Rane MP 4 User manual

TTM 57SL - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.1 1
MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2
2

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2 3
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
1. Read these instructions.
2. Keep these instructions.
3. Heed all warnings.
4. Follow all instructions.
5. Do not use this apparatus near water.
6. Clean only with a dry cloth.
7. Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance
with manufacturer’s instructions.
8. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators,
registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that
produce heat.
9. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding
type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than
the other. A grounding-type plug has two blades and a third
grounding prong. The wide blade or third prong is provided for
your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet,
consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.
10. Protect the power cord and plug from being walked on or
pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the
point where it exits from the apparatus.
11. Only use attachments & accessories specified by Rane.
12. Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table
specified by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When
a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus
combination to avoid injury from tip-over.
13. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when
unused for long periods of time.
14. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing
is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way,
such as power supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been
spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus
has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally,
or has been dropped.
15. The plug on the power cord is the AC mains disconnect
device and must remain readily operable.
16. This apparatus shall be connected to a mains socket outlet
with a protective earthing connection.
17. When permanently connected, an all-pole mains switch
with a contact separation of at least 3 mm in each pole shall be
incorporated in the electrical installation of the building.
18. If rack-mounting, provide adequate ventilation. Equipment
may be located above or below this apparatus, but some
equipment (like large power amplifiers) may cause an
unacceptable amount of hum or may generate too much heat
and degrade the performance of this apparatus.
19. This apparatus may be installed in an industry standard
equipment rack. Use screws through all mounting holes to
provide the best support.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not
expose this apparatus to rain or moisture. Apparatus shall not
be exposed to dripping or splashing and no objects filled with
liquids, such as vases, shall be placed on the apparatus.
INTRODUCTION
Beyond the Quick Start guide, please read through this manual
to get the most from your MP 4 and the included Scratch LIVE
software. Keep this manual in a safe place. If you lose yours, a
new copy may be downloaded at www.rane.com/mp4.html.
To keep up with the latest tips, and to check for software updates
for your MP 4, visit the official Scratch LIVE Forum at scratchlive.
net.
COPYRIGHT NOTICES
© 2008 Rane Corporation. All rights reserved. Scratch LIVE and
the Scratch LIVE logo are trademarks of Serato Audio Research.
Trademarked in the U.S. and other countries. Licensed
exclusively to Rane Corporation. This software is based in part
on the work of 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 ©2004-2008 Serato
Audio Research. The Control Vinyl and Control CDs are licensed
for personal use only. The creation of personal backups of the
Control CD is allowed, however duplicating Control CDs for
commercial benefit is strictly prohibited. For avoidance of doubt
the duplication or creation of Control Vinyl for any use is strictly
prohibited. Please respect our copyright. ©2004-2008 Serato
Audio Research. Windows XP and Vista is either a registered
trademark or a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United
States and/or other countries. Apple, Mac, Macintosh and iTunes
are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the US
and/or other countries.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of electrical shock, do not open the unit. No
user serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified service
personnel.
The symbols shown below are internationally accepted symbols
that warn of potential hazards with electrical products.
This symbol indicates that a dangerous
voltage constituting a risk of electric
shock is present within this unit.
This symbol indicates that there are
important operating and maintenance
instructions in the literature
accompanying this unit.
MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
• Computer with USB 1 port supporting Full Speed
Mode (USB 1.1).
• Screen resolution 1024 x 768 or higher.
• Hard drive space for storing music.
PC
• Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or
Vista with Service Pack 1
• Pentium 4 / 1.5 GHz
• 1 GB RAM.
MAC
• OSX 10.3
• G4 / 1 GHz
• 1 GB RAM.
Scratch LIVE is compatible with Intel-based Mac
computers.
CHECK LIST
These items are included with the MP4 in the box:
• Scratch LIVE software install disc.
• 1 USB cable.
• IEC C5 line cord.
• Package of 4 rubber feet.
• Quick Start Guide.
• This manual.
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
CAUTION

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2
4
CONTENTS
Important Safety Instructions 3
Introduction 3
Copyright Notices 3
Warning 3
Minimum System Requirements 3
PC 3
Mac 3
Check List 3
MP 4 OVERVIEW 6
Inputs 6
Outputs 6
Recording 6
Cueing 6
FRONT PANEL DESCRIPTION 7
REAR PANEL DESCRIPTION 8
SCRATCH LIVE: GETTING STARTED 9
Mac OS X 9
Windows XP 9
Windows Vista 10
Windows Troubleshooting 10
Third-Party Software 10
Using the Tool Tips 10
IMPORTING AND PLAYING MUSIC 11
Importing Your Music 11
Supported File Types 11
Playing Music 11
Track Display 11
PREPARING YOUR FILES 12
BuIlding Overviews 12
How to Build Overviews 12
About Corrupt Files 12
Set Auto-BPM 12
The Ofine Player 12
MAIN SCREEN OVERVIEW 12
Virtual Deck 12
Visual Aids 13
Tempo Matching Display 13
Track Overview Display 13
Main Waveform Display 13
Beat Matching Display 13
Master Gain 13
Tap Tempo 14
Key Lock 14
Repeat 14
Censor 14
Eject 14
Fader Start 14
Track Gain 14
MIXING WITH THE MP 4 15
Pitch Sliders 15
Temporary Cue 15
CUE POINTS 16
LOOPING 17
Auto Looping 17
The A - Slot 17
MIDI CONTROL 18
Overview 18
MIDI Controller Setup 18
Assigning Controls 18
A note about MIDI Platters 18
Assigning MIDI to other Controls 18
Assigning Ctrl-Click Functionality 18
Presets 18
Native Controller support 18
Technical Information 18

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2 5
ORGANIZING YOUR MUSIC 19
Grouping Tracks into Crates 19
Subcrates 19
Sorting Your Files 19
Using the Song Browser 19
Searching 19
Prepare Window 19
Review Window 20
Editing ID3 Tags 20
Display Album Art 20
Status icons 20
More info on corrupt files 20
Auto-Backup 20
Deleting Crates and Tracks 20
RECORDING 21
KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS 22
ADDITIONAL SETUP 23
Playback 23
Track End Warning 23
Playback Keys Use Shift 23
Lock Playing Deck 23
Sort Cues Chronologically 23
Auto Gain 23
Modifying the Auto Gain Level. 23
Hi-Fi Resampler 23
Play From Start 23
Instant Doubles 23
Play From First Cue Point 23
Audio Output 23
Library 23
Read iTunes™ Library 24
Protect Library 24
Center on Selected Song 24
Show All File Types 24
Include Subcrate Tracks 24
Auto Fill Overviews 24
Import AAC Files 24
Rescan ID3 Tags 24
Relocate Lost Files 24
Display 24
Maximum Screen Updates 24
Audio Cache 24
Horizontal Waveforms 24
USB Dropout Indicator 25
TROUBLESHOOTING AND FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS 25
CORRUPT FILE DESCRIPTIONS AND
DIAGNOSES 26
FADER CLEANING 27

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2
6
The MP 4 combines Rane mixer technology and
Serato Scratch LIVE software. The result is a
mixer with the flexibility of playing digital music
directly from your computer while still supporting
traditional analog inputs. This two-bus mixer
is able to simultaneously play stereo analog
sources, play stereo digital files, and digitally
record Mic, Program A, Program B or Main-mix.
You can also operate the MP 4 as a stand-alone
analog mixer without a computer, or use it as a
high-quality six-channel sound card with Serato
Scratch LIVE software, without analog sources.
The MP 4 is targeted at mobile DJ, night
club, remix project studio and post production
applications. The Scratch LIVE MP 4 control
screen includes many advanced features that
enhance its ability to mix and blend:
• Play / pause control, both forward and reverse
• Pitch and bend controls for ne tuning beat
matching
• Fast forward and reverse
• Multiple cue points per track
• Censor (reverse sections without losing play
position)
• Fader Start; Scrub track with mouse; Autoplay
Crate
The MP 4 is not a performance scratch mixer. It
does not use control vinyl or CDs and does not
have a scratch fader.
While the MP 4 may be used as a generic sound
card with other software applications, for best
performance and support we highly recommend
using Scratch LIVE. Performance using other
applications may vary and compatibility is not
guaranteed.
The computer sees the MP 4 as three USB
audio devices (two stereo play and one stereo
record). ASIO (for PC) and CoreAudio (for Mac)
drivers are included. The digital audio format is
24-bit, 3-byte PCM with a 48 kHz sample rate.
INPUTS
PROGRAM A and B INPUT switches select
between the two LINE and two USB Inputs. LINE
1 and LINE 2 are set for PHONO level or LINE
level using the associated push switch on the
rear panel.
PROGRAM A and B each feature LOW and
HIGH tone and LEVEL controls. Four-segment
program level meters indicate signals from –24
dBu to +12 dBu. Clipping occurs at +22 dBu.
The balanced MIC input features a full-range
LEVEL control and is mixed with the Main-mix
post-crossfader.
MP 4 OVERVIEW
OUTPUTS
Two stereo analog outputs are provided. The
HOUSE output is available on both balanced
XLR and balanced ¼” TRS connectors. The
AUX output is available on balanced ¼” TRS
connectors and has an independent rear panel
LEVEL control.
RECORDING
One USB stereo output is available for recording.
Scratch LIVE software allows selecting Mic,
Program A, Program B or Main-mix as the source.
The MIC TO USB RECORD switch located on
the rear panel determines if the Mic is included
in the USB Main-mix record output. The ability
to record lets you archive your analog sources,
record samples to use in your performance or to
record your performance.
CUEING
Headphone Cueing allows independent selection
of the Program A or Program B input, making
it possible to Cue any source (digital or analog)
with the push of a switch. The PAN PGM / CUE
control lets you Pan between the selected Cue
input (pre-Crossfader) and the Main-mix (post-
Crossfader).
MADE IN U.S.A.
RANE CORP.
RIGHT LEFT RIGHT RIGHTLEFT LEFT
LEVEL
R
L
PHONO
LINE
PHONO
GROUND
MIC TO
USB RECORD
MP 4
HOUSE AUX
IN 2IN 1
MIC
ACN 001 345 482
BALANCED OUTPUTS: TIP = (+), RING = (–), SLEEVE = SIGNAL GROUND BALANCED INPUT
PHONO
LINE
YES
NO
USB
100-240V
50/60 Hz 7WATTS
FOR CONTINUED
GROUNDING PROTECTION
DO NOT REMOVE SCREW
Zone 1 AmpZone 2 Amp
Two CD players or
Two Turntables
or One of Each.

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2 7
FRONT PANEL
DESCRIPTION
OL
MIC LEVEL A LEVEL B LEVEL LEVELLOW 10 86402 LOWHIGH HIGH
0246108
LINE USB LINE USB
INPUT INPUT
PGM CUE
AB
MP 4
MIXER
A
PROGRAM A PROGRAM B
CUE
PHONESMIC
B
PA N
HOUSE
LEVEL POWER
1
22
1
1
22
1
100
2
4
8
6
100
2
4
8
6
100
2
4
8
6
100
2
4
8
6
100
2
4
8
6
0
–24
–12
+12
–12 +12 –12 +12 –12 +12 –12 +12
0
-24
-12
+12
1 7
96
8 10 11 2 23 34 45 5
FEATURE DESCRIPTION
1Mic Level Control Adjusts the Level of the MIC Input. The OL (overload) indicator lights when the maximum mic level has been reached, 3
dB before clipping. If this lights up, either turn the MIC LEVEL down, or stop yelling.
2 Program Input Selectors Provide selection of LINE 1, LINE 2, USB 1 or USB 2 Inputs for each of the PROGRAM A or PROGRAM B channels. LINE
Inputs may each be set for PHONO or LINE level via the rear panel switch (see Rear Panel 6).
3 Program Low And High Tones Adjust the equalization for each of the PROGRAM channels. Pointing these controls straight up at their center detents
takes the tone controls out of the signal path. This is not designed to be the only equalizer in the system, this is intended
to provide EQ between varying program materials. We recommend an external graphic equalizer for the best system
sound, connected between the HOUSE OUTPUTS and the amplifier.
4 Program Level Controls Set the volume of each PROGRAM INPUT, as you would expect! These controls are pre-Crossfader, so both Program
Level controls also depend on the Crossfader setting (see 6).
5Program Meter This four-segment meter shows signal presence (at -24 dBu), optimum signal level (at around 0 dBu), and a warning to
turn down the associated LEVEL control if the +12 dBu indicator lights up.
6Active Crossfader Controls the mix of PROGRAM A and B LEVELS in a logical manner. When the Crossfader is all the way left, only
PROGRAM A is heard. When it’s all the way right, only PROGRAM B is heard. When it’s in the middle, both PROGRAM
A and B are mixed together equally. This is an Active Crossfader™ which uses a VCA to deliver an extended life with
reduced travel noise, but to insure trouble-free operation, see Fader Cleaning on page 4.
7House Level Meter Adjusts the Output Level of the Main-mix to the HOUSE Outputs.
8 Cue Switches Select Program A or B in any combination to the PHONES. The associated yellow indicator lights when a CUE is
activated and pressed in. Depressing a button sends Program signals to the CUE side of the PAN control. For example,
when the Crossfader is to the left (playing Program A to the House), listen to CUE B (Program B) on the headphones to
audition, match beats or prepare a starting point.
9 Pan Control Changes the relative levels of the Cue and Program mixed together in stereo to the PHONES. Adjust this control
anywhere between Program and Cue:
PGM follows the Main-mix (House) Output.
CUE is determined by the CUE switches and only goes to the headphones.
10 Phones Level And Headphone Jack As you guessed, plug your headphones in here and adjust the overall volume with the LEVEL control. CUE 8 and PAN
9 select the source.
11 Power Indicator Illuminates to let you know the MP 4 is plugged in and ready to go.

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2
8
REAR PANEL
DESCRIPTION
FEATURE DESCRIPTION
1Universal Voltage Input Via a miniature IEC 60320 C6 appliance inlet. This mates with an IEC 60320 C5 line cord (USA domestic). Do not lift the
ground connection!
2 USB Connection Attach the included USB cable from here to the computer. The blue LED illuminates when the cable is connected and
receiving power. USB delivers two stereo inputs from the computer to the mixer (USB 1 and USB 2), and one stereo
record signal from the mixer to the computer.
3 House Output The front panel HOUSE LEVEL control affects the volume at this Output. Connect either the XLR or ¼” TRS (tip-ring-
sleeve) jacks to a balanced equalizer or amplifier. Both Output types may be used simultaneously if needed. Though not
recommended, unbalanced ¼” TS (tip-sleeve) cables may be used for short runs (under 3 meters [10 feet]) to an amplier
with unbalanced inputs. See the RaneNote “Sound System Interconnection” for wiring recommendations.
4 AUX Output This delivers the same signal as the HOUSE Output, but has its own rear panel LEVEL control. This Output is not affected
by the front panel HOUSE LEVEL control. These balanced ¼” TRS (tip-ring-sleeve) Outputs connect to a balanced
equalizer or amplifier (for a possible second listening zone) and follow the same interconnection rules as above.
5Mic to USB Record Switch In the YES position the Mic signal along with the Program mix is routed to the USB record output. In the NO position only
the Program mix is sent to the USB record output.
6 Inputs 1 & 2 These stereo Inputs are each switchable from a PHONO (RIAA) stage for magnetic cartridges (switch in) to a LINE level
Input suitable for any line level device such as a CD player (switch out). Each of these may be assigned to PROGRAM
A or B using the front panel INPUT selectors. The PHONO GROUND screw connects those extra wires coming out of
the turntables.
7Mic Input Jack Accepts either a ¼” balanced (TRS) or unbalanced (TS) microphone plug, controlled by the front panel MIC LEVEL
control.
MADE IN U.S.A.
RANE CORP.
RIGHT LEFT RIGHT RIGHTLEFT LEFT
LEVEL
R
L
PHONO
LINE
PHONO
GROUND
MIC TO
USB RECORD
MP 4
HOUSE AUX
IN 2 IN 1
MIC
ACN 001 345 482
BALANCED OUTPUTS: TIP = (+), RING = (–), SLEEVE = SIGNAL GROUND BALANCED INPUT
PHONO
LINE
YES
NO
USB
100-240V
50/60 Hz 7 WATTS
FOR CONTINUED
GROUNDING PROTECTION
DO NOT REMOVE SCREW
COMMERCIAL AUDIO
EQUIPMENT 24TJ
R
1 2 75 6
3 4

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2 9
MAC OS X
Before you install the Scratch LIVE software,
check for free software updates at scratchlive.
net. The software version that came with your MP
4 is printed on the installation CD. The Scratch
LIVE software is updated frequently, all updates
are free, and available at scratchlive.net.
To install the software, double-click on the
installer icon from the CD-ROM, or the installer
you just downloaded from scratchlive.net.
When you connect your MP 4 to your Mac,
it will appear to the Mac operating system as
multiple sound outputs and inputs. Go to the
audio section of the system preferences panel to
select the desired settings.
On the output tab, choose MP 4 USB 1 Out
or MP 4 USB 2 Out, and on the MP 4 select the
same USB 1 or 2 INPUT.
On the input tab, you will see four MP 4 devices
listed.
They are, in order:
1. The Main-mix output
2. Program A
3. Program B
4. Microphone
The MP 4 can be used with third party software,
as well as the Scratch LIVE software included
with it. On the Mac, you can use the MP 4 with
any audio application, though technical support
is limited to Scratch LIVE.
WINDOWS XP
1. Disconnect any unneccessary USB devices
from your PC.
2. Connect the MP 4 to your computer with the
supplied USB cable.
3. The Found New Hardware bubbles appear:
MP 4
USB Composite Device
MP 4 USB1 Out
USB Audio Device
MP 4 USB2 Out
USB Audio Device
MP 4 Line In
USB Audio Device
MP 4
USB Human Interface Device
Your new hardware is installed and ready to
use.
4. Before you install the Scratch LIVE software,
check for free software updates at scratchlive.net.
The software version that came with your MP 4 is
printed on the installation CD. The Scratch LIVE
software is updated frequently, and all updates
are free. To install the software, double-click
on the installer icon from the CD-ROM, or the
installer you just downloaded from scratchlive.
net. Follow the on-screen instructions.
5. Click “Next” to continue the install, or choose
custom if you wish to change the install directory
or choose not to install the ASIO driver.
6. Windows may complain that the software
driver is not digitally signed. Defy Microsoft and
choose Continue Anyway.
7. Click Finish once installation is complete.
Scratch Live appears in the Start Menu under All
Programs > Serato > Scratch Live.
Windows XP treats each USB port individually.
You might like to install Scratch LIVE on all
of your USB ports, so you can connect the
hardware to any port.
As soon as you install the device driver, the
operating system does not see the MP 4. That
means you can either [A] not install anything,
and windows will see the MP 4, or [B] install
Scratch LIVE and the ASIO driver, and then you
can use the MP 4 with Scratch LIVE or an ASIO
application only.
SCRATCH LIVE:
GETTING STARTED

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2
10
WINDOWS VISTA
When you plug in your hardware:
1. A Found New Hardware wizard will pop up.
2. Choose “Locate and install driver software”.
3. After Windows looks for the driver it will say
“Windows couldn’t find driver software for your
device”. Choose “Browse my computer for
driver software”.
4. Browse to the location that you extracted
the ScratchLIVE .zip file to. Choose the Drivers
folder.
5. Click next and Windows will say “Windows
can’t verify the publisher of this driver software”.
Click “Install this driver software anyway”.
6. When you see the bubble “Your new hardware
is installed and ready to use,” proceed to install
the Scratch LIVE driver.
WINDOWS TROUBLESHOOTING
If you have a USB PCI card, your computer
may have allocated bandwith to other devices,
including your mouse, preventing Scratch LIVE
from recognising the MP 4. Unplug unneccesary
devices and install Scratch LIVE again. You may
need to temporarily move your mouse to the
built-in USB port. After installation, reconnect
USB units as needed.
If other USB devices steal bandwidth, you
may get a “interface disconnected” message
when launching Scratch LIVE, try unplugging
and re-plugging in the MP 4.
The ASIO Bit Depth and “Ask host to process
during callback” settings should not be adjusted
unless you are having problems.
Uncheck “Ask host to process during callback”
if you have audio dropouts. Your application may
not support an ASIO bitdepth of 32-bit. If this is
the case, there will be no audio sent to the MP
4.
THIRD-PARTY SOFTWARE
The MP 4 can be used with third party software,
as well as the Scratch LIVE software that comes
with it. When you install Scratch LIVE, an ASIO
driver will also be installed. You can use the MP
4 as a sound card for any third party software
that supports the ASIO standard. Go to the
audio interface control panel in the third party
software, and choose the MP 4 Driver. Launch
Control Panel to access more settings for the
MP 4 ASIO driver.
You can reduce the USB Buffer Size for lower
latency.
USING THE TOOL TIPS
Click on the ? icon to enable tool tips. Tool tips
provide a handy way to learn the various features
of Scratch LIVE. Move the mouse over a section
of 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 list of
all keyboard shortcuts. Tool tips are available in
several languages. Scratch LIVE will display the
tool tips in the language that your computer is
set to. If your language is not available, the tool
tips will be displayed in English.

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2 11
IMPORTING AND
PLAYING 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 left side of this window displays
various locations on your computer hard drive
(and external drives if you have one). Click on
these locations to navigate your computer and
find your music.
By default, your music will usually be found in
either “Music” (Mac) or “My Music” (Windows).
2. Once you have located your music, drag
the folder or files you want to import onto the
purple “All...” icon. This is located to the left of
your screen at the top of the crates and playlist
window.
If you wish to import all of your music, just
drag your whole music folder onto this icon.
TIP: You can also import by dragging files
and folders directly from Windows Explorer
(PC version) or Finder (Mac version) into the
Scratch LIVE library.
SUPPORTED FILE TYPES
Scratch LIVE supports fixed and variable bit rate
.MP3, Ogg Vorbis, AAC, .AIFF, and .WAV file
types. M3U playlists are also supported.
NOTE: iTunes Music Store DRM files cannot
be played back by Scratch LIVE.
PLAYING MUSIC
Click on the All… icon to show all the tracks
in your library. Use the keyboard shortcut Shift
- Left Arrow to load the highlighted track on to
the left deck, and Shift - Right Arrow to load the
highlighted track on to the right deck.
TIP: You can also load tracks to decks using
the mouse. Click and drag a track from the
track list area on to either deck.
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.
If the track has BPM information written in the
tag this will also be displayed.
SEE: SET AUTO-BPM (PAGE 12)

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2
12
SET AUTO-BPM
If this option is checked, building overviews will
If this option is checked while building overviews,
Scratch LIVE will calculate the estimated tempos
of your files. If Scratch LIVE is confident that the
auto-BPM estimate for a file is accurate, it will be
written to an ID3 tag* in the file.
The auto-BPM function will not be applied if
the track already contains BPM information. To
rebuild overviews and use auto-BPM or auto
gain on those files, drag them onto the build
overviews button. If you know your files BPM
will fall within a certain range, use the range drop
down to avoid double or half value BPMs being
calculated.
*ID3 tags contain data about your tracks
and are saved inside the files themselves.
Genre, track name and artist are examples of
common tag information.
SEE: EDITING ID3 TAGS (PAGE 20)
THE OFFLINE PLAYER
The offline player is available when Scratch LIVE
hardware is not connected, and outputs through
the current default audio device. Load a track to
the offline player by dragging and dropping onto
the deck, or pressing shift+left arrow. If the end
of the loaded track is reached, the next track in
the current playlist is played automatically.
The offline player is a useful tool for preparing
crates, auditioning tracks, and setting cue and
loop points.
MAIN SCREEN
OVERVIEW
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.
VIRTUAL DECK
Virtual Deck shows
everything about the
speed and position of
a track. As the vinyl
rotates, so does the
line on the label. The
circular progress bar
around the edge is a visual representation of
the position within the song, and can be set to
flash 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 shift is shown on the left
of the Virtual Deck, and the pitched BPM (BPM
with pitch adjustment multiplier added) is shown
on the right of the virtual Deck. If the track has
no BPM information, pitched BPM will not be
shown.
If 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 find it
distracting. You can unload the currently loaded
track using the eject button next to each Virtual
Deck.
PREPARING YOUR
FILES
BUILDING OVERVIEWS
Before you play your music in Scratch LIVE, It is
important to first prepare your files by building
overviews.
The overview builder analyses the songs in
your library to detect file corruption, saves the
waveform 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 left side of the
main screen, you will notice a button labeled
“build overviews”. Click this to automatically
build the overviews for all the tracks in your
library.
TIP: You can drag and drop individual folders,
crates or files onto this button to force the
building of overviews at any time.
ABOUT CORRUPT FILES
If Scratch LIVE detects a corrupt file it
will tag it with a corrupt file icon:
It is very important that you delete ANY
corrupt files from your library as they can cause
Scratch LIVE to crash regardless if you play the
file or not.
SEE: STATUS ICONS (PAGE 20) AND CORRUPT FILE
DESCRIPTIONS AND DIAGNOSES (PAGE 30)

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2 13
TIP: Use the keyboard shortcut shift-alt-arrow
to unload a track from the Virtual Deck.
VISUAL AIDS
When the track is playing several waveforms are
displayed. Each shows a different aspect of the
track being played.
TEMPO MATCHING DISPLAY
The Tempo Matching display area provides a
helpful tool for beat matching. Scratch LIVE
detects the beats within the track, and places
a row of orange peaks (for the track on the left
side) above a row of blue peaks (for 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 of
the bar, so the peaks keep their relative position
as the track plays. This display does not show
the relative timing of the beats, only the tempos
of the tracks. The peaks will still line up when the
tracks are playing at the same tempo, but are
out of sync.
TRACK OVERVIEW DISPLAY
This view provides a complete overview
of the waveform of the track, and includes
a marker to show the current position
within the track. This view is useful for
finding transitions within the track. The
waveform is colored according to the
spectrum of the sound – red representing
low frequency bass sounds, green
representing mid frequency sounds and
blue representing high frequency treble
sounds.
You can jump to different positions
within the track by clicking on the Track
Overview display (disabled in abs mode).
Grey lines behind the overview show the length
of the track – a thin grey line every minute, and a
thick grey line every 5 minutes. The overview will
be filled when you load the track onto a Virtual
Deck. On slower computers, you should disable
auto fill overviews in the setup screen – with this
setting disabled, the overview will be filled as
you play the track.
MAIN WAVEFORM DISPLAY
This view provides a close-
up view of the track,
including color coding to
show the frequency of the
sound; red representing low
frequency bass sounds, green
representing mid-frequency
sounds and blue representing
high-frequency treble sounds.
You can also switch to a three-
band spectrum view by holding
the ctrl key and clicking on
the waveform. Click on the
waveform to ‘scrub’ or make
fine adjustments to your position within the
track. This applies to int mode only, and may
be useful if you wish to set cue points in your
tracks without your turntables or CD players
connected. The Main Waveform is zoomed
around the current position in the track.
TIP: Use the + and – keys to zoom in and out.
In the example below, the red part of the wave
represents a kick drum, while the purple part
represents a snare drum.
Kick Drum
Snare Drum
BEAT MATCHING DISPLAY
This view shows the position of beats
within the track. When beat matching,
this view helps align the downbeats
of the two tracks. The markers are
matched up when the two tracks are
beat matched.
Example: The following is a
demonstration of using the visual aids
to help beat match. In this example,
the track that is playing is on the left
deck, and the track to be mixed in is
on the right deck.
1. Start the track playing on the right
deck. After a few seconds, blue peaks appear in
the Tempo Matching display.
2. Adjust the pitch of 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 of the items passing by
in the Main Waveform 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 perfect mixes, but may help
to speed up the process of beat matching.
MASTER GAIN
The master output of Scratch
LIVE can be controlled using
the master gain control. This adjusts the output
volume of all tracks played.
NOTE: for best results, set the master gain
to the 12 o’clock position, and adjust the
volume of individual tracks using the track
gain adjustment.

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2
14
REPEAT
Use the repeat function to repeat the
song across the entire length of the
control record.
TIP: Short “loop” samples can be turned into
a continuous track using the repeat function.
The loops must be less than 10 seconds long,
and cut at the start and end of a bar.
CENSOR
Use the censor button to ‘mask’ parts
of a song, or use as a special effect.
When you press the censor button, the track
starts playing backwards from that point. When
you release the censor button, the track plays
forward from the point you would have been,
had you not pressed the censor button.
EJECT
This ejects the track playing or loaded
track from the Virtual Deck.
FADER START
Playback may be triggered from the Crossfader
using the fader start feature. To start playback
using the Crossfader, pause the track at the
desired position and press the fader start button.
Now each time you move the Crossfader from its
end position, the track will start playing from that
point. Moving the Crossfader from the right end
point will start the left deck when fader start is
turned on, and moving the crossfader from the
left end point will start the right deck when fader
start is on. You can set the fader start point using
the keyboard shortcut ctrl-i for the left deck, and
ctrl-k for the right deck. You can also jump to this
point without moving the fader by pressing I for
TAP TEMPO
For tracks with no BPM information,
there is a tap tempo button
displayed where the BPM usually
is, in the song info 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. After you’ve tapped the first beat,
you can switch to double time tapping, half
time, start of each bar etc. The range is set by
the first two taps, after that you can switch to
any steady rhythm you feel comfortable with –
quarter notes, half note, whole notes. Esc resets
the BPM, Enter saves the BPM to the track. You
can use the mouse if you prefer. Your CD player
or turntable’s pitch slider doesn’t need to be at
zero, we do the math for you. You can also use
the tempo tapper when no song is loaded, for
finding the BPM of regular records, for example.
KEY LOCK
When Key Lock is on, the key or pitch of
the song stays locked at what it would
be if the track was playing at normal speed,
regardless of the platter speed of the turntable
or CD player. Key Lock has scratch detection,
so that it automatically turns off when scratching
for a natural scratching sound. Turn Key Lock on
or off by pressing the button to the top right of
the Virtual Deck.
TIP: F5 and F10 will turn Key Lock on and off
for the left and right decks respectively.
the left deck, and k for the right deck. The fader
start point is not saved with the file, and by
default this point is set to the start of the track.
AUTOPLAY
Click the auto button to
enable autoplay. With
this setting turned on, when one track finishes
playing, the next track starts automatically.
Load from a crate to play through the songs in
that crate, or from your library to play through
your library. Use the next EE| and previous |FF
buttons to jump to the next track or go to the
previous track in the list. Play from start must
be checked in the setup screen for autoplay to
work correctly.
TRACK GAIN
Use the track gain adjustment to
balance the volume of the tracks in
your library. Any adjustment made to
the gain of a track is saved with the file,
and will be reapplied to the entire track
when it is loaded again. The level meter
shows the level sent to the hardware
interface after both individual track
gain and master gain adjustment.
NOTE: for automatic gain setting of your
tracks, SEE ADDITIONAL SETUP.

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2 15
MIXING WITH THE
MP 4
Scratch LIVE software has many features allowing
you to smoothly mix two tracks together. From
left to right, these are:
Rewind - The rewind function speeds
up the longer you press the button.
Bend down - Create a temporary
decrease in the playback speed. Use
bend down if the two tracks are in time,
but this track is slightly ahead of the other track.
Play / pause reverse - Press to play,
press again to stop playback. You can
adjust the braking knob in the setup
screen to range from 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.
Bend up – Create a temporary increase
in the playback speed. Use bend up if
the two tracks are in time, but this track
is slightly behind the other track.
Fast forward – The fast forward
function speeds up the longer you hold
the button.
PITCH SLIDERS
Scratch LIVE has two pitch sliders
– a large slider for coarse pitch
adjustment, and a small pitch slider
for fine adjustments. Click above
or below the handle on the large
pitch slider to make small pitch
adjustments, or hold the shift key
and drag the pitch slider to move it
slowly. Drag the center of the small
pitch slider to make fine pitch adjustments, or
click on either side of the small slider to pitch
bend.
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 left deck, and ctrl-K to set it on the right
deck. This temp cue point is shown in the main
waveform as a white marker. This cue point is
not saved with the track, and by default is set
to the beginning of the track. Press I to jump to
this temporary cue point on the left deck, and
K for the right deck. If you hold down the I or K
key while the track is stopped, it will play from
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 of the track if the temporary cue point
has not been set. SEE CUE POINTS.
The buttons above the small pitch slider allow
you to seed the base playback speed – 1/2 (half
speed), 33/45 or the speed of a 45 rpm recording
playing at 33 rpm, 1x or normal speed, 45/33 or
the speed of 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.
Left Deck Function Right Deck
Q play / pause reverse A
W play / pause forward S
E pitch down D
R pitch up F
T bend down G
Y bend up H
Alt-Q load previous track Alt-A
Alt-W load next track Alt-S
Alt-E rewind Alt-D
Alt-R fast forward Alt-F
Ctrl-I set temporary cue point Ctrl-K
Click on the waveform to ‘scrub’ or make fine
adjustments to your position within the track.
This may be useful if you wish to set cue points
in your tracks, and don’t have your turntables or
CD players connected.

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2
16
CUE POINTS
You can set up to five visual cue points within
each track. Use the + button to place cue point.
Click the arrow to the left of each cue point to
jump to it. You can also jump to cue points using
keyboard shortcuts – 1 through 5 for the cue
points on the left deck, and 6 through 0 for the
right deck cue points. Notice that the stripe on
the Virtual Deck jumps to the 12 o’clock 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 o’clock position.
As the record plays on beyond the position of
the cue point, the colored bar will shorten by a
fifth for each rotation. Likewise, as you approach
the cue point, the color will grow by a fifth each
rotation. For example, the picture in the next
column shows the record just before the end of
the 5th rotation before the cue point.
Each cue point can have a different color. To
change the color of a cue point, click on the
colored square and choose a new color from the
drop down menu.
To remove a cue point, use the x button on the
right side of the cue point panel.
A cue point can occupy any of the 5 slots.
You can drag and drop cue points to change
their order in the list. If you wish to have the cue
points sorted chronologically, check the sort
cues chronologically option in the setup screen.
If you load the same track on to both decks, you
will be able to add or modify cue points from
either deck.
When you jump to a cue point in internal
mode while paused, the track will play from the
cue point for as long as the key or mouse button
is pressed, after which the playhead returns to
the cue point.
TIP: The rate of cue point stuttering is
controlled by your operating system
keyboard repeat rate settings. Windows
users: Keyboard properties are in the Control
Panel. Mac users: Keyboard and Mouse are in
System Preferences.
TIP: Use the keyboard shortcuts ctrl-comma
(for left) and ctrl-dot (for right) to place cue
points.

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2 17
LOOPING
You can save up to 9 loops
per track; these loops are
saved in the file, 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 off, click the loop button. If
you want the playhead to jump to the start of the
loop when you enable the loop, hold the control
key and press the loop button.
To adjust the in-point of the loop, click the in
button. You can use the arrow keys: left arrow
to move the in-point towards the start of the
track, right arrow to move the in-point towards
the end of the track. Hold down the shift 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 controlling
playback once the record is back up to normal
speed. Using the control vinyl to adjust loop
end points is optional — to turn this feature
off, disable the adjust loops with vinyl option
in the setup screen. There are 9 available loop
slots per track. If 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. If 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.
AUTO LOOPING
Auto looping allows you
to create loops instantly.
If the track has a BPM
value simply click the
number of bars you wish to loop and Scratch
LIVE will create the loop for you. The loop is
snapped to the beats in the song detected by
Scratch LIVE so even if when you press the
button slightly out of time Scratch LIVE will still
create a perfect loop for you.
Five auto-loop buttons are available on screen
at any one time. They range from 1/8 to 32 bars.
The user can select the autoloop range with the
< and > buttons.
Pressing an auto-loop button will create a loop
start point from the nearest beat to the playhead
(within reason), and set a loop endpoint in the
future. Pressing auto-loop 1 while auto-loop
1 is active will deactivate the loop. Pressing a
different auto-loop button while looping is active
will extend the endpoint of 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-looping requires the track bpm
to be set.
THE A - SLOT
A special loop slot ‘A’ exits for auto-looping. The
act of using the auto-loop buttons sets a loop
in the ‘A’ slot, following the rules above. Turning
a loop off using the auto-loop buttons returns
you to the loop slot that you were previously in
at the time you started auto- looping. Turning
the loop off using the ‘loop’ button leaves you
in the ‘A’ slot. The ‘A’ slot is not saved to disk
automatically, pressing ‘save’ saves the loop to
the rst empty slot in 1-9.
Auto-looping shortcut keys are alt-1 to 5 for
the left deck, and alt-6 to 0 for the right deck.
They correspond to the looping buttons as laid
out on screen. ie. if the onscreen buttons display
1 2 4 8 16 bar loops, alt-1 triggers 1 bar loop,
and alt-5 triggers a 16 bar loop.

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2
18
MIDI CONTROL
OVERVIEW
The MIDI Control feature in Scratch LIVE provides
the ability to map MIDI controls to Scratch LIVE
controls, and thus control the functions of Scratch
LIVE using MIDI controllers such as keyboards,
triggers, sliders, and knobs. Integrating MIDI
controllers into your Scratch LIVE setup can
improve live performance usability, such as
hitting pads on a MIDI controller to trigger loops
and cue points.
MIDI CONTROLLER SETUP
The process of setting up a MIDI controller for
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 of
drivers and configuration utility software. Follow
the manufacturers instructions for installation.
Other controllers may solely use a MIDI out
connector to send control messages, and
will require a separate MIDI interface unit to
communicate to software. Generally the MIDI
interface will come with drivers and configuration
tools which pass your controllers output onto an
available MIDI channel, which can be used by
Scratch LIVE.
Once your controller is installed and
functioning correctly, use the directions for
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 current
assignment 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: Once in MIDI assign mode, Scratch
LIVE controls will no longer respond directly
to the mouse. If you need to change a control
using the mouse, disable MIDI assign 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 different data so user
mapping is not possible. To control the platter
use a natively supported controller.
ASSIGNING MIDI TO OTHER CONTROLS
Controls which aren’t normally visible are
available for assignment in the lower part of the
screen when in MIDI assign mode. These include
library navigation controls and the temporary
cue points for either deck.
ASSIGNING CTRL-CLICK FUNCTIONALITY
Some Scratch LIVE controls on the GUI have
additional functionality assigned to ctrl-click.
You can assign ctrl-click functionality to a midi
control, alongside the normal functionality. 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 of the pads to it.
When you press the pad, pitch goes to 0.
PRESETS
MIDI presets are accessible in the MIDI panel of
the setup screen. By default, the current MIDI
assignments in Scratch LIVE are automatically
remembered and loaded next time you start the
program. The preset screen allows you to save
and recall several different MIDI setups. This
is useful if you are using several MIDI devices
or want to quickly switch. MIDI setups without
having to re assign all your controls.
NATIVE CONTROLLER SUPPORT
Scratch LIVE version 1.8.2 currently has native
support for the following 3rd party controllers:
Denon DN-HC4500
Denon DN-HD2500
Numark DMC2
Numark iCDX
Pioneer CDJ-400
These controllers are plug and play, and can
automatically control Scratch LIVE with no MIDI
assigment necessary.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Scratch LIVE MIDI Control only supports Note
On/Off, standard 7 bit CC (Control Change),
14 bit CC, and RPN/NRPN (14 bit).

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2 19
Scratch LIVE can support an unlimited number of
tracks – the only limitation is the size of the hard
drive of your computer. A number of features
are included to help you to keep your music
organized and find songs quickly and easily.
GROUPING TRACKS INTO CRATES
Scratch LIVE supports several ways of
organizing and sorting your file library. iTunes™
users will notice that Scratch LIVE automatically
incorporates your existing iTunes library and
playlists.
Scratch LIVE uses digital “crates” for quick
access to your favorite collections. There is no
limit to the number of crates you can create, and
any given track can be placed in multiple crates.
For example, you could organize your files into
the following crates, where any one track would
be filed 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 of tracks within a crate
by dragging them up or down.
ORGANIZING YOUR
MUSIC
TIP: The protect library option in the setup
screen applies to removing, editing and
renaming crates. Check this option to prevent
changes to your crates. If you do delete a
crate by accident, you can get it back from
the recycle bin / trash. Crate files have the
extension .crate.
SUBCRATES
You can drag and drop crates into other crates
to make subcrates. If you drag a crate to the very
left of the crate panel, it will stay in the top level
of the crate structure. If you drag the crate a little
to the right, onto the name of another crate, it
will make the crate you are dragging a sub crate
of the first crate.
SORTING YOUR FILES
The track information 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
of the library pane in right hand corner. Click
on the column button to select which columns
you want to display. 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 left or right. To resize a
column, click on the column boundary and drag
it to the left or right.
USING THE SONG BROWSER
The song browser allows you to filter your song
list by Genre, BPM, Artist and Album. To turn the
song browser on or off, click the browse button.
SEARCHING
Scratch LIVE includes a
search function to help
you find files quickly and
easily. Enter text into the
search box and Scratch
LIVE will automatically
find as you type. To select
which fields the search
function will look through,
click on the left hand side
of the search box. The drop down menu shows
which fields are currently being used. Press esc
or the x button on the right of the search box to
clear the search.
TIP: Use the keyboard shortcut ‘ctrl-f’ to jump
to the search box. This keyboard shortcut will
also take you out of any crate or playlist that
you might be in and into your main library,
so you can find any track in your collection.
If you then click on a crate or playlist, the
search query will be cleared.
PREPARE WINDOW
The prepare window is a holding area for tracks,
much like preparing a set by lifting records part
way out of your record bag. You can drag tracks
(or whole crates) from the main track list into the
prepare window, or simply drag them onto the
prepare button. These tracks will be removed
from the prepare window once they have been
played. All tracks in the prepare window will be
discarded when you exit Scratch LIVE.

MP 4 - OPERATOR’S MANUAL 1.8.2
20
TIP: Use the keyboard shortcut ctrl-p to add
tracks to the prepare window.
TIP: Select the contents of the prepare
window, drag them onto the new crate button
(+) to save the selection.
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 of recently played tracks.
TIP: Select the contents of the review window
and drag them onto the new crate button (+)
to save a history of the tracks you played.
EDITING ID3 TAGS
Much of the information associated with each file
can be edited from 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 information
is saved in the file itself. Note that the protect
library option in setup must be unchecked
to allow edits. See Preparing your files on
page Manual-15 for details on prebuilding
overviews and auto-BPM.
TIP: Use the keyboard shortcut “ctrl-e” to
edit text. Hold down the ctrl key and move
with the arrow keys to change to a different
field while staying in edit mode. When you
have more than one file selected, editing tags
changes all the files in your selection.
TIP: The second column in the library is the
label color for that file. Click it to bring up a
color palette, and customize the virtual deck
for that file.
DISPLAY ALBUM ART
MP3 files can contain album art information. To
display this album art, click the show album art
button. There are many third party applications
available for adding album art to MP3s. We
recommend Apple’s iTunes™.
STATUS ICONS
The leftmost column shows the status of each
track. The image to the left shows five tracks
with differing statuses.
• Scratch LIVE has detected some
corruption in the MP3 file. If 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 file.
Solution: If possible, re-encode the MP3.
• The track cannot be found. Most likely
the file has been renamed or moved.
• Scratch LIVE is trying to import a track
from the iTunes library, but cannot find
the file.
• Tracks that are read-only have a
locked icon.
MORE INFO ON CORRUPT FILES
If you have a corrupt file in your library, hover
your mouse over the status icon for information
on what type of corruption was found. Detailed
explanations of these messages can be found
on page 34.
AUTO-BACKUP
Scratch LIVE stores your library database and
crates information in a Scratch LIVE folder on
your hard disk. This folder is created on a drive
when files from that drive are added to Scratch
LIVE. There is one on your system drive and
there will be one on every external drive that you
use with Scratch LIVE.
Auto backup creates a copy of the Scratch
LIVE folder on your system drive once a week on
startup. If an external drive containing a Scratch
LIVE folder is detected it will be backed up if the
last backup on that drive is older than a week or
if no backup exists.
A copy of each Scratch LIVE folder called
ScratchLIVE backup is created next to the folder
it is backing up. Auto-Backup will only keep ONE
level backup at a time, each time autobackup
runs it overwrites the previous backup.
DELETING CRATES AND TRACKS FROM
SCRATCH LIVE
To delete tracks from your Scratch LIVE library,
select the track and use the keyboard shortcut
ctrl-delete. (Make sure you have the protect
library option unchecked in the setup menu.)
•Deleting a track when you are in the All...playlist
removes it from your library and any crates that
the track may be in.
• Deleting a track inside a crate removes it from
that crate but the file will remain in your All....
playlist.
• Deleting a track from a subcrate will remove it
from the subcrate and the main crate but not the
All...playlist.
• Crates that are deleted are sent to the recycle
bin/trash.
NOTE: To delete any files from your library and
your harddrive (sending them to the recycle
bin) use the shortcut ctrl-shift-delete.
If you are using iTunes playlists, your files cannot
be deleted this way. You will need to delete them
from within iTunes.