The Traktor F1 & 2.5 Thread

[padi_04]

From I gather, you will need to use timecode for these "remix" decks.

You can but you don't NEED to, otherwise it would be an upgrade just for scratch users.

[sarasin]

In the Shiftee vid, the 2 F1's together side by side....upside down, without the knobs.....looks like the APC20.



I like what they have done with the F1 and would love to implement its mapping and features to my APC80.

Will take some work I guess, but its all good.

Excited for this update!!!!!!

[oneapemob]

The only downside i see is that mapping any controller to all the options that you can find on the F1 (minus the leds depending on what controller you will be mapping) will prove to be a major task, and certainly create a huge page in the mapping/controller management section.

Plus with a mapping that heavy in there, opening the preference window will take ages. Also when NI will release the 2.5.1 to take care of the newly introduced bugs, if they change anything to how the mapping works (think 2.1 and the way the jogs are mapped), it will be a mission to go in there and make the changes.

I'm waiting to see if the new "quantized" launching mode is also there for normal decks, that would be the biggest thing, being able to quantize cue point juggling to 1/16, 1/32 or 1/8 would prove great to use !

[carsea74]

Ready to add the F1 to my dj set up....I can't wait to see what it will do. Love Ableton, but if the F1 adds similar functions to my sets, I can see myself using it a lot.

[Karlos Santos]

Apparently my comparison went over your head a bit. I was pointing out that NI are not adopting Serato/Rane's pricing structure. Even if this is the harbinger of free Traktor to come, I'm not looking at it with naive eyes. As long as NI are still charging for Traktor at all, the inclusion of Traktor in the F1 package is a "value addition". My point is that Traktor looks like it's being included here simply in an attempt to justify what is a grossly inflated price point for a controller with such limited functionality. Sure, you could point at the midi fighter pro as the same thing, but DJTT is a bit more of a botique manufacturer than NI so that's to be expected. As for bundling - I remember the sale with the X1 a while back, then there's the S2 and 4, and the sound cards. Aside from the S2 and 4 though (which do factor in the software in their pricing) all of those were promotions - Traktor was included temporarily to boost sales. The F1 is including it from day 1, just like the S2 and S4 (ish on the S4 since it came with Traktor S4 but that's irrelevant). Thus I expect the inclusion of the Traktor license factored into its pricing - just like with the S2 and S4. As I said, NI are a company out to make profit; I have a degree in business management and economics, the concept isn't foreign to me. I don't fault them for doing so, I'm just not going to line up praise at their door for bundling Traktor with the F1.

As was pointed out, the F1 is not a standalone controller for Traktor. In fact, I'd wager that the vast majority of purchasers of the F1 will be current Traktor owners. You'll have converts buying it and an S2/etc. too, sure, but they will be far smaller in number. Thus, the naive will see the inclusion of Traktor as, "something you're getting for nothing," but remember, "there's no such thing as a free lunch." All the inclusion of Traktor amounts to with the F1 is an excuse to charge an extra $80 or so to the majority of the purchasers as I said earlier. And, as a reminder, this majority consists of current NI customers.

I'm not saying the F1 doesn't look like a solid controller. I am saying that I don't like software bundled with hardware when it's expensive software that I already own. I'm also saying I'm not going to thank NI for effectively charging me twice or thrice for the same software - I bought Traktor myself, then I bought an S4, and with the F1 I'll have yet another license of Traktor. I vote for a, "trade in your useless Traktor license keys for some of our other software, or credit thereto," movement. If I had to pay an extra $80 for Traktor, but then could use that credit toward say, Absynth, that would be pretty cool and would make me feel like I didn't waste my money on multiple occasions by buying bundled software because I didn't have a choice. Just saying.

Oh no, i got what your saying, i just didnt agree.

Current users can say what they like but if NI decide to start giving Traktor away FREE with hardware that can do it. They can do what they like.
They are damned if they do "why does it cost so much when SSL is free" and they are damned if they dont "I paid for my Traktor so i want everyone else to pay for theirs" which kinda sounds like a smacked-ass kid whining to my ears

I dont care if they give it away free and yes I originally paid for my Traktor and Traktor Scratch at full retail price. Doesn't matter to me if people get it free now. Spread the love.

It shocks me to read some of the posts on this forum complaining that NI act like a 'money making company' ...Duh..! Thats what they are. They aren't ripping ANYONE off. They are just making good sh*t and selling it.

Subtle point missed in this thread is that:
You get a free upgrade to 2.5 but without the F1 your gonna struggle to get the most out of the remix decks. Thats pretty much the starting point with the remix decks. The F1 will enable the use of the remix decks like no other controller simply cus it was made for that sole purpose (unlike the X1 that came with an SSL overlay etc). If you buy the F1 you are unlocking the potential of the remix decks and maybe (i concede) paying a little extra for a controller that does all that the remix decks have to offer. You are paying for the development of the remix decks perhaps (these are my thoughts, not an NI hymn sheet) because you are able to use them fully.

Anyone getting just the free upgrade will not get the most out of the remix decks, not even with a Midi Fighter simply cus you wont have the coloured pads. It's subtle but the difference is patently obvious so getting a free upgrade to something that you cannot make the most of is pretty damn considerate of NI in my view.

Can you imagine if NI made this a paid upgrade and you couldnt even get the most from the new features. This is a really important point in the "why is it free" debate.

Also worth remembering that 2.5 has taken quite some development. The remix decks arent a whim. They weren't the brain child of some guy last Xmas. This has been the goal of NI for a long time so if the F1 is priced to reflect that a little, where is the problem. R&D costs and in this case your talking a few $ not 100's of $.

Everyone gets it free, current users get it free but wont have an F1 to take full advantage of the Remix Decks and F1 owners get a free upgrade and can make hay in the sun cus they have the correct hardware. People are gonna really struggle to get the most out of the remix decks without the F1 and with the F1 you pay for the controller plus development just like you do with any product.

I think you cannot see past the fact that you already own TP1 and that is blinkering your view on the F1 and the new version of Traktor that 'you' will get free regardless of the F1.

I also think your paying too much mind to all these so-called unwanted licences.

Big point here : Its cheaper for NI to send out boxes with the bunch of stuff in them.

If you get a free licence you get more Traktors to install. If you dont want them, you sell them and rake back the money. There will always be a market for legit licences even if it is getting less profitable to sell there will always be someone looking for a Traktor licence cus they dont want to pony up for a £150 X1 or a £200 F1 etc.

I may have rambled a bit, as ive just got out of bed.

[ParisCreative]

As a Traktor S2 owner, the biggest shortcoming of the unit (besides the lack of dedicated filter knobs) are the method to get to your sample decks. It's just not natural to shift+ to get to a sample. However I am going to wait a few months to see if the price comes down a little. I made a big mistake buying the S2 early at $599 and now it's going for $399.

I am also very excited for TP2.5. I hope that these "drifting" grids are for real. I try to mix in a lot of 70s and 80s music and it becomes difficult when the song drifts. I've compensated by tweaking the sensitivity on my jogs so I can speed up or slow down with wider more deliberate motions, but this could be a godsend.

Till this time the mix tapes I have made have been all on-the-fly projects, but I am hoping for my next mix to create a more layered and planned out mix. Every day on the train (from NYC to upstate NY) I am meshing up songs to see if they really transition flawlessly.

I do have some questions on how this ultimately works. Are the samples saved as a "job" (for a better lack of a term)? In other words can I cue up pre-assembled sample mappings and then load new pre-assembled mappings at will. I could see where when I have certain songs playing that I might want to pre load a bunch of sampled one-shots, then maybe slowly assemble segments of the next song's beat, then fully bring in the song. But at that point I could use up a whole "page" (e.g. 16) of mapped points. I think this is so since in this screenshot of TP2.5 the C and D decks are named "urban campfires" and "sic transit". Either that or it just represents a "page" from the 4 that are available.



I also wonder if you can map effects. Would be interesting where an effect that I would not normally use could be mapped for that.

The F1 could really bridge the gap on the type of mix tape I am striving for. It's great to freestyle a mix, but to have that very layered feel, to add complex loops, and to really compliment devices like the S2.

[Patch]

Traktor is BASICALLY becoming Ablton Live with Timecode support.

And so it should - that's exactly what I want, and is the reason why I am frantically trying to make some £'s so that I can get TSP2.5 + An audio 10!!! (Not too sure about the F1, though. I'm sure I could use a Lauchpad and a UC-33e to gate 4-decks worth of controls...)

In an ideal world, Ableton would get their act together and give timecode support. EITHER:

a) Have each Session View Track as a "Deck" and allow Timecode control over each Deck/Track; or
b) Allow multiple instances of Live, with Timecode control over the master tempo/transport, and have each INSTANCE as a "deck".

[DJQA]

I am also very excited for TP2.5. I hope that these "drifting" grids are for real. I try to mix in a lot of 70s and 80s music and it becomes difficult when the song drifts. I've compensated by tweaking the sensitivity on my jogs so I can speed up or slow down with wider more deliberate motions, but this could be a godsend.

It will not have flexible beatgrids or warping. The difference they quote in the new features section is that tracks that have drifting tempos will get a single average BPM value based on the entire length of the track, instead of the current method of apparently trying to decide on a figure from readings based on the beginning of the track.

You'll still have to mix old tracks by hand, but that's the fun of it (or, switch to Itch...)

[basspenetrator]

It will not have flexible beatgrids or warping. The difference they quote in the new features section is that tracks that have drifting tempos will get a single average BPM value based on the entire length of the track, instead of the current method of apparently trying to decide on a figure from readings based on the beginning of the track.

You'll still have to mix old tracks by hand, but that's the fun of it (or, switch to Itch...)

as i mentioned before: average BPM is quite shit.. (for me) it does not make much sense, e.g. a 175bpm dnb track with a 140bpm dubstep part would be 157,5 bpm

[photojojo]

as i mentioned before: average BPM is quite shit.. (for me) it does not make much sense, e.g. a 175bpm dnb track with a 140bpm dubstep part would be 157,5 bpm

i'm sure you'll be able to turn off bpm detection like you can now.