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EXTERNAL CONTROL

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One of Torq’s greatest features is the ability to use external sources to control the

playback of your song files. In particular, you can use the Torq Control Vinyl or Torq

Control CDs to provide the familiar tactile sensation of DJing with traditional turntables

and/or CD decks. Torq also allows you to use external MIDI hardware to control nearly

any feature within the application.

The Control Vinyl and Control CD system works by using vinyl records and compact

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discs imprinted with special control signals. You’ll play these control signals on your

turntables and/or CD players and feed that signal into any professional audio interface

that has four inputs (with phono preamplifiers on each input if you are using turntables)

such as the M-Audio Conectiv. Torq will listen to those audio signals and will use the

encoded information to control the playback of the Decks.

Enabling Vinyl/CD Control

1. Connect the outputs of your first turntable or CD player to inputs 1/2 of your

audio interface. If the interface has a “Line/Phono” input selector switch, be

sure to set it to “Phono” if using turntables, or “Line” if using CD players (or

turntables with built-in preamps).

English

English

2. Connect the outputs of your second turntable or CD player to inputs 3/4 of

your audio interface. Again, you’ll need to set its input selector switch as

described above.

Using Torq with only one turntable or CD player:

The connection diagram on this page assumes you have a traditional

DJ setup two CD players or turntables. However, Torq has a

special “AMPutate Mode” that allows you to control both decks

using only one turntable or CD player. This mode is described

later in this chapter.

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3. Open Torq’s Preferences and select the Audio tab.

4. Make sure your audio interface is selected in the “Audio Interfaces” drop-down menu.

5. Click the Control Input A drop-down menu and choose “input 1 -- input 2”.

6. Click the Control Input B drop-down menu and choose “input 3 -- input 4”.

7. Now click the “External Control” tab.

Note:

An additional tab appears

on the right side of the Preferences

window when certain M-Audio

products (such as the Xponent

DJ controller) are being used in

conjunction with Torq. This tab

contains parameters relating specifically

to the operation of the connected

M-Audio device. To learn more about

the contents of this additional tab, refer

to your new hardware’s User Guide.

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8. The first option enables External Control. Click the drop-down menu and select “Yes”.

9. The next step requires you to select the type of control signals you’ll be using for each Deck. If you’ll be using the

Torq Control Vinyl records, select “Torq Vinyl” for the Control Type. If you’ll be using the Torq Control CDs, select

“Torq CD” for the Control Type. Since this selection is independent for each Deck, you can use any combination of

vinyl and CD control that you’d like.

  ✓ Note: If you own the Ms. Pinky Interdimensional Wrecked System, you can use those vinyl records to control Torq.

Select “Gen1”, “Gen2”, or “Gen3” corresponding to the generation of records you own. Torq currently supports

generations 1 through 3.

10. The playback of the Decks will now be controlled by the incoming control signals you have selected.

  ✓ Note: You can also enable and disable the External Control system by clicking the External Control button in

Torq’s Toolbar.

External Control Calibration

While terms such as “digital vinyl” are sometimes used to describe vinyl control systems such as the one used in Torq, the truth

is that the system is still analog. There are “digits” encoded in the analog domain on the Torq Control Vinyls and CDs and those

digits are transferred to Torq by analog means through the inputs of your audio interface.

Because of this, the control system is subject to certain environmental and physical variables that can influence its performance.

The system is very robust and compensates for many of these factors, allowing a wide range of variance between equipment to

yield identical control response. This means the equipment you already own (turntables, cartridges, styli, CD players, etc.) is

probably sufficient for use with Torq’s external control system.

M-Audio has diligently tested the control system using a wide variety of equipment from different manufacturers, but not every

possible combination of gear could be tested. While unlikely, it is possible that there could be problems with components in

your DJ setup that might render the control system inoperable. When this happens, the Control Calibration displays on the

External Control Preferences tab will be your first place to look in order to diagnose the problem.

Control Type

If the external control system is enabled but doesn’t seem to be working, first check the Control Type settings for each

Deck before you tear out all the wiring in your DJ rig. If you have the wrong Control Type selected, Torq will not react

in the proper manner to the control signals. Once you’ve verified the setting here, you can continue diagnosing your

problem.

Velocity and Position

When the external control system is operating properly, it provides three vital pieces of information to Torq’s Decks:

the speed and direction of the Control Vinyl or Control CD as well as the current position on the record or CD. The

Velocity display shows a number that indicates both speed and direction at the same time. When the Velocity is 0, the

record or CD is stopped (or the needle has been lifted off the record). If the number is 1.0, that means the vinyl record

is running forward at normal speed (when using the Torq Control Vinyls, this refers to 33 1/3 RPM playback on the

turntable). When the number is -1.0, it means the record or CD is running backwards at normal speed (33 1/3 RPM). As

you manipulate the record or CD by hand or with their pitch adjusters, you’ll see the Velocity display change immediately

to reflect the movements.

The Position display shows a number that Torq uses to calculate the playback position for the audio file loaded into the

Deck. When the record or CD is playing forward, this number will increase—it will decrease if the record or CD is

playing backwards. You’ll also notice that this number will jump whenever you lift the needle off the record and place it

in another location (known as a “needle drop”). This is what allows Torq to play back a song just as if it was pressed right

into the Control Vinyl or Control CD.

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< Reversed Playback Direction

If you find that Torq seems to be responding backwards to the Control Vinyls or CDs, take a look at the Velocity

display. If the number shown is negative while the control source is playing forward, it could mean that the audio

cables connecting the turntable or CD player to your interface are backwards. Swap the left and right plugs on

the back of the audio interface and the problem should be fixed.

< Erratic Playback Position

If Torq seems to be jumping around to random locations in the song during playback, take a look at the Position

display. This number should be rapidly growing larger as the control source plays. If this number looks like it’s

counting erratically, this is most likely due to damaged control records (which is normal after extended use). This

could also be due to poor stereo separation in the turntable’s needle or preamp. This is especially common with

very old needles. To fix this, purchase a replacement vinyl record, replace your stylus, or purchase one of the

recommended styli/cartridges listed at the end of this manual.

< Erratic Velocity Values

A turntable is a very sensitive piece of equipment. It can take the smallest vibrations and amplify them into

audible sound. That’s what’s happening when you play a record—the grooves in the record vibrate the stylus

as they play and those vibrations are translated to audio. The problem with turntables, though, is that they

cannot distinguish between what is an intentional vibration caused by the moving grooves in the record and

an unintentional vibration picked up through the body of the turntable. For example, if you kick the table the

turntable is on, that “thump” will be transferred through the turntable up through the needle and translated into

sound.

What this means, in terms of the External Control system, is that vibrations and other unintentional noise can

“contaminate” the control signals being read from the records. When this happens, the noise can temporarily

throw off the ability of Torq to track the records.

In order to help minimize this problem, Torq has a setting called “Power Threshold” with various level settings.

The idea is to set this value above any of the extraneous noise such that Torq will only focus on the louder

control signals from the records. Here’s how to set this level properly:

1. Open the External Control Preferences and enable External Control.

2. Place the needle of your turntable on the Control Vinyl, but leave the turntable stopped.

3. Lower the Power Threshold to -40 and look at the Velocity value for the deck.

4. If the Velocity is showing random values even though the turntable is stopped, that means the Power

Threshold is too low—Torq is picking up noise and interpreting it as a control signal.

5. Increase the Power Threshold by 5dB and look at the Velocity value again. If you still see random Velocity

values, raise the Power Threshold another 5dB.

6. Eventually, you’ll reach a point where the Velocity stays at 0.00. This is the optimal setting for the Power

Threshold.

7. Please note that, if you’re in a noisy environment that does not have good physical isolation of the

turntables (to prevent external vibrations from being picked up by the stylus), you may need to raise the

Power Threshold setting a little higher to filter out the additional noise in the room.

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Error Index

If you’ve checked your audio cable connections and have also replaced your turntable’s needles yet still experience

problems, take a look at the Error Index displays. These displays will be showing a number typically between 0.15 and

1.50, which is perfectly normal. If the number is above 2.0, it will turn red, indicating that there is too much noise in the

audio signal for Torq to properly track position and velocity. Try cleaning the record using a high quality vinyl cleaning

system. Too much dirt on the record can cause errors in the tracking process.

A high Error Index can also be caused by wear and tear on the Control Vinyl. Each time a record is played, it is slightly

damaged, especially if the tracking weight of the needle is very heavy. After repeated use, the control signal may become

distorted and unreadable. Simply flip over the Control Vinyl to the second side or purchase a replacement record from

the M-Audio Webstore (www.m-audio.com).

If the output level of your stylus/cartridge is too low, this can also result in high Error Index readings. Try replacing your

stylus/cartridge with one of the recommended models at the end of this manual for a higher output level.

Standard Mode

When you enable External Control, Torq will be in Standard mode. In this mode, one control source is assigned to each Deck.

You will need two sources (2 turntables, 2 CD players, or one of each) in order to control the two Decks in Torq. This is just

like using traditional hardware to DJ.

When using Standard mode, you have two control styles to choose from—Absolute mode and Relative mode—which are

explained below.

Absolute Mode

This is the default control style when in Standard mode and is indicated by the [>|<] icon on what was previously the Play/

Pause button on the Decks. Absolute mode means that Torq will be following the position of the external control source.

This is most apparent when using the Control Vinyls—you can lift the needle and place it in different locations on the

record and Torq’s Decks will follow this position. If you place the needle at the beginning of the record (or rewind the

Control CD back to the beginning of a track), the song in the Deck will also jump back to the beginning.

This mode is obviously the mode that will recreate the sensation of using CDs and Vinyl with the greatest detail. You

will be able to control playback position from your turntables or CD players without having to interact with the Torq

interface.

Relative Mode

In contrast, Relative mode will ignore the playback position of the Control Vinyl or Control CD. Torq will only monitor

the direction and speed of the control source. To enable Relative mode on a Deck, click the Absolute mode button—its

icon will change to [<|>] indicating that Relative mode is now active (click the button again to toggle back to Absolute

mode).

You’ll now notice that placing the needle in different locations on the record will have no effect on the music—playback

will resume from the point it left off as soon as the needle touches the record again.

Even though the playback position of the Control Vinyl or Control CD is not affecting the playback position of the song

on the Deck, the speed and direction of the control source will still continue to work. You can change the playback speed

using the pitch adjusters on your turntables or CD players and the playback speed of the Deck will follow. You can even

scratch like normal. The added benefit is that, should the needle skip a groove while you’re scratching, you won’t lose the

sound you were using. You can continue to scratch the same location of the audio file even if the needle keeps skipping.

✓ Note: While there will be no audible change in music playback when switching a Deck from Absolute mode to Relative

mode, there is a chance that the playback position could jump to an unanticipated position when switching from Relative

mode back into Absolute mode. This is due to the fact that, while using the features of Relative mode, the playback position

of the Deck and the actual location of the control source could fall out of sync (for example, if you loop the song on the

Deck, the song will no longer proceed forward but the location of the control source will continue to play forward). When

you switch back to Absolute mode, Torq will immediately jump to the position indicated by the control source...this could

even be a position after the song has ended! Therefore, be extremely careful when toggling back to Absolute mode. Only

do so if (1) you know the location of the song and control source are still in sync or (2) you mute the Deck before switching

over, thus preventing any jumps from being heard by your audience.

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AMPutate Mode

While exploring the depths of Torq, you will repeatedly run into scenarios that would not be possible with traditional DJ

hardware—techniques that can only be achieved through the flexible power of computer technology. Torq’s AMPutate mode is

a perfect example of this—it allows you to DJ using only one turntable or CD player. Wait, what? DJing has always been about

two turntables and a mixer, right? When using AMPutate mode, it still is, but one of the turntables is “virtual.”

The idea behind AMPutate mode is that you generally need to manipulate only one song at a time when DJing. One song will

be playing freely (the one your audience is dancing to) while you play with the other turntable in order to match tempos and

find the perfect starting place for the next song. Once tempos are matched and the time is right, you’ll start the song and apply

small adjustments to it in order to keep it in sync while mixing it in. Once the song is fully mixed in and the previous song is

over, your need for manipulating the song will be over. At that point, you’d put a new record on the other turntable and begin

the process of cueing and beat-matching.

Deck Control

AMPutate mode allows you to control one of Torq’s Decks with a single Control Vinyl or Control CD while the other

Deck operates in Hybrid or CDJ mode. To enable AMPutate mode:

1. Open the Preferences and click on the External Control tab.

2. Ensure that External Control is enabled. If not, turn it on now by selecting “Yes” in its drop-down menu.

3. With External Control enabled, you’ll also be able to enable AMPutate mode by selecting “Yes” in its

drop-down menu.

4. AMPutate will use the control source chosen for Control Input A on the Audio Preferences tab. Check your

selection on this tab to make sure you have selected your desired control source.

5. Close the Preferences.

6. Load a track onto Deck A and click the Vinyl button (located right below the QuickCue buttons).

7. Deck A will now be under external control.

8. Start your turntable or CD player. Deck A will begin to play like normal.

9. Now, load a track onto Deck B and click its Vinyl button. You’ll notice that Deck A will automatically switch to

Hybrid or CDJ control (whichever mode you used last) and will continue to play! At the same time, the external

control source will now be controlling Deck B.

10. You can swap external control back and forth as you please and the music will remain playing on both Decks at

all times.

✓ Note: You can also enable and disable AMPutate Mode using the AMPutate button in Torq’s Toolbar.

So you can see that swapping external control is as simple as clicking the Vinyl button on the Deck you wish

to control (you could assign MIDI notes or keys on your computer’s keyboard to the Vinyl buttons, too). If the

external control source is stopped when you switch control to the other Deck, it will remain stopped. If the

control source was playing when you switch control to the other Deck, it will remain playing.

✓ Note: Because the AMPutate system allows you to swap control between two independent Decks, the Decks are

forced into Relative mode to prevent any undesirable jumps in playback position when toggling control. Therefore,

when using AMPutate mode, you will use the on-screen controls (Fast Forward, Rewind, Overview Waveform,

QuickCues, etc.) to set the playback position of the song—needle drops will not work.

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BPM Matching

So how does one go about doing a DJ set with only one turntable? It is a little different than doing it in Standard mode,

primarily due to the fact that you must use Torq’s on-screen Speed sliders to match tempos as opposed to using the pitch

sliders on your turntable or CD player.

Try it out: Click Vinyl on a Deck and start the external control source. While the song is playing, move the Deck’s on-

screen Speed slider. Sure enough—the playback speed of the song changes, just as if you’d moved the pitch slider on the

actual turntable or CD player.

The reason for requiring the use of the on-screen controls lies in the fact that external control can be toggled back and

forth between the Decks at will. Any time you do this, you’ll want the Decks to keep their previous tempos. If the tempo

of a Deck changed when swapping external control, the mix would suddenly fall wildly out of sync.

Therefore, the speed of the Control Vinyl or Control CD must remain constant—Torq will scale the playback rate as

appropriate based on the setting of the Decks’ Speed sliders. If you change the speed of the control source, you’ll find

that the Decks suddenly change speed any time you toggle external control.

There is, however, one unique advantage to this setup: you can make use of Torq’s automatic beat-matching! Instead

of manually moving the on-screen Speed slider with the mouse or MIDI Control, you can simply click the Deck’s Sync

button and it’s Speed slider will be moved to match the tempo of the other Deck. Click the Sync button again to turn it

off, and the Deck will remain at the proper speed waiting for the external control signal to begin. All you have to do then

is start the music at the right time and keep it in alignment during the mix via external control. This makes the process of

preparing the next track much faster.

Runout Protection

Since there is only about 12 minutes of usable control signal on each side of the Control Vinyls or on each track of the CD,

it is possible that the song you are controlling could exceed the length of control signal available on the record or CD. This is

extremely common when using Relative mode since the needle or CD position could be halfway through when you start the

next track.

In order to prevent the music from stopping abruptly if the control signal runs out on the record or CD, Torq features Runout

Protection which essentially disables External Control when the record or CD reaches the last 30 seconds of its signal. When

this happens, the song’s waveform will start to flash yellow and the song on the Deck continue to play. You will now be able

to take the needle off the record and place it back at the beginning without Torq stopping the music (the same is true for the

CD—you can jump back to the beginning of the track without stopping the music). Once Torq reads a few seconds of signal

from the new location, the flashing will stop and Torq will re-engage External Control allowing you to scratch and manipulate

like normal.

✓ Note: If you are currently in Absolute mode when the last 30 seconds of control signal are reached, Torq will automatically

switch the Deck into Relative mode when it engages the Runout Protection. The Deck will remain in Relative mode after you

reset the record or CD, thus preventing the music from jumping to an unexpected location when external control is enabled

again.

MIDI Control

While the Torq Control Vinyl and Control CDs offer a great way to control song playback on the Decks, there are still plenty

of other features in Torq that would surely feel good under the fingertips. For that purpose, Torq provides the option of MIDI

control for nearly every button, knob, and slider on the interface. Since MIDI is a common protocol shared between all types of

musical gear, you can use almost anything capable of generating MIDI note or CC messages to control Torq—they do not need

to be specialized DJ controllers. This will offer you a way to experiment with different control methods when DJing, such as

using an M-Audio Trigger Finger to control samples or an M-Audio Axiom 25 keyboard to control effects and pitches.

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< MIDI Preferences

The second tab of the Preferences contains the MIDI

options. At the bottom of this tab is a list of all the

available MIDI input devices on your computer. Each

device has a “Yes/No” option to enable or disable it.

Set the MIDI device to “Yes” if you wish to use it to

control Torq. Otherwise, set the device to “No” and

Torq will ignore it (allowing you to use it to control

a different application, such as when ReWired into

another host program).

Once you have enabled a MIDI Input, you will be able

to use it to control Torq by means of MIDI Learn,

which will be described next.

< MIDI Learn

Every musician approaches their craft from a slightly

different direction. DJing is no different. That is why

Torq is basically a blank slate when run for the first

time—there are no pre-set control assignments for

any of the buttons, knobs, or sliders seen on screen

for you to memorize. Instead, you get to assign the

most important controls for you to whatever MIDI

controls make the most sense to you.

» Creating a MIDI Assignment

Torq uses a simple MIDI Learn scheme to make assigning controls on your MIDI controllers a breeze:

1. Right-click (CTRL-click on Mac) the button, knob, or slider you wish to control via MIDI. The control

will be highlighted in red indicating that Torq is standing by.

2. Move the desired control on your MIDI controller. That is, move the knob or slider you want to use

or press the button/key you wish to use.

3. Torq will intercept the incoming MIDI message and will instantly assign it to the control. The red

highlight will disappear and the MIDI control will be active.

» Clearing a MIDI Assignment

If you’ve assigned a MIDI control using MIDI Learn and you wish to clear the assignment, simply right-click

(CTRL-click on Mac) the desired control in Torq, then press the Delete key on your computer’s keyboard.

Any assignments for the control will be erased.

» Changing MIDI Assignment

If you assign a MIDI knob, for example, to the Low EQ in the Mixer, you can assign it to the Mid EQ by

simply right-clicking (CTRL-click on Mac) the Mid EQ knob and moving the MIDI Knob. Doing so will

clear the assignment to the Low EQ knob and the MIDI control will now be mapped to the Mid EQ knob.

This allows you to use a small controller for Torq since you can continually reassign its controls without

worrying about what the previous assignments were.

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< Keyboard Learn

You can also use your computer’s keyboard to control elements of the Torq interface using the same method

as MIDI Learn above. Simply right-click (CTRL-click for Mac) on a control on screen, then press a key on your

keyboard. That key will then be assigned to the selected control. The same method for changing and clearing

MIDI assignments described above also works for keyboard assignments.

< Assigning Buttons to Knobs or Sliders

If you so desire, you can assign a MIDI button/key or a key on your computer’s keyboard to a knob or slider

in Torq’s interface. When doing this, pressing the MIDI button or key will cause the knob or slider’s value to

toggle between an assignable minimum and maximum value. For example, assign the “X” key on your computer

keyboard to the Low EQ knob. Turn up the EQ to +6 using the mouse, then press the “X” key on your keyboard.

The EQ will jump to 0. Press “X” again, and the EQ will jump back up to +6.

< Assigning Knobs or Sliders to Buttons

Conversely, you could assign a MIDI knob or slider to one of Torq’s buttons. When doing this, the button will

turn on anytime the knob or slider is turned past its halfway point (outputting a MIDI value greater than 64). The

button will turn back off when the knob or slider is moved lower than its halfway point.