Traktor s4 mk1 button replacement pro#

Each slot has its own dual-mode filter and volume knobs, and the loop length can be halved or doubled straight from the controller by using the loop-in and loop-out buttons. Once a sample is loaded in a slot, it can be triggered in sync to Traktor's clock, or manually triggered if you want stutter-style effects. If the track isn't being looped at the time that you assign the sample, the loop size will be automatically determined by the value shown above the loop size knob.

All you do is press an unused sample play button while the track is playing, and a loop is automatically stored in that slot (not only is it stored in the slot, but it's automatically cropped to its own file in the Traktor library for use later).

The process of sending samples from the deck currently playing above it literally could not be easier. Samples can be sent to these slots automatically from the source playing in the deck 'above it' (A to C, and B to D), or directly from the browser. The sample decks by default live on decks C and D, giving you four slots in each deck that can store samples in either looped or one-shot mode. The sample-play and hotcue buttons are the physical counterpart to one of the best new features of the S4 version of Traktor: the sample deck. Since each side controls two decks, there is a shared section on each side that controls the deck that is 'in focus.' Included in this section are the jog wheel, tempo slider and the deck controls (like the loop knobs, the sample play buttons, the hotcue buttons, and the play/cue/sync buttons). Sandwiched in the middle of the controller is the common section which houses the controls for browsing your track collection and one of the most interesting S4 exclusive functions of Traktor, the loop recorder. The top of the controller is where you'll find the knobs and buttons that directly map to the FX modules found in Traktor.

Each side controls two decks-with dedicated knobs (for each deck's 3-band EQ, dual-mode filter and gain), volume faders and buttons (for cue and assign). The sizeable controller is split down the middle with each side housing a jog wheel, tempo and volume faders, and a score of buttons and knobs. Starting out on the hardware side, imagine that someone pulled up a screenshot of Traktor, handed it to an engineer and said 'here, make this.' It's as close to a 100% faithful recreation of the Traktor workflow as you'll find. This isn't a review of Traktor on its own, so in the interest of brevity we will concentrate on the hardware-in addition to the unique aspects of the S4 version of Traktor.

Traktor s4 mk1 button replacement pro#

They named it the S4, and promised it to be the 'the ideal one-stop package for DJs who want pro features, instant usability and go-anywhere portability-a bold claim. It was big news, then, when Native Instruments announced they were releasing an 'all in one' DJ controller this year, teased by a mysterious YouTube video of Dubfire road-testing it at Space in Ibiza. Should you go with the time-code system of controlling your music from a turntable or CDJ? Or maybe a straight-up MIDI controller approach is better? Should you send separate outs to a traditional mixer and use its EQs/filters/faders? Or mix in-the-box and just send the main outs directly to the sound system? Imagine the plight of a new DJ wanting to get into the game without anyone showing him/her the ropes the number of choices in addition to the body of knowledge required to get some setups up and running is overwhelming.įor proof, one needs look no further than on Native Instrument's page listing the devices that are approved as 'Traktor ready.' There you'll find over 30 devices ranging from the hyper-expensive Xone 4D to cheaper rackmount CD players, all the way down to quirky options like the touch-sensitive Stanton MIDI controllers.

As we've progressed through the pioneer days of digital DJing, the trial-and-error ways of those early years have resulted in a dearth of options for the new user.