Syncing Ableton Live with Traktor on One Computer

Contrary to belief it is fairly easy to sync Live and Traktor together on one computer.

Launch both programs remembering it’s not rewire so it doesn’t matter which order you open the in.

Configer Traktor to send MIDI Clock which can be found in the controller manager in the preferences and enable Traktor Virtual Output as the Midi Out port. Now close Traktor’s preferences and go to Live and open the Preferences window and select the Midi/Sync tab.

Now select Traktor Virtual Output as Live’s MIDI Sync Input. Close Live’s Preferences and go back to Traktor, check the Clock Master Ext button and click on the Master Clock Start to send the sync to Live. Live does not start running automatically like with rewire. But upon launching a Live click, it’ll start running in sync.

You can now change Traktor’s master tempo by clicking and typing in the BPM display, you’ll probably be setting tempos based on defining a song in one of the decks as being the Master therefore as a new song becomes the master, Live should change tempo and stay in Sync.

You can either sync Live to Trakor, or Traktor to Live, it’s up to you which way you want to work. You could for example assign each application to separate outs on your soundcard, for one thing, or route the audio between programs using intermediate applications like Soundflower or Jack.

You could route Live’s master output to a Traktor deck, so you can apply Traktor audio effects to it, or you could flip that over and send the audio from each Traktor deck to a separate.

Happy Mixing!!!

Original article in Future Music Issue 229