Need Help/Advice with Traktor Pro 3/Windows 10/S4 MK3

Hi All,

I've got a couple of questions here. (I'm still relatively new to this so please excuse my ignorance).

I just migrated from Mac to Windows 10. Big Sur introduced a number of problems (not just with music) so I bought a Dell G7 and moved everything to that. I think I've got most everything set up properly. The one thing I run into is that I get a crackling/stuttering when playing. However, when I record a session it doesn't appear in the recording itself. Also, even more strange is that it seems to be on a schedule as it happens about every 15 minutes. I've read that this may be related to latency? I've adjusted my buffer size but haven't really tested it out yet. Has anyone else experienced the same thing?

The second question I have is in relation to broadcasting and external sound interfaces. The station I play on uses Icecast. Would I be better off using the internal broadcast setup or something like BUTT? And is an external interface like Komplete something that would be recommended, or is it overkill?

Thanks in advance.

 

Hi,
For the problem with your Dell laptop check this forum, it's probably the same issue:
https://www.native-instruments.com/...io-drop-outs-glitches-on-dell-laptops.452565/
All these utilities that are installed on the Dell laptops cause problems with latency and many users have problems with cracking & stuttering when playing regardless of the dj software they use. The solution is either to deactivate them as in the above forum or to uninstall them.

 

I'd also add that you should never use a version of windows that comes installed on a laptop from a company like Dell etc for DJing. You are better off installing a clean copy of Windows from Microsoft so that no bloatware is installed. Then optimise it for low latency using the many guides online. Using a debloating tool is also an option.

As for an external soundcard for broadcasting there is no point is spending lots of money for one. I use a cheap Numark one that costs about £40 and has 1 line/phono in and 1 line out.

 

Thanks Pako and Cheef. Disabling the Dell Data Vault (as mentioned in the article) seems to have alleviated my problem. I've been using Mac for a while now and I forgot how much garbage comes with a store bought machine. Will also look into de-bloating (lol, the sound of that).

I'm still on the fence about using an external sound card. If I can use the internal Icecast client that comes with Traktor then I may just stick with that? Or am I still off base a bit?

 

This is caused by dell support assist.
Measurements and a tool here

https://github.com/pestrela/smi_counter