To be fair… (again remember, i own both an itch controller and a legit copy of traktor pro, as do you..)
this thread is about the ns6. so while yes, you can use timecodes with the s4. the ns6 can allow those same turntables or cd players to play records or cd’s. It supports internal mixing with Itch and External mixing with everything else. The S4 uses internal mixing only. To me this limits it’s flexability by an order of magnitude.
looking at that NS6. The NS6 offers more flexability. Depending on what I own, with that I could run Itch internally, Traktor externally(i already own a couple soundcards I could use for traktor), or buy an SL1 and run SSL. All using the same controller as my base since the NS6’s heart is an analog mixer.
An s4 will only ever run traktor software. The NS6 can literally work with every single dj software package on the market. Including Traktor Scratch Pro. I dunno but to be, thats real flexability.
No doubt about it, it’s a sweet piece of gear. I might sell my NS7 and get one, the hardware itself may be more versatile, but you still need to lug that big machine anytime you want to play if you plan on using Itch. So the day you get a gig that it doesn’t fit what do you do? You won’t be able to use Itch. That’s my gripe with Itch that your locked to the controller. So while the NS6 is a sweet deal and offers a 4 channel mixer I don’t think many people would ever carry around an NS6 plus a turntable or two just to play some vinyl or use SSL. That kinda defeats the purpose of having an Itch controller. Nowwwww, it would be cool if you could use Itch with Timecode - but I don’t think that will ever happen.
So don’t get me wrong. I like the NS6 and will probably get one.
It would be cool to if you could use an actual turntable with your controller if that was your weapon of choice and still use your music library.
What I meant was if you could use Itch with the controller or without and just use Timecode ala SSL.
Right now with Serato you either use SSL for timecode or Itch for controllers. They don’t offer a solution where you could use one application that does both.
They probably never will with their business model. you have to remember, serato makes money their from licensing. thats why their software is freely downloadable. to do that, theyd have to start charging for their software and hardware seperately. like NI does.
Whats funny is most dj’s use macs that i know. but are into NI.
If you were to compare business models. Serato is more like apple and NI is more like microsoft. But most dj’s on djtt are into traktor these days.
just something i noticed that made me go “hmm thats interesting”
I think, however, to be fair you also have to consider that the S4 is portable in a way that the incoming NS6 is sure not to be.
The Ns6 is going to be big and not easily set up in DJ booths with pre-existing gear already there. In some cases it will be impossible. The S4 will undoubtedly be lighter and smaller and in this case, the flexibility of being mobile with it (as a club DJ, playing techno or electronic music for instance) is higher.
however, viewing both units feature by feature - it comes down to personal preference again. The S4 has real sample capability that Itch does not have, and it has separate channel meters per channel for visual seeing output levels.
But it also lacks a separate booth out. And the analog ins need a laptop to be up and running with Traktor as well to hear that audio. That is a significant limitation when compared against the NS6 for someone looking at those options as important.
I think the wildcard here is what Itch 2.0 will look like. If they get the Bridge and Video working shortly here - and an improved set of already great features (as seen in version 1.71) Traktor S4 is going to have a real competitor problem on its hands.
Which is fine by me. Keep the heat up, it is good for all of us when the manufacturers are competing for our dollars.
Look at the options we have today versus what we had even just a year ago.
