![]() ![]() What’s more, the software (Traktor Pro S4) contained features that had specially been designed for the S4 to take advantage of. ![]() Now, the company had a DJ controller that with one simple click upon set-up in the software, recognised and configured everything accordingly, without the need for any further set-up by the digital DJ. Indeed, Traktor has itself always featured in the guise of “Traktor ready” and “Traktor certified” badges on third-party products but it was clear with the launch of the Kontrol X1 that Native Instruments was eyeing a closer integration of hardware and software, more akin to that of some of the above the X1 (Native’s first DJ controller) had its own configuration page in the Traktor software, which when accessed via an easy wizard, took care of all the settings for you. And so, with the launch of the Kontrol S4, the company’s first full-strength DJ controller, Native Instruments took this thinking to the point where it finally provided its own tightly integrated DJ controller, made in the image of its software. And Mixvibes has the same thing with its U-Mix Control DJ controller and Cross DJ software, although again the architecture is open. ![]() The Torq Xponent DJ controller does the same thing with Torq software, although that software has recently been opened for control by other devices. No re-mappings, no need to tweak anything. Indeed, Serato ITCH only works with such products. Serato with ITCH achieved “it just works” functionality by licensing DJ controllers made by third parties (such as the Vestax VCI-300) that its software simply recognised when plugged in. Various companies had a go at providing a full solution. This was done in order to keep headline prices low, but didn’t provide an ideal situation for those wanting to just pay their cash and get DJing, with a minimum of fuss and extra expense. (see out Bundled DJ Controller Software: Facts & Myths article for more on this). ![]() What’s more, almost invariably until recently, the software provided was always “LE” or “light edition” – cut-down, get-past-go versions of the full packages that needed to be upgraded to get the full functionality, at extra cost to the consumer of course. Traktor’s Midi mapping screen – not somewhere you want to hang out if you can help it. Midi mapping is actually one of the new skills of DJing brought about by controllerism, but the flip-side of all the configurability that creative, geeky controllerists take full advantage of is that things can seem over-complicated for people considering digital DJing who just wanted to plug and play. Thus mapping files were provided (either by the software manufacturers to make their software more attractive, or by the hardware manufacturers to make their software more compatible) in order to define how the myriad different controllers and the software communicated with each other. All of these programs are good, but none of them were made specifically for the controllers that made use of to use them. So we’ve seen controllers for Traktor (mainly) but also for Virtual DJ, MixVibes, Deckadance and so on. While many manufacturers have over the past five or so years waded in with digital DJ controllers (which after all, are just Midi control units, not too different to any Midi controller), later adding sound cards as they realised most DJs don’t want to carry around a separate sound interface, most of the time these units have relied on other people’s software to make them work. One thing that’s always held digital DJing back is the lack of seamless integration between hardware and software. So here it is: the full Digital DJ Tips Traktor Kontrol S4 review. However, the initial months since its launch have given us the chance to really get to grips with it, and with the recent arrival of the Traktor Pro 2 software, we felt it was high time publish a full assessment. The Traktor Kontrol S4 is the most popular DJ controller with Digital DJ Tips readers as voted for in your 2011 Reader’s Survey, but until now we’ve not carried a full review of the unit. ![]()
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