Traktor Broadcast
Native Instruments Traktor Pro does not expose a track API or database that
third-party software can poll. Instead, it has a built-in broadcasting
feature intended for live streaming to SHOUTcast and Icecast servers. Now
Playing runs a local broadcast receiver on your machine and reads track metadata
out of the stream. The integration is implemented in the traktor-connect
package.
How It Works
Section titled “How It Works”Traktor’s broadcast output is a standard OGG Vorbis audio stream delivered over TCP. The format includes Vorbis comments — metadata tags that Traktor populates with the current track’s information as it plays.
- Now Playing starts a TCP server on port 8000 (configurable).
- In Traktor, broadcasting is configured to point at
127.0.0.1:8000with the format set to Ogg Vorbis. - When Traktor starts broadcasting, it opens a TCP connection and begins streaming OGG frames.
- Now Playing parses the OGG container and decodes the Vorbis comments from each metadata packet.
- When the track changes, Traktor sends a new Vorbis comment block and Now Playing emits a track event.
What Data Is Extracted
Section titled “What Data Is Extracted”Vorbis comments are free-form key/value strings. Traktor sends:
| Field | Vorbis Comment |
|---|---|
| Title | TITLE |
| Artist | ARTIST |
| Album | ALBUM |
| BPM | BPM |
| Genre | GENRE |
| Duration | Encoded in the Vorbis stream header |
Configuration in Traktor
Section titled “Configuration in Traktor”- Preferences → Broadcasting
- Server:
127.0.0.1 - Port:
8000 - Format: Ogg Vorbis
- Mount point: any value (Traktor requires it; Now Playing ignores it)
- Server:
Why Broadcast?
Section titled “Why Broadcast?”Because Traktor does not expose a track database or a network protocol, the broadcast output is the only stable, officially supported way to read the current track. It is the same mechanism DJs have used for years to auto-update SHOUTcast metadata on their streams.
What It Does Not Provide
Section titled “What It Does Not Provide”The broadcast stream reports track metadata only. Controller state (faders, EQ, crossfader) is not in the stream. If you want on-air detection to work during transitions, enable the MIDI Bridge so the mix processor has fader data.
A Note About the Audio
Section titled “A Note About the Audio”The broadcast stream contains actual audio as well as metadata. Now Playing discards the audio packets — only the metadata is used.