this is due to the hard disk "falling on the floor" protection. Vibrations produced by PA's sound volume mess up with this device and make the mac shut off by itself. :angry:

 

DjAj I know where you are having the problem...You are just missing the required skills to be dj of the digital world ,which includes the following..................

1.problem researcher
2.beta tester
3.data entry clerk
4.computer technician

 

Oh my god, the sudden motion sensor triggering due to strong wavefronts hitting the machine? Too funny.

You can test if this is what's causing it by disabling the sensor:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1934

 

Thanks. I know this software is superior and can see the potential. I wish I could fall back on my old set-up but my old Powerbook died, so I bought this Macbook and T-pro in hopes of a positive upgrade experience. Since then learning everything and sorting through all the new technical issues is killing my inspiration... mostly in hardware and software reliability and file management between my iTunes collection and T-Pro.

Thanks PaulDaly... I know you are right. The key IS and always has been to be having fun! And I've lost sight of that. I haven't been having enough fun lately so I loose my enthusiasm and inspiration quickly these days (very scary feeling).

I've been too overwhelmed with managing and tagging all 3000 tracks,,, every time I look at the work I need to redo I could almost cry... never mind going through all the learning curve of effective MIDI set-up, system & software settings, de-bugging and problem solving, ect...

So at least by following your suggestion, I don't have to shake my head at my mess of a collection every time I open iTunes or Traktor and I can better manage my time setting up my system properly... oh AND try to have a bit of FUN again. ;o)

I'm aware that you can disable the Sudden Motion Sensor. To turn SMS off see this topic. http://www.native-instruments.com/forum/showthread.php?p=450248#post450248

I'm suffering from random shut down syndrome (RSS),,, it only happens occasionally but still often enough to scare me from playing live. Think it's something to do with overheating, the motherboard or power manager in the hardware. Many people are reporting the same issue as I have and Apple has yet to address it properly.

 

I happen to be all of these!

 

Weird, neither my powerbook nor my macbook pro has ever done this.. Is it related to power spikes, extreme heat, or something like that?

 

Haha, you may be right. God knows I have been working hard on developing my digital DJ skill set... ;o) I was doing so effectively for a few years with a Powerbook and T2.6,, It took some time to sort out as well, but I had a tight, reliable and consistent system with a strong work flow... now everything changed. Since the Powerbook died a horrible death I bought a new Macbook and skipped T3 all together and I am having to adapt to a learning through a whole new set of problems, testing, data entry and technical issues. I spend anywhere from 5 to 16 hours everyday I can, on various issues and feeling like I'm going nowhere fast. I spend maybe 10 to 20 percent of that total time actually mixing and having fun. Reading, testing and managing files too much and playing too little.
---

More than 1,500 people have signed in to a small website called macbookrandomshutdown.com to tell their tales of woe. Macintouch.com surveyed 2,800 users and found that 19 per cent of some early MacBook Pro units suffer from the random shutdown problem.

Most of the techies who have had problems with their laptops seem to think that the problem is down to a faulty heatsink or misplaced thermal sensor wires.

 

My Dell Vostro 1700 hackintosh system hasn't crashed once.

And no pops / clicks After the 1.02 update. (Audio 8 soundcard)

I'm extremely happy with my hardware / software.

 

http://www.wegenermedia.com/alum15.htm

10.4.11
167 g4 2gbs
matte screen
<$700$>

traktor 3.4
ableton seven

I don't know that this link/example is the best source option, but.... Im thinking of getting a backup machine that is a mirror of my current machine. I feel like Im already holding a very reliable and capable machine. T3.4 on the single ppc processor doesn't suck. Im just afraid its going to die. Paranoid I guess. Is that wierd. ?

 

My thread

I posted a thread last night which is located just below yours about my troubles in a club environment.

I really do miss the days of having a box of records and the simple reliability that came along with it.

I upgraded to a macbook and t-pro and have had nothing but problems recently, see my thread, and to be honest i'm unconvinced so far by my decision to upgrade.

 

T 2.6

Oh I remember that. It was a simpler time in them days. Summers were longer, computers without wireless and no processing power to speak of but it still all worked flawlessly.

It just not the same any more

Ignore me I am no help at all am I ;0)

 

Hi AJ!

You can also simply reinstall 2.6 on your new machine alongside TPro to have something known and stable to mix on. Works like a charm.

It won't address the RSS problem though. If I were you, I would spend two hours each day nagging them on the phone saying that I need this machine for professional on-stage music performance, until they cave in and fix it or exchange it for a computer that works. Be calm, nice, insistent and a total pain.

 

I feel ya DJ AI,

especially the part about TP sucking out the fun and thus your creativity. I have developped a certain 'fear' of using Pro, because I just know it'll get me frustrated in less then half an hour. Luckily I still have Traktor Scratch.

 

Same thing, I am absolutely happy with T3 and doing gigs with that as with that my setup works sweet whereas TPro needs a bit more hometime....

I used to be a Vinyl-junkie in the past but now it's so hard to get and expensive!

To get natural feel for mixes, why not try EKS OTUS?

That is sweet....

Best Regards,

M

2GHZ Macbook
OTUS
Basic Crappy home-DJ Mixer Gemini PS-02-USB

 

Early adopter new Mac's + Early adopter Traktor Pro = Quite a handfull so it seems.

As you can install the older version perfectly and work with that without any hickups it seems that the only problem left is not Traktor related at all, like you said. I can imagine the frustration though, so venting does always help.

I agree with Nico completely though..

"Be calm, nice, insistent and a total pain."