The Tactile12000 will mix the sound from the two turntables like a real DJ mixer. Use the vertical level sliders to independently control the volume of each turntable, or the rightmost master volume slider to control the overall volume of the system. Use the crossfader to mix proportionally between the two turntables - sliding all the way to the left plays only the left turntable, sliding all the way to the right plays only the right turntable, and everything in between plays a relative amount of each.

To preview the next track before playing it out to the crowd, use the cueing feature. A DJ plays the next record on his or her headphones (before sending it over the speakers) in order to sync up the beats or just to start the song in the right place.

Use the button with the headphones icon to enable cueing. When it is turned on, cue channels are played back in the left stereo channel, and the main output only plays through the right channel. When the cue feature is turned off, the main output plays back in both stereo channels. If you have two sound cards on your PC, you can split the cue and main outputs into two separate stereo outputs. Use the options dialog to set which output goes to which card.

Press the 1 or the 2 button to select which turntable is being cued up. You can put both turntables on cue and use the cue crossfader to preview your mix. The cue channel also has its own level slider. Cueing is split between the left and right channels because most PCs only have a single stereo output. To use the Tactile12000 as a real DJ mixing application, you will have to direct only the right channel output to an amplifier and direct the left channel to a pair of headphones. See the wiring page for more information.

To get the beats of the songs to match, you may have to adjust the speed of one of the records. Use the pitch control to adjust the speed of the record by -8% to +8%. Use the keyboard shortcuts for fine control of the pitch. To temporarily speed up or slow down the record, use the tiny pitch bend arrows near the middle of the pitch slider.

Also, you can use the mouse to stop or drag the record for a split second to get the beats to align. To skip to an entirely different part of the song, drag the tonearm forwards or backwards.

The cue point buttons allow you to mark a position in the song. Click the left button to mark the point, and click the right button to return to the point.

You can "scratch" by clicking on the record and dragging it back and forth. You'll notice that it's not quite like real records and turntables - it's tough, and probably even impossible, to get the range of sounds you can make with a real turntable. The faster your computer is, the better it will work. Real scratching is, and probably always should be, an analog process!

DJ Utilities

Find software packages that can help you DJ with digital audio files - software to count BPMs and catalog your music - at the Sonic Spot. Try MacBPM if you use a Macintosh.

Recording Software

The Tactile12000 itself does not record your mix. You can plug the output of your computer into your tape deck or stereo, or record back to a hard disk. The Shareware Music Machine lists a few software utilities to record audio into a digital file.

Broadcasting Software

You can also use other software to broadcast your mix back to the internet. Check the list at the Shareware Music Machine for this also.