How To Use Headphones With Traktor

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Headphones are at the same time the smallest and most significant part of a DJ’s equipment. figuratively speaking, they save dj’s lives and are the key step from your software, mixer and controller to the speakers that deliver the end result to the crowd.

Reading: Traktor headphone setup

Connecting your headphones to your traktor dj controller sounds like an easy task, but it can be a problem for some, especially if you’re not tech-savvy.

but don’t worry! In this article, I’ll show you step by step how to connect them and adjust your traktor pro’s settings so you have the correct channels to play through your headphones.

connecting the wires

Before you go to the traktor pro software and start working on the preferences you need to connect the headphones with your dj controller. on traktor kontrol s2, the front of the unit contains the headphone output, where you plug in your gear.

you’ll need a ¼” headphone jack, which you sure do have if you have at least a half-decent headphone. even if you’re using a cheaper version that only has a 3.5mm jack, there are adapters you can buy for about $5.

That’s all you need to get started. however, his journey doesn’t end there because he still wants them to work, just like he would his speakers.

as a dj, one of the most important things is the signal from the headphones so that your tracks perfectly match your mix. you also want to assign sound signals to each of the channels that will help you run your best mix.

first steps with traktor pro

Since you’re using traktor dj software, I’m just assuming you have compatible hardware as well. most likely you are using traktor kontrol s2 or s4, or maybe some other dj controller produced by native instruments gmbh.

I personally still use the traktor s2 so I’ll show you how I do it with my unit. however, the same applies to all other versions, so stick with me here.

Obviously, the first thing you need to do is download the software and install it on your laptop. Traktor Pro 2 is compatible with both Mac and Windows, so it won’t be a problem no matter what you’re using.

sound settings

once you’ve run the setup wizard you should be able to open traktor pro 2. just like i said in the intro you should be able to tell your track to prepare in terms of beat matches the currently playing track.

In case you’re not sure what headphone listening is, there’s the ability to choose which channels you’ll listen to through your headphones. will it be both at the same time, or will it be just the master output? well, it can also just be the key clue, but we’ll get to that in a bit.

however, to make sure it’s up to you to choose, you need to go to the preferences icon in traktor pro 2 and click on it. It’s the one that looks like a cogwheel. once you open it, a menu will appear on the far left of the screen.

The first tab is the traktor audio settings tab. once you click on it, you will have the option to choose your audio device. that should be the device that has a multi-channel sound card because your goal here is to be able to split the channels and have concrete signals going to your set of headphones.

for me, it will be the traktor pro s2. if you’re using a different controller, choose that one.

outbound routing

next on the menu, we have the output routing tab. the first thing you have to do is set the blend mode to internal. which will send the sound of all decks through a master output.

The next thing you need to do is make sure you have configured the output monitor. this is the output that will go to your headphones. you want to configure the channels that will map to your headphones. for example, under r, right earphone and the same with l, left earphone.

entrance signal in reality

that was the whole theory of traktor audio. let’s see what this all looks like once you start your djing and really try mixing cue. on your traktor kontrol s2, above the pitch faders, you have two cue buttons, each one dedicated to one of the decks.

usually a dj works with two tracks simultaneously. one is called the master track, or the one that can be heard through the speakers, and the other is the signal. the first is playing on deck a, and the second is playing on deck b.

you will choose which audio to listen to. if you activate the cue button on deck a, that’s the one that will reach your ears. the same will happen if you activate the other. but now that you have set the preferences in traktor pro 2, you can choose to listen to both.

summary

Hopefully, it will now become clearer to you how to set traktor’s audio preferences to have your headphones ready for your next DJing adventure. Let’s quickly go over everything that’s been said, so we can make sure everything is ready to store in your head for later use.

The first thing you need to do is properly connect the headset to your hardware. then open your traktor pro software and go to settings where you will choose your device which represents your mixer or dj controller.

next is the output routing tab where you need to assign an audio signal to your headphones. that’s basically it: all that’s left after that is to test the sound and choose which deck you want to listen to.

frequently asked questions

how much does traktor pro cost?

traktor has a demo version that is free to download but with certain limitations. pro 3 is $99, but users who have already purchased pro 2 can upgrade for $49.

can you run traktor on ipad pro?

traktor is not compatible with the ios operating system. it is only compatible with os x and windows.

How to Use Headphones With Traktor

connecting the wires