Rane Sixty-One Sixty-One Mixer Manual for Scratch Live 2.5.0 - Page 14

Calibrating Scratch Live Since Scratch Live is controlled by an analog signal, there is no guarantee of what state that signal will be in by the time the software gets to interpret it. Therefore, Scratch Live needs to be able to handle a wide range of signals, and be configurable to use them optimally. Calibrating is just configuring the software to your situation. Calibration is equally important for both vinyl and CD users of Scratch Live. There are two parts to the Scratch Live control signal: The directional tone, and the noise map. Listening to the control vinyl, the directional tone is the 1 kHz tone. The noise map sounds like random noise over the top of the tone. The directional tone provides the current speed and direction of the record, while the noise map tells the software precisely where on the record the needle is currently. The Noise Threshold A threshold is a lower limit, below which a process will not occur. In the case of Scratch Live, the noise threshold is the limit below which the input signal will not be interpreted as control signal; in other words if it's below the threshold, it is considered noise and ignored. This setting is necessary because a stylus is very sensitive, and will inevitably pick up noise from the environment as well as the signal on the record, especially in the noisy environment of a live show. How to Calibrate Scratch Live With music playing in the background (from any source), put your needle on the record with the turntable stopped. If you are using CD players, the same rules apply. Have the CD deck paused or stopped while calibrating. Ensure the input level in Scratch Live is set correctly to Line (CD). See "Input Select Status" on page 36. Click and hold the Estimate button until the slider stops moving. Moving the threshold slider to the left will make Scratch Live more sensitive to slow record movement, but also more sensitive to background noise. Repeat the process for each deck. Things to remember: • Your needle must be on the record. • Your turntable (or CD player) must be stationary. • The background music playing must be at a similar level to which you will play your set at. • Calibrate Scratch Live every time you play. TIP: If the slider jumps to the far right, then you have a problem with noise in your turntables/CD players/mixer. Check all your connections and make sure your equipment is well earthed. In some situations you will not be able to improve the signal quality, and you will have to play on regardless. In this situation, stick to REL mode. The Scopes The scopes on the Setup screen in Scratch Live display the input signal as a phase diagram. The key factors to look at on the scope display are crisp clean lines, round shape, and the tracking percentage in the lower right corner. Start both turntables or CD players. You will see green rings appear in the scope view as shown. The inner ring should be as close to circular as possible. Use the scope zoom slider (1x to 16x) to zoom in or out as necessary. Use the scope L/R Balance and P/A Balance controls to adjust the shape of the inner ring. The number in the top left corner of the scope view gives the current absolute position within the control record or CD. The number in the top right corner is the current speed in RPM. In the bottom left is the current threshold setting, and the number in the bottom right shows the percentage of readable signal - this number should be close to 85% when your system is calibrated properly. Calibration Troubleshooting After calibration, the number in the upper right corner of the scope view should say 0.0 while the needle is on the record and the turntable is stopped. If that number is fluctuating then manually move the Estimate slider to the right until that number is stable at 0.0. If you've moved the slider all the way to -24 and its still fluctuating then you have a grounding or interference problem somewhere in the chain. If so, the first thing to check is that the grounding wire coming from your turntable is connected to a Sixty-One grounding post. Make sure that the Sixty-One isn't sitting next to a power source such as a power strip, and the RCA cables aren't laying across other power-conducting cables. If you are still experiencing issues, you might have to adjust the placement of your setup. For example, make sure bass bins aren't directly under the turntables. If you have trouble getting the rings circular, you probably need to clean or change your needles. If the image appears as a line, then you have a missing channel. Check your RCA connections and needles. for more calibration troubleshooting help See "Scope Reading and Fixes" on page 42. 14 RANE SIXTY-ONE MIXER FOR SERATO SCRATCH LIVE • OPERATOR'S MANUAL 2.5.0