Scratch Live SL 3-184-Manual

8/6/2019 Scratch Live SL 3-184-Manual

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RANE SL 3 FOR SERATO SCRATCH LIVE OPERATORS MANUAL1.8.4


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ImpORtant SaFety InStRuctIOnS

For the continued saety o yoursel and others

we recommend that you read the ollowing saety

and installation instructions. Keep this document

in a sae location or uture reerence. Pleaseheed all warnings and ollow all instructions.

Do not use this equipment in a location where

it might become wet. Clean only with a damp

cloth. This equipment may be used as a table

top device, although stacking o the equipment

is dangerous and not recommended.

Equipment may be located directly above or

below this unit, but note that some equipment

(like large power ampliers) may cause an

unacceptable amount o hum or may generate

too much heat and degrade the perormance

o this equipment. Only use attachments

and accessories specied by Rane. Reer

all servicing to qualied service personnel.

Servicing is required when the apparatus has

been damaged in any way, such as spilled liquid,

allen objects into an opened chassis, exposure

to rain or moisture, a dropped unit, or abnormal

operation.

IntROductIOn

Reer to the separate Quick Start guide that

was included in the box. I you lose yours, a

new copy (along with this manual and all other

documentation) may be downloaded at www.

rane.com/scratch.html. To keep up with the

latest tips, and to check or Scratch Live sotware

updates, visit the Ocial Scratch Live Forum at

Scratchlive.net

cOpyRIght nOtIceS

2009 Rane Corporation. All rights reserved.

Scratch Live and the Scratch Live logo

are trademarks o Serato Audio Research.

Trademarked in the U.S. and other countries.Licensed exclusively to Rane Corporation. This

sotware is based in part on the work o the

Independent JPEG Group, and uses libpng code,

copyright 2000-2002 Glenn Randers-Pehrson.

The Scratch Live Control Tone, the audio pressed

on Scratch Live Control Vinyl and Control CDs, is

copyright 2004-2009 Serato Audio Research.

The Control Vinyl and Control CDs are licensed

or personal use only. The creation o personal

backups o the Control CD is allowed, however

duplicating Control CDs or commercial benet

is strictly prohibited. For avoidance o doubt the

duplication or creation o Control Vinyl or any

use is strictly prohibited. Please respect our

copyright.

2004-2009 Serato Audio Research. Windows

XP and Vista is either a registered trademark

or a trademark o Microsot Corporation in the

United States and/or other countries. Apple,

Mac, Macintosh and iTunes are trademarks o

Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the US and/

or other countries.

WeaR paRtS

The SL 3 interace contains no wear parts.

The vinyl records and CDs are wear parts as

described in the Limited Domestic Warranty

section at the end o this manual.

mInImum SyStem RequIRementS

A DJ mixer with at least 2 chaels.

At least oe turtable or CD player.

Computer with available USB 2.0 port.

Scree resolutio 1024 x 768 or higher. 1 GB RAM.

Hard drive space for storig music.

pc

Widows XP with Service Pack 2 or

higher, or Vista with Service Pack 1 or

higher. We recommed XP over Vista.

Petium 4 / 1.5 GH.

mac

Mac OSX 10.4 or higher.

G4 / 1 GH.

check LISt

These items are icluded i the box:

1 Rae SL 3 Iterface.

1 soft carry case.

1 Serato Scratch Live software istall disc.

1 exteral uiversal power supply with

coutry adaptors.

1 USB cable.

4 stereo RCA cables.

2 cotrol CDs.

2 cotrol viyl records.4 rubber feet for the SL 3.

1 Quick Start Guide.

1 Warraty card.

1 this maual.

RANE SL 3 FOR SERATO SCRATCH LIVE OPERATORS MANUAL 1.8.4 3


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Important Saety Instructions 3

Introduction 3

Copyright Notices 3

WEAR PARTS 3

Minimum System Requirements 3

PC 3

Mac 3

Check List 3

SCRATCH LIVE: GETTInG STARTED 6

Connecting Your Hardware 6

Connecting the SL 3 6

Turntable Setup 6

CD Player setup 6

Installing Scratch Live 7

Starting the Sotware 7

Using the Tool Tips 7Playing Regular Vinyl and CDs 8

Power Supply 8

CALIBRATInG SCRATCH LIVE 8

The Noise Threshold 8

How to Calibrate Scratch Live 8

The scopes 8

Calibration Troubleshooting 9

ImpORtIng and pLayIng muSIc 9

Importing Your Music 9

Supported File Types 9Playing Music 10

Track Display 10

pRepaRIng YOUR FILES 10

BuIlding Overviews 10

How to Build Overviews 10

About Corrupt Files 10

Set Auto-BPM 10

The Oline Player 10

PLAYBACk COnTROL 11

The Control Record 11

The Control CD 11

Vinyl Scroll 11

maIn ScReen OVERVIEW 12

Virtual Deck

Visual Aids

Tempo Matching Display 12

Track Overview Display 12

Main Waveorm Display 12

Beat Matching Display 12

Thru buttons 13

Master Gain 13

33 / 45 Speeds 13

Tracking Indicator 13

Tap Tempo 13

Key Lock 13

Repeat 13

Censor 13

Eject 13

Autoplay Input Reverse 13

SCRATCH LIVE MODES 14

Absolute Mode

Relative Mode 14

Track Gain 14

Internal Mode 15

Pitch Slider 15

Temporary Cue 15

CUE POInTS 16

LOOPInG 17

Auto Looping

The A - Slot 17

SAMPLE PLAYER 18

Play behavior 18

Start point 18

MIDI 18

MIDI COnTROL 19

Overview 19

MIDI Controller Setup 19

Assigning Controls

A note about MIDI Platters 1

Assigning MIDI to other Controls 19

Assigning Ctrl-Click Functionality 19

Presets 19

Native Controller support 19

Technical Inormation 19

cOntentS



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ORGAnIzInG YOUR MUSIC 20

Grouping Tracks into Crates 20

Subcrates 20

Sorting your Files 20

Using the Song Browser 20

Searching 20

Prepare Window 20

Review Window 21

Editing ID3 tags 21

Library Zoom 21

Display Album Art 21

Status Icons 21

More Ino on Corrupt Files 21

Backup 21

Deleting Crates and Tracks 21

RECORDInG 22Record Gain Knob 22

Sampling rom Vinyl 22

Recording your mix 22

KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS 23

ADDITIOnAL SETUP 24

Hardware 24

USB Buer Size (Latency) 24

UpdatIng FIrmware 24

Line /Phono Status 24

Playback 24

Track End Warning 24

Playback Keys Use Shit 24

Lock Playing Deck 24

Sort Cues Chronological ly 24

Auto Gain 24

Modiying the Auto Gain Level 24

Hi-Fi Resampler 25

Play From Start 25

Instant Doubles 25

Play From First Cue Point 25

Braking (int mode) 25

Audio Output 25

Viyl Cotrol 25

Reverse Vinyl Scroll 25

Adjust Loops with Vinyl 25

Next Song on Flip 25

Vinyl Scroll Speed 25

Drop To Absolute Position 25

Drop To Cue Points 25

Track Start Oset 25

Library 25

Read iTunes Library 25

Protect library 25

Center on Selected Song 26

Show All File Types 26

Include Subcrate Tracks 26

Auto Fill Overviews 26

Import AAC Files 26Rescan ID3 Tags 26

Relocate Lost Files 26

Display 26

Maximum Screen Updates 26

Audio Cache 26

Horizontal Waveorms 26

USB Dropout Indicator 26

MIXInG WITH OnE TURnTABLE 27

TROUBLESHOOTInG AnDFREQUEnTLY ASKED QUESTIOnS 28

cORRupt FILe deScRIptIOnS

AnD DIAGnOSES 29

SCOPE READInG AnD FIXES 30

SL 3 SPECIFICATIOnS 32

DECLARATIOn OF COnFORMITY 33

WARRAnTY 34



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COnnECTInG THE SL 3

To integrate an SL 3 unit into a typical DJ setup,

connect it to your turntables (or CD players) and

mixer, as ollows:

1. Iputs

Connect your CD players or Turntables to the

DECK INPUTS on the Rane SL 3.

Optional Step: Connect an additional output

rom your mixer to the AUX INPUTS on the SL 3

to record your set in Scratch Live.

SEE: RECORDInG (PAGE 22).

2. Iput Level Selectio

Set each input to the correct input level using

the dip switches. Set the switches UP or Phono

(turntables) or DOWN or Line (CD players).

3. Outputs

Connect the OUTPUTS o the SL 3 to l ine inputs

on your mixer. Connect the AUX output to an

additional line input or AUX input on your mixer

to output the sample player.

4. Coect the SL 3 to your computer

Using the provided USB cable, connect your SL

to an available USB 2.0 port on your computer.

Make sure you connect it directly to you

computer and not through a hub or splitter.

TURnTABLE SETUP

1. Set the tone arms to the speci

recommendations o the cartridge used, sthat the needle never leaves the record, bu

not heavy enough that it heats up signicantly

Both produce poor tracking.

2. Grounding is extremely important whe

using Scratch Live. Make sure you have goo

connections rom the ground wires o you

turntables to the grounding post o your SL 3

I you do not ground your turntables properly

the control signal will be noisy and the trackin

o the record position will be erratic.

3. Ensure the SL 3 is set to receive a phono leve

signal See step 2 o COnnECTInG THE SL 3

TIP: We recommed Shure M44-7 eedle

for use with Scratch Live, due to their hig

output volume, excellet trackig ad low

record wear.

cd pLayeR Setup

Disable all built-in eects on the CD playe

including keylock/master tempo.

Ensure the SL 3 is set to receive a LINE leve

signal See step 2 o COnnECTInG THE SL 3.

SCRATCH LIVE:gettIng StaRted

cOnnectIng yOuR haRdWaRe

SYSTEM OVERVIEW

The Scratch Live control records and CDs

are pressed with an audible tone specically

developed or controlling the Scratch Live

sotware application.

The Scratch Live audio hardware converts

the control signal coming rom each deck into

digital audio, to be sent via USB to the Scratch

Live sotware, which decodes that signal into a

stream o inormation on what the DJ is doing

with the control disc. A virtual deck replicates

the movements o the control disc. Audio les

loaded onto the virtual decks are then played

back through the outputs o the hardware, with

any manipulation o the control discs reproduced

on the audio, eectively emulating vinyl control

o the les loaded in sotware.



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InSTALLInG SCRATCH LIVE

Check or the latest download version o Scratch

Live sotware at Scratchlive.net. I it is newer

than what is on your CD-ROM, we recommend

installing it instead.

mac

1. Insert the Sotware Installation CD-ROM and

double-click the installer icon.

You will see the ollowing screen:

Follow the on-screen instructions.

Once the installation is complete, Scratch Live

will appear in your applications list. You may like

to drag the Scratch Live icon to your dock or

quick launching.

2. Plug in your SL 3. No extra hardware or driver

installation is required.

WIndOWS

It is important that Windows users install the

SL 3 drivers as well as the Scratch Live sotware.

The easiest way to do this is to allow the Scratch

Live installer to do all the work.

1. Coect your SL 3 before you isert your

istallatio CD. When you rst connect it,

Windows will attempt to install the drivers via

the hardware wizard. Cancel and close the

hardware wizard.

2. Insert the Sotware Installation CD-ROM

(Making sure your SL 3 is connected rst). I

setup doesnt start automatically, browse to

the CD drive and run setup.exe.

You will see the ollowing screen:

3. Follow the on-screen instructions. Once the

installation is complete, Scratch Live appears

in the Start Menu under All Programs > Serato

> Scratch Live.

Because the SL 3 was connected prior to

installing Scratch Live, there is no extra hardware

installation required.

nOTE: Select the custom istall optio if you

wish to chage the istallatio locatio of

Scratch Live.

ADDITIOnAL DRIVER InSTALLATIOn(WInDOWS)

Windows treats each USB port individually.

You might like to install the Drivers or the SL 3

hardware on all o your USB ports.

Connect your Scratch Live hardware to a

USB port. Windows will again attempt to install

the drivers via the hardware wizard. Cancel and

close the hardware wizard.

With your hardware still connected, run the

Scratch Live driver updater.

This is usually located in

C: > Program Files > Serato > driver_updater

Repeat this process or each o your USB ports.

TIP: The driver updater ca istall drivers for

differet types of Scratch Live hardware, ot

just the SL 3. For example, if you play at a

club that uses a TTM 57SL mixer, just coect

the mixer ad ru through the driver updater

as above.

StaRtIng the SOFtWaRe

Close all other programs on your Mac or PC.

When you load Scratch Live or the rst time

you will see the screen shown above.

uSIng the tOOL tIpSClick on the ? icon to enable tool tips. This i

located in-between the MIDI and setup butto

next the Scratch Live logo, as shown below. Too

tips provide a handy way to learn the variou

eatures o Scratch Live. Move the mouse ove

a section o the screen to bring up a context

sensitive tool tip. Holding the mouse over the

button with tool tips turned on will show you a lis

o all keyboard shortcuts. Tool tips are availabl

in several languages. Scratch Live will displa

the tool tips in the language that your compute

is set to. I your language is not available, th

tool tips will be displayed in English.



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HOW TO CALIBRATE SCRATCH LIVE

With music playing in the background, put you

needle on the record with the turntable stopped

I you are using CD players, the same rule

apply. Have the CD deck paused or stoppewhile calibrating.

Click and hold the estimate button until the slide

stops moving. Moving the threshold slider to th

let will make Scratch Live more sensitive to slow

record movement, but also more sensitive t

background noise.

Repeat the process for each deck

Thigs to remember:

Your needle must be on the record.

Your turntable (or CD player) must be

stationary.

The background music playing must be at

similar level to which you will play your set at

You should calibrate Scratch Live every tim

you play.

TIP: If the slider jumps to the far right

the you have a problem with oise i you

turtables/CD players/mixer. Check all you

coectios ad make sure your equipme

is well earthed. I some situatios you wi

ot be able to improve the sigal quality, ad

you will have to play o regardless. I th

situatio, stick to rel mode.

the ScOpeS

The scopes on the setup screen in Scratch Liv

display the input signal as a phase diagram. Th

key actors to look at on the scope display ar

crisp clean lines, round shape, and the trackin

percentage in the lower right corner.

Start both turntables or CD players. You wi

see green rings appear in the scope view, a

show above.

CALIBRATInGSCRATCH LIVE

Since Scratch Live is controlled by an analogue

signal, there is no guarantee o what state that

signal will be in by the time the sotware gets to

interpret it. Thereore, Scratch Live needs to be

able to handle a wide range o signals, and be

congurable to use them optimally. Calibrating is

just conguring the sotware to your situation.

Calibratio is equally importat for both viyl

ad CD users of Scratch Live.

There are two parts to the Scratch Live control

signal: The directional tone, and the noise map.

Listening to the control vinyl, the directional tone

is the 1 kHz tone. The noise map sounds like

random noise over the top o the tone.

The directional tone provides the currentspeed and direction o the record, while the

noise map tells the sotware precisely where on

the record the needle is currently.

the nOISe thReShOLd

A threshold is a lower limit, below which a

process will not occur. In the case o Scratch

Live, the noise threshold is the limit below which

the input signal will not be interpreted as control

signal; in other words i its below the threshold,

it is considered noise and ignored.

This setting is necessary because a stylus is

very sensitive, and will inevitably pick up noise

rom the environment as well as the signal on the

record, especially in the noisy environment o a

live show.

PLAYInG REGULAR VInYL AnD CDS

nOTE: the SL 3 must be powered by USB or

the supplied exteral power supply for the

THRUs to work.

While Scratch Live is not running, and the SL 3is powered by the external Supply, the THRUs

on the SL 3 will always be on, allowing you to

play regular CDs and vinyl with your CD players

or turntables.

When the SL 3 is powered by the universal

power supply, and then Scratch Live is launched,

the THRUs are still on. This allows a laptop to be

connected during a set (when using the THRUs)

with no audio interruption.

I the SL 3 is not powered by the universal

power supply when Scratch Live is launched

(USB connected), the THRUs will be o, but can

be turned on in Scratch Live.

To turn the THRUs o and on in Scratch Live,

click on the THRU button or the respective

channel in Scratch Live. This will change the

state o the channels to THRU mode, sending

audio direct rom the SL 3 inputs to your mixer.

SEE: THRU BUTTOnS (PAGE 13).

pOWeR SuppLy

Connect the barrel connector o the power

supply to the 7.5 VDC jack on the SL 3. Plug

the power supply into an AC outlet. The yellow

POWER indicator will light on the SL 3.

The universal power supply includes dierent

input plugs or the USA, Europe, UK and

Australia. The USA plug is attached at the actory

you may need to replace it in your country.

To remove a plug,

PUSH the button

while turning the outer

rim counterclockwise.

To attach a plug,

rotate it to t into

the supply and turn

clockwise until it locks

in place.

The power supply is regulated 7.5 volts DC, 1

amp, using a P6 type barrel plug. Any substitute

must meet these specications.

-(5.5mm) +(2.5mm)

LOCK

LOCK

PUSH

OPEN

OPEN



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For optimal perormance the inner ring should

be as close to circular as possible. Use the

scope zoom slider (1x to 16x) to zoom in or out

as necessary. Use the scope L/R balance and

P/A balance controls to adjust the shape o the

inner ring.

The number in the top let corner o the scope

view gives the current absolute position within

the control record or CD. The number in the

top right corner is the current speed in RPM. In

the bottom let is the current threshold setting,

and the number in the bottom right shows the

percentage o readable signal this number

should be close to 85% when your system is

calibrated properly.

CALIBRATIOn TROUBLESHOOTInGAter calibration, the number in the upper right

corner o the scope view should say 0.0 while

the needle is on the record and the turntable is

stopped.

I that number is fuctuating then manually

move the estimate slider to the right until that

number is stable at 0.0. I youve moved the

slider all the way to -24 and its still fuctuating

then you have a grounding or intererence

problem somewhere in the chain.

I so, the rst thing to check is that the

grounding wire coming rom your turntable is

connected to your mixers grounding posts.

Next, make sure that the SL 3 isnt sitting

next to a power source such as a power strip or

power box and that the RCA cables connected

to the SL 3 arent laying across other power

conducting cables.

I you are still experiencing issues, you might

have to adjust the placement o your setup. For

example, make sure bass bins arent directly

under the turntables.

SEE: SCOPE READInG AnD FIXES (PAGE 30) FOR

MORE CALIBRATIOn TROUBLESHOOTInG HELP.

ImpORtIng andpLayIng muSIc

ImpORtIng yOuR muSIc

The easiest way to load music into your library is

by using the import button:

1. Click on the import button to open the import

panel. The let side o this window displays

various locations on your computer hard drive

(and external drives i you have one). Click on

these locations to navigate your computer and

nd your music.

By deault, your music will usually be ound in

either Music (Mac) or My Music (Windows).

2. Once you have located your music, dra

the older or les you want to import onto th

purple All... icon. This is located to the let o

your screen at the top o the crates and playlis

window.

I you wish to import all o your music, jus

drag your whole music older onto this icon.

TIP: You ca also import by draggig le

ad folders directly from Widows Explore

(PC versio) or Fider (Mac versio) ito th

Scratch Live library.

SuppORted FILe typeS

Scratch Live supports xed and variable bit rat

.MP3, Ogg Vorbis, AAC, .AIFF, and .WAV l

types. M3U playlists are also supported.

nOTE: iTues Music Store DRM les cao

be played back by Scratch Live.



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pLayIng muSIc

Click on the All icon to show all the tracks

in your library. Use the keyboard shortcut Shit

- Let Arrow to load the highlighted track on to

the let deck, and Shit - Right Arrow to load thehighlighted track on to the right deck.

TIP: You ca also load tracks to decks usig

the mouse. Click ad drag a track from the

track list area o to either deck.

To start playing a track, simply put the needle on

the record and start the turntable. The track will

start playing as soon as it detects the signal rom

the control vinyl (or CD).

In ABS mode, the track will play rom the

position dictated by the placement o the

needle on the record. I you place the needle at

the beginning o the record, the track will start

playing rom the beginning. You can skip through

the track by picking up the needle and placing

it urther into the record, just as with regular

records (This is known as needle dropping).

SEE: SCRATCH LIVE MODES (PAGE 14)

tRack dISpLay

When a track is loaded, the track name, artist

and length are displayed in the track title bar,

and the Virtual Deck shows a solid black line.

I the track has BPM inormation written in the

tag this will also be displayed.

SEE: SET AUTO-BPM

pRepaRIngyOuR FILeS

BUILDInG OVERVIEWS

Beore you play your music in Scratch Live, It is

important to rst prepare your les by buildingoverviews.

The overview builder analyses the songs in

your library to detect le corruption, saves the

waveorm overview to an ID3 tag*, and calculates

auto-gain and BPM values.

HOW TO BUILD OVERVIEWS

To build overviews start Scratch Live with the

hardware disconnected. On the let side o the

main screen, you will notice a button labeled

build overviews. Click this to automatically

build the overviews or all the tracks in your

library.

TIP: You ca drag ad drop idividual folders,

crates or les oto this butto to force the

buildig of overviews at ay time.

ABOUT CORRUPT FILES

I Scratch Live detects a corrupt le it

will tag it with a corrupt le icon:

It is very important that you delete

ANY corrupt les rom your library as they cancause Scratch Live to crash regardless i you

play the le or not.

SEE: STATUS ICOnS (PAGE 21) AnD CORRUPT FILE

DESCRIPTIOnS AnD DIAGnOSES (PAGE 29)

SET AUTO-BPM

I this option is checked while building overviews

Scratch Live will calculate the estimated tempo

o your les. I Scratch Live is condent that th

auto-BPM estimate or a le is accurate, it will b

written to an ID3 tag* in the le.

The auto-BPM unction will not be applied

the track already contains BPM inormation. T

rebuild overviews and use auto-BPM or aut

gain on those les, drag them onto the buil

overviews button. I you know your les BPM

will all within a certain range, use the range dro

down to avoid double or hal value BPMs bein

calculated.

*ID3 tags cotai data about your track

ad are saved iside the les themselves

Gere, track ame ad artist are examples o

commo tag iformatio.

SEE: EDITInG ID3 TAGS (PAGE 21)

the OFFLIne pLayeR

The ofine player is available when the Scratc

Live hardware is not connected, and output

through the current deault audio device. Loa

a track to the ofine player by dragging an

dropping onto the deck, or pressing shit+le

arrow. I the end o the loaded track is reached

the next track in the current playlist is playe

automatically.

The ofine player is a useul tool or preparin

crates, auditioning tracks, and setting cue an

loop points.



11/36

PLAYBACKcOntROL

the cOntROL RecORd

The control record has two sides. The rst side

is 10 minutes long and contains the Vinyl Scrollsection. The second side is 15 minutes long.

Scratch Live can be congured to work with

records playing at either 33 RPM or 45 RPM,

depending on your preerence. The record has

thin marks every minute, and a thicker mark

every 5 minutes (when playing at 33 RPM).

These marks are to assist you when using needle

dropping to move through the track. These marks

do not aect the playback o the track.

the cOntROL cd

The control CD hastwo tracks. The rst

track is 15 minutes

long and controls

playback The second

track is 40 seconds

long and controls vinyl

scroll.

VInYL SCROLL

Vinyl Scroll allows you to select and load tracks

using only your turntables (or CD player) no

contact with the computer necessary! To use Vinyl Scroll with turntables, lit the needle o

the record and drop it into special bonus track

section at the end o the records A side. The

movement o the control disk now controls the

selected track within your library. Lit the needle

out o the Vinyl Scroll section o the record and

into the lead out (between the Vinyl Scroll area

and the end o the record) to change crates or

iTunes playlists. Go back to the Vinyl Scroll area

o the record to choose a track within the crate or

playlist. Once you have ound the track you wish

to play, put the needle back at the beginning othe record and it will load automatically. This

eature is available to CD users. Go to track 2 on

the control CD to access Vinyl Scroll. Find the

track you want to load, and go back to track 1.

The track you selected will be loaded and ready

to play. You can reverse the direction o Vinyl

Scroll and set the sensitivity in the setup screen.

TIP: You ca also use Viyl Scroll i the

prepare widow.

SEE: VInYL COnTROL (PAGE 25)



12/36

VIRTUAL DECK

The Virtual Deck shows

everything about the

speed and position o

a track. As the vinyl

rotates, so does the

line on the label. The

circular progress bar

around the edge is a visual representation o

the position within the song, and can be set to

fash to warn you that the track is nearing its

end. The time and remaining time are displayed

in minutes and seconds. The turntable speed

as a percentage pitch shit is shown on the let

o the Virtual Deck, and the pitched BPM (BPM

with pitch adjustment multiplier added) is shown

on the right o the virtual Deck. I the track has

no BPM inormation, pitched BPM will not be

shown.

I you are playing regular vinyl, notice that the

Virtual Deck behaves strangely as Scratch Live

attempts to decode the incoming signal. This

will not cause any problems, but you may nd it

distracting. You can unload the currently loaded

track using the eject button next to each Virtual

Deck.

TIP: Use the keyboard shortcut shift-alt-arrow

to uload a track from the Virtual Deck.

VISUAL AIDS

When the track is playing several waveorms are

displayed. Each shows a dierent aspect o the

track being played.

tempO matchIng dISpLay

The Tempo Matching display area provides a

helpul tool or beat matching. Scratch Live

detects the beats within the track, and places

a row o orange peaks (or the track on the let

side) above a row o blue peaks (or the track

on the right side) in the Tempo Matching display

area. When the two tracks are matched to the

same tempo, the peaks will line up. Note that the

tempo display is aligned with the beginning o

the bar, so the peaks keep their relative position

as the track plays. This display does not show

the relative timing o the beats, only the tempos

o the tracks. The peaks will still line up when the

tracks are playing at the same tempo, but are

out o sync.

TRACK OVERVIEW DISPLAY

This view provides a complete overview

o the track waveorm, and includes

a marker to show the current position

within the track. This view is useul or

nding transitions within the track. The

waveorm is colored according to the

sound spectrum red representing

low requency bass sounds, green

representing mid requency sounds and

blue representing high requency treble

sounds.

You can jump to dierent positions

within the track by clicking on the Track

Overview display (disabled in abs mode).Grey lines behind the overview show the length

o the track a thin grey line every minute, and a

thick grey line every 5 minutes. The overview will

be lled when you load the track onto a Virtual

Deck. On slower computers, you should disable

auto ll overviews in the setup screen with this

setting disabled, the overview will be lled as

you play the track.

SEE: PREPARInG YOUR FILES (PAGE 10)

maIn ScReenOVERVIEW

MAIn WAVEFORM DISPLAY

This view provides a close-up

o the track, including color

coding to show the requency o

the sound; red representing lowrequency bass sounds, green

representing mid-requency

sounds and blue representing

high-requency treble sounds.

You can also switch to a

three-band spectrum view

by holding the ctrl key and

clicking on the waveorm. Click

on the waveorm to scrub or

make ne adjustments to your

position within the track. This applies to int mod

only, and may be useul i you wish to set cu

points in your tracks without your turntables o

CD players connected. The Main Waveorm i

zoomed around the current position in the track

SEE: CUE POInTS (PAGE 16) AnD SCRATCH LIV

MODES (PAGE 14)

TIP: Use the + ad keys to oom i ad out

TIP: Waveform ca be either vertical o

horiotal.

Kick Drum

In this example, the red part o the

wave represents a kick drum, while

the purple part represents a snare

drum.

Sare Drum

BEAT MATCHInG DISPLAY

This view shows the position o beats

within the track. When beat matching,

this view helps align the downbeats

o the two tracks. The markers arematched up when the two tracks are

beat matched.

Example: The ollowing is a

demonstration o using the visual aids

to help beat match. In this example,

the track that is playing is on the let

deck, and the track to be mixed in is

on the right deck.



13/36

1. Start the track playing on the right deck.

Ater a ew seconds, blue peaks appear in the

Tempo Matching display.

2. Adjust the pitch o the right turntable until

the blue peaks sit under the orange peaks in

the Tempo Matching display. Once they are

aligned, the two tracks have the same tempo.

3. Next align the markers in the Beat Matching

display. Watch the color o the items passing

by in the Main Waveorm display. Remember

that a kick or bass drum will be red in color,

and a snare drum will be green or blue. This

technique will by no means guarantee perect

mixes, but may help to speed up the process

o beat matching.

THRU BUTTOnS

Use the thru buttons to switch

between Scratch Live and

regular vinyl or CDs. Click on the thru button

or the respective channel in Scratch Live. (The

THRU button on the let virtual deck or the let

channel, and vice versa.)

This will change the state o the channels to

THRU mode, sending audio direct rom the SL 3

inputs to your mixer.

SEE: PLAYInG REGULAR VInYL AnD CDS (PAGE 8).

maSteR gaIn

The master output o Scratch

Live can be controlled using

the master gain control. This

adjusts the output volume o all tracks played.

nOTE: For best results, set the master gai

to the 12 oclock positio, ad adjust the

volume of idividual tracks usig the track

gai adjustmet.

33 / 45 SPEEDS

Set this to match the speed o your

turntable or normal playback.

tRackIng IndIcatOR

The tracking indicators on

the main screen show the quality o the signal

coming rom the control record or CD. The length

o the bar indicates the speed o the record orCD. The color indicates the amount o position

inormation Scratch Live is receiving. When

you are playing the record at normal speed, the

tracking indicator should be grey. I it is mostly

red there is a problem reading the control signal.

Make sure your needles are clean, and check the

calibration in the setup screen.

nOTE: It is ormal for the trackig idicator

to be red whe cueig or scratchig.

tap tempO

For tracks with no BPM inormation,

there is a tap tempo button

displayed where the BPM usually

is, in the song ino area. Pressing alt-space bar

activates the tempo tapper (press alt-space bar

a second time to activate the tempo tapper on

the right Virtual Deck). Tap the space bar along

with the beat. Ater youve tapped the rst beat,

you can switch to double time tapping, hal

time, start o each bar etc. The range is set by

the rst two taps, ater that you can switch to

any steady rhythm you eel comortable with

quarter notes, hal note, whole notes. Esc resets

the BPM, Enter saves the BPM to the track. You

can use the mouse i you preer. Your CD player

or turntables pitch slider doesnt need to be at

zero, we do the math or you. You can also use

the tempo tapper when no song is loaded, or

nding the BPM o regular records, or example.

key LOck

When Key Lock is on, the key or pitch o

the song stays locked at what it would

be i the track was playing at normal speed,regardless o the platter speed o the turntable

or CD player. Key Lock has scratch detection,

so that it automatically turns o when scratching

or a natural scratching sound. Turn Key Lock on

or o by pressing the button to the top right o

the Virtual Deck.

TIP: F5 ad F10 will tur Key Lock o ad off

for the left ad right decks respectively.

Repeat

Use the repeat unction to repeat the

song across the entire length o the

control record.

TIP: Short loop samples ca be tured it

a cotiuous track usig the repeat fuctio

The loops must be less tha 10 secods log

ad cut at the start ad ed of a bar.

cenSOR

Use the censor button to mask parts

o a song, or use as a special eect.

When you press the censor button, the trac

starts playing backwards rom that point. Whe

you release the censor button, the track play

orward rom the point you would have been

had you not pressed the censor button. Censo

is available only in rel and int modes.

EJECT

This ejects the track playing or loaded

track rom the Virtual Deck.

autOpLay

Click the autoplay button to

enable autoplay. With this setting

turned on, when one track nishes playing, thnext track starts automatically. Load rom a crat

to play through the songs in that crate, or rom

your library to play through your library. Autopla

works in both rel and int modes. Play rom sta

must be checked in the setup screen or autopla

to work correctly.

InPUT REVERSE

Swaps the let deck input

(3 & 4) with the right deck

input (5 & 6) o the SL 3.

This transers control over to the alternat

virtual deck. For example, the physical recor

on the right hand side now controls the le

hand side virtual deck. This essentially lets yo

continue mixing, but just using one turntable.



14/36

tRack gaIn

Use the track gain adjustment to balance

the volume o the tracks in your library.

Any adjustment made to the gain o a

track is saved with the le, and will bereapplied to the entire track when it is

loaded again. The level meter shows the

level sent to the hardware interace ater

both individual track gain and master

gain adjustment.

nOTE: For automatic gai settig of your

tracks, SEE ADDITIOnAL SETUP (PAGE 24).

SCRATCH LIVEmOdeS

Scratch Live has three dierent modes o

operation. You can switch between these modes

by clicking the mode buttons near the Virtual

Deck.

ABSOLUTE MODE

abs mode is the deault mode, and most closely

resembles the properties o normal vinyl. The

beginning o the track is mapped to the start o

the record, and by picking up the tone arm and

moving the needle to another part o the record

(needle dropping) you can move to a dierent

position within the track.

abs mode aithully reproduces the movement

o vinyl control records, including stops, starts,

scratching, needle dropping, rubbing and other

turntablist techniques. When you reach the end

o the record using either rel or abs modes,

Scratch Live automatically switches to int mode.

This is known as Emergency Internal mode, and

prevents long tracks rom stopping when you run

out o record. You can switch rom Emergency

Internal mode to rel mode by liting the needle

and placing it in the lead-in o the control record.

Emergency int mode will activate ater 1 second.

Use the keyboard shortcut F1 (let deck) or F

(right deck) to switch to abs mode.

nOTE: Be careful whe scratchig ear th

ed of the record ot to accidetally go pas

this poit ad ito it mode, or the track wi

o loger respod to record movemet!

RELATIVE MODE

rel mode observes the relative orward an

backward movement o the record, but does no

take into account the position within the record

rel mode disables needle dropping, but allow

skip-ree scratching.

SEE: DROP TO ABSOLUTE POSITIOn (PAGE 25)

rel mode adds additional speed controls:

Previous track Go to the previous

track in the list.

Rewid - The rewind unction speeds

up the longer you press the button.

Fast forward The ast orward

unction speeds up the longer you hold

the button.

next track Jump to the next track in

the list.

TIP: Use the keyboard shortcut F2 (left deck

or F7 (right deck) to switch to rel mode.



15/36

pItch SLIdeR

Use the pitch slider to make pitch

adjustments while using internal mode.

Drag the pitch slider with the mouse to

make large pitch movements, or holdthe shit key and drag the pitch slider

to make ne adjustments.

tempORaRy cue

There is a temporary cue point that can be used

like the Cue button on many DJ CD players.

Press ctrl-I to set this temporary cue point on

the let deck, and ctrl-K to set it on the right

deck. This temp cue point is shown in the main

waveorm as a white marker. This cue point is

not saved with the track, and by deault is set

to the beginning o the track. Press I to jump to

this temporary cue point on the let deck, and

K or the right deck. I you hold down the I or K

key while the track is stopped, it will play rom

the temp cue point. As soon as you release the

key, it will jump back to the temp cue point. Note

that you can use this shortcut to jump to the

beginning o the track i the temporary cue point

has not been set.

SEE: CUE POInTS (PAGE 15)

The buttons above the small pitch slider allow

you to seed the base playback speed 1/2 (hal

speed), 33/45 or the speed o a 45 RPM recording

playing at 33 RPM, 1x or normal speed, 45/33 or

the speed o a 33 RPM recording playing at 45

RPM, or 2x (double speed).

You can also control playback using the

computer keyboard shortcuts turn Caps

Lock on to enable.

SEE: PLAYBACK KEYS USE SHIFT (PAGE 24)

Left Deck Fuctio Right Deck

Q play / pause reverse A

W play / pause orward S

E pitch down D

R pitch up F

T bend down G

Y bend up H

Alt-Q load previous track Alt-

Alt-W load next track Al

Alt-E rewind

Alt-R ast orward

Ctrl-I set temporary cue point Ctrl-K

Click on the waveorm to scrub or make n

adjustments to your position within the track

This may be useul i you wish to set cue point

in your tracks, and dont have your turntables oCD players connected.

nOTE : If you play a track i it mode, a

the switch to abs or rel mode, the pitc

adjustmet will be dictated by the turtable

so there will be a jump i pitch uless they ar

already perfectly matched.

TIP: Paic! If you are i abs or rel mode ad

you get a build up of dust o the eedle tha

is breakig up the audio, hold dow ctrl ad

press the it butto. This will take you titeral mode, ad reset the pitch to ero.

InteRnaL mOde

it mode allows you to play tracks without

external vinyl (or CD player) control. it mode

has a start / stop unction and virtual pitch slider.

Holding down the shit key moves the pitch

slider slowly. Holding the ctrl key and clicking on

the pitch slider resets it to 33 RPM or 45 RPM,

depending on which you are closest to at thetime.

Scratch Live automatically switches to int

mode when the end o the control record is

reached; you can switch back to abs mode by

placing the needle in the lead-in o the control

record. I you switch rom abs or rel into int

mode, Scratch Live automatically adjusts pitch to

maintain playback speed as set by the turntable.

Use the keyboard shortcut F3 (let deck) or F8

(right deck) to switch to int mode.

it mode adds these additional controls:

Play / pause reverse - Press to play,

press again to stop playback. You can

adjust the braking knob in the setup

screen to range rom an immediate stop to a

slow turntable-style power down.

Play / pause forward Press to play,

press again to stop playback. Uses the

same braking as described above.

Bed dow - Create a temporary

decrease in the playback speed. Use

bend down i the two tracks are in time, but this

track is slightly ahead o the other track.

Bed up Create a temporary increase

in the playback speed. Use bend up i the

two tracks are in time, but this track is slightly

behind the other track.



16/36

cue pOIntS

You can set up to ve visual cue points within

each track. Use the + button to place cue point.

Click the arrow to the let o each cue point tojump to it (rel and int mode only). You can also

jump to cue points using keyboard shortcuts 1

through 5 or the cue points on the let deck, and

6 through 0 or the right deck cue points. Notice

that the stripe on the Virtual Deck jumps to the

12 oclock position and changes color when you

set a cue point you are at the cue point when

the stripe is one solid color and at the 12 oclock

position.

As the record plays on beyond the position o

the cue point, the colored bar will shorten by a

th or each rotation. Likewise, as you approach

the cue point, the color will grow by a th each

rotation. For example, the picture below shows

the record just beore the end o the 5th rotation

beore the cue point.

Each cue point can have a dierent color. To

change the color o a cue point, click on the

colored square and choose a new color rom the

drop down menu.

To remove a cue point, use the x button on the

right side o the cue point panel.

A cue point can occupy any o the 5 slots.

You can drag and drop cue points to change

their order in the list. I you wish to have the cue

points sorted chronologically, check the sort

cues chronologically option in the setup screen.

I you load the same track on to both decks, you

will be able to add or modiy cue points rom

either deck.

When you jump to a cue point in internal

mode while paused, the track will play rom the

cue point or as long as the key or mouse buttonis pressed, ater which the playhead returns to

the cue point. I this is done using the keyboard

while the track is playing in either internal or

relative mode, the cue point will be repeatedly

triggered, producing a stuttering eect.

TIP: The rate of cue poit stutterig is

cotrolled by your operatig system

keyboard repeat rate settigs. Widows

users: Keyboard properties are i the Cotrol

Pael. Mac users: Keyboard ad Mouse are i

System Prefereces.

TIP: Use the keyboard shortcuts ctrl-comma

(for left) ad ctrl-dot (for right) to place cue

poits.



17/36

LOOpIng

You can save up to 9 loops

per track; these loops are

saved in the le, and will be

present when you reload the track. To make a

loop, set the in-point by clicking the in button,

and the out-point by clicking the out button. To

turn the loop on or o, click the loop button. I

you want the playhead to jump to the start o the

loop when you enable the loop, hold the control

key and press the loop button.

To adjust the in-point o the loop, click the in

button. You can use the arrow keys: let arrow

to move the in-point towards the start o the

track, right arrow to move the in-point towards

the end o the track. Hold down the shit key

while pressing the arrow key to make coarse

adjustments. Click the in button again to save

the in-point. The same applies to adjusting the

out-point.

You can also use the control vinyl (or CD) to

adjust the in- and out-point. Click the in button,

then move the control vinyl. Moving the vinyl will

adjust the in-point. Once you are happy with the

new in-point, click the in button to save, and

release the control vinyl.

The control vinyl will go back to controllingplayback once the record is back up to normal

speed. Using the control vinyl to adjust loop

end points is optional to turn this eature

o, disable the adjust loops with vinyl option

in the setup screen. There are 9 available loop

slots per track. I a loop is set in a given slot,

the background (behind the loop number) will be

green. Press the x button to clear the loop. I you

click on the locked loop symbol, a red border

will appear. This indicates the loop is locked, and

you will not be able to adjust the end points or

delete the loop until you unlock it, by clicking on

the number again.

nOTE: Loopig applies to rel ad it modes.

autO LOOpIng

Auto looping allows you

to create loops instantly.

I the track has a BPMvalue simply click the

number o bars you wish to loop and Scratch

Live will create the loop or you. The loop is

snapped to the beats in the song detected by

Scratch Live so even i you press the button

slightly out o time Scratch Live will still create a

perect loop or you.

Five auto-loop buttons are available on screen

at any one time. They range rom 1/8 to 32 bars.

The user can select the auto loop range with the

and buttons.

Pressing an auto-loop button will create a loop

start point rom the nearest beat to the playhead

(within reason), and set a loop endpoint in the

uture. Pressing auto-loop 1 while auto-loop

1 is active will deactivate the loop. Pressing a

dierent auto-loop button while looping is active

will extend the endpoint o the current loop to

the appropriate new auto-loop length.

You can also save an auto-loop to the next

available slot. When using an auto-loop, a save

button is visible where the lock loop button

normally is.

nOTE: Auto-loopig requires the track BPM

to be set.

SEE: SET AUTO-BPM (PAGE 10).

THE A - SLOT

A special loop slot A exits or auto-looping. Th

act o using the auto-loop buttons sets a loo

in the A slot, ollowing the rules above. Turnin

a loop o using the auto-loop buttons returnyou to the loop slot that you were previously i

at the time you started auto- looping. Turnin

the loop o using the loop button leaves yo

in the A slot. The A slot is not saved to dis

automatically, pressing save saves the loop t

the rst empty slot in 1-9.

Auto-looping shortcut keys are alt-1 to 5 o

the let deck, and alt-6 to 0 or the right deck

They correspond to the looping buttons as lai

out on screen. ie. i the onscreen buttons displa

1 2 4 8 16 bar loops, alt-1 triggers 1 bar loop

and alt-5 triggers a 16 bar loop.



18/36

SampLe pLayeR

The Sample Player allows you to play up to

six sources o audio, in addition to the tracks

playing on the virtual decks. Any audio le inyour Scratch Live library can be loaded to any

one o the 6 slots, allowing playback o short

samples, sound eects, or ull length tracks.

The Sample Player displays the Song Title o

the track, along with a progress bar to indicate

the current playhead position.

The Sample Player is enabled when the SL 3

hardware is plugged in, however this is not

operational in the ofine player mode.

Select the Sample Player button to access

the SP-6 window. To load an audio le, drag and

drop the desired le rom your library into one o

the slots.

PLAY BEHAVIOR

Pressing the Play button on each slot will play the

loaded audio. Play will start rom the beginning

o the le, unless a cue point or loop is set.

When play is pressed, the audio plays throughuntil the end o the track. Pressing play again

stops the audio.

Tip: Use the shortcut keys

(slot 1) x (slot 2) c (slot 3)

v (slot 4) b (slot 5) (for slot 6)

to trigger each sample respectively.

StaRt pOInt

Play will begin rom either the beginning o the

audio le, or the rst cuepoint, i the le contains

one.Both o these options are overridden i the le

contains a loop. The le will then start rom the

inpoint o the loop.

You can rene the start point or each piece o

audio by setting Scratch Live cue points in the

same way you would to any track. Simply load

the audio to a virtual deck, set your cue point,

then load it back into the Sample Player.

nOTE: The sample player outputs through the

AUX output of the SL 3.

mIdI

The Sample Player is MIDI assignable. For u

unctionality, the Sample Player window must b

opened rst beore enabling MIDI assign mode

SEE: MIDI COnTROL (PAGE 19).



19/36

mIdI cOntROL

OVERVIEW

The MIDI Control eature in Scratch Live provides

the ability to map MIDI controls to Scratch Live

controls, and thus control the unctions o Scratch

Live using MIDI controllers such as keyboards,

triggers, sliders, and knobs. Integrating MIDI

controllers into your Scratch Live setup can

improve live perormance usability, such as

hitting pads on a MIDI controller to trigger loops

and cue points.

mIdI cOntROLLeR Setup

The process o setting up a MIDI controller or

use with Scratch Live will vary depending on

the hardware in question. Many devices can

connect to a computer using MIDI over USB,

and will either be supported directly by your

operating system, or require installation o

drivers and conguration utility sotware. Follow

the manuacturers instructions or installation.

Other controllers may solely use a MIDI out

connector to send control messages, and

will require a separate MIDI interace unit to

communicate to sotware. Generally the MIDI

interace will come with drivers and conguration

tools which pass your controllers output onto anavailable MIDI channel, which can be used by

Scratch Live.

Once your controller is installed and

unctioning correctly, use the directions or

assigning controls below.

aSSIgnIng cOntROLS

To enable MIDI assign mode, click

the MIDI button or press ctrl+M. Hovering the

mouse pointer over a control will bring up the

MIDI assignment box, showing the currentassignment status.

To assign a MIDI control, click on the control

in Scratch Live, then move the MIDI control. The

MIDI assignment box should update to show it

has mapped the controls to one- another.

To un-assign a MIDI control, click on the

control in Scratch Live, and press return on your

computer keyboard.

nOTE: Oce i MIDI assig mode, Scratch

Live cotrols will o loger respod directly

to the mouse. If you eed to chage a cotrol

usig the mouse, disable MIDI assig mode.

While in MIDI assign mode, controls which have

MIDI inputs assigned show a green box indicator

around them.

A nOTE ABOUT MIDI PLATTERS

The Scratch Live virtual decks are not user

assignable to MIDI control. MIDI devices with

platters on them all send dierent data so user

mapping is not possible. To control the platter

use a natively supported controller.

aSSIgnIng mIdI tO OtheR cOntROLS

Controls which are not normally visible are

available or assignment in the lower part o the

screen when in MIDI assign mode. These include

library navigation controls and the temporary

cue points or either deck.

ASSIGnInG CTRL-CLICK

FunctIOnaLIty

Some Scratch Live controls on the GUI have

additional unctionality assigned to ctrl-click.

You can assign ctrl-click unctionality to a MIDI

control, alongside the normal unctionality. For

example, ctrl-click on the internal mode pitch

slider returns pitch to zero. To assign this to MIDI

control, enter MIDI assign mode, ctrl-click on

the slider, and then assign one o the pads to it.

When you press the pad, pitch goes to 0.

pReSetS

MIDI presets are accessible in the MIDI panel o

the setup screen. By deault, the current MID

assignments in Scratch Live are automaticall

remembered and loaded next time you start th

program. The preset screen allows you to sav

and recall several dierent MIDI setups. Thi

is useul i you are using several MIDI device

or want to quickly switch. MIDI setups withou

having to reassign all your controls.

nATIVE COnTROLLER SUPPORT

Scratch Live version 1.8.4 currently has nativ

support or the ollowing 3rd party controllers:

Deo Dn-HC4500

Deo Dn-HD2500

numark DMC2

numark iCDX

Pioeer CDJ-400

These controllers are plug and play, and ca

automatically control Scratch Live with no MID

assigment necessary.

Visit Scratchlive.net or detailed documentatio

on how to use these controllers.

technIcaL InFORmatIOn

Scratch Live MIDI Control only supports Not

On/O, standard 7 bit CC (Control Change),

14 bit CC, and RPN/NRPN (14 bit).



20/36

USInG THE SOnG BROWSER

The song browser allows you to lter your son

list by Genre, BPM, Artist and Album. To turn th

song browser on or o, click the browse button

SeaRchIng

Scratch Live includes a

search unction to help

you nd les quickly and

easily. Enter text into the

search box and Scratch

Live will automatically nd

as you type. To select

which elds the search

unction will look through,

click on the let hand side

o the search box. The drop down menu show

which elds are currently being used. Press es

or the x button on the right o the search box t

clear the search.

TIP: Use the keyboard shortcut ctrl-f to jum

to the search box. This keyboard shortcut wi

also take you out of ay crate or playlist tha

you might be i ad ito your mai librar

so you ca d ay track i your collectio

If you the click o a crate or playlist, th

search query will be cleared.

pRepaRe WIndOW

The prepare window is a holding area or tracks

much like preparing a set by liting records pa

way out o your record bag. You can drag track

(or whole crates) rom the main track list into th

prepare window, or simply drag them onto th

prepare button. These tracks will be remove

rom the prepare window once they have bee

played. All tracks in the prepare window will b

discarded when you exit Scratch Live.

Scratch Live can support an unlimited number o

tracks the only limitation is the size o the hard

drive o your computer. A number o eatures

are included to help you to keep your music

organized and nd songs quickly and easily.

gROupIng tRackS IntO cRateS

Scratch Live supports several ways o organizing

and sorting your le library. iTunes users will

notice that Scratch Live can incorporate your

existing iTunes library and playlists.

Scratch Live uses digital crates or quick

access to your avorite collections. There is no

limit to the number o crates you can create, and

any given track can be placed in multiple crates.

For example, you could organize your les into

the ollowing crates, where any one track would

be led in more than one crate:

Hip Hop

UK Hip Hop

French Hip Hop

Inst Hip Hop

Old Hip Hop

Hip Hop LPs

To make a new crate, click the + button. To

rename a crate, double click the crate name

You can change the order o tracks within a

crate by dragging them up or down.

TIP: The protect library optio i the setup

scree applies to removig, editig ad

reamig crates. Check this optio to prevet

ORganIzIng yOuRmuSIc

chages to your crates. If you do delete a

crate by accidet, you ca get it back from

the recycle bi / trash. Crate les have the

extesio .crate.

SUBCRATES

You can drag and drop crates into other crates

to make subcrates. I you drag a crate to the very

let o the crate panel, it will stay in the top level

o the crate structure. I you drag the crate a little

to the right, onto the name o another crate, it

will make the crate you are dragging a sub crate

o the rst crate.

SORtIng yOuR FILeS

The track inormation display area can be

customized to display the columns listed below:

Added

Album

Artist

Bitrate

BPM

Comment

Composer

Filename

Genre

Grouping

Label

Length

Location

Remixer

Sampling

Size

Track

Video Track

Year

The column button is located at the top o

the library pane in right hand corner. Click on

the column button to select which columns you

want to display. To sort your library by a column,

click the column header so it highlights. For

example, clicking on the album column header

will sort your library alphabetically by album title.

To move a column, drag the header to the let

or right. To resize a column, click on the column

boundary and drag it to the let or right.



21/36

TIP: Use the keyboard shortcut ctrl-p to add

tracks to the prepare widow.

TIP: Select the cotets of the prepare

widow, drag them oto the ew crate butto

(+) to save the selectio.

REVIEW WInDOW

The review window shows the tracks you have

recently played in the order in which they were

played. Tracks you have played recently are

colored green press the clear button to reset

the list o recently played tracks.

TIP: Select the cotets of the review widow

ad drag them oto the ew crate butto (+)

to save a history of the tracks you played.

EDITInG ID3 TAGS

Much o the inormation associated with each le

can be edited rom within Scratch Live. Double

click on the attribute within the main library to

edit the attribute. Filename, length, size, bit rate

and sampling cannot be edited. This inormation

is saved in the le itsel. Note that the protect

library option in setup must be unchecked to

allow edits.

SEE: PREPARInG YOUR FILES (PAGE 10) FOR

DETAILS On BUILDInG OVERVIEWS AnD SETTInG

AUTO-BPM.

TIP: Use the keyboard shortcut ctrl-e to

edit text. Hold dow the ctrl key ad move

with the arrow keys to chage to a differet

eld while stayig i edit mode. Whe you

have more tha oe le selected, editig tags

chages all the les i your selectio.

TIP: The secod colum i the library is the

label color for that le. Click it to brig up acolor palette, ad customie the virtual deck

for that le.

LIBRARY zOOM

You can change the size o your library text by

using the shortcuts ctrl + and ctrl -

DISPLAY ALBUM ART

MP3 les can contain album art inormation. To

display this album art, click the show album art

button. There are many third party applications

available or adding album art to MP3s.

StatuS IcOnS

The letmost column shows the status o each

track. The image to the let shows ve tracks

with diering statuses.

Scratch Live has detected some

corruption in the MP3 le. I possible,

re-encode the MP3.

The track has been imported from the

iTunes library.

The track has been imported from the

iTunes library, and Scratch Live has

detected some corruption in the MP3

le. Solution: I possible, re-encode the MP3.

The track cannot be found. Most likely

the le has been renamed or moved.

Scratch Live is trying to import a track

rom the iTunes library, but cannot

nd the le.

Tracks that are read-only have a

locked icon.

mORe InFO On cORRupt FILeS

I you have a corrupt le in your library, hover

your mouse over the status icon or inormation

on what type o corruption was ound.

SEE: CORRUPT FILE DESCRIPTIOnS AnD

DIAGnOSES (PAGE 29).

BACKUP

Scratch Live stores your library database an

crates inormation in a Scratch Live older o

your hard disk. This older is created on a driv

when les rom that drive are added to ScratcLive. There is one on your system drive and ther

will be one on every external drive that you us

with Scratch Live.

Scratch Live library backup is oered on ex

rom the program. Backup is optional. You ar

prompted to backup your Scratch Live librar

i there is no backup or a drive, or i the las

backup is more than one week old.

A copy o each Scratch Live older calle

ScratchLivebackup is created next to the olde

it is backing up. Auto-Backup will only keep ON

level backup at a time, each time autobacku

runs it overwrites the previous backup.

deLetIng cRateS and tRackS

FROM SCRATCH LIVE

To delete tracks rom your Scratch Live library

select the track and use the keyboard shortcu

ctrl-delete. (Make sure you have the protec

library option unchecked in the setup menu.)

Deleting a track when you are in the All.

playlist removes it rom your library and an

crates that the track may be in.

Deleting a track inside a crate removes it from

that crate but the le will remain in your All..

playlist.

Deleting a track from a subcrate will remove

rom the subcrate and the main crate but no

the All...playlist.

Crates that are deleted are sent to the recycl

bin/trash.

nOTE: To delete ay les from your library ad

your hard drive (sedig them to the recycl

bi) use the shortcut ctrl-shift-delete.

I you are using iTunes playlists, your les canno

be deleted this way. You will need to delete them

rom within iTunes.



22/36

Scratch Live allows you to record one o three

stereo signals rom the SL 3:

Left (deck) in

Right (deck) in

Aux in

Stereo recording is possible even while using

two stereo vinyl control inputs.

1. Click on the downward arrow (icon) to get

the drop menu displaying the three possible

record sources.

2. Select the desired source and press the record

icon to start recording.

3. The record icon fashes while recording and

the display shows the elapsed recording time.

4. Press the record icon again to stop the

recording.

5. To save the recording, type in a name or the

recording and click the save icon.

6. The recording is automatically placed in a crate

named RECORDED. I the crate does not

already exist, it will be created automatically.

7. To start a new recording without saving, simply

click the record button again.

Recordings can be loaded onto the decks,

renamed, and managed like other les.

Recordings are saved in MyDocuments\My-

Music\ScratchLive\Recording on a PC and ~/

Music/ScratchLive/Recording Temp on a Mac.

Recordings are saved as 16-bit, 44.1 kHz stereo

AIFF les.

RECORD GAIn KnOB Adjust the record gain using the record gain

knob. The meters tell you the level o your audio.

Ideally the meters should sit just below the red,

meaning your signal is as loud as it can be

without clipping.

Note that you can also use the Virtual Decks

output level meter to monitor the input level.

To do this, eject the loaded track rom the

appropriate Virtual Deck - The let Virtual Deck

i recording rom input one, or the right Virtual

Deck i recording rom input two. You can now

see the input level on the Virtual Decks higher

resolution stereo meter.

nOTE: If you tur the record gai kob dow

ad the red clip led is still illumiated, this

meas the sigal is clippig o the iput of

the SL 3. You should tur dow the level at

your audio source before it reaches the SL 3.

tIpS

The keyboard shortcut ctrl-n turns recording

on and o.

You can load a recording without saving it

using the short cut keys shit let arrow to the

let deck or shit right arrow to the right deck.

Record

Meter

Level

Save File

Name Box

Save File

Recording

Time

Elapsed

Input

Select

RecORdIng

If the Virtual Deck is set to int mode and i

unloaded, the input record level is sent to th

Virtual Decks higher resolution stereo meters

E.g., i youre recording rom the right deck

set the right Virtual Deck to int, eject the trac

i there is one loaded, and the Virtual Deck

meters will show the signal coming into th

right decks input.

nOTE: Ay recordigs over 3 hours ar

automatically split ito idividual les.

SAMPLInG FROM VInYL

You can use the SL 3 interace to sample rom

vinyl or any other sound source. I you click th

triangle next to the record button, youll see yo

can record rom Aux, Let (deck) or Right (deckAn input level adjustment knob to the right o th

level indicators boosts or attenuates the inpu

signal up to 12 dB.

TIP: Remember that ctrl- turs recordi

o ad off, ad that you ca load a recordig

without savig it usig shift left arrow or shif

right arrow. Drop the eedle ito a loud par

of the track, ad record a few secods, ad

the shift left arrow or shift right arrow t

load it o to the virtual deck. This way yo

ca double check your levels.

RECORDInG YOUR MIX

To record your DJ mix in Scratch Live:

1. Connect an output (i.e., booth, session, aux o

2nd master output) rom your DJ mixer into th

AUX in o the SL 3.

2. Select AUX as the record source in Scratc

Live.

3. Adjust the input level to a suitable volume. B

sure the red overload LED stays o.

4. Begin recording. Details are the same as step

3 to 7 under RECORDING.



23/36

KEYBOARDShORtcutS

These actions can be accessed directly rom the

computer keyboard.

nOTE: Playback, cue ad speed cotrols use

Shift or Caps Lock. You ca tur this off i the

setup scree.

SEE: PLAYBACK KEYS USE SHIFT (PAGE 24)

key actIOn

ctrl - L Locate the current track. This will highlight the track you most recently loaded.Pressing ctrl - L again will alternate between the tracks recently loaded on both decks.

ctrl - R Reveal - the highlighted song is opened in a le browser.

ctrl - F Find - moves the cursor to the search box.

ctrl - A Select all.

ctrl - C Copy text in edit mode.ctrl - E Edit text.

ctrl - V Paste text in edit mode.

ctrl - X Cut text in edit mode.

ctrl - z Undo last track load.

shift - ctrl - shift - ctrl -

Move ocus up / down through the library or crates. Note that i you have a songhighlighted in the song view, and use shit - ct rl- you will move up or downthrough the library or crates. When you release the shit or ctrl key, the ocus will goback to the song view so that you can move up and down through songs using.

ctrl - P Add tracks to the prepare window.

ctrl - n Start a new mic recording.

ctrl - O Open the track in your deault MP3/WAV/OGG/AIF player.

- or + Zoom the main waveorm display.

ctrl - or + Zoom the library text size.

tab Alternate ocus between crates or songs.

ctrl - del and

ctrl - backspace

Remove track rom library., remove track rom crate, delete crate (does not delete the

le).alt - del andalt - backspace

Remove track rom crate and rom library.

ctrl - shift - del andctrl - shift - backspace

Delete the le rom your libraryand send to the recycle bin.(Note to iTunes users: les in your iTunes library cannot be deleted this way).

ctrl - shift - / Toggle the input reverse switch

esc Clear search string i searching, or exit Scratch Live.

LeFt deck actIOn RIght deck

ctrl -or shift - Load the highlighted song to a deck. ctrl -or shift -

ctrl - shift - Load the track currently on one deck onto the other deck as well. ctrl - shift -

ctrl - / Swap the two currently playing tracks rom one deck to the other. ctrl - /

shift - alt - Unload the track rom a deck. shift - alt -

ctrl - , (comma) Place a cue point. ctrl - . (period)

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Jump to cue points in track. (rel and int modes) 6, 7, 8, 9, 0

F1 Switch deck to absolute mode. F6

F2 Switch deck to relative mode. F7

F3 Switch deck to internal mode. F8

F5 Key lock on / o. F10

q Play / pause reverse. a

W Play / pause orward. S

e Pitch down. d

R Pitch up. F

t Bend down. (rel and int modes) g

y Bend up. (rel and int modes) h

u Censor. (rel and int modes) J

I Go to temporary cue point. (rel and int modes) k

O Set / adjust loop in-point. L

p Set / adjust loop out-point. ;

[ Loop on / o. '

ctrl - [ Jump to selected loop. ctrl - '

alt - Q Load previous track. alt - A

alt - W Load next track. alt - S

alt - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Auto loop on / o. alt - 6, 7, 8, 9, 0

alt - E Rewind. (rel and int modes) alt - D

alt - R Fast orward. (rel and int modes) alt - F

alt - O Previous loop. alt - P

alt - L Next loop. alt - ;

alt - space bar Activate the tempo tapper. alt - space bar (x2)

ctrl - I Set temporary cue point. (re l and int modes) ctrl - K

SampLe pLayeR slot 1 slot 2 slot 3 slot 4 slot 5 slot 6

key x c v b



24/36

addItIOnaL Setup

This section covers general preerences and

adjustments you can make to improve the

perormance o Scratch Live. From the mainscreen, tick setup to get to this area.

haRdWaRe

USB BUFFER SIzE (LATEnCY)Scratch Live processes audio in small chunks.

When smaller chunks are used, the movement

o the record is translated into audio more oten

which results in a lower overall system latency.

However, this requires more processing and

thereore a higher CPU load, so lower buer size

settings require a more powerul computer to

produce uninterrupted audio. I you want tighter

control, you should try decreasing this setting,

on the other hand, i you experience audio

dropouts, you need to increase this setting (or

use a more powerul computer).

updatIng FIRmWaRe

I a rmware update is available ater installing

a new Scratch Live sotware release, an update

rmware button appears in the setup screen.

The rmware upgrade takes approximately 10

seconds, during which time the SL 3 will not be

usable.

LInE / PHOnO STATUS

The input level currently set on the SL 3 is

displayed or each input. To change the input

level setting, use the dip switches on the SL 3.

Choose up or Phono and down or Line.When phono is selected, the phono sensitivity

setting is also displayed. Set the phono sensitivity

to the same level o your cartridge (see your

cartridge documentation or the correct value).

PLAYBACK

tRack end WaRnIng

Enable track end warning to fash the virtual

deck as you approach the end o the track. The

label will start fashing 20 seconds rom the end

o the record. The track end warning does not

apply to any tracks under 1 minute long.

PLAYBACK KEYS USE SHIFT

This is checked by deault. Unchecking this

option will enable all o these keys without

pressing shit or having caps lock on. This

applies to all cue points (1...0) and cue controls

(QWERTY etc).

SEE: KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS (PAGE 23)

LOck pLayIng deck

Every DJs nightmare used to be l iting the needle

o the wrong turntable in the middle o a set.

This setting helps to avoid the digital equivalent;

loading a new track to the wrong deck. When

this option is checked, you can only load a track

i the target deck is stopped.

SORt cueS chROnOLOgIcaLLy

The ve cue points can be placed in any order,

and can be dragged up and down i you wish

to reorder them. I you preer to lock them to

chronological order, turn this option on.

autO gaIn

Auto gain enables you to set a uniorm volum

level or the tracks in your library. When a track i

in auto gain mode, the track gain knob appear

depressed.To enable auto gain, go to the setup menu

select the playback tab, and then check the us

auto gain check box. Provided you have bui

your overviews, your tracks will now be loade

with the auto gain applied.

MODIFYInG THE AUTO GAIn LEVEL

Next to the use auto gain check box, a drop

down menu sets the target gain volume leve

Use this to adjust the level o your auto gain.

To nd the optimum setting, load a track wit

an average volume level onto one o the virtua

decks. Now play the track, and note the volum

and LED lights inside the sotware.

The idea is to have the track volume sit jus

under the clipping point (indicated by the LED

meter red lining). I the track is too quiet, unloa

the track, then go to the setup screen and boos

that auto gain dB value more.

Once youve made that adjustment, load tha

same track onto the virtual deck again.

Notice that the volume knob has turned up an

the volume is louder.

Keep making those adjustments on tha

particular track until its just below the clippin

point. Once that is set you dont need to adjus

the target gain level ever again.

Because the track you used had an averag

volume level, most o the other tracks in you

library will be around the same volume. Yo

may still need to turn up the separate trac

volume when you load a quieter track onto th

deck and turn down the louder tracks but onc

youve made those adjustments Scratch Live w

remember them the next time you load the le.

TIP: Slightly too quiet is always better tha

too loud. If your LED meter is i the red, it i

likely that it is clippig. not oly does clippi

ot soud very ice, it ca damage you

equipmet.

nOTE: Your overviews eed to be built b

versio 1.7.2 or later for auto gai to work.



25/36

HI-FI RESAMPLER

This signicantly reduces digital distortion at very

slow or very ast record speeds, increasing the

CPU load slightly. This option is o by deault,

the old resampler is used when switched o.

pLay FROm StaRt

Enable this to start all tracks rom the beginning

when loaded in rel and int modes. I this setting

is not enabled, reshly loaded tracks will continue

to play rom the point the last track was at. This

option is on by deault.

InSTAnT DOUBLES

This allows you to quickly match the playhead

position o two tracks. With this option set,

when you load a track on one virtual deck that is

already loaded on the other virtual deck (it must

be the same le), the playhead will jump to the

position o the track that was loaded rst, with

the keylock state and looping settings copied.

This setting overrides the play rom start and

play rom rst cue point options.

pLay FROm FIRSt cue pOInt

Enable this option to start all tracks rom the rst

cue point when loaded in rel and int modes. This

setting overrides the play rom start option.

BRAKInG (InT MODE)

This controls how ast the deck stops when

play is stopped. Counterclockwise, the stop is

immediate. Clockwise rotation increases the

stop rom a nger grab all the way to a slow

turntable power-down.

audIO Output

By deault the output o Scratch Live is stereo.

You can also select mono output. This setting is

saved when you exit Scratch Live.

VInYL COnTROL

REVERSE VInYL SCROLL

This setting allows you to reverse the direction o

Vinyl Scroll. SEE: PLAYBACK COnTROL (PAGE 11)

ADJUST LOOPS WITH VInYL

Loop end points can be adjusted using the

control vinyl. Disable this option i you wish to

use the computers arrow keys to adjust loops,and keep audio playback controlled by the vinyl.

SEE: LOOPInG (PAGE 17)

nEXT SOnG On FLIP

When this option is enabled, changing the side

o control vinyl youre using (fipping the record)

loads the next song.

VInYL SCROLL SPEED

Vinyl Scroll allows you to load a new track without

touching the computer, by liting the needle and

placing it in the special section o side A o the

control record. This setting allows you to adjust

the sensitivity o Vinyl Scroll, so that you can

control the amount o record movement required

to move between tracks.

DROP TO ABSOLUTE POSITIOn

This detects a deliberate repositioning o the

needle, and moves the playhead to the absolute

position o the needle, as i it were in absolute

mode. Accidental skipping o the needle does

not reposition the playhead. (rel mode only)

dROp tO cue pOIntS

This option triggers the corresponding cue point

when the needle is repositioned into one o the

rst 5 one-minute sections on the control vinyl.

For instance: needle dropping into the second

minute on the let turntable, will send playback

or deck 1 to cuepoint 2, i that cuepoint is set.

(rel mode only)

tRack StaRt OFFSet

I you nd that you have cue burn at the beginnin

o the record, you will notice that the tracking wi

be poor at this point. Use the two knobs to ose

the start point, so that the track will start playinrom a point urther into the control record. Th

rst knob sets the number o whole minutes t

oset by, the second knob sets the number o

whole rotations within that minute.

LIBRARY

Read iTUnES LIBRARY

Existing iTunes users will recognize man

eatures rom iTunes. Scratch Live can rea

the iTunes library ormat, and will automaticall

import the iTunes library and iTunes playlists

iTunes is available or Mac and PC, or mor

inormation about iTunes, visit www.apple.com

Click read iTunes library to activate.

nOTE: it may take some time to read you

iTues library if it cotais a lot of tracks. I

you edit the le iformatio of tracks from

your iTues library, the chages will

appear i iTues util after you play the track

Scratch Live caot play les that have bee

protected by Digital Rights Maageme

systems, such as those sold through th

Apple iTues Music Store.

PROTECT LIBRARY

Uncheck this setting to remove les and crate

rom your library. Enable to lock your library an

prevent accidental le or crate deletion whil

using Scratch Live. Enabling this setting will als

lock all le tags and crate names, so that no tex

can be changed.



26/36

centeR On SeLected SOng

With this option on, scrolling up and down in your

library holds the selected track in the middle o

the library panel.

ShOW aLL FILe typeS

Enable this option to show all les when

importing tracks into Scratch Live. I this option

is not selected, only les that Scratch Live can

play will be displayed.

InCLUDE SUBCRATE TRACKS

You can drag crates into other crates to make

subcrates. I you have the include subcrate

tracks option turned on, any crate will also

display the contents o all its subcrates.

SEE: ORGAnIzInG YOUR MUSIC (PAGE 20)

AUTO FILL OVERVIEWS

Enable this setting to automatically generate the

track overview as soon as a track is loaded. I

this setting is not enabled, the track overview will

be generated as the track plays. Automatically

generating the track overview uses more o the

computers CPU power, and should be disabled

on slower computers.

ImpORt aac FILeS

Turn this option o i you do not wish to import

AAC les into your library. Changing this option

will cause your iTunes library to be reloaded i

you have the read iTunes library option turned

on.

RESCAn ID3 TAGS

Click this button to orce Scratch Live to re-read

all l