Novation Twitch VS. Kontrol S2

DJ Gear & Hardware Hardware: Controllers, Mods and Gear
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Novation Twitch VS. Kontrol S2

Hi Everyone!

Im new on this forum and with DJing and right now im looking for starter/beginner gear.

I know I want the Twitch OR kontrol s2… but I really can’t choose. Which one has the best long-term and expansion possibilities etc… tough decission!

So what do you think?

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There are plenty of discussions here praising the S2 so here is some opinion I wrote earlier on the Twitch/Itch:

I rate it very highly because it is surely one of the most portable controllers out there. There are some things to bare in mind:

  1. What software do you prefer? It is designed for Itch, that being said there are now really good maps for the Twitch in Traktor (Bread/Viper).
  2. sound card output is low - either gain it up on a mixer, get some sort of preamp or a couple of those line to phono converters plugs
  3. knobs are tight and smooth - replace the knobs with some better ones
  4. do you ultimately want to use traktor? if so you will need to buy it somehow
  5. Do you care about jog wheels? If so then it ain’t for you.

It’s got my vote!

3

I have a Twitch and love it and as pointed out above there are good traktor maps available on here now as I use it with TP2 as I really don’t like Itch. The new mappings on here open up TP2 and are very good for djing and controllerism. The major annoyances with the Twitch is the low output volume and also the stiffness of the knobs/pots but overall it is a good bit of kit.

I have to be honest though, when I got my Twitch it was about month before NI did a price drop on the S2 and if the price drop had happened before I got my Twitch I would have probably gone for the S2 as I wanted something with native traktor integration.

4

traktor integration is godawful for mapping. Don’t even consider a S2 unless you’re going to use the stock mapping. if you are, it’s not so bad, but twiitch probably has better build quality. Because of the jogwheels, it pretty much comes down to a question of if you want to mix in a traditional or non-traditional way.

The twitch is better in every way except from traditional 2 deck mixing.

This: http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/CMD-STUDIO-4A.aspx
is about to come out and blow the s2 out of the water for traditional mixing. Plus it’s about HALF the price.

5

Wow that looks great!!

I am going for the Twitch just because its different and when the new Behringer is stated above comes out I will take a look at that. The twitch is different enough to keep it relevant and interesting!

Thanks for the great advice

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Get the twitch it is a versatile unit that can control ableton as well

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Sort of about to come out…the closest thing that I have heard on a release date is October…which is at least 3 months away. For me, that is an eternity!!! I am looking forward to the CMD PL-1 and the CMD MM-1…but I dying waiting for them! :wink:

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re twtich vs. kontrol s2

The key difference between these two is the audio card IMHO. The Twitch has a “consumer” sound card and the s2 has a “pro-sumer” card. I’ve spent time with both, and in fact have both of them nearby at the moment, and it’s a shame Novation used a sub-par sound-card on the Twitch. I like some of their other innovations with the Twitch but for me to use the Twitch in any public setting I’d want to use an external sound card and also would probably get some of djtt knobs to replace the slippery knobs Novation opted to use.

I’ve heard some dj’s call the twitch’s sound “boxy” and that’s probably because of the headroom is limited.

And this makes a real difference in most situations – club goers, bar patrons, party folks, may not consciously notice the difference but unconsciously many do.

The S2’s sound card is rather decent. It can’t compare with the RME fireface I use daily but I would use it in a small club. Also I like the S2’s layout MUCH more for Traktor, but that’s quite subjective.

If you order from one of the big boys like Musicians Friend, American Musical, etc. you can try each of them out and just return what you don’t like, and thus only pay shipping, and not get stung by the 30%+ drop from resale on craigs or ebay.