The NI Traktor X1 MK2 Thread

[immon]

I'm itching for more info on this controller, perhaps everyone is enjoying it too much to comment?

[Mojaxx]

I got hold of one this weekend and did a walkthrough/demo video, I'm sure it's not 100% comprehensive but I covered as much as I could:

[Mojaxx]

Not sure why the thumbnail on here is of the section where I compare against the original X1... I assure you, the video is about the mk2... I'm not a total wally!

[donstone]

just picked one up on Friday but haven't had a chance to use it yet. Should have time to install and mess around with it tonight.

[031999]

from what i remember flux mode does not work with timecode....has this changed??

[mdcdesign]

from what i remember flux mode does not work with timecode....has this changed??

Pretty sure it does; Shiftee uses it like crazy in the Z2 demo video with timecode.

[botstein]

from what i remember flux mode does not work with timecode....has this changed??

Of course flux mode works with timecode!

Check from 0:53

[frequencym]

I picked one up at guitar center and used it in a set this weekend alongside my old X1 which I set to decks 3/4. Here's a quick review. I use vinyl timecode so the primary use of the X1 is for effects & cut points.

* Fx section is exactly the same as old X1, except you can spin the knobs to pick effects which is nice. Need to build a habit out of it to use it during a set though.
* I thought the touch to show browse mode would be a great feature, in practice not so much. There is a half second or so delay between touching the knob and the on-screen change, I found it faster to press the encoder (you can press to show/hide browse mode as well). Touch for browse can be disabled in settings so no big deal.
* On the flip side the encoder + 2 buttons is far more functional for track browsing than the two encoders of the old X1. I was using maps for my DN-X1600 for track loading but the X1 is just as good.
* I thought that only 4 cue buttons might be a problem but mapping flux to switch actually works pretty well. You can still use flux by mapping that to shift + flux button (or flip them if you want flux more often than cues). The color coding of the buttons is FANTASTIC, makes it much less confusing (for me anyway) to figure out which cue is which when you're in a hurry. But they did drop the ball here, IMO hotcue shift should have been a dedicated button.
* The display of loop size is also great, although I have a lot of loops that are > 32 beats and for those it shows '32'. I wish it would show something else. But again, having a visual indicator of when you are in or not in a loop is great. You can use shift + push loop encoder to activate loop mode w/o setting a loop size which is great if you want to let your track "play into" a loop (effectively using a loop as a locked groove).
* Didn't use the transport controls at all other than the occasional sync to do a huge BPM change. But I imagine the oversized buttons will be nice for those that use them.
* Didn't use the touch strip at all, not really useful as is with timecode. At some point I want to mess with mapping this to effect manipulation which would be a lot more useful for me.

EDIT: Tried flux with vinyl timecode and it "works". I put works in quotes because flux mode appears broken in 2.6.3 (just not any more broken with timecode). I was able to break it pretty easily by jumping to a cue for 1 beat over and over. Do this a few times and the track display goes all fuzzy (like it does for parts of tracks it hasn't loaded) and it doesn't jump back (i.e. acts like flux mode is off). I also had a few jumps occur off beat with some crackle. This happened in multiple tracks with or without timecode and with or without using the X1. Also tried both tempo and beat sync and that didn't help either. Use flux at your own risk.

EDIT2: Did a bit more flux mode testing and the above problems only happen with FLAC files. Mp3's work fine.

[weddingpartydjs]

[QUOTE=Mojaxx;641326]I got hold of one this weekend and did a walkthrough/demo video, I'm sure it's not 100% comprehensive but I covered as much as I could:

Great video man!

Do you know if you can pitch shift with it (without re-mapping it).

[jdownesbaird]

Any owners of the new X1 know if it's possible to get access to the deck control selection option WITHOUT unplugging/replugging the unit? It's nowhere in the manual, so it seems like you get one choice when you plug the thing in and that's it. I'll often switch my decks up mid set if I switch from real vinyl to control vinyl.