NI S4 Already obsolete?
So, NAMM is currently going on. I caught a preview of the up coming Pioneer DDJ series, basically looks like a pioneer version of the s4…
Are there any other controller/sound card/mixers/effects units coming to the market soon I should be mentioning?
The only thing that I can see as an advantage for the s4 over the pioneer gear is price…
Did I waste me money?
no. you didnt. youre fine.
actually, yes you did, let me take your s4 off youre hands. 
Pioneer, NI, Denon, American Audio, Numark all of them now make a 4 deck controller, all of them have released or will release it few months ago… or in next months, customer have loads of choice… but NO S4 is far to be obsolete, 'till now “I” think the ONLY serious competitor to the S4 is Denon… but still it doesn’t come with the full version of the software BUT you can use it as regular analogue Mixer… there’s a load of good and cons. For me S4 beat them all… that’s me… it suit “MY” personnal needs. Add timecode feature in, I’ll be all set In case I want to use it, for now TSP does the job. Both software share the same collection, no problem on the same computer. Delight.
what will the timecode feature add? I haven’t quite grasped that yet… I used to use Serato with the timecode vinyl…
What will you use timecodes for with traktor? the only way i could think of is using the s4 in the place of SL1-4 boxes from serato, ie plugging the turntables outputs into the s4 where they would control a deck…is that the deal? cool!
Yup, that’s it!
the only thing better in the pioneers is the size of the jogs, leave that aside and the outdated ones are the japanese.
oh, they are bundled with old software as well
and the really nice pioneer pitch faders. I’d still have the S4 though.
It seems to me that these new pioneer controllers were being designed way before the developers saw the new S4 functions so IMO THEY are obsolete from day 1(except for the nice search controls), not that they are bad but they don’t have dedicated buttons for say loop recorder, sampler decks and other functions . Nothing a nice mapping can’t fix but its nicer to have more buttons at hand without having to mess around to much. From quality perspective, wow these pioneers look amazing I’m a little jealous in that area, yes. The ability to slide the laptop under is pretty tight, considering I never touch my keyboard. Great for space saving. If these puppies upgrade soon to meet all s4 functions out of the box(which probably won’t happen soon knowing pioneer) I will totally sell my s4! Another thing that ticked me was no midi in/out(so no syncing to other computers out of the box either ). 
boo, nice try though!
Bottom line: If you’re not into all the cool new s4 features and just want to keep it regular traktor mixing I would recommend looking at these, otherwise I would wait until they update them with more buttons. If I had the money I would keep both! XD
What is it with everyone calling everything obsolete? None of these controllers are anything like obsolete. The 3.5" floppy disk, that is obsolete. The cassette walkman, that is obsolete. Chris de Burgh, almost the definition of obsolescence.
A brand new Pioneer controller that’s not yet released and has some nice features, or an all in one system that ships with a piece of highly saught after software that’s as yet unavailable any other way? Very much not obsolete!
chill! let me rephrase, its not up to date. 
there.
Ok, it’s up to date in many ways but it would be behind others by not offering these features so they should suck it up and work on it. Don’t get me wrong they are still awesome, I wish they would have done these loooong ago.
lol I’m calm. If I’m honest I was just looking for a way to mention Chris de Burgh on the forum.
Damn…thats the first i have heard of a Chris DeBurgh fetish…
The thing that is selling the S4 now…is the software. There are a few options you can go for…budget wise. But at the end of the day…I want the software.
If you can;t wait…S4 it is.
NI also have a good build reputation with its gear. Another reason it is selling.
And lastly…have you seen any video’s of artists using the VMS…Denon…etc to the caliber NI have?
Nope…so that’s why it is TOP at the moment.
Why would any of these units be considered obsolete? We are using these units to mix music here, not splitting atoms and curing cancer. It depends soley on what the consumer/DJ is intending to use these features for. All the extra bells and whistles on the S4 are for a totally different type of music creativity that seems to be popular here at dj tech. With that said, their is still a major major market for DJ’s who just want to mix good music and make people dance, without spending more time mapping and worrying about the “next best thing”. From my experience and from 99 percent of clubs and parties i dj at, 2 turntables and a mixer, with a couple cdj’s is still the norm. Just my two cents
All the new toys are great for everyones respective taste.
You see…i look at it like this…
I am not only going to do the minimum to keep the crowd happy.
I want to perform…I wanna do my thing and ZONE OUT…
This is why I would take as much to the party as I can!
fix’d 
lol
I am know to be the most sober at parties…bar weed!
Well said bruh, my point exactly, different strokes for different folks. I dont want to do the minimum either, i surely want to stand out amongst my peers, and quality mixing and good fresh tuna definitely allows me to do so. Its all about flava and styles and what your into. All these controllers are great, and i support 100% the forward progress of where contollerism is going. Im glad to see tight integration with the hardware and software so people will spend more time honing their mixing and performance skills rather than tweaking, mapping,etc…
Anyways, nothing is obsolete or outdated, just use what you like and what you feel gets the performance across the best way you know how and sounds best.
The S4 looks like the best of the current batch of Traktor-oriented 4-deck controllers.
The Denon offering has some advantages, but for me the lack of HDMIDI is more important than the analog mixer (and the additional S4/Traktor features are pretty cool). I also really like the feedback between the S4 and Traktor.
The new Pioneer controller looks only OK by comparison. The needle strip is very nice, and the layout is a bit more open and spacious, but the actual set of controls is smaller and the integration won’t be as tight. Also, Pioneer build quality is in my experience rather worse than Native Instruments.
If the Pioneer job was the same price I’d argue that they’re equivalent with different pros/coms.
The S4 and the DDJ-T1 are going to be very competitive.
Pioneer is really going to be carrying it’s product because of the name, and because it’s very similar to their CDJ’s in layout. So people who are transitioning, or want to have a similar feel to what CDJ’s would be like in the club, will find this a bonus.
The S4 does come with the improved software off the bat, and it’s yet to be determined fully what the T1 will ship with fully. The build quality is honestly going to be something of personal preference, and having the TRS outs on the T1 is a nice thing for mobile DJ’s to have.
Either way you look at it, these are both going to be quality products. I personally believe that the S4 is more of a “controllerist” controller, where the T1 is more of a “traditional” controller. If that makes sense. What it’s going to come down to is how each individual DJ feels that the equipment will work with his/her workflow.
… And the S1? Well it’s got some serious competition with the NS6. But as both are mainly designed with ITCH in mind, it’s not really in the same category.