Some years out of the game. What equipment to get now for techno and house mixes?

[nowtz]

I was some years out of the game. I used tracktor back in the days. I saw the native instruments offer of the S3 and wanted to get back but only for home use now.

I play techno and house, but I'm a classic guy. I'm not into creating big FX drops or remixing everything on the fly. What I like is to add pads or some beats to a track. Simple stuff. So a 4 channel mixer is great. But FX are not so important. LF/HP filters for mixing are great and maybe a simple delay and reverb, but that's it.

I like also to beat match manually sometimes. So a hiRes pitch fader is important.

It seems like native instruments has some problems at the moment, what I read in blogs. Is Tracktor still worth to get? Or are there better alternatives now?

What do you think about the S3, are there better alternatives? Back in the days I did my controller mapping all myself and was jealous of the Tracktor controllers with hiHres fader and all worked out of the box.

Or does everyone use CDJs again with USB sticks? I saw this often in the last time.

[SirReal]

Look at the Denon SC5000 or SC6000 media player. One deck has two layers and performance pads for looping, rolls and triggering. As for mixers, it's all about personal preference. Denon also make an all in one called the Prime 4.

[nowtz]

Yeah, they look nice but are a bit out of the price range. I'm thinking about Traktor and the S3 because they are on sale at the moment. But I have no idea if Traktor is still something that is used or can be recommended or if there are better things out now.

What worries me a bit is what you read about Native Instruments that they have problems and drop products. But I'm not into the scene anymore so I can't say what's going on with them.

[MaxOne]

Go Pioneer and Rekordbox now imo. Way better than Traktor.

[rewindselectah]

For home usage and restricted budget, I'd recommend one of these controllers like Pioneer DDJ-1000/DDJ-800/DDJ-SZ2 and the Rekordbox.

[nowtz]

Could you share a few words why Recordbox is better?

The controllers mentioned all look nice, but are in a 1200€+ range. The s3 is just 400€ at the moment, that's why it looked like a good deal. Thanks for the ideas, though.

[MaxOne]

Theres a pioneer controller for every budget

https://www.gear4music.com/dj-equipm...dj-controllers

Basically Pioneer is the largest company and most active in updating their software. Don't think Traktor even works with latest Mac iOS. I would just go with pioneer personally. it's a case of can't beat them, join them imo

[the_bastet]

If you are getting a controller, get the Pioneer DDJ-1000. If you have the budget for players, get a pair of Denon SC6000's and a DJM 750 MK2 or Xone PX5.

[Stewe]

Traktor all the way

All you can do with DJM+CDJ(XDJ) you can do with a basic midi controller such as K2 (which also has built in audio interface). Unless you really want something bigger more pricey and shiny simple controller such as K2 and Traktor is all you need really.

Encoders can be mapped for 0.01 BPM adjustments. See here: https://maps.djtechtools.com/mappings/9681