41
Troubleshooting and Frequently Asked Questions
The audio playback is dropping out / clicking / popping
Scratch
LIVE
is not getting a clear signal from the record, or your computer is not able to process the information quickly enough. Go to the
setup
screen and check the scope views. When the record is playing, the circles should be round, and the value in the bottom right corner should be
100%. If this is not the case, you need to calibrate. See page Manual–17 for details.
You should also try increasing the
USB audio buffer size
if your computer is close to the minimum spec.
Clean your needles! This is the most common cause of audio drop-out. Because you are playing the same record over and over, the needles will get
dirty more quickly than usual.
The threshold goes to the far right when I click the estimate button
Make sure the needle is on the record and the record is stopped when you click
estimate
. If the slider goes hard right and stays there, you most
likely have an earthing problem with your turntables/mixer. If you cannot eliminate this problem, use
relative
mode over
absolute
mode.
The tracks are playing backwards!
The inputs (from the turntables or CD players) are the wrong way around. Try swapping red and white wires at one end.
I can’t get the Scope View to show nice clean circles
Select
phono
as the audio input level in the
setup
screen if you are using vinyl. Check your needles and make sure they are clean. If the circles
look fuzzy, try cleaning your control record. If the Scope View shows a line instead of a circle, Scratch
LIVE
is only receiving a signal from one channel
— check all your cables, and the connection between your cartridges and the tone arm. You can order replacement control records from your local
distributor. You may also order these in the online store at
www.rane.com
if you are in the USA.
Scratch
LIVE
makes a strange “digital” noise, even when no track is playing
Scratch
LIVE
is interpreting background noise as record movement. Go to the
setup
screen and move the threshold slider (located to the left side
of the
estimate
button) to the right until the noise stops.
The first time I play a new track, it takes a while to load
Scratch
LIVE
has to read the entire file and create a file index the first time it is loaded. This may take a few seconds for longer files. After the first
load, it should load instantly. See Build Overviews on page 18.
I have a particular MP3 that won’t play / plays badly / takes a long time to load / crashes the program. What should I do?
The file may be damaged. Please go to the forum at
scratchlive.net
and notify the support team that you have a bad file. By reporting damaged or
corrupt files, you will help the developers to improve Scratch
LIVE’s
ability to play damaged MP3 files in the future.
Scratch
LIVE
freaks out when I use the master tempo (key correction) function on my CD player
Scratch
LIVE
interprets the signal coming out of the CD player, and uses this information to control the play back of the files on your comput
-
er. Any audio processing performed on the signal before it reaches the hardware interface, such as key correction, will scramble the signal making it
illegible to Scratch
LIVE
. Key correction will be available in Scratch
LIVE
in the future.
I get a loud screeching sound like a fax machine and no music, what am I doing wrong?
That is the sound of the control signal – make sure you are listening to the line outputs of the hardware interface.
Can I use one turntable and one CD player?
Yes. You need a phono preamp (as in a DJ mixer) to boost the signal from the turntable to line level, and you need to set the input to line in the
setup
screen.
When I do transform scratches (switching between phono and line level inputs) I hear a crazy noise; what’s happening?
When you switch to phono level, you will hear the sound of the control vinyl. If you want to use the transform switches to scratch, use separate
channels on your mixer if you have more than four channels, or disconnect the phono thrus if you have a two channel mixer.
I want to backup my library and crates or move them to another machine, so where are they stored?
Your database and crates are stored in the folder
Home\Music\ScratchLIVE
on a Mac, and
My Documents\My Music\ScratchLIVE
on a
PC. Crates have the file extension
.slc
. If your library contains tracks that are stored on a drive other than your boot drive, a hidden folder called
.scratchLIVE
will be created in the root of that drive, and a separate database will be made in this folder. If it is a removable drive, the tracks will
only appear in your library when the drive is connected.
What needles are best for use with Scratch
LIVE
?
We recommend Shure M44-7 needles for use with Scratch
LIVE
, due to their high output volume, excellent tracking and low record wear.
I have cue burn at the beginning of my control record, does that mean I need to replace it?
No, use the
track start offset
function (in the
setup
screen) to move the point at which tracks begin to a position further into the vinyl.
Why do none of the songs I have imported from iTunes show up in Scratch
LIVE
?
iTunes’ default encoder is set to AAC, which Scratch
LIVE
currently does not support. You need to re-encode those files to a supported file type
(AIFF, WAV, OGG, MP3). To change the default encoding preferences in iTunes, go to
Preferences > Importing
. Change the “
import using
” op
-
tion to a supported file type and click
OK
. To re-encode a track, select/highlight it. Go to
Advanced > Convert Selection to...
. You can lose quality
after you re-encode a track, so it's best to start from the original source if possible.
To keep up with the latest tips, visit the Official Scratch LIVE Forum online at scratchlive.net