The definition of DJing has changed drastically in the last decade. As technology continues to evolve, laptops, controllers, and software have emerged alongside traditional turntables and CDJs, smashing the barrier to entry and expanding creative possibilities. Whether you’re a novice looking to learn DJing from the ground up, an experienced DJ wanting to master Traktor, a producer aiming to bring your productions to the stage, or a performer wanting to add a DJ element to your set, this course is designed for you. In this course, not only will you explore the full creative potential of the Traktor Pro software from Native Instrument, but you will also learn the concepts and techniques of the modern DJ.
In the early lessons we will study Traktor’s intuitive interface and get up and running with playing and mixing songs. We’ll study the history of DJing while covering the fundamentals, including beatmatching, dropping on the one, and EQing. We’ll also dive into Traktor’s powerful features like Cue Points, Looping, Beatgridding, and the ever-so-controversial topic of Syncing.
Later in the course, we’ll blast off and learn advanced techniques, such as four-deck DJing, effects combinations, remix decks, stems, MIDI Mapping, Harmonic Mixing, BeatJumping, and even Ableton Link.
Throughout the course, you’ll record your work and build your portfolio of original DJ mixes, all while learning the nuts and bolts of Traktor. With technical and musical guidance from your instructor, you’ll gain the confidence to perform, experiment, and refine your craft—no matter your preferred musical style. By the end of the course, you’ll have developed a solid DJ skill set and a unique style that reflects your artistic identity.
By the end of the course, you’ll be able to:
- Navigate Traktor’s interface and customize the software’s settings for various DJing styles, recording, and performance needs
- Execute multiple popular DJing skills, such as beatmatching, phrase mixing, and incorporating EQs and filters to create seamless transitions within your mixes
- Use advanced features such as BeatJump and Flux mode
- Set up and troubleshoot DJ equipment configurations, including inputs, outputs, and audio settings, for recording and live performances
- Summarize the history and evolution of DJing, identifying key milestones and their impact on modern DJ techniques
- Develop a personal DJ style and performance repertoire
- Market yourself as an artist and establish professional relationships with key people in the industry, such as agents and promoters
Syllabus
Lesson 1: Welcome to the World of Traktor
- Traktor Pro Software Installation and Overview
- The Header and Global Section
- The Decks and Mixer
- The Browser
- Setting Up Your Traktor Kontrol S4
- Turntable and Microphone Setup
- Controller Overview
- Audio Preferences and Recalibrating Your S4
- Getting Music
- Beatport and Beatsource LINK
- Importing Your Music
- Analyzing and Organizing Your Music
- Collection and File Management
- Assignment 1: Getting Started with Traktor
Lesson 2: Let There Be Music
- History of DJing Pt. 1
- Hit the Decks: Browsing and Loading
- Decks Overview
- Workshop: Keyboard Shortcuts
- Searching and Customizing the Browser
- Get in the Mix
- Playing a Song: Scratching and Scrubbing
- Practice Exercise: Baby Scratch
- Playing a Song: Cueing
- Practice Exercise: Set Up Cue Points
- Why Is There No Sound?
- Record Everything and Adjusting Levels
- Ozone Maximizer
- Exporting and Importing Playlists
- Assignment 2: Create and Record a Three-Song Mix
Lesson 3: The Fundamentals: DJ 101
- History of DJing Pt. 2
- Dropping on the 1
- Practice Exercise: Finding the 1
- Baby Baby Baby Baby Play
- Practice Exercise: Baby Scratching and Dropping on the 1
- Cue Cue Cue Cue Play
- Practice Exercise: Dropping on the 1 with Cue and Play Buttons
- Beatmatching
- Using Your Headphones
- Practice Exercise: One Ear On, One Ear Off
- Practice Exercise: Beatmatching
- Pushing and Pulling
- Practice Exercise: Pushing and Pulling
- Halfway Method
- Practice Exercise: Halfway Method
- BPM Mixing and Blending
- Practice Exercise: Faders and Blending
- Assignment 3: Mixing with Beatmatching and Dropping on the 1
Lesson 4: The Fundamentals Part 2: DJ 202
- History of DJing Pt. 3
- Song Structure
- Practice Exercise: Counting Songs
- Phrase Mixing
- Workshop: Sections and Phrases
- Practice Exercise: Phrase Mixing
- Beat Counter
- Cue Points: Your Traktor Roadmap
- Working with Hotcues
- Types of Cue Points
- Practice Exercise: Fade In/Out Markers
- Drop Cuts and Spinbacks
- Practice Exercise: Drop Cuts and Spinbacks
- Assignment 4: Cue Points
Lesson 5: Cut the Midrange, Drop the Bass
- History of DJing Pt. 4
- EQs and Frequency
- Workshop: Listening to Frequencies
- Practice Exercise: EQ Knobs
- Getting to Know Your EQs
- Reading the Waveform
- Workshop: Reading Songs
- Lows
- Practice Exercise: Bass Line Swap
- Mids and Highs
- Practice Exercise: The System of EQing
- Filters All Day
- Practice Exercise: Filter Swap
- Assignment 5: Mixing with EQs
Lesson 6: Beatgrids, Syncing, and Looping
- BeatJump
- Practice Exercise: BeatJumping
- Deck Duplicating
- Practice Exercise: Deck Duplicating in the Mix
- Let’s Get Loopy!
- Auto Loops
- Moving and Editing Loops
- Real-World Looping Examples
- Practice Exercise: Loops
- Flux Mode, Baby!
- Practice Exercise: Flux Mode
- Reverse Mode
- Beatgrids: The Backbone of Traktor and Your Beatgridding Tools
- Beatgridding on the S4
- Mixing with Your Beatgrids
- Working with Different BPMs
- Practice Exercise: Beatgrid Your Tracks
- Sync: Tempo and Phase
- Practice Exercise: Sync
- Sync: Master Clock
- Practice Exercise: Master Clock and Master Deck
- Assignment 6: Beatgrids and Loops
Lesson 7: Organize Your Music Life
- History of DJing Pt. 5
- Openers, Groovers, Bangers
- Smart Playlists in Apple Music
- Traktor Smartlists
- Custom Layouts
- Organizing Your Music
- Cruise Mode
- Practice Exercise: Cruise Mode
- Assignment 7: Mixing with Openers, Groovers, and Bangers
Lesson 8: Special FX
- History of DJing Pt. 6
- Effects Overview
- FX Group Mode
- Practice Exercise: Delay T3
- FX Group Mode Reverb
- Practice Exercise: Reverb T3
- Group Mode Effect Chains
- FX Single Mode
- Saving Snapshots
- FX Preferences
- FX: LFO, Flux, Pulse, Macro, and Distortion
- Send FX and Mixer FX
- Assignment 8: Mixing with Effects
Lesson 9: Harmonic Mixing, Four-Deck DJing, and Remix Decks
- History of DJing Pt. 7
- Harmonic Mixing Is Key
- Mixed In Key
- Practice Exercise: Analyze Your Songs in Mixed In Key
- Practice Exercise: Updating Your Song Tags
- Harmonic Mixing in Traktor: Open Key
- Practice Exercise: Harmonic Mixing
- Key Lock and Key Knob
- Practice Exercise: Key Lock
- Key Compatibilities and Modulations
- Four Decks or Go Home
- Setting up Your Traktor Kontrol F1 and F1 Controller Overview
- Practice Exercise: F1's Encoder Knob
- Remix Decks
- Playing with Remix Decks and Remix Decks Modes
- Building Remix Sets
- Assignment 9: Harmonic Mixing and Remix Sets
Lesson 10: Stems and Remix Decks
- History of DJing Pt. 8
- Stems
- Practice Exercise: Applying FX Send to a Stems File
- Making Stems
- Stem Creator Tool
- Loop Recorder
- Practice Exercise: Capture Loops on the Fly
- Practice Exercise: Record a Scratch Routine
- Pattern Player
- Practice Exercise: Loading the Step Sequencer Mapping
- Get Stepping with the Step Sequencer
- Assignment 10: Create a Seven-Minute Routine
Lesson 11: MIDI Monsters
- History of DJing Pt. 9
- Let's Get Mapping
- Practice Exercise: Configuring Mappings and Saving Your Mappings
- Practice Exercise: Deleting and Deactivating Mappings
- Practice Exercise: Examining Interaction Modes
- Keyboard Mappings
- Practice Exercise: Make a New Keyboard Mapping
- Practice Exercise: Mapping Cue Points and Loop Command on Your Keyboard
- Controller Mappings
- Practice Exercise: Mapping the Traktor Kontrol F1
- Practice Exercise: Loading a Mapping
- Mapping Faders and Knobs
- Practice Exercise: Mapping a Filter Knob
- Let There Be Lights!
- Practice Exercise: Mapping LED Outputs
- Mapping Play Button and Hotcues with LED Outputs
- Practice Exercise: Mapping Play Button and Hotcues with LED Outputs
- Macros for Breakfast
- Practice Exercise: Setting Macros
- Modifiers
- Practice Exercise: Mapping Modifiers
- Practice Exercise: Making a Toggle Modifier
- Syncing to Another Traktor Computer with Link (Touching on Ableton)
- Syncing Two Traktor Systems, Traktor with Ableton, and Traktor to Maschine with Ableton Link
- Syncing Two Traktor Systems Manually
- Assignment 11: Create a New Keyboard or Controller Mapping
Lesson 12: Let’s Go PRO!
- The Dance Floor and Set Building
- DJ Etiquette
- Making a Demo
- Promoting Yourself as an Artist
- Practice Exercise: Developing a Social Media Presence
- Getting Gigs
- Getting an Agent
- Assignment 12: Create a 30-Minute Mix
Requirements
Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements
Prerequisite Courses, Knowledge, and/or Skills
This course does not have any prerequisites, however students may benefit from taking Composing and Producing Electronic Music 1, Ableton Live Fundamentals, and/or Remixing.
Software
- Traktor Pro 2, 3, or 4 (discount available after enrolling)
- Note: Included with certain Traktor DJ controllers, such as the Kontrol S4.
- Note: Traktor 4 requires macOS 12 or above.
- Mixed In Key (provided for free during the course in the relevant lesson)
Hardware
- DJ controller that integrates with your version of Traktor Pro. Please note:
- The Traktor Kontrol S4 (mk2 or mk3) is strongly recommended to fulfill this requirement, as it is used in demonstrations throughout the course. The S4 includes the required Traktor Pro software.
- In addition to the S4, the Traktor Kontrol F1 is also recommended, as it is also used extensively in later lessons.
- A discount on Traktor Kontrol hardware is available after enrolling in the course.
- Over-ear studio headphones, such as Audio-Technica ATH-M20x, Philips SHP9500, or better
Student Deals
After enrolling, be sure to check out our Student Deals page for various offers on software, hardware, and more. Please contact support@online.berklee.edu with any questions.
General Course Requirements
Below are the minimum requirements to access the course environment and participate in Live Classes. Please make sure to also check the Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements section above, and ensure your computer meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements for all software needed for your course.
Mac Users
PC Users
All Users
- Latest version of Google Chrome
- Zoom meeting software
- Webcam
- Speakers or headphones
- External or internal microphone
- Broadband Internet connection
Instructors
Author & Instructor
Mike Henderson is known to many as ENDO, a DJ who has no problem holding down a 12-hour set. But he’s also the guy who created the most widely-used Maschine mapping for Traktor Pro. Currently the tour manager for Dubfire, he’s also acted as tour manager for Pete Tong, Deep Dish, Sasha, Felix Da Housecat, and many other top DJs. He's a certified Native Specialist for Native Instruments, the founder of the DJ booking app AGNT, and MIDI Monsters, where he sells his custom Traktor mappings.
ENDO has unleashed his patented brand of harmonic mixing at events across the globe: Pacha, Marquee, and Cielo in New York, Sound in Los Angeles, Guvernment and Coda in Toronto, Stereo in Montreal, Spybar in Chicago, Heart in Miami, Sands in Ibiza, Club Vertigo in Costa Rica, as well as BPM Festival in Mexico and Electric Festival in Aruba. He has played alongside John Digweed, DJ Craze, Roc Raida, Victor Calderone, Danny Tenaglia, Carl Cox, Chus & Ceballos, Eric Prydz, to name just a few.
He studied at Berklee College of Music as an Electronic Music Production and Music Synthesis major with drum set as his principal instrument. After this, ENDO created and hosted a radio show at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s college station, 88.1 WMBR FM called “Algorhythms.” Here, he broke new ground both musically and technologically with the latest DJ gear. For his final project at Berklee, ENDO put together an exhaustive DVD tutorial for Native Instruments’ Traktor and in the process, created a new harmonic mixing system for DJs working with vinyl. From here ENDO went on to work with Native Instruments as a DJ product specialist and artist trainer. He is also one of the few people who can say they taught Grandmaster Flash how to use Traktor. Read Less
What's Next?
When taken for credit, Learn to DJ with Traktor can be applied towards the completion of these related programs:
Related Certificate Programs
Related Degree Majors
Related Music Career Role
Employers look for skills learned in this course, when hiring for the following music career role:
Questions?
Contact our Academic Advisors by phone at 1-866-BERKLEE (U.S.), 1-617-747-2146 (INT'L), or by email at advisors@online.berklee.edu.
