S4 Channel level LEDs

[Tarekith]

Hey guys, I had an S4 for a few months when it first came out, but unfortunately at that time there were still too many issues with it that I couldn't be swayed to ditch external mixing with my Xone, so I sold it.

Recently I picked up a Traktor Audio 6 for playing out, and it came with a free upgrade of Traktor Pro 2. It looks like a lot of the issues I had with the S4 software have been addressed, but I'm still wondering about one issue. When I had the S4, the level meters on the hardware were next to useless, they rarely showed an accurate representation of the audio on that channel. At least in terms of allowing you to match the volumes of tracks across different channels.

I'm just wondering if this is any better now with the newer Pro 2 software, or if it's still the same? I've been usig Maschine to control T Pro2 lately, but I've been contemplating getting an S4 again. Thanks for any help!

[padi_04]

Metering has been improved but it's still not perfect with the default map. However, you could remap how the leds respond and give you a more precise response for gain leveling or even add a new layer triggered by a modifier to narrow the range even further (say the top half of the internal mixer VU meters or the last 10db before clipping).

I would say try mapping this to 7 buttons of the row sitting next to Maschine's pads (last one being clip) before buying another S4.

The point is, if you have the patience for it, you could emulate your Xone's response in a relatively decent way, considering the s4 has only 7 leds for this purpose.

[Tarekith]

I'm pretty familiar with Traktor mapping lately, but I don't recall seeing a way to map the LEDs. Can you give me a brief pointer on where to look for this, I'll dig into the details myself then. Thanks!

[Razehell]

Honestly, the meter just sucks on the hardware.
I just use the onscreen meters when I need to have that info. Though some rather have the screen real estate.

Besides having an external mixer, onscreen is your best bet imo.

[Tarekith]

Bummer that this is still an issue. Thanks guys.

[padi_04]

Think it was Add Out > Output > Monitor Deck PFL Left/Right (Change focus for each deck accordingly), I don't Traktor with me atm, but I will confirm this later.

Divide the Controller Range (first box, not the velocity) between the leds and make your Blend is active, otherwise you will just get a moving dot.

Example

Led 7: 0.99-1.0
Led 6: 0.9-0.99
Led 5: 0.8-0.9
Led 4: 0.6-0.8
Led 3: 0.4-0.6
Led 2: 0.2-0.4
Led 1: 0.0-0.2

With a higher resolution version when you use a modifier (ie: while pressing shift)

Led 7: 0.99-1.0
Led 6: 0.95-0.99
Led 5: 0.875-0.95
Led 4: 0.8-0.875
Led 3: 0.7-0.8
Led 2: 0.5-0.7
Led 1: 0.0-0.5

Tweak these values to your taste.

[Tarekith]

Ah, ok that makes sense. Thanks.