How many noobs don’t attempt to scratch when they realise mixing music well is harder to grasp than basic scratching? But the pitch faders should be the deal maker or breaker for anyone wanting to learn to beatmatch, which should be everyone as you cant use CDJ’s without beatmatching…
Bullshit! 
I HAVE an S4 that breaks all the goddamn time. The S2/S4 have terrible build quality, I’m not getting into this argument again. It’s already been made clear in several threads that the newbies on this forum don’t recognize this, and the people who know what they’re doing do recognize this.
The mixtrack is even worse build quality. It feels like a toy when you use it, and it breaks all the time.
The IDJ3 has the same parts s the mixtrack. Consider that YOUR idj3 still working is anecdotal evidence, and the percentage of broken ones in a large sampling of people is statistical evidence. Plus that doesn’t even adress the fact that it’s no fun to play with something that feels like a toy.
And you say your S4 breaks all the time. Show me statistics that support that everyone’s S4 breaks easily as well.
I’ve had my S2 and it’s never broken. My Mixtrack Pro broke, but only after a good 15 months of battering.
Build quality should always be taken into account but, unless you’re Moby and throwing CDJ2000s off the stage, it’s not easy to completely wipe out a piece of equipment unless you’re trying to.
While I don’t want to dive into a budding flame war, I’m gonna disagree on that point.
I’ve absolutely trashed gear that couldn’t stand up to the abuse of performing and moving about unintentionally, even in mundane ways. I’ve broken gear in transit, I’ve broken gear on stage… I have to say that while I want to be all sunshine and kittens about the S4, it just doesn’t really feel like it holds up. It’s already starting to show wear in a serious way, my sound card’s getting noisy and the buttons are kinda getting gummy and loose (and sometimes not registering) from ~1 year on the road. Even from the day I got it, the faders have felt a little bit on the cheap side, the knobs were a little wobbly, and the platters don’t inspire much confidence at all. You compare the feel and solidity of the S4 to a CDJ or pioneer/rane/A&H mixer and you’ll see they’re in a whole different world build quality wise.
While I don’t want to point fingers or discredit your experience, it’s fine and good that you managed to take fantastic care of your Mixtrack that well over the time you had it but I think that if the majority of working DJs toured on one they’d need to carry a stack of spares. Cock-ups and spilled drinks and dropped kit have been pretty much the norm in my experience and that thing is not built to withstand abuse.
I love the S4 but I’m finding even in a flight case it’s just not standing up to the abuse it should on the road. My point overall is that it’s actually ridiculously easily to unintentionally trash things, particularly after you’ve just driven who knows many hours, had a few, played a gig and are packing up again
-1 on the build quality of the S4, one gig a week i’ve got to take my S4 because the kit there is terrible, its been sent back to NI twice, one for a broken line fader the other because the soundcard went wonky, and i’ve only had it 8 months, im careful with gear but when im playing, it does get abused, faders get slammed, the jogs get slapped about the place and the xf gets scratched with. Wear and tear on gear. I havent seen the Reloop TM before but i know its DJ angelo’s (the turntablist) controller of choice because of the build quality.
I have not taken the S4 to many gigs, I think 10 so far, no problems. Then again I tend to take care of equipment when I go to gigs. Like using decent bags and so forth.
I agree that clubs are a rough environment for equipment, but I disagree that it’s that easy to break. This is based on my personal experience and that of the people I play with in London so perhaps we’re just a little luckier.
Wear and tear is to be expected, things like spills are easily avoided. I guess it depends on how much hell one puts their equipment through during use. God knows I’m going to need a new Launchpad soon.
I feel your just upset that someone can dj better then you with a $200 Controller.