S4 and CDJs

[tommydonz]

Whats up guys I am new to the world of mixing and am thinking of buying my first setup after playing around on my friends controller for a few months.

Like many people im stuck between wanting to use the cdj/mixer setup and a controller/software with my laptop. I want to begin to become comfortable with both but money is of course an issue and I cannot afford to buy all the equipment I would like.

So heres my question: If i decided to buy an S4 to use with traktor along with a pair of cheaper cdjs that may not be midi enabled, would I be able to use the S4 and the traktor software as a mixer for the cdjs? I wouldnt need the cdjs to control traktor or anything, just the controller and software to act as a mixer for the audio output from the cdjs. This would be great for me as a beginner as it would allow me to become comfortable on more diverse equipment without having to shell out for an expensive mixer and expensive midi enabled cdjs ontop of a controller. At least until my skill level improves enough to justify the purchase.

Additionally, if this is indeed possible, as the S4 is 4 channel would I then be able to mix the cdjs at the same time as using the other 2 channels on the controller to control traktor normally?

Thanks in advance for any answers and please let me know if you think I am not understanding any concepts correctly.

[manchild]

Yes you can do it. The s4 and traktor have to be running at all times though. Inside traktor, you would select live input for the two decks that you plan on running CD's. I have never done this, but I've heard the sound quality suffers or sounds weird at times...don't know how true that is

[Emery]

you can choose which deck the CDJ's control, and the other two can be controlled with the S4 jogs

[Kensic]

i thought someone told me S4 can be set up as a standalone mixer w/o traktor. i knew he was lying

[ksandvik]

No, S4 is integrated with Traktor, all the routing, audio interface stuff et rest has to be handled via Traktor. Which is fine, you get Traktor as part of S4. Plus you could add additional HW and make as complex setup as your brain could handle.