Do tell! They released an inferior 24bit sound card? When did this get known? It’s digital so that kinda doesn’t make sense to me, but all things are not created equal. I wasn’t arguing in a negative sense, I like debate, and there’s always room to question.
My point was that I would rather have a 16 bit sound card built with quality parts than a 24 bit sound card built with cheap, lowest bidder type of parts.
And I would add that if you really want to buy a 4 deck controller you have to buy A&H DB2 + A&H K2 and all you need is in front of you!
That little number doesn’t mean as much as you think it does. When working with tracks from CDs or WAVs from Beatport or wherever–which are all 16 bit–it mostly means is that you’re losing less noise generated by Traktor’s EQs, effects, and summing bus…or whatever other software you are using.
Dance music is so incredibly compressed that you could even have a legit, high-end 24bit sound card and it wouldn’t sound different unless one of them were noisier than the other. The whole 24-bit thing matters mostly for recording real instruments and preserving as much detail as possible until a track is finished. For playback, it kind of doesn’t matter right now.
that’s funny, I would say the exact opposite… most of the ‘controllerism’ stuff that I see on here is best left to the bedroom or for demo purposes… would drive me mad if I saw a ‘PRO’ dj doing that kind of stuff all night.
even Sasha, when he was using Ableton Live and a custom midibox controller, was pretty much mixing exported stems, A-B style, from what I could tell. There’s a reason why A-B mixing is popular; it’s because a DJ’s job is simply to play good music and keep people dancing.
a lot of people could do with remembering this imho.
qft.
What I’m wondering is how much I would really like this over ditching my X1s completely.
I absolutely love the X1 buttons, they are the perfect combination of clicky responsive and rubbery.
The nice thing about the X1s is they have two solid premapped options in traktor 2. So I can plug one in on my friends computer running traktor and not have to import any .tsis and be good to go. They have a good default map that is clearly labeled, anyone who has used one can jump on your setup and not look at a blank grid of colored buttons and have no idea what is what. Not needing to deal with .tsis is nice if you have multiple computers or accidentally delete your mapping and don’t need to search around to find it again.
Really the only thing the x1 is lacking is more pots. If the X1 had double the knobs up top it would be perfect- then you could have all 4 FX units on on controller, and all volume and filter knobs for sample decks on another.
I guess that is what the K2 will bring to the table. I’m kind of tired and rambling here but I just hope the buttons are nice on the k2. I’m looking at it now and I see exactly how I am going to map the top of the controller and it is going to be pretty sweet.
whos already got their maps planned out?
I am thinking of how I would want to map two k2s for two decks and two sample decks. It would be easy to just fill up all knobs and faders for FX and then sample slot filer and volume. I’m trying to think if maybe there would be a better use of some knobs or faders for some super knob type stuff.
I want to get a solid base map on the first layer with the shift button and then work in the other layer options. maybe I need to think outside the box but I like most of what i need without using much shift/modifiers.
the other k2 would be the same for deck b and sample deck d with fx units 2 and 4
I’m sure some of you have better ideas, lets brainstorm now
I was thinking maybe have two types of sync options but that could get confusing.
I need a layer for managing tempo and possibly some grid nudging, plus a solid way to assign fx units to each deck without getting crazy. instant grat could be nice but i feel is kind of over used and there are possibly some better things to do there.
If I decide to get one, yes, I have a mapping in my head……but I probably won’t. I’d just use it for effects. And, well, I don’t have any effects controls mapped right now except for filters on my sample slots…and I won’t even use those after I render enough stems to use them like a hybrid live pa thing…so…yeah.
IMHO, it’s not worth $200 just to control Traktor’s effects when I have controls right now that i’m mapping away from the default functions because I never use effects.
If I do, it’ll be simple. The encoders will select effects, sliders for W/D, and pots to control parameters. Buttons will activate decks for each unit. Maybe use a layer just on the bottom buttons for an IG-ish mapping. It’d be insanely powerful for that…I just don’t know if I care. I guess it’ll depend on how much I spin minimal in the future and how much I end up wanting to screw with my stems.
i really want one for a basic 4 deck mixer setup, the usual filter/eq/levels/kills and then the bottom buttons for monitor/play/cue/sync and use the encoder for nudge on the monitored deck. maybe have a 2nd layer for the 4x4 grid to enable effects units on each deck.
would also like an alternative mapping for just full effects control where i use my djm101 for decks A+B levels etc and something else for the sample decks.
is anywhere in the uk that can be relied on taking pre-orders yet that anyone knows? i pretty much only ever buy stuff online via ebay but i suspect that won’t be the ideal place to order a K2 early from 
i hope there will be overlays for a 2 Deck Traktor Internal Setup.
Then this one would be perfect for small house parties…
I think it’s way too cramped to be a mixer that is any sort of pleasurable to mix on. I would much rather just haul a mixer.
What if you’re only using volume and not EQs?
I still think it is way too tight for a DJ mixer and I don’t like that style fadercap for DJing. Depends on your style I guess.
I half-agree, but I own a xone:62. Finally unpacked it from the last house party I took it to and spun on it for a bit today…man, I miss having a real mixer.
Now it just needs to be rotary…………
what exactly is the benefit of rotary mixers? i’m asking because i’m thinking of trading out for a xone 92 because i want 4 channels and i only ever use the onboard filter on my denon. The rotary 92’s run cheaper, so it would work out better for me.
my dream setup these days is a 92 and 2 k2’s, sooo…yeah.
It supposedly allows you to make smoother fades but since you can do it with the EQs I don’t really see the advantage. It just makes quick cuts harder to do, but then again you still have the cross fader for that. It comes down to whatever your preference is.
Correct me if I’m wrong please:
Theoretically seen I could connect the RCAs on the back to my amp or powered speakers, use the faders and pods and buttons to control various parameters in traktor, and Cue up my tracks through the output in the front panel ?
If so, this piece of equipment is brilliant.
Yep, just like any other midi controller/sound card combo 
They’re better.
No, really. It’s a preference thing. A lot of linear volume controls are kinda jumpy, plus your hand being worse at the motion of moving your finger or whole arm instead of twisting your wrist means that you don’t have very precise control over subtle level changes.
It’s just a preference thing, but it tends to be a strong one. Don’t get a rotary just because it’s cheaper. You’re likely to hate it. A lot of DJs do. I don’t hate line-faders, and I’ve only owned mixers with them, but…well…I’d switch to a rotary in a heartbeat if I had the budget. If I can sell my 62 and my VCM, I’ll probably order an empath rotary the same day…or build a midi-only copy of the DJR-400 from parts and map it to control traktor’s internals, now that I know how to make Traktor output a level meter.
I realize it’s stupid, but I honestly prefer mixing on this
to this
most of the time. And an lpd8 ain’t exactly a Urei. I like having a mixer because it has a master level meter and feels a lot less like crap than my $35 stop-gap. But, honestly, the lpd8 is more fun to mix on for me. They’re on in the picture, but the EQs on my xone are usually off because they sound/feel touchier than the traktor simulation. And yes, that’s tape all over the crossfader. There’s a reason, but it’s dumb and no one cares. Suffice it to say that I haven’t bothered to take it off because I don’t notice when I’m mixing. Same with the mixer being blue. It was like that when I got it.
You know…I’ve got some free time. I’m going to run by my local DJ shop and see if they’re interested in either piece. It’s nice having a real mixer because it’s not so cramped. And I sure wouldn’t use a K2 as a mixer because it’s even smaller than the lpd8 (well…the faders are closer together than the pots I use for level controls) but I miss the rotaries.