No Artist
Traktor Scratch Control Vinyl Black

Listening notes

Native Instruments released the Traktor Scratch Control Vinyl Black under catalog number NI-21170 in 2011. Classified under the genres of Non-Music and Technical, this release occupies an unusual but legitimate place in the broader catalog of vinyl records — a physical disc designed not for conventional listening, but for use as a control medium.

The record is pressed on black vinyl and spans two sides, each structured according to a consistent internal logic. Side A contains thirteen tracked sections: a Lead-In at position A1, followed by ten consecutive Playback Zones running through A11, and concluding with two Scroll Zones at A12 and A13. Side B extends the layout further across eighteen sections, opening again with a Lead-In at B1, proceeding through fifteen Playback Zones from B2 to B16, and closing with two Scroll Zones at B17 and B18. No track durations are listed.

The segmented structure of the groove layout — distinguishing between Lead-In, Playback Zone, and Scroll Zone sections — reflects the functional purpose these control discs serve within timecode vinyl systems. Rather than carrying musical content, the grooves encode a timecode signal read by a compatible audio interface and software, in this case Native Instruments' Traktor platform, allowing a standard turntable to function as a control surface for digital audio.

What makes this release notable from a cataloging standpoint is precisely what sets it apart from conventional records: its tracklist is a map of function rather than music. For a reference database, it represents a distinct category of vinyl artifact, one that uses the physical format of a record while serving an entirely different operational purpose. The label, Native Instruments, is a German company known for music production software and hardware.

This is an unreviewed draft. All claims should be verified against source documentation before publication.