The Traktor Workflow

Importing Your Music: At first, you need to import your music into Traktor. When you import your music, all music files get stored in the Track Collection. The Track Collection uses track-specific metadata to categorize the tracks by certain criteria. For more information, refer to Importing Music into the Track Collection.

Browsing for Music: Once your music is imported in Traktor, you can use the Browser to find specific tracks for your mix. Search for music in the Browser by performing a text search or by navigating the Browser Tree. The Track List shows the tracks of the selected folder with its metadata sorted inside a table. For more information, refer to Browsing for Music.

Loading Tracks into Decks: When loading a track from the Track List, Traktor calculates its exact tempo and key information.  This analysis of each track can also be done before loading tracks. While analyzing, Traktor creates the Beatgrid and the Waveform for each imported track. This information is then stored for each track in the Track Collection. For more information, refer to Loading Music into Decks.

Start Playback of a Deck: In order to hear music from the Deck you need to adjust the Mixer controls of the respective Mixer channel and set the crossfader accordingly. Then you can start playback and the Waveform will start moving. For more information, refer to Mixing Your First Two Tracks.

Finding and loading another Track: While the first track is playing you can browse for the next track in your Track Collection and load it into another Deck. For more information, refer to Mixing Your First Two Tracks.

Syncing the Tracks: Since Traktor has calculated the tempos and the Beatgrids for both tracks, you can sync the next track with the track that is currently playing by using the SYNC button on the stopped Deck. Now when playing back the next track, the beats of both tracks will perfectly match. You can also sync the tracks manually by using the tempo and synchronization controls provided on any Deck. For more information, refer to Mixing Your First Two Tracks.

Previewing the transition: The Mixer provides you with the controls to preview the next track when preparing the transition, using your headphones. This allows you to find the right position for starting playback, and you can then fade the track in using the crossfader. For more information, refer to Using the Cue Channel for Mixing.

Using Equalizer and adding Effects: To make transitions more flawless, the Mixer is equipped with equalizer controls for tweaking frequency bands in the audio signals. Furthermore, Traktor provides FX Units and Mixer FX for modulating the audio signals. For more information, refer to Using the Equalizer, Working with FX Units, Working with Mixer FX.

Cueing using Hotcue buttons: You can create Cue points and store them on Hotcue buttons. When later loading the track, you can trigger the Hotcues and the playback will instantly continue from the stored cue point position. For more information, refer to Working with Hotcue buttons and Flux Mode, Working with Cue Points.

Looping: Traktor provides you with Loop controls for enabling Loops in pre-defined sizes. As with Cue points, Loops can be stored using the Hotcue buttons and triggered at a later time. For more information, refer to  Working with Hotcue buttons and Flux Mode, Working with Loops.

Remixing: Using the STEM Decks, you can perform your music by taking out entire musical elements in STEM Files. You can also remix your music using Loops and One-shot Samples in Remix Decks. For more information, refer to Working with STEM Decks, Working with Remix Decks.