Do you have it?
YES!
Does it live up to all the hype....?
Hmmmmmm maybe - depending on what kind of user of traktor you are.
Give us your first impressions...!
I love the hardware! There is a lot to like!, hardware is very well built and feels excellent. The new features are awesome. However they have also taken some things away which i can't understand and severely frustrating.
Does it do all you want it to...?
No!!!!!!!!! Not at all.... I'll be still using my VCI-100 and traktor pro for a while until they sort the software and give the creative customising power I need. Being a power user of traktor pro and exploiting its programming features for customised control of macros/multiple software parameters on single knobs, button and jogwheel pushes, (e.g. like djtechtools style of mapping, with fader effects, sweeps, multiple macro effects etc). I feel very very very very limited as I can't do that on the S4. As you can only program on top of what's already there, you can't change any existing parameters. However, being a power user of traktor pro and exploiting its programming features for customised control of multiple software parameters on single knobs, button and jogwheel pushes, I feel very very very very limited as I can't do that on the S4. As you can only program on top of whats already there, you can't change any existing parameters.
Addtionally I use a 17" screen, but why is the big empty gaps in the bar where, effects, master clock and recorder and it forces me to switch as if I was on a smaller screen. Please… please please give me the ability to make effective use of space like traktor pro.
They have also taken away the record out put!!! why!!! I used this output all the time to drive a secondary set of speakers at some gigs and parties at home, I know most people wont use the feature as they will use the inbuilt soundcard, but I like using my echo audio fire, and its there on traktor pro, and I have used it since the initial version of traktor before pro, when it was there to drive additional monitors. Please give us the choice for these things.
I predominantly use master clock as the master tempo all the time, so I would have expected there to be a rotary knob to control master tempo using a shift function, but I'm still figuring out how to map this on to something, without multiple things happening at the same time because of the lack of being able to disable a pre-programmed function.
Was it worth the wait......?
If you don't have traktor pro, or use use traktor pro in a basic way without much customisation then go for it! it wont let you down, but if you are, its maybe worth getting it to play around with, but i'll still be using traktor pro for a long while until these software limitations in comparison to traktor pro are addressed… If not addressed, i'll be selling it, because there are a lot of things i do now in mixing that i can't live without.
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