Traktor vs Serato , S4 vs DDJ-SX

[geraldt]

Hello!

I currently have an S4 , and I gotta say... So far , I'm not a big fan. I have limited experience, so its been hard for me to figure out when I dislike something about Traktor/s4 because of my lack of experience, or because it simply doesn't fit my style.... Initially I just assumed that the things about it that made no sense to me where just lack of experience, but I just saw a few videos and read some reviews on the Pioneed DDJ-SX with serato software, and it just looks a lot better to me....

I don't understand this Traktor love fest, specially with its effects... I mean, it has a bunch, but they all sound terrible to me. Most of them I can't imagine ever using.. I am not a big effects guy, I wanna keep it simple in that department (i'll mainly use it for transitions etc). I find all the available customization in traktor's effects to be a little much. So far I've found traktors effects unusable.

Again, I know huge part of that is me simply being new and sucking at it... That's where you guys come in...
I don't with to imply traktor lovers are dumb or anything.... I would like your input on this so maybe I can see more clearly how much of my frustration with Traktor is just inexperience, or maybe Serato / DDJ-SX is indeed more for dudes like myself.

thank you in advance!

[jdownesbaird]

Both programs and both controllers are very capable of doing MORE than you need as a beginner. If you are feeling mostly frustration at this early stage (regardless of your chosen gear) then a software/controller switch won't fix that. You should be having a blast working on the basics of mixing, experimenting with the concepts, and finding your own personal workflow. There is no way that the software/hardware is the limiting factor here. As everyone in this thread will ultimately tell you, master the basics. Every new piece of hardware is going to look better than what you already have, and might seem like just the thing you need to really excel as a DJ. It's not. Is Serato a better choice for you? Who knows? But it's way too early for you to develop a gear lust problem.

[tilldrop]

There is not much to add to jdownesbairds comment. If you hate djing with the S4 you won't love it with the DDJ-SX. For me the biggest difference between those two programs is the look. Both do pretty much the same. (Please don't trow stones at me now everyone.)
What I enjoyed was the transition from PC to USB. That made a difference. But even before that I enjoyed both: Traktor and Serato.

Concerning your FX-Problem: Take your time to learn every FX in single mode. You will learn a lot more about what it actually does. Also trying it with different genres helped me to get a better understanding of what it does not only in theory but practically.

[RajMahal]

I think the one huge thing I liked about Serato is that you can have the waveforms on top of eachother. This was a great help when learning to beatmatch.

[jdownesbaird]

Yeah, but that isn't really beat matching by ear; you're just syncing songs based on visual cues. Traktor's phase meter allows you to do the same thing. Personal preference, I guess.