tractor S4MK2 & traktor DJ lacking low end?
i recently changed over form the audio 8 and my laptop (using the x1) to the S4MK2 & traktor DJ- and the low end seems to be lacking seriously.. is this an app thing with the iPad or the S4’s sound card? to be fair.. haven’t tried the S4 with my laptop yet.. and using 1/4 ins with a coupler for my mackies into S4. Any direction would be helpful.
Thanks!
I think using X1’s and an external soundcard & mixer potentially can give much better sound quality than an S4
You are preserving the original sound file much more. Things like the S4 are doing a lot of digital manipulation, but when using soundcards and analogue mixers you’re doing much of it analogue. This won’t effect bass response, but I found S4 doesn’t sound as good as using some external modular setups. Might be worth checking the limiters not on. That can shag the bass.
There’s minimal difference between S4 and other outputs, barring a little bit of audio colouring. Yes, running your audio through an Allen & Heath Xone:92 will sound more pleasant, but there’s no reason you should be missing any low end. Are there audio output options that might have the quality set low? Check the obvious like filters being zeroed or EQs properly set. Have you tested the speakers with other input sources?
What does the traktor built in limiter actually do?
No. A 320 bitrate MP3 is a 320 bitrate MP3 no matter how many analogue components you put it through. Any sounds that goes through a AD converter immediately loses it’s analogue properties. The only difference is the soundcard may be able to pump out at a higher volume.
My S4 has high bass output. So much in fact that I have to turn the bass down a little bit on the mixer to remove the bass mud from the sound. However I use it with a laptop. It could very well be that the iPad lacks the horsepower to drive the Traktor sound engine that results in a loss of frequencies, this is the only thing I could guess.