I’m after a bit of advice. After a 12 year break I’ve decided that I’m going to get back into DJing, things have changed a lot since I last picked up a pair of headphones (and a bag full of vinyl). I’ve decided that Traktor will be my weapon of choice over Serato, if it’s good enough for Carl Cox it’s definitely going to be more than enough for me. Plus from what I can gather Serato seems to be more aimed at the Hip Hop DJ end of the market, I may be wrong though.
Anyway. I’ve narrowed my choice of controller down to an S2 MkII or a Z1 with an X1 MkII. If later on I want to use a third / fourth deck for samples and loops I take it I can just add an F1 to either of these set ups? The X1 doesn’t have faders so I’m guessing it would be pretty difficult to mix stuff in from a third / fourth deck on a 2 channel mixer? You can see I’m new to all of this.
Apart from the obvious lack of jog wheels is there much difference between these two set ups in terms of being able to get the most out of the Traktor software? Portability is not an issue, I doubt that these will leave the house more than once or twice a year to the odd house party with friends, my days of lugging equipment to clubs and bars are long gone. I just want something I can plug into my laptop and mix away, I don’t want to spend time remapping stuff.
s4 or s8 would be a good all in one i guess, or you could go with a real mixer and an x1 and f1… if u have money to spend id go the modular route. get a real nice 4 channel mixer and some usb deck controls. unless u like to scratch. then id say 1200s, nice mixer and some dicers would be a nice rig..
as everyone knows here im a big fan of the akai apc40 mapped to traktor, which is very affordable but you need a soundcard.
From a hardcore Traktor user, I would recommend buy a second hand S4. You can get the Mk 1’s pretty cheap now and that will do everything you could want to do with Traktor right off the bat. Then add a couple of F1s when you’re ready for it and your golden.
The S8 might be to much.
X1, F1, Z1 might be irritating and cost a lot of USB plugs.
I recommend an all in one controller.
I would advice you the S4.
It´s like the classic setup you were used to, but you can use the Sample Decks aswell. It has Jogs, a sound interface, it has a free copy of Traktor inside and works out of the box. AND you can map it (remember: the beauty of the software) in MidiMode! (Which means you could map the faders to the focused sample deck!)
You can add endless midi controller later on, as long as you don´t run out of USB ports.
If deadset on traktor why not an s2 and f1 then have the option of remix decks so can experience that… I have often thought about picking up a used s2 and f1 and usuing it but I simply don’t have room for that and my serato setup although I still watch for a hot deal or two on eBay…
Or could just get a f1 and X1 likely be effective X1 for controls but meh I’ve not used traktor now for a bit should fire it up sometime and see what’s changed…
Here are my 2 cents X1 MK2/F1/Z1 or Z2 depending on your budget. With the combination mentioned theres nothing in TP2 you wont be able to do. If you want to go the DVS route sometime in the future get the Z2 and get rid of the Z1 and get some turntables.
There’s mappings to control 2-4 decks, but I haven’t tried any of them.
I think there’s a mapping for the X1 MK2 that enables 4 deck control too.
The X1, Z1, F1 combination will work well, but you really want to get that 4 channel map for the Z1.
They are a lot easier to carry around and have a small footprint.
One disadvantage is that the Z1 only comes with Traktor LE, and you definitely want Pro. NI has run specials where you get Traktor Pro for free with the purchase of these controllers. If you don’t wait for that deal though, you’re going to be paying $450 for the two units and a copy of Pro (using one of the $50 vouchers you get with hardware purchase.)
The S2 is $400 right now and it comes with Traktor Pro.
Start with the Z1 + x1mk2 feel your way with traktor with that… loads you can do with 2 decks in traktor anyway (hot cues, fx, flux mode etc). I’ve been djing 20 years and still only really mix with 2 decks.
My set up of choice (for traktor) is an external mixer with an X1mk2 but after that i’d take my Z1 + X1mk2. I’m on holiday in Costa Rica at mo and it’s great how portable but powerful it is
Most of this gear has decent resale value so anything you outgrow you can always sell on
S2 or S4 also cool though, jogs maybe more straight forward for ya
Hi, thanks for all of the advice. An S4 or S8 would be nice but my budget won’t stretch that far, and with the frequency that I’d actually use the gear it just doesn’t make sense to spend that much money on it. I’ve done a bit more research and an Allen & Heath Xone K2 with 1 (maybe 2 later on) Traktor X1 mk2s would be perfect
Yeah I know I ran 4 deck control with my X1 with one mapping I did actually I had it pretty much 100% re mapped to run.
I long got rid of my X1 and don’t really use traktor these days. Sometimes I tell me self I should at least use it once in a while…
It all depends on the music you play. Traktor lets you combine the equipment that is need for your specific sound. just think about how you want to play and add the equipment you need and map it to traktor.
But isn’t the S2 unreliable? I’ve read so many comments regarding users having problems with it.
I want to get one - it seems to have everything I need - but I also want something that won’t give me trouble.
the beauty of the software) in MidiMode! (Which means you could map the faders to the focused sample deck!)
