Pioneer DDJ T1 vs Traktor Kontrol S4

DJ Gear & Hardware Hardware: Controllers, Mods and Gear
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Pioneer DDJ T1 vs Traktor Kontrol S4

I know this topic has been created at least one time before, but it didn’t contain the information that I was looking for.

I’ve been simply laptop DJing for about 2 and a half years using JUST Deckadance simply because I could never afford any controllers and I couldn’t find any controller (or set of controllers) that worked well with Deckadance and that I personally liked. However, about 3 months ago I decided to buy the DJ Tech 101 Series controllers because they seemed to be what I wanted for Deckadance. I quickly discovered that was a bad choice.

Currently, I’m using the still DJ Tech 101 Series controllers (sad, I know). But I have downloaded the mappings for them so I can use Traktor Pro 2. So far, Traktor is much much better in just about every single manor. Obviously, controllers designed for Deckadance are very limited when using them for Traktor, so I decided to do much searching for a single controller for Traktor NOT set of controllers because I’m very mobile and I’m kind of tired of carrying 4 boxes everywhere.

I have found that I really look for these things in controllers:
FULL control of Traktors effects
Jog wheel effect mapping
Spacious knobs
“Slip Mode” (I understand that Traktors beatmashing effect is similar to slip)
4 deck control
Hot Cues
Built in sound card
Monitor out
and bright lights/vivid displays are always nice

Throughout my searching I found that I really like the layout of the Pioneer DDJ T1, but I also like the performance of the Kontrol S4 slightly more than the DDJ T1.

Which do you recommend?

A big reason why I like the S4 is because of the job wheel effect capability, I’m not sure if you can do that on the T1. However, I really like the size and structure of the T1, especially the ability to slide a laptop under the middle. The T1 also appears to have brighter buttons and the jog wheels just look plain cool and it’s very helpful to be able to glance at your controller and see which decks are playing.

If you have any other suggestions for a single controller, please post those too!

Also, I wouldn’t mind buying external effects units such as the Kontrol X1 or a Midi Fighter, so if you recommend a combination of those I’d love to hear it.

If I was unclear or scatter brained anywhere, just ask. Thanks! Any feedback will help a LOT.

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Some quick points:

No controller has “full” control of Traktor effects, since they all seem to be content with two sets of FX controls, where you get 4 FX units in Traktor. You’ll need to do some creative mapping.

Jog wheel FX mapping can be cool, but it has its problems in Traktor. You can’t currently have HID jogs with jog FX with any controller - it’s either precise jogs or custom maps, not both. You should be able to map jogs to FX with the Pioneer, since AFAIK it doesn’t have HID jogs.

There is no Slip Mode in any Traktor controller, since Slip isn’t supported by Traktor. Beatmasher isn’t really the same thing.

What do you mean by monitor out? If you need a second set of master outputs with separately adjustable volume (booth out), neither the Pioneer of the S4 have one.

I suggest you also take a look at the Numark 4Trak.

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S4 doesnt have volume controlled booth out, but it has 2 master outs that you can use as a booth (obv without independent volume control).

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I say try and find a way to mess around with both and see which you like more. I have an S4 and my friend has a T1 and both are good, they just have different work flows involved and have different atmospheres

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Yeah i’m aware of this, which is a reason I looked into the T1 in the first place. I just like the style of being able to control the wet/dry of an entire effect with a very comfortable control surface such as a jog wheel. Not necessarily one as big as the T1s, but even just the S4s small ones I really like.

Yeah I know, I meant I can use the beatmasher as a loop while the song continues to play, like if slip mode were activated or like “leap” in deckadance.

By monitor out, I do mean a set of outs with independent volume control, and I didn’t think that the T1 or S4 had it. And yes, booth out. I just said monitor out because that’s just what i’m used to saying when i’m talking about booth speakers. Currently I just have the booth speakers running out of a completely separate amp so that I can control the volume, but it’s a bit of a pain and would be lovely to have booth out built right in.

I have looked at that, I feel like I’ve looked at everything. That is quite a spiffy controller.

Yeah I thought so, I’m looking for independent volume control specifically.

I wish I could just buy one, try it, return it, buy the other, try it, return it, then buy the one I like more again. However I’m still on quite the budget and whatever I buy I’ll likely have to stick with for a bit.

I’m not staying strict to deciding between the T1 or S4, those are just the two that I found fit my needs the best and work well with Traktor. If it comes down to it I could just buy a relatively chip mixer and buy a X1 or two for effects and such, I’m mainly looking for as close to total control of Traktor I can get with any combination of effects module, controller, or mixers.

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If you have a Guitar Center near you they usually have an S4 unit on display that’s hooked up for you to mess around with.

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Noob question - what does this mean? I know the S4 doesn’t have a controlled booth out and some other controllers do, but what does that mean exactly?

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A booth out is a seperate output that you can send to speakers in your dj booth, this enables you to have different sound levels for the dance floor and your monitoring speakers… Booth outs are redundant for any club dj’s as you would never connect a controllers soundcard directly to the pa system, it will always be plugged into the house mixer that will have booth outs anyway… If you’re a mobile dj running a large rig it is necessary however, for a small party you don’t really need it.

On topic… The DDJ-T1 is a terrible controller, if feels horrible to use, the jogs are pressure sensitive and have loud ball barings in them. Faders are tight to move, knobs are tighter skinny plastic things… All around an epic fail on pioneers part…:expressionless:

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Are a lot of djs in a “booth”? Or is that not a literal term =/

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huh :confused: …um yeah there known as booths :expressionless:

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The S4 has pressure sensitive jog wheels, some of the tightest faders around, useless pitch faders, and small rubberized plastic knobs. I’m not really seeing the problem.

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I wouldn’t choose either of them tbh… VCI-400 + VDJ ftw, the VCI is the only controller made to stand up to abuse like traditional dj gear, there is every kind of control to map and vdj is the only software able to exploit all of it’s controls :thumbsup:

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OP, I’d recommend the S4, and here’s why:

  • S4’s tight integration with Traktor. The native HID support feels great.
  • The T1 has no sample control and lacks full software. The software thing might not be a big deal to you, but the whole sample thing may be a downside (even if you think you don’t need them…yet :slight_smile:)
  • Build quality. Don’t get me wrong, I like the T1 to a degree, but the jogs are noisy and are made with ball bearings (leaving them feel less than smooth), the cue point buttons are tiny and plastic as opposed to the rather spacious and awesome rubbery buttons of the S4, and the S4 actually has level meters. Of course, there are other things, but you get my drift.
  • The soundcard. The S4 not only has RCA and quarter inch outs, but it has two aux inputs. The T1 has RCA and quarter inch outs as well, but the low end does tend to get a bit lost.

Basically, the S4 does everything the T1 does, but better. Also, knowing that you’ll be using jog effects, the HID support may be unimportant. However, the T1’s jogs are not nearly as smooth as the S4’s, and are placed closer to your body-two things which may or may not matter to you (they definitely did to me, which is why I don’t have a T1 today). That being said, you’ll be happy with either controller, but the S4 sounds a bit more what you’re looking for.

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I always hear things like that, and I always kinda thought that it would be like this. I’m not sure if these qualities are a bad thing though. Obviously, the loud barrings aren’t nice, I would easily get annoyed by them. But I do somewhat enjoy tight faders, I feel I can get more accurate with them. However, I’m not a small of knobs for being the main controls of effects, with the exception of high and low pass. I like to set up the effect with knobs, and then have something like a jog wheel to control the dry/wet of the effect. But I think it could feel awkward if I were to use a jog wheel like something that should be on a CDJ for an effect. The main reason I even looked at the T1 was because I actually do like the bulkiness of controllers, to an extent. Thicker, wider controllers just feel more stable to me.

I’m not a big fan of VDJ, but the VCI-400 is a quite nice little thing. However, it IS quite little. It would look silly if some day I wanted to put CDJs or other controllers near the sides of the VCI. Plus, I feel like the VCI is very compact for all of it’s features, and that I would need small hands to use it well. Everything feels somewhat mushed together. But I do REALLY like that controller other wise, and I have looked into it. So that’s a real possibility too.

Probably the main reason I really like the S4 in this situation.

The software thing is pretty important to me, and I would like the sample control because I have used samples in creative ways even with my current controllers. So I feel that I could do a LOT with actual sample control on a controller.

Yeah, I hear these things quite often.

That’s something that matters to me quite a bit, and would make me want to lean towards the S4 I think.

Good summery, and very helpful :slight_smile:

DJ “booth” is basically just the DJ’s space. It can be anything from just one table with mixers on it to an entire stage like at Ultra Music Festival.
For example, my “booth” consists of one 6ft table in front of me with my mixers, laptop, and one light controller (just to control the bright par cans that I don’t want on all the time), and then two 8ft tables around me. This makes something like a horse shoe shape and keeps the crowd from coming within my space, gives me a place to put amps and monitors, if i bring friends it’s a place for them to put their laptops or mixers until they start DJing, and I still have a good 6ft by 6ft space to move around if it’s just me.

I then also have a 12 foot by 12 foot trussing arch above me for lights. I’m not sure if everyone would count this as part of the booth, but it feels like it to me because it’s towering over the booth and gives the feeling of being boxed in from all sides including the top.[/QUOTE]

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Oh how I wish I could combine the Numark 4TRAK, Kontrol S4, VCI-400, and add on the touch screen features of the Pioneer DJM-2000…

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The 4TRAK, IMO, is sort of the S4 for people who didn’t like the S4. It’s made with a lot more plastic, the layout is much less controllerist-oriented, and don’t even get me started on the hot cues (5 hot cues, Numark? Give us 4 or 8, but don’t just repaint the NS6! :slight_smile:) It’s another great 4-deck Traktor controller, but for me the plastic buttons turned me way off as opposed to the S4’s more rubbery pads. The jogs on the 4TRAK are fantastic, though. As for the VCI, I believe it’s about the same size as the S4, and the EGE looks like the god of all controllers. I’d check that out too, but just keep in mind that neither the VCI-400 nor the 4TRAK come with full software.

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Honestly, the slight noise CDJ platters make isn’t that bad, and if there’s any kind of sound playing, or headphones on, you won’t even notice. But they’re also Pioneer jogs, so they’re about as sturdy and precise as you can get, in use. I’ve noticed that most complaints about Pioneer hardware stem from people who don’t actually use Pioneer equipment, and thus dont really see the ergonomic touches Pioneer hardware has. The knobs might be a bit plasticy, but to my knowledge (I could be wrong, it’s been a while since I’ve seen one) the stems are metal, so they should hold up nicely.

You also get the amazingness that is Pioneer buttons: loop and hot cue buttons feel like they could be punched, and the play/cue buttons are legendary, a far cry from the floppy rubber crap that is the S4 buttons. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tapped a button on my S4 and just had nothing happen because I didn’t hit it right, while I could practically brush the edge of the cue button on my CDJ’s and still trigger them.

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The thing is, though, the DDJ series aren’t CDJs. The problem with the T1’s jogs are that they’re basically straight off the 400s. That should speak for itself (they also don’t have HID communication with Traktor). Additionally, the hot cue buttons are about the size of a newborn tick on the T1 and aren’t in a very accessible position. I will grant you the play and cue buttons though…they’re probably my favorite part of the S1/T1. They feel fantastic and are incredibly responsive.

Just so you guys know, I’ve spent a fair bit of time with the S1 and have played around with a T1 for a little while as well. Not trying to bash, just giving an honest opinion. The DDJ line could have been awesome controllers, but there were just a couple of things about them that made me buy NI.

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Well my housemate has an S4 and I have a T1 so I’ve used both quite a bit.

I love the T1, the only problem I have with it is the lack of Sample Decks, but that’s pretty easily fixed if you can afford an X1 as well (I was lucky enough to get my T1 dirty cheap, so even with the X1 added it was only the same price as an S4).

The jogs are fine, yeah their is a ball bearing noise if the room is dead quiet, but I can’t imagine that’ll ever be an issue unless you plan on playing sound-less dj sets.

For manual beatmixing I find the T1 shits on the S4, but I’m sure as always someone will argue this, basically it all comes down to what you like, they’re both great controllers, try not to let the anti-pioneer/NI fan boy feelings of some people influence your decision. Try em both and see what you like.

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I’d probably end up liking both, hence my tough decision.