Your Questions: I’m Torn Between Traktor and Ableton Live

Digital DJ Tips reader Chris W aka Spec4 writes: “I have a problem. I am torn between using Traktor and Ableton Live. I have Ms Pinky for Ableton Live but it’s overly complicated. I love the loops and loop controls of Traktor and the easy effects usage, but I value the warp in Ableton and the ability to launch clips. Do you think the FT3 by Faderfox would be a good controller option here option?”

Digital DJ Tips says:

The Faderfox Micromodul FT3 is a great bit of kit that as you’ve identified can work with both Traktor and Ableton, but so could practically all gear – it’s all Midi, after all. The hardware is not really the issue here – it’s what software you’re comfortable with.

If you want to use Ableton and Traktor, Serato has The Bridge for Serato Scratch Live, but it involves a full digital vinyl set-up. It is also possible to use sync Traktor and Ableton – Dubspot has a good tutorial on this. Also, Serato ITCH has “elastic beatgridding” for material with drifting tempos (as indeed does MixVibes Cross software), so if Traktor’s rather limited beatgridding is the only thing stopping you choosing it over Ableton, there are other no-Traktor options out there. Otherwise, Traktor has sample decks for something similar to launching clips in Ableton.

Looking forward, Traktor 2.5 is bringing in some of the features of Ableton (and the new Kontrol F1 controller duplicates some of the hardware functions of Ableton clip controllers). Exactly how much Ableton-style functionality will be ported over to Traktor in this upgrade remains to be seen, but it’s worth considering.

Have you found yourself torn between Ableton Live and more traditional DJ software? Do you use them both, and if so, how and with which combination of hardware? Please share your thoughts in the comments.