My Outlandish ,speculations on what Traktor Hardware Native Instruments will put out.
I had a few thoughts that had been floating around in my brain finally coalesce while I was participating in a couple of posts regarding base model Pioneer CDjs, XDJ-Aero, and speculation on the yet to be releases XDJ-R1 and “Remotebox”.
The thoughts are centered around what will NI do next with Traktor. They introduced the Z2..ok, that was interesting. Then Traktor DJ for iPad…much in demand and expected given the competition. Pioneer put out the XDJ-Aero which is an all in one media player that can play tunes remotely over wifi using rekordbox or off a USB stick. Along with the CDJ2000 nexus with rekordbox and wifi support. What I am seeing is a trend to embrace the digital workflow rather than the “analog” workflow: e.g., vinyl and CDjs.
In that light, I would love to see a few things come from Native Instruments:
a modular Kontrol (e.g., Kontrol R2) that is a dedicated FX processor like the RMX1000. It would not simply be a MIDI controller, it would have built-in emulation of Traktor’s FX, and Macro FX, and hopefully some isolator and release FX like in the RMX. It could control the FX units in Traktor using it as a midi divide, or standalone paired with a mixer with RCA & 1/4" jacks to process the audio signal. The key is that this could either be a pure FX processor like the RMX1000 by emulating traktors FX (like the Z2 emulates the EQs and filters) or it could be an FX controller (over HID/MIDI) for traktor’s FX and enable access/full control over new Traktor FX unit features (e.g., Isoloator FX, release FX, etc.) as the F1 did with Remix Decks.
I could see NI looking into creating a media player (e.g., Kontrol P1) that runs the internal traktor algorithms emulated in hardware and play digital media files off a USB and do something like “dropbox sync” over wifi, or just export the library to the USB to keep cues, loops etc up to date. It would support hot cues, loops, waveform display etc. and be linkable to other such controllers to enable SYNC, library sharing off a single USB etc.
I seriously doubt Native Instruments will be creating the proprietary and expensive computer hardware necessary to run these devices, rather they will continue to leverage the computer technology that people who use their products already own: personal computers and iPads.
I thought the same thing about the mixer, and they released a Z2…to me, once they do that, everything is on the table.
I can see something that integrates with either or both…plug your iPad into the mixer via USB and everything going on on the player will be displayed in Traktor DJ on the iPad…anything you do (e.g., X-Y FX pad for FX) gets reflected on the player…
Really? This is probably the farthest from a safe prediction that you could guess… I can say with near 100% certainty that neither of these things will happen in the foreseeable future.
In my (completely blind) view, well if I was them, I would bring out a 1 of 3 things.
Single deck media player - Reloop Contour kinda thing - jog wheel on an X1. People love Modular, and anything they can sell which will complement their other hardware, and also tie you in to the software.
Z4. Just the natural progression, where they will address issues with the Z2.
Now that the S4 is looking old and tired compared to the new DDJ-SX and NS7-II, they might look to revamp it. Not that the S4 really needs it, as apart from booth out, it still has everything required, but people see it less and less now as ‘top of the range’. NI might bring out a new flagship controller with the same pads used on the machine, and metal construction (DDJ-SX with NI logo).
But these are all complete stabs in the dark, and I am close to getting a Z2, but intrigued what they will release next. Anyone know the time of year that NI tend to release?
Everything NI release is software dependant which is what they’re best at. They have little incentive to make Traktor redundant, and their hardware isn’t anywhere close to competing with existing standalone gear.
This is exactly right. Traktor is the heart of what NI do regarding the DJ division
This I would disagree with, with the exception of mixers (the Z2 is no game changer).
Maschine is the THE beat machine these days and the S4 is amazing at the price it comes in at (with Traktor Pro) and has sold bucket loads. And, lets not forget that the X1 was an amazing controller (still is) which is has been a complete and utter competition killer.
The Z2 is said to be their best device so far build-quality wise, and even that doesn’t match up to a decent hardware mixer. I’ve had MIDI issues with my Maschine and have been told by Support that it’s a design flaw and there’s nothing they can do.
And the S4 is in real need of an update, unless they plan on continuing to lower the price. Jogs are horrible and can easily shut down a whole deck when they malfunction. The small round buttons are awful and often don’t work properly. There’s a new post almost every day complaining about the faders. And for some reason, they can’t manage to have a reliable headphone socket which they’ve managed to implement just fine on the low-end Audio 2.
But you were talking about competing with “the competition”, not build quality etc. I don’t think the Z2 has competed with the competition as well as many other NI products. People are still buying Pioneer over the Z2, therefore it has not competed that well, imo.
The S4 may indeed be due an update but you cannot deny it’s popularity. It basically made all other all-in-ones redundant over night from a sales perspective, which is what I thought we were discussing?
I do really like NI products but there are signs of cheaper hardware compared to the competition. For example the body of the Z2 is nice but the knobs are all plastic, and the glossy faceplate was a terrible idea (not to mention the paint wears off almost immediately). I wouldn’t mind paying just a little more to have a quality bump for NI products. Even if you look at the Pioneer DJM T1, it has really solid construction compared to the Z2 and it’s the same price.
NI’s business plan right now is to entice newbie kids to get into stupid flashy techniques with their videos, and then sell them cheap entry-level gear by giving it exclusive features. This business plan is working very well right now because of how insanely glamorous DJing is right now, and how many people want to start. The only exception to this has been the X1, which is genuinely useful to experienced DJs, playing in a capacity that matters. Notice though, this was their first controller, when they were still trying to market themselves as pro-level…
They’re definitely going to do a new all-in-one soon, and maybe there’s a chance they’ll release a standalone deck controller at the same time, and really market it as both a third deck for their all-in-one, and a controller solution to go with the Z2.
The big issue with NI, if you’re a pro-level DJ, is that they are marketing exclusively to newbie DJs, so we know we will never get any new features that aren’t flashy enough to make NI money in the short-term. Pretty much unless it’s going to sell their cheap marked-up gear by offering exclusive features, it’s not going to happen. Things like an FX send/return or better visual feedback are highly unlikely, because they won’t sell any more cheap plastic controllers.
They sort of gave up on pro-level when they partnered with Pioneer. Because every gig ever has a DJM-900 and CDJ2000s, and we can just plug three USBs in and go, we’re not going to have use for their hardware very often. All they could really release that would be helpful to professionals would be modular controllers like the F1. I’m not sure which side the fucking douchebag was that locked down the controls on the CDJ2000 so you can’t map most of the controls, but he was a genius. This both makes I so you can’t spin more than one deck on a single CDJ, and it makes it so you can’t map important features in Traktor, so you still need supplemental modular controllers. NI could successfully release some awesome new X1 to meet this need they’ve artificially created, and I have to admit I’d buy it.
They didn’t pair up with Pioneer, that was industry bollocks cus people were pissed that they didn’t certify the DB4.
AFAIK the relationship between Pio and NI is less than cosy.
As for the “newbie” thing. Traktor is hardly newbies territory. There are loads of features coming to Traktor but regardless there have been many in recent years. Its a simple case that the faster NI release stuff the slower people accuse them of being.
They will NEVER please some people. I never hear this kind of stuff levelled at Serato and their development is like a tortoise in comparison.
They make good shit at a decent price and all you can do is rail on them for making it more accesible to kids. Makes no sense to me at all.
The videos mean jack shit. The equipment is good, that has little to do with how they promote. Why any intelligent adult would get hot under the collar about their videos (which are mainly aimed at the US market) is beyond me. Big deal.
If you dont like the promos, dont watch them. They are company and they need money to develop their product range, which, and this is often lost on this forum, the DJ division is only one and not even the largest or the most profitable.
How anyone can say they are not “pro-level” is beyond me when many Pro’s use their kit. I think its pretty amazing that a kid can be using the same gear that their hero uses.