If my order hasn’t shipped yet, and I can find it instore at GC…I wonder if I could cancel my online order and have them honor the same deal I got online, instore. They were discussing this on Native Instruments’ forum..
So I tried my luck, and wouldn’t ya know it, the dice fell in my favor: I called guitar center to see if they had any S4’s in stock. They said yes. I asked if I could cancel my online order and get that one. They said yes. I asked if they would still honor the coupon my wife used to order online that expired January 1st…THEY SAID YES.
BOOM!
Got it at home. Sitting on my desk. Pretty effin’ excited.
So now I’m faced with my next challenge/dillemma. Do I pinch from my MacbookPro fund and get a set of powered speakers for the “bedroom studio,” or is there a way for me to output this to my computer’s 2.1 speakers via software? For obvious reasons, I’d prefer the latter, but I’m not sure if it’s going to be an option…y’know…considering there’s no sound coming out right now, even when I select my computer’s soundcard.
I’m given the following options when I select an audio device:
ASIO4ALL
Audio8DJ (ASIO)
Inspire ASIO Driver
Traktor Kontrol S4
RealTek HD Audio Output (DirectSound)
Hopefully there is a windows junkie or two who can help me out with this. At least until I get the MacbookPro and leave the nest, haha.
EDIT: So I’ve got tracks loaded in, and am able to hear it when I select “ASIO4ALL” as the soundcard. But then I lose my headphone mix (I assume because I’m not using the S4 as the soundcard.
Congrats man, now I’m the one waiting for my S4 
Can’t help you with your output issues though, sorry!
I searched craigslist and in my area, there are a crap ton of used hi fi stereo systems (with floor speakers) going anywhere from 20 bucks to 50 bucks. Probably not the best quality, but likely more than sufficient for my needs in a small apartment. I may spring for a used set, like this.
So I have a buddy who was getting rid of a pretty bumping panasonic home theater system. Two tower speakers, one bookshelf speaker, a sub, and two rear speakers (which I may or may not use). I’m gonna set this stuff up this weekend (after signifcant re-organizing of my computer room) and see if I can get the walls to shake.
Sweet, congrats 
I got my S4 a couple of days ago too, loving it!
Rock on 
Okay so I’ve got this bad boy hooked up and have done considerable tinkering with it. I’ve pretty much got the basics of of beatmatching down (when traktor actually grids it correctly).
My biggest question, as a total n00b wannabe DJ: Does anyone have any techniques or tips for decent transitions between songs? One thing I’ll do is find a decent break in the song, and loop it for about 4 bars, and I’ll bring in the 2nd track filtered until it’s up. I could see this as getting dull pretty quickly, though…
Check out Eans videos on You Tube. Lots of good stuff to learn there. Specifically he cover 5 transitions you can use.
You also need to learn to beatgrid your tracks correctly. Also see You Tube videos for this.
So I spent the majority of this weekend learning my way around this thing, and I’ve gotta say, I had a BLAST. I can’t imagine the potential this thing has, and I’m still just using decks A and B…I want to make sure I’m adept at beatmixing on just two decks before I really dive in with 4 decks.
I watched Ean’s video on 5 basic transitions. As a rookie, it was tricky for me to apply what he was teaching because 1) He was using a different controller and 2) He was mixing a different style of music. I’m sure I’ll get it eventually, but that’s still my biggest obstacle at the present…successful transitions and segways into the next song.
Also, when you guys are playing a gig, do you typically keep your mix moving along at a fast pace (i.e. changing songs very rapidly), or do you let a song play out before you drop the next?
A little personal note/observation I made was this: While this isn’t something I would necessarily be TOO hard-nosed about, it seems like it would be a good idea, if you’re mixing within a specific (albeit narrow) tempo range, to start with the faster songs first, and beatmatch your slower songs to that…I think a crowd would notice (with a negative connotation) their favorite song played at a slower tempo than they would played at a faster (especially if they’re dancing, sweaty, rowdy, and drunk). WHAT SAY YOU?!