55

CHAPTER
1
English

55

English
CHAPTER
10
mixer
Step one when DJing i s controlling the music. That’s what Torq’s Decks are for. Step t wo
is blending, or mixing, the music together. As you’d expect, Torq has a section for that,
too. While existing in software, Torq’s Mixer sounds and behaves just like a top-of-the-line
hardware mixer. It is therefore instantly familiar to a nyone who has used a mixer before,
and it is capable of performing the same tricks and techniques utilized by DJs on traditional
hardware mixers.

Mixer Architecture

Before you start tweaking knobs and sliders on the Mixer, you should have a basic
understanding of the components in the mixer and the signal ow between the components.
Without this basic understanding, some controls may seem to be misbehaving or completely
inoperative, only because you’ve unknowingly set another control to a conicting position.
Additionally, there are some terms you should get to know, as they will be used repeatedly
throughout this User Manu al.
Channels
When audio from a Deck enters the Mixer, it enters a channel. A channel is a section
within a mixer that processes a single audio sign al. Since Torq has t wo Decks, the
Mixer ha s two channels, one for each Deck. While the signals from both De cks
enter the same mixer, th ey remain separ ate in their respective cha nnels, allowing
you to process them differently before mixing them together into a single channel
(which is what your audience hears).
Gain/Mute
When audio from a Deck enters a channel in the M ixer, the rst thing it runs into
is the Gain control (see n at the top of each channel in the mixer). This knob will
increase or decrease the volume of the inco ming audio signal, allowing you to boost
the level of quiet songs or red uce the level of loud ones. This is a basic s tep in both
maintaining high-quali ty audio and matching the levels of the two songs you’re mixing
together.
Torq’s Gain knobs w ill boost the in coming signal by up to 6dB, or will cut it by as
much as 12dB. The “X” button next to the Gain knob is the Mute button. Activatin g
this button will mute t he incoming audio—resulting in a silen t channel.