Is it possible to use the S8 as a 100% blind person?

[DJPat]

Is it possible to use the S8 as a 100% blind person?

Hello comunity,
Today I read a lot about Traktor and its controllers on the mainpage.
I come closer to realice that Traktor is what I want to use for mixing.
I am 100% blind from birth and use Windows and Jaws for Windows as a screen reader.

I listened to the demos of the s8. The remix funktions are awesome. I could almost produce my own track. Ofcurse since I want to make Handsup or so I would need the right samples but as fare as I understand they can be changed:-)

so now to my questions:
1. Could you imagine to control traktor with the s8 fully blind? Again I can not see the screen from that baby
2. I read about the tatch pad with s8! This concerns me a lot because it makes most of the stuff inaccessible for me so there for the following question is absolutly important: For what is the pad used exactly? Does it control menues or do I need to tatch on speciffic areas to trigger funktions? Tatch pads only work if they have voice over like apple has.
If the pads are only used to have better control of efects or speed up or slow down the music etc. then they are of great use if efects etc. can be aktivated with knops, sliders etc.

3. Does anyone of you know of a pdf manual I can download before I buy?

Hope some of you can help.
Thanks!

[DJPat]

Update:
I got a pdf manual.
I still have my question how the unit is really controlled!
the manual talks on buttons on screen. I think only a person that has the unit can explain more if buttons on a tatch screen need to be pressed or if it is buttons on the unit itself.
Thanks in atwance for your help!

[DJPat]

Hi,
Sorry for my questions can no one help?

[Notanon]

I think you can get away with using the buttons on the side of each screen to flick between different display options, but I do not have a S8 or have used one before, so I can't really comment on that. I must admit, the idea of DJing while 100% blind is not really something I've thought of before, and obviously poses its own set of accessibility-related challenges. I'm mildly red-green colour blind, myself.

If anything, the screens are more like a miniature heads up display, such that people with normal vision don't need to keep looking at the laptop during a set. So, in my opinion, you should be alright to use it if you can navigate your way around a S4 or X1 Mk2 without any sort of visual cues to help you.

[DJPat]

Thanks Notanon for your answer.
What I really would like to know what it tatch based and what is not. I listened to the demo videos of the unit on the website. But I can not see them.
My biggest fear is that I will have to use a tatch screen interface with Menues. Such thing would only work with a voice reader.
So a sighted person that has watched the s8 videos should be able to give me more insights.

If there is really a tatch screen an idear came to my mind that it would be possible to create n overlay (thing) that I put on the tatch screen that gives me faders and knops. I have a navigation system here with a tatch screen where this technick is used. but such a thing to create would may be kost a lot of money because there goes a lot into making it.

[Notanon]

From what I can ascertain, there are touch sensitive encoders on both the left and right hand sides of the controller in the deck control sections as well as touch strips. There will be one encoder on one side of the screen on each side (left of the left-hand screen, right of the right-hand screen), with four encoders below each screen, and then another encoder on each side nearest to the edge of the controller a little bit below those four encoders, and then finally a horizontal touch strip below those on each side.

Hopefully that will help you a bit better. Bit surprised no one else has chimed in, particularly any owners of a S8.

[DJPat]

thanks a lot! for me it seems that there is a lot with tatch going on here.
I do not know what you mean with enkoders but I leave it as is for now. I will take feel here in the shop. it is not easy to go there. I hope I can make it soon.
Can you if possible describe the tatch pads a bit better? With that I mean if there will be things on different positions like menues I will have to tatch to do things.
I know this stuff is hard for me to explain and hard for you to understand me.

[Kennymester]

Honestly I don't think the S8 would quite work for someone who is blind. I feel like a lot of the functions wouldn't be able to be used in an easy fashion. I think If you'd like to start DJing I'd go for a vinyl setup. That would be a lot more tactile and wouldn't require reading a built in screen or remember if a button is switched to another function. You could also progress to a DVS system and use time control vinyl to spin your own music.

[DJPat]

Honestly I don't think the S8 would quite work for someone who is blind. I feel like a lot of the functions wouldn't be able to be used in an easy fashion. I think If you'd like to start DJing I'd go for a vinyl setup. That would be a lot more tactile and wouldn't require reading a built in screen or remember if a button is switched to another function. You could also progress to a DVS system and use time control vinyl to spin your own music.

thanks Kennymester! Venyl is not so much my thing. It is easy to mess venyl up:-) I like the CDN-95 I have here a lot. But it can not load and save cue-points, loops etc.
what I am really looking for is a fine-tuning for my Deejaying that makes things easier.

I will go to the DJ shop here in a week and take a "look" at the hardware.
I beginn to agree with you that the s8 may not be for me. The s4 looks much more taktile. I will see what can be done to may be get the s8 funktions with 1 or 2 s4 and may be additional hardware that can be mapped.

I do not have so much sighted help here. Mapping will be a real challenge for me. thats where I deffenitly will need help with. But today with remote access and all that stuff I am sure I find someone who is willing to do the settings and and helps to map the hardware.

I love the beadgritting by ear tutorial that is posted on the main page. I could do that for all of my tracks and save it. would be a real time saver.

I just need someone who knows this stuff inside out from a software perspektive to help me to be able to use what I will need most.

Since I use cd mp3s and I am used to prepare my musick in playlists it is great. Only thing left would be to find a way to search so I can play song requests.
By the way can .m3u playlists created with winamp or so be loaded and analyced and this information be saved into the traktor collektion (I mean Key, bpm, cue-points) etc. that I set in traktor once I load the playlist from the .m3u file again.
To be onest I prepare most of my playlists still in Winamp.

[padi_04]

I'd go with a Kontrol S4 plus one or two Kontrol F1 if you are interested in Remix and Stem deck controls. The S8's main focus is the display and that ramps up the cost quite a bit. The setup I suggested will give you even better control over Traktor and you'd still be saving $100. While it lacks touch strips you'll have a physical pitch fader and the jogs are quite more comfortable for manual beat matching if you fancy doing it. If you want to keep it simple start with a Kontrol S2 and then add a set of F1 for better stem and remix/stem controls.