Getting Started Manual

Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not
represent a commitment on the part of Image Line Software. The software
described in this document is furnished under a license agreement. The software
may be used or copied only in accordance of the terms of the agreement. It is
illegal to copy this software on any medium except as specifically allowed in the
agreement. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and
recording, for any purpose without the express written permission of Image Line
Software.

Deckadance is a registered trademarks of Image Line Software. Other company

and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Image Line
Software is a division of Image Line BVBA.

Visit Image Line Software at http://www.image-line.com

Visit the Deckadance website at http://www.deckadance.com/.

Deckadance GSM by Scott Fisher

Copyright © 2008-2013 Image Line Software.

Deckadance Copyright © 2006-2013 Image Line Software.

All rights reserved

Table of Contents
STOP! DON’T USE THE CD INSTALLER ...................................................................... 5
Overview of Deckadance................................................................................................ 6
Toolbar ....................................................................................................................... 6
Quick start 1,2 3= ...................................................................................................... 7
Inline-help................................................................................................................... 9
Deckadance version exclusive features ...................................................................... 9
Options & Settings........................................................................................................ 10
Select a sample rate ................................................................................................. 11
Set the soundcard latency ........................................................................................ 11
Input audio (turntables & CDJ).................................................................................. 11
Monitor (Headphone) mix ......................................................................................... 11
Set a hardware MIDI controller ................................................................................. 12
Troubleshooting a hardware controller...................................................................... 13
Song Library & Browser................................................................................................ 14
Adding your music to the Browser ............................................................................ 14
Playlists & Automix ................................................................................................... 15
Tools for mixing tracks.................................................................................................. 16
Peakscope display.................................................................................................... 16
Auto Cross-fade (X-Fade)......................................................................................... 17
Track selection for the perfect X-fade ....................................................................... 17
Manual Mixing and Smart Panels ............................................................................. 18
BPM, Speed and Pitch.............................................................................................. 18
Cueing tracks............................................................................................................ 19
Looping Tracks ......................................................................................................... 20
Function Panels............................................................................................................ 21
Mixer Panel............................................................................................................... 22
Effects Panel ............................................................................................................ 23
Sampler Panel .......................................................................................................... 24
Peakscope Panel...................................................................................................... 25
Gross Beat Panel...................................................................................................... 25
VST Host Panel ........................................................................................................ 26
VST Plugins.................................................................................................................. 27
Effector VST plugin................................................................................................... 28
Deckadance as a VST instrument............................................................................. 29
Vinyl / CDJ External Control (Deckadance 2 DVS) ....................................................... 30
Using DVS Control.................................................................................................... 30
The DVS Panel......................................................................................................... 31
Customizing MIDI controllers ........................................................................................ 32
Customizing links to an external MIDI controller ....................................................... 32
How to upgrade Deckadance ....................................................................................... 34
 Key Features
• 2 or 4 Deck mixing with iTunes support and smart playlist/auto-mixing
• Smartknobs – Envelope programmable multi-target control from one knob
• Gross Beat – Trigger tempo-perfect scratch, stutter and glitch effects
• Smart Panels - Loop, Cue, Grid, DVS, Key, Smart Knob and Tempo
• VSTi host & client – Hosts VST plugins or use Deckadance as a VSTi
• Frequency isolated FX – Apply FX to Low, Mid, High or any combination
• DVS (in DVS edition) – Vinyl & CJD support inc. Deckadance CD
• Sampler – 1/32 to 16 step loop-perfect sampling using beat-grid
• Disk recording, MIDI mapping and more=
Introduction
STOP! DON’T USE THE CD INSTALLER
Get the latest and updated Deckadance from our website

http://boxregistration.image-line.com

1. Create an account using the link above – Your account gives you access to your
update registration-key, the online community, downloads and support. Enter the
code printed in the box (e.g. XX0XX-000XX-X000X-000X0) including dashes.

2. From your Account click the ‘UNLOCK PRODUCTS’ tab on the left side of the
page THEN click the large unlock icon image shown below:

Clicking the unlock image will download of a FLRegkey.Reg file. Take note of
where this file is saved you will need to use it later.

3. Download the latest Windows or Mac installer from www.deckadance.com under

the ‘TRIAL’ links, upper right. Take note of where the installer is saved.

4. Run the installation file and follow the prompts.

5. Run Deckadance and it will open in Demo mode.

6. From the Preferences > Registration (see Toolbar page 6) click the Register
button and browse to your FLRegkey.Reg file, select it and Click Open. Click
OK/Yes to any security prompts to allow the file to be run/saved.

7. Close and re-open Deckadance and it’s now unlocked to the version you have
purchased. You can follow this procedure any time you need to install Deckadance
on a new computer or we publish a free update.

NO INTERNET? You can download the files from steps 2 and 3 on any computer with
the internet and copy them onto a computer without the internet to install Deckadance.

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Introduction
Welcome to Deckadance 2, Image-Line software’s premier DJ application. With the help
of the Getting Started Manual (GSM) you will be working Deckadance like a pro in no
time. The GSM covers the basic setup and operational features of the program. Don’t
forget to check the main e-manual that installs with Deckadance for all the nitty-gritty
details of each knob and control.

Overview of Deckadance

The Smart Panels (select up to 8 per deck, between 0 and 4 per side) and Function
Panel will change their display depending on the switches and settings associated with
them. Smart Panels can be changed using the down-arrow icon to the right-side of their
name. The Function Panel switches run along the top of the window itself as shown.

Toolbar
An important option on the Toolbar is the
Snap control. This syncs functions to the
beat. From left to right – Deck switches, Preferences, Full-screen mode, Disk
recorder and Snap.

6
Introduction
Quick start 1,2 3>

We know, ‘nobody likes to read the manual’ so here are 8 easy steps to DJ fame!

1. Drag two songs from the Browser and drop on Decks 1 and 2.

2. After analysis the track changes color and a beat-grid appears.

3. Right-Click SYNC on Deck B (the tempo adjusts to match Deck A).

4. Slide the crossfader (X-fader) left to hear only Deck A.

5. Press Play and start Deck A.

6. Wait for a beat-grid of any bar line to play on Deck A

7. Right-click Deck B’s Play button. You won’t hear B because the X-fader is fully
left (Deck A).

8. Freely slide the X-fader and hear both songs perfectly beat-mapped.

It’s that easy with Deckadance, but there is still lot of power hidden away behind the
interface, so we encourage you to read the manual so that you get the most out of the
program and take your DJing to the next level.

So begins Deckadance =

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Introduction
At the heart of Deckadance are the 4 decks, A to D as shown below. The X-fader side
on which decks play can be set with the X-fader-‘side’ switches. Default is OK for now.

Cue decks by clicking and dragging horizontally on the wave displays. The center of
each display shows the playback position, so you can cue decks visually, if you don’t
have a separate monitor mix set up. Beneath each wave display is a song-length
preview, click on the lower preview to jump to any point in the track. The Play button
beneath each deck will start the track playing. We will consider the transport functions in
more detail later.

Don’t lose the beat!

If you regularly DJ, your ears will cop some very harsh treatment, so
there is nothing wimpy about protecting your valuable hearing. If you
have experienced ringing in your ears after a gig, then that is a sign
you have pushed your ears too far. Fortunately you can buy earplugs
specifically designed for DJs (search Google for ‘music earplugs’).
These attenuate all frequencies evenly so they don’t affect your ability
to hear the mix (as it sounds). In fact you will probably find it’s easier to hear the music
wearing a pair of these. Take advice from the 10,000’s of deaf musicians and DJs who
have gone before you and protect your most valuable asset - don’t lose the beat!

8
Introduction
Inline-help

Deckadance has two useful help features. The first Tooltips, are pop-up hints that show
when you have the Preferences > Tooltips option selected. The Tooltips show when
you place your mouse cursor over any feature on the interface and leave it still for a
while. The second is the full reference manual that can be opened from the
Preferences > Help > Open Deckadance reference manual option. NOTE: Controls
often have different functions for a left or right-click so give anything that can be left-
clicked a right-click too and see what happens, but not in the middle of a live-set!

Deckadance version exclusive features

Deckadance comes in three editions, in ascending order of
functionality they are – Deckadance OEM included free with and
locked to manufacturer’s hardware. You can upgrade in our shop
Deckadance 2, that includes all features except DVS. This
edition has full MIDI control support or Deckadance 2 DVS that
includes support for Vinyl and CD control systems. For more detail visit -
http://www.image-line.com/documents/dd-features.html

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Setting up
Options & Settings
Deckadance should work straight out of the box, however to get the best out of the
program you may need to open the Preferences > Audio Setup tab to make changes
to the settings

Select a soundcard from the Audio Interface field. The list shows the Soundcard/Audio
interfaces registered on your system, labeled by the software drivers (‘DirectSound’,
‘ASIO’ or ‘Built-in Input’ on a Mac, for example). Windows users should use their
soundcards ASIO drivers from the interface manufacturer but if they aren’t available,
use the ASIO4ALL included in the Deckadance installation. Mac users should use the
default ‘Built-in Input’ option that represents the native ‘Core Audio’ drivers.

10
Setting up
Select a sample rate - 44100 Hz is the default ‘CD audio’ rate, however some
soundcards are limited to 48000 Hz (minimum).

Set the soundcard latency – This is a working buffer (few ms delay) so Deckadance
can perform processing operations without audio dropouts. Generally, shorter latencies
are more likely to glitch (higher CPU load) but give better 'responsiveness' when
scratching. Latency is expressed in sample and milliseconds. With a good soundcard
128 samples (3 ms) is recommended for DVS work (Vinyl/CD controllers).

If 128 samples causes glitches, raise the latency in 128 sample increments (256, 512,
1024 etc). A good safe value if you don’t need DVS/CDJ support is 512 samples (12
ms). Experimentation will help you to determine what setting is suitable for your needs.
The shortest latency achievable without overloading the CPU and glitching, will depend
on your soundcard drivers and computer’s speed.

Input audio (turntables & CDJ) DVS edition – The ‘Input Routing’ preferences are
used to assign audio inputs FROM your soundcard/audio-interface TO Deckadance
functions. If you have Turntables with analog audio connections then connect them to
your audio-interface and select those inputs on Deck 1 (deck A) through to Deck 4 (deck
D). USB/FireWire device audio sources can also be selected here. Deckadance can
then use these sources as tracking signals to control the Deckadance decks.

Monitor (Headphone) mix – If your audio interface supports more than one output you
can monitor Decks while cueing tracks (to preview tracks in the Browser or Playlist
[Right-click the track and ‘Preview’], without sound being passed to the Main Outputs of
Deckadance. Where you see CUE buttons on the main interface, it means that an
output can be sent to the Monitor mix. To set up this feature, you need either multiple
audio devices or a soundcard with more than one output. If your soundcard has
surround-sound capability, for example, you can use the rear channels to feed your
headphone mix and select those in Monitor Left and Right settings in the Audio & MIDI
Setup panel. In another 'low rent' approach, many USB headsets used with Skype etc,
have a built in mic and are also headphones. These will appear as a USB audio device
and will allow you to use the PA feature (from the mic) and to monitor your cueing, all
hands-free (but is it cool? It is with Deckadance!).

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Setting up
Set a hardware MIDI controller – The Preferences > Remote MIDI Control options
allow you to select a controller.

1. Connect the controller to your computer and wait at least 10 seconds.

2. Start Deckadance and open the Preferences > Remote MIDI Control tab.
3. Click ‘Change selected controller’ and choose your controller.
4. OR use the General MIDI if it’s not in the list of preconfigured controllers.
5. Activate your controllers MIDI Inputs and possibly Outputs (click OFF to ON).
6. For details on customizing controller input see page 32.

NOTE: Controllers are automatically detected at start-up or if you use the ‘Press to
scan for attached controllers’ button.

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Setting up

Troubleshooting a hardware controller – If Deckadance does not respond to your

controller do the following:

1. Install any drivers required for your controller (see the user manual).
2. Connect the controller to your computer and wait 10 seconds at least.
3. Open the MIDI input/output ports of the MIDI controller (see the user manual).
4. Start Deckadance open Preferences > Remote MIDI Control.
5. Select your controller using the selector. Use the General MIDI if it’s not in the
list of preconfigured controllers.
6. Activate your devices MIDI Inputs and Outputs.
7. For details on customizing controller input see page 32.

Deckadance supports a wide range of controllers out of the box>

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Mixing Tools
Song Library & Browser
There are two ways to load music into decks from the
Browser. 1. right-click any song in the Browser and
select the deck to send it to OR 2. drag from the
Deckadance or even any Operating System file Browser
and drop on the desired deck. Deckadance will start
beat-detection automatically when loading a track.
This data is saved so next time the track is loaded the
analysis is not needed and the beat-grid will appear much
faster. Press the Play button. You can start the song playing before the beat detection
process is completed.

Adding your music to the Browser

To add your own music, right-click the Library folder on the left side of the Browser
and select ‘Import music folders’. This will open a operating system file-browser and
you can navigate to the folder where your saved music files are (mp3, m4a and wav
format), then click OK. OR click the iTunes folder if you are using iTunes and these
will be imported.

Using the file Browser

There’s a lot of functions tucked away under left and right-click on many areas of the
Browser. You can do things like add more data fields (right-click any title),
import/export from folders and more.

14
Mixing Tools
Note: Drag and drop a song from the Browser to the Preview Player OR right-click
and select ‘Preview’ to preview headphone (monitor) mix. See page 11 for more
information on setting up a headphone mix. You can also use this to play pre-mixed
tracks longer than 10 minutes if you set the outputs to the same as the main.

Playlists & Automix

The Browser and Playlist folders provide a way of automatically loading songs from a
pre-configured list. Deckadance also keeps a list of all songs manually loaded and
played, so after a successful gig you can save the set for later. Right-click the Smart
Playlists > Recently Played folder and choose Export. Similar Import/Export functions
are available under most Browser folders. If you want to jump down a playlist without
working through them drag a file from the Playlist and drop it onto the desired deck, the
same way you load from the Browser.
When Automix (auto play and X-fade) and DJ-Style (beat matched X-fades) are
selected in the Preferences, Deckadance will do your job for you, so you can
concentrate on something else=just don’t tell anyone ☺ The right-click on a song
Analyze option initiates beat-analysis on selected files in the Playlist. Hold Shift as you
click on items in a list to select multiple files. Pre-analyzing files lowers the CPU
overhead and load times during a live set (use it!). The Font size can be adjusted under
Preferences > Layout > Browser Layout > Font size.

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Mixing Tools
Tools for mixing tracks
You don’t need to be told that, as a DJ, your primary task is to keep the music flowing
and the ‘vibe alive’. Important here is blending the transitions between tracks as
smoothly as possible. Deckadance has a number of tools to help you pull off the perfect
transitions, every time. At the heart of all the tools (discussed below) is Beat detection.
Deckadance scans the file using advanced beat detection algorithms to identify the
tempo and first beat in every bar (down beat). Once a pair of tracks have been
processed you can right-click the play button of the stopped deck and it will start in
sync with the beat of the playing deck if the SYNC button is selected.

Peakscope display
The Peakscope in on the Function Panel and is great tool for manually aligning the beat
between a pair of tracks. We’ve flipped it on its side here so it fits. The display shows the
beat-marks (arrowed) as rectangles attached to the sides of the tracks.

To align make sure both decks are playing, click on the deck that is not audible
(otherwise it’s going to get embarrassing) and move your mouse up/down so that the
beat-marks are aligned. Note that all this will be happening while the peak-displays scroll
by, don’t follow the waveform with your mouse. REMEMBER use the SYNC button to
match the beat-period so they stay aligned along the length of the track, if that’s what
you want.

16
Mixing Tools

Auto-mix

Bathroom breaks and other emergencies are not a problem with the Auto-mix function.
See the Browser.

Drag and drop tracks on the Automix List folder OR right-click and select Append to
Automix List to create your set then press the Automix button as shown above. The
crossfade time can be set in seconds under the Preferences > Global Settings >
Automix Settings area. You can also set automatic Beat-matching and Bass X-fade
that drops the bass of tracks during the crossover to keep the mix smooth.

Auto Cross-fade (X-Fade)

Auto X-fade is very useful to free your hands during a

routine X-fade, leaving you to concentrate on more
important matters (your hair for instance). The auto X-
fade buttons are the A/B either side of the X-fade slider. Click to start an auto-X-fade.
Note: The X-fade speed is controlled by the Preferences > Global Settings >
Automix Settings > Crossfade Time. The default is 15 seconds.

Track selection for the perfect X-fade

You will find it a lot easier to pull of perfect X-fades on tracks with long lead in/lead-outs.
That is the start and end of the tracks have a beat and no much else going on. This
means there won’t be any discordant melodies or sounds interacting badly. Many songs
are available in a ‘club mix’ or ‘dance mix’ version for this very reason. Seek them out.
Another handy tool is the Bass X-fade switch on the Preferences > Global Settings >
Automix Settings. This fades the bass along with the deck volume and at the 50% mix
point drops the bass on both decks to compensate for the added energy of the two
tracks. This will keep the perceived volume smooth and perhaps save a few speakers
being splattered all over your audience.

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Mixing Tools

Manual Mixing and Smart Panels

When loading a track Deckadance will set the
Beat marks automatically. There are three main
Smart Panels associated with beat-matching –
GRID, KEY and TEMPO. Right-click the top icon
area of any existing Smart Panel to add more
Smart Panels to the Left or Right sides of the
song display. Many of the tempo sync and loop
functions rely on tempo/beat-detection and
analysis. Once this is completed the track is
aligned with a grid that shows bar and beat
markers (vertical lines). We’ll cover what these
panels do in the next section.

BPM, Speed and Pitch

The GRID smart panel is used to refine or change the grid to track relationship if the
default automatic setting does not work as expected or you want to manually set the
BPM of the track. When the MASTER button is selected then the deck controls the
tempo of all the other decks. Pressing play on a deck will automatically set it as the
master. A-GRD (Auto beat-grid) is used by all tempo sensitive functions (sampler loops,
beat-mixing etc) to perform in time. ON (button white) - Deckadance will set the Beat
marks automatically. OFF (button grey) - Manual beat-grid settings is possible by
clicking on the nudge buttons below << and >> below the A-GRID button.

18
Mixing Tools
Lower right, the (1) – Downbeat button sets the nearest grid-line as the downbeat.
Downbeats are important so that tracks play in the same phase of the bar, that is, not
only in time but also playing on the same beats of the bar.
The KEY panel (when LOCK is selected) will allow you to change the pitch of the track
without affecting the tempo. You can change track pitch +/- 12 semitones in 1 cent
increments. Double-click to reset to the default.
The TEMPO panel allows you to change the speed of the track (and so tempo). The
slider can be set to any range between +/- 2% to 50% using the Preferences > Global
Settings > Tempo range option. Selecting the SYNC button (right-click, to lock it on) will
cause the TEMPO slider to stop responding to input and the pitch of the deck will now be
controlled by the MASTER decks tempo slider. Double-click to reset to the default.
The Snap switch (magnet icon, page 6) is used to make any timed features such as
effects, loop/sample triggering etc snap to the detected beat.

Cueing tracks

Cue points are jump to or play-from position markers. Up to 8 cue points can be set per
track. Typical creative examples are setting the start of a track. Re-triggering the start of
a bar or rearranging the playback order of bars by jumping between cue points in time
with the beat (snap on).

To set a cue point – Drag on the track to Position the Play Head marker over the point
in the track to be cued, or wait for it to be reached on the fly, and click an empty cue
button, 1 to 8. The Snap setting (magnet icon) on the top-left of the Deckadance
window determines if cue points are always be placed on the nearest beat-grid line -

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Mixing Tools
(when snap is ON) or exactly where the play head was when the cue was added (when
snap is OFF).

To clear a cue point – Click the X button then click the cue point to be cleared.

Using cue points – If the cue point is empty then the buttons 1 to 8 create cue points on
the fly and the track keeps playing as normal. If the cue point has been set then the track
immediately jumps to the cue point and plays from that point. When the Snap setting
(magnet icon, page 6) is OFF the jump is immediate when it’s ON the jump happens at
the next beat-grid line.

CUE button – If the track is stopped, the last pressed cue marker is moved to the
current location. If the track is playing Deckadance will jump to the last pressed cue
marker and stop ready to play.

Looping Tracks
Similar to Cue Points you can also set loop points in your track but these are designed to
be set in real-time as the track is playing so you can repeat beats or bars for special
effects. Generally will loop
with Snap is on so your
loops are in perfect time
with the beat.

To use simply tap the

LOOP OR LEAP button at
the moment you want the
loop to start. Set the
desired loop length before
using the tool.

LOOP (Loop and continue) - Loops a section of the track until release when it will
resume playback from the end of the loop.

LEAP (after loop) - Loops a section of the track until release when the track will resume
from the point it would have reached if looping had not occurred. Keep an eye on the
playback marker in the Track Window and you will notice the leap position is shown as a
dashed line moving forward while the LEAP loop plays. When snap is selected from the
Tool Bar loops will sync to the nearest beat.

20
Function Panels
Function Panels
There is a row of switches that change the Function Panel mode. This section will give a
broad overview of what each is for each of these modes.

Function panels include a Mixer, Effects, Sampler, Peak Scope, VST Host and Gross
Beat. If you are using a MIDI controller then you can access controls on any of the
Function Panels even if the panel isn’t selected and showing.

To keep the crossfader visible below the Function Panel when functions other than the
Mixer are selected use the Preferences > Layout > Show floating crossfader when
mixer is hidden option.

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Function Panels
Mixer Panel

These are the basic mixer functions that every DJ

needs to use in order to keep the mix flowing. Each
deck has a strip of the following controls (top to
bottom).

Gain – This is a deck trim control and is used to even

out the volume between decks when the Deck level
faders are at maximum.

High/Mid/Low equalizer knobs – These can be used

to cut or boost the relative frequencies in the mix.
Generally avoid boosting frequencies too much as it
leads to distortion, try cutting unwanted frequencies,
this leads to a better sounding mix.

CUE - Sends the selected deck to the headphone

monitor mix (see page 10). Use this to cue/monitor
tracks with that fader for that track down, or X-Fader
on the other side so you don’t embarrass yourself.

FILTER (Low/High pass) - Turn left (of 12 O’clock) to

Low pass (only bass frequencies get through) and
right to High pass (only treble frequencies get though).
The extreme filter settings have been carefully
selected so that you don't accidentally cut the music
with exuberant knob tweaking.

Deck Level faders – The vertical faders control the

main level for each deck.

A/B switch – Sets the crossfader side (A = Left, B= Right) that the deck is mapped to.

22
Function Panels
Effects Panel

Select the FX Function Panel. The effects panel contains a

collection of effects specifically designed for DJ work. Each
deck gets 3 effects slots that can be set to any of those
available in the drop-down list. At the top of the FX area is
the Mix knob. The Isolator switches shown left allow you to
isolate the effects for that deck to the selected frequency
band. This can be useful as effects such as flanging, reverb
or delay on the bass (drum) frequencies can make the mix
sound confused and messy, so at least deselect LOW for
most effects that you use.

Delay - Echoes repeat at a rate determined by the tempo

synced knob.
Flanger & Phasing – Are closely related phase-based frequency-cancellation effects
that sounds like someone just stuck a 5 meter variable length of pipe stuck to your ear
and is fiddling with the length. The knob controls flanger speed (tempo synced). Phasing
sounds a little less 'airy' than flanging. The knob controls phaser speed (tempo synced).
Low & High Pass – Low pass cuts high frequencies and high pass cuts low
frequencies. The frequency cutoff is auto-cycling, the speed is under the control of the
knob (tempo synced). These are really useful during transitions and build-ups when
used with a slow sweep of the cutoff frequency.
Auto pan - Pan the stereo from side to side. Works well when isolated to the high-
frequencies only leaving the bass/mid solid in the center.
Trans - Transition. Similar to LowPass but starts with low frequencies and opens up to
high frequencies. The speed is under the control of the knob (tempo synced).
BitCrusher - Make a gritty 'low-fi' sound. The level is cyclic under the control of the knob
(tempo synced).
Distortion - Makes a distorted sound. The level is cyclic under the control of the knob
(tempo synced). Can be used to scare the club owner that his speakers are blown :)
Reverb - Creates the sound of a cavernous space. The knob controls the duration of the
reverb.

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Function Panels
Sampler Panel

You can sample from the decks and play them back as loops or one-shot samples, using
one of the inbuilt sampler pads. How to make a tempo-synced sample:

An alternative quick way to make 1-bar loops/samples is to drag FROM the track
header (time display) TO a sample pad. To loop a sample select Loop from the right-
click options on the pad. Each pad can have different loop and trigger mode settings.

24
Function Panels
Peakscope Panel

The Peakscope panel is described on page 16.

Gross Beat Panel

Gross Beat is a real-time pitch, position and volume

manipulation effect. Gross Beat essentially can jump about
the track and can be programmed to play at any speed, even
backwards. This makes beat-synced glitch, stutter, repeat,
scratching and gating effects a breeze.

Each deck gets 8 Gross Beat pads to trigger effects. Right-

click a pad to select from the options. The first group are
presets and they are categorized according to type. Generally
it’s a good idea to experiment and work out what sounds best
with the style of music you are mixing, there are no rules
here. Similar to the Sampler Pads you can set Gross Beat
effects to Loop continuously or play once and stop.

To open the editor click on the arrow at the bottom of the

pad to be edited and select Show editor. The editor is 4
beats/1 bar wide (horizontal axis) and 8 beats/2 bars deep
(vertical axis). This makes it possible to step back up to 8
beats from the current playback position, assuming there is
room. Take a moment to look at the screen-shots below to
familiarize yourself with the editor controls.

Check the manual Preferences > Help > Open Deckadance

Reference Manual for full details on how to use the editors
functions. You can find more presets on the Deckadance
user forum (see page 5 on how to register and gain access to
the forums).

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Function Panels
VST Host Panel

VST (Virtual Studio Technology) is a software standard to add virtual instruments or

effects to a compatible host. Deckadance can host one VST plugin per deck.

Check the manual Preferences > Help > Open Deckadance

Reference Manual for more details on adding VST plugins to
the Deckadance installation. Each VST has the following
controls:

Level - In Insert mode controls the balance between the dry

input signal (full left) and effect output (full right). In Send
mode controls the level sent to the effect.

On - Activate/Deactivate the plugin with this switch.

Insert/Send - Insert mode all audio from the deck is sent

through the effect and the Level knob is used to control the
balance between the effected and dry signal In Send mode
two audio paths are activated. One path passes through the
effect and another direct to Deckadance's outputs. Delay and
reverb where the original dry audio is an important part of the
overall sound are usually send effects while other effects like
phasing or EQ are typically used as inserts.

Editor - Shows the VST's user interface.

Modulation softknobs - Below the Insert & Editor switches

are two soft-knobs per VST. These can be linked to any of
the control parameters published by the plugin. Select a target from the drop-down menu
above the knob.

NOTE: Deckadance installs with the free Effector VST plugin that adds an additional
10 Effects. See page 28. To add other plugins see page 27.

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VST Plugins
VST Plugins
VSTs (Virtual Studio Technology) are add-in programs that provide you almost unlimited
access to effects and instruments. To add VST plugins, Deckadance needs to know
where they are installed. Do this from the Preferences > VST Plugins tab.

To scan for VST plugins:

1. Click the Scan & Verify button.

2. Select your VST install location in the Browser pop-up that opens.
3. Click OK.
The detected plugins show in the list and then are available as options to load on the
VST Host panel, page 25. It’s generally a good idea to install all your VSTs to one folder.

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VST Plugins
Effector VST plugin

Effector is a VST plugin effect that provides an additional 12 performance oriented

effects that can be used one at a time. The
large center X/Y pad (X/Y Parm knobs) can be
linked to controllers for expressive control or
used with a touch interface. The effects include:

DISTORT - Distortion. X - Distortion amount. Y -

Tone control. Use this to convince the club
owner you blew his speakers ;)

LO-FI - Bit reduction. X - Sample-rate reduction

amount. Y - Low pass filter cutoff frequency.
Creates old-school low bit depth sounds
(particularly at high X values) reminiscent of
gaming consoles.

FLANGER - Flanging. X - Depth. Y - Feedback.

PHASER - Phasing. X - Depth. Y - Feedback.

FILTER - High and Low pass filtering. X - Left of center = Low pass filter cutoff
frequency. Right of center = High pass cutoff frequency. Y - Resonance amount.

DELAY - Delay/Echo. X - Feedback amount (echo strength) Y - Echo filtering.

REVERB - Reverberation. X - Feedback. Y - Wet level (reverb amount).

STEREO - Panning. X - Left/Right pan position. Y - Binaural effect level. Up/Down.

TRANS - Trance / gating effect. X - Release time. Y - Drop level. The Tempo
switches & TEMPO speed multiplier knob will determine the period. Use this effect to
induce side-chain style pumping.

GRAIN - X & Y - Not used. The Tempo switches and TEMPO speed multiplier knob
control the grain size.

VOX - X - Vowel sound (A,E,I,O,U). Y - Throat size. Creates human vocal resonance
sounds.

RING - X - Modulator frequency Y - Not used. Ring modulation multiplies the input (your
music) with a sine wave oscillator (FM synthesis style).

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VST Plugins
Deckadance as a VST instrument

Deckadance can be loaded as a VST instrument (VSTi) into any VST host, such as FL
Studio, Image-Line’s popular music production software, Ableton Live (shown above) or
Cubase for example. During the installation Deckadance provides an option to install a
VST version of the program or stand-alone version only. Make sure the VST option is
selected if you wish to use Deckadance as a VST instrument. If you missed that step,
just re-install Deckadance and allow the VST version to be installed.

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Advanced Control
Vinyl / CDJ External Control (Deckadance 2 DVS)
To control a deck from a Vinyl or CDJ system you will need to be using Deckadance 2
DVS edition and add a DVS panel to the deck/s you want to control. DVS players allow
you to scratch and perform other live 'DJ' turntable style effects as you would from a
traditional audio vinyl recording. When DVS is selected Deckadance listens to the audio
signal from the DVS source and mirrors changes in speed & direction to the deck under
DVS control.

Using DVS Control

1. From Preferences > Audio Setup > Input Routing set audio inputs for the
decks you want to control. These are the physical audio input-connections from
your CDJ or Turntable to your audio interface.
2. From Preferences > Timecode select the DVS format (below the oscilloscope
window), play your source and adjust the gain and other controls to achieve a
good signal.
3. Add a DVS panel to any deck you need to control.
4. Select the DVS audio input (A to D) that you want to control the deck with on the
DVS panel.

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Advanced Control
Tips to obtaining an accurate lock - The signal level from your turntable is important
for achieving reliable control. Use the Gain knob to set the oscilloscope display between
50-75% distance toward the outer edge of the screen. A control signal that is too loud
will clip and degrade the tracking signal. A signal which is too low can lead to phase
ambiguity and so affect spin direction detection (see the screenshot above for examples.
The Rumble knob is a high-pass filter cut-off and is useful to filter low frequency noise
and vibration from either airborne sounds or vibrations through the turntable, further
improving the quality of the tracking signal.

Control signals can come from almost any source, vinyl (records), CD etc, Deckadance
is not fussy. If your control source is not one of the presets shown in the Timecode
source control (click on the arrows either side to step forwards/backwards), you can use
the Learn Timecode function to calibrate Deckadance to the default speed of your
timecoded vinyl. To obtain the most accurate calibration:

1. Set a 'healthy' tracking signal on the input, 50-75% amplitude (see above).
2. Set the pitch on your turntable or CDJ to ‘normal speed’.
3. Press LEARN TIMECODE for about three seconds.
4. Release LEARN TIMECODE and you're done!

Note: Press the LEARN TIMECODE with no input signal to reset to default values.

The DVS Panel

‘Absolute mode’, use this for control signals that contain

time-code information, when you pick the needle up and
move it to another part of the record Deckadance will stop and
start again at the same ‘absolute’ position. The lower icon is
‘Relative mode’ for signals that do not have time-code
information or when you only want to control speed and
direction.

NOTE: Create your own Control CD using the Preferences > Control CD Generator
tab.

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Advanced Control
Customizing MIDI controllers
Deckadance installs pre-configured to work with a wide range of MIDI controllers so
hardware controls are mapped to the correct Deckadance targets. To see if your MIDI
controller is pre-mapped, select the Preferences > Remote MIDI Control tab and
press ‘Press to scan for detected controllers’. If it’s not detected then you have to
manually map it. Return the Remote Controller setting to GENERAL MIDI. If needed
select the MIDI Function Panel (see below) and manually customize / create links to
Deckadance target controls as described below:

Customizing links to an external MIDI controller

1. Connect your controller to your computer (don’t laugh people forget).
2. Start Deckadance & open the Preferences > Remote MIDI Control panel.
3. Select ‘GENERAL MIDI’.
4. Make sure the MIDI inputs/outputs are set to ON in the MIDI Inputs/Outputs list
5. Click the MIDI Learn – Open MIDI Mapping Editor (see below).

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Advanced Control

6. Double-click a Deckadance target parameter from the list. This both selects it
and selects MIDI Learn.
7. Move the hardware control that you want to link, and you are done.
8. To remove a link, click on the list item and click MIDI FORGET.
For more help setting up your controller, consult your user manual for the device in
question.

MIDI Scripting for custom MIDI control with controller feedback

Deckadance can also be programmed via scripts see:

http://support.image-line.com/redirect/Deckadance_MIDI_Scripting

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Image-Line software
Thanks again! - for choosing Deckadance, from Image-Line software. Just a reminder
to check out the Deckadance online community where you will find more downloads,
tips, tricks and tutorial videos. Visit www.deckadance.com after registering your copy
of Deckadance (page 5).

How to upgrade Deckadance

By upgrading to Deckadance 2 or Deckadance 2 DVS edition you will unlock extra
features as noted at www.image-line.com/documents/dd-features.html. Check the
link to see a feature comparison of the Deckadance family.

If you decide to upgrade the procedure is simple, as follows:

1. Login to your personal account page on the Image-Line website.

2. Visit http://shop.image-line.com and purchase the upgrade.
3. Download a new FLRegkey.Reg file from your account.
4. Use Preferences > Registration and click the Register button.

5. Browse to your FLRegkey.Reg file, select it and Click Open.

6. Click OK/Yes to any security prompts to allow the file to be run/saved.

7. Deckadance will now be upgraded!

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Notes:

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