Lately Traktor has been releasing new features along with new gear. Traktor 2.4 was released along with Kontrol S4, Traktor 2.5 was released along with Kontrol F1 and Traktor 2.6 is released along with Kontrol Z2.
I like this new way of introducing features, but it also makes me want to buy new gear all the time.
I haven't tried it due to lack of time, but I will probably give some comments on that when I finally do. :)
So what is new in the 2.6 release?
TRAKTOR KONTROL Z2 integration HID protocol and mapping options are now available for the new Kontrol Z2
"Flux Mode" retains song position during HotCues, Beatjumps, Loops etc. Brand new feature that keeps the relative point of time in the track going. Genious!
Post-Fader mode for FX Units Now you effects like echo and delay won't
Factory Map Override option for individual Controllers in Controller Manager YES! Finally! This makes you able to alter the controller factory presets mappings for X1, S4, S2 and F1 controllers!
New gain system with independent Channel Gain knobs and Auto-Gain knobsVery neet. In earlier versions the Gain would be set to what ever the gain that Traktor auto gained to, but that isn't always what you'd like. So you would need to gain it yourself up or down depending on the track (mostly up.. hehe..). It was hard to know how much you went over what Traktor had set and then gained it up and up and up untill you peeked. Now you will have a relative knob to how much you have offset the actual channel. :)
New "Z ISO" EQ and "Z" filter models as featured on Z2 mixer You earlier had two EQ types: Standard and the Allen & Heath type. Now it looks like we have yet another EQ. Love it!
Z ISO EQ is now full kill at the left end of knobs path You don't have to push the kill button. It will automatically kill all the signal within the relevant range.
New "QuickSnap" behavior for the EQ and Filter controls I guess this will help you when you need to set your your knobs to 0... It will have some room within the center of the range which will in fact snap you to the desired value.
New Transport Preference prevents Remix Decks from becoming Tempo MastersThis is perfect for those of us who use Remix Decks for suplament loops. Now you're mixing decks will always be the masters.
New Transport Preference limits Tempo Master to On-Air Decks to become Tempo Masters I though that was how it worked now...
HID support for Pioneer CDJ 2000nexus (SLIP button is mapped to FLUX mode)Plug and play people!
Minor gain-staging adjustments for Live Input Deck Okay...
You simply must see this video and read the article.
This is sooo important. Getting the sound to sound right.
The thing I was most surprised about was that CDs are 5 times better then the best quality MP3s!
I hear the CD DJs going: "Aaaah... So that's why you shouldn't use computers!". But most of the CD DJs I know normaly burn their CDs them selves from purchased MP3s, so there is not much to gain from that.
Take note! It's better to buy high quality tracks from sites like Beat Port, but you are not guarrantied that the tracks will be mastered properly. However... They will sound better.
It's a tough world to live in.
As I posted last month, the Native Instruments Z2 is beeing released.
I think I got most of the points across in my blogpost, but I missed out on a couple of things.
I've come to love how Traktor focuses the new releases and features in to a hardware controller release and this is another great example!
What did I miss(understand)?
1. The new mixer will NOT have it's own version of Traktor, but all the new features are a part of the standard relase of Traktor Pro 2.6.
2. The Flux mode is not just a loop feature, but a feature to jump to cuepoints and do roll loops at the same time as the relative position of the song keeps playing. So once you let go of a loop or cue point the track will jump back to the same place in the track as it would if it was just playing. I think that is a genious solution to the implement the roll concept, but taking it thuss much further. Go Traktor!
3. There will be ALOT of new effects in this release as a part of the "macro-effects" addition.
The guys at Native Instruments given us the last couple of years fantastic hardware for the Traktor series. They've mainly focused on controller surfaces for either parameter (X1), sample trigger (Machine/F1) or the all-in-one approch(S2/S4). Now their about to go for the hard core and most central piece of a DJs Tools: The Mixer. (Which I'm pretty sure is named Native Instruments Kontrol Z2)
I went through the video and sliced and diced a bit... This is what I think you might have missed. ;)
I believe this mixer is gonna be shipped with it's very custom Kontrol Z2 tailored Traktor Scratch with two standard and two sample decks (not remix decks).
The new mixer looks to be a two channel mixer, but the video shows us that the mapping they use also have assigned rotary faders to controll the level of C and probably D aswell. It is the same knob that controls the filter parameter... Which seems to be limited to only two parameters...
The four button sampler seems to be able to switch between A/C and B/D. It is layed out like one of the rows on the F1 Remix deck controller and I'm pretty sure it would work perfectly with the standard sampler decks.
Looking at the video the it seems like the text "Flux Mode" appears with green background over the track title when he trigger the loop button. Maybe it's a new stutter effect that they have now incorporated?
There is a cue and headphone section in the middle of the mixer which also doubles with shift as a BPM tap function.
It looks like the effect parameters is limited to two parameters...
Two new effects are shown, but with this "M"-icon in front of the name. It looks like the one has NO parameters active when seelcted, so it might be a built in effect in the mixer??? The two new effects shown in the demo are Laser Slicer and Bass-o-matic.
There are more questions then answers, so I'm looking forward to more details from Native!
www.djworx.com is a result of scratchworx.com evloving to target a broader audience and it has been around for a while now, but lately I've been going there more and more for DJ related news and I really like what I see.
The latest reviews have been fresh and early, very detailed and extremely good. They mainly focus on hardware and not that much on techniques and culture like DJ Techtools or the full spectre of Digital DJing like Digital DJ Tips.
If it's not in your bookmark it probably should be.
KUDOS to the guys at djworx for making an excellent site!
So Pioneer launched this video yesterday showing of their new product: The XDJ-AERO! I just took a VERY quick look at it and jumped to conclusions as usual.
It looks like Pioneer is vamping up their Record box software to include a wireless deck control for smart phone via WLAN which is controlling the new XDJ-AERO.
It's kind of like the SmartGlass feature from Microsoft, but then again no...
Unless I want to jump rope, skate or hang out at the store while I'm doing my DJ set, which almost never happens, I think I might want to be by my controller when I DJ.
Confused, buy YEAY for new technology. Maybe something useful comes out of this.
A couple of weeks ago I posted about twitter.dj which is a new way of totaly embrasing the social media experience while DJing. Posting all your played tracks continuesly and effortlessly to Twitter. Super easy to set up and super easy to use! I've been playing around with it for a couple of weeks now and it is a pretty cool tool.
Setting it up (On PC):
1. Install the software from www.twitter.dj
2. Set up Traktor Broadcast with following settings:
Click to make it full size
3. Authorize Twitter.dj with your Twitter account by writing the authentication code provided by Twitter. PS: You can access the preferences by right clicking the Twitter.dj icon in your icon section on the task bar.
Tips:
Put ID tag information on all your tracks! Most tracks bought online come with ID tags, but ripped tracks or tracks that are downloaded illegaly will need to be properly named.
If you don't want to share a track name. Just write the title in another field like "comment 2" and write something else in the title and artist tags.
Remember that you can incorporate hash tags and user tags in your title/artist tags.
Use a display to show what you're playing when your performing! I use www.Twitterfall.com which is a OK way to show what's been posted to twitter. (Inputs are welcome!) Use advanced filter in Twitter to limit your output. (e.g. "from:username")
Setting beatgrids, cuepoints and making them ready for playing in Traktor is important to always know that your track is ready to go when you're gonna use them. In know that I'm not good enough to do this my self and mainly that is because it's a hassle and there is a lot of things to take in to account and the parameters isn't easily available.
DJ Techtools made this cool mapping for Traktor that will put all the controlls that you need on the deck controls of Traktor Kontrol S2 and the Traktor Kontrol S4.
After that is done you might want to go ahead and prep your sets. I might make this available as a macro set for the S4 and S2 my self (don't get your hopes up), but in the meantime you can visit my post on how to make preparation of sets quickly in Traktor.
A new update is available and it fixes a whole lot of stuff that was wrong in the 2.5 release. Some of them I haven't even noticed or wasn't that much of a fuzz, but some are pretty important. There's a lot done with the integration to Pioneer CDJ's utalizing the HID integration to a MUCH larger extent.
All of the updates are listed below, but I took the time to highlight the important ones and the cool ones. :)
KEY FEATURES:
Pioneer CDJ Advanced HID display integration
Browser (CDJ 900 / 2000)
Cover Art (CDJ 2000)
Stripe (CDJ 2000)
Cue Points (CDJ 900 / 2000)
Improved General CDJ Integration (CDJ400 / 900 / 2000 / MEP7000) in order to match original CDJ behavior
Play / Cue Button behavior
Loop In / Out Button behavior
Track Search Button behavior
Implemented CDJ Mode
ANALYSIS:
Changing BPM Range in Preferences does no longer affect ongoing Analysis job
BROWSER / COLLECTION:
FLAC year tag is now preserved when importing files to collection
"Select All" entry now available in Context Menu of Playlists and Folders
Browser view switches back to source list after drag & drop
Tracks can again be moved to Playlists via drag & drop from deck into browser window
M3U export now again exporting file names and paths
"Load Previous" now again working in conjunction with Preferences option "Only load into stopped Deck"
Remix Set now displayed on top of contents list for faster loading via drag & drop
Fixed saving of Remix Sets containing identically named samples
CONTROLLER MANAGER:
Modifier condition "Hotcue Type" fixed
EFFECTS:
FX snapshot no longer ignores first FX knob
KEYLOCK:
Keylock Eco mode fixed
Fixed crackling audio and syncing issues in conjunction with Keylock
REMIX DECKS:
New preference option for Remix Decks "One-Shot Samples Ignore Quantize Mode"
Drag & drop of Remix Sets now possible on entire area of Remix Decks, including Micro Deck View
Dragging a sample on waveform of sample deck now replaces the sample
Fixed prelistening of Remix Decks
TIMECODE:
Software Hotcues and CDJ Cue button can be seamlessly used side by side
Dropping needle into lead-in now again jumps to start of track
Improved drift prevention for Relative Vinyl Timecode
Random switching from Absolute to Relative Timecode does not occur anymore
Fixed cue point drifting for Relative CD Timecode
TRACK DECKS:
Tempo Tapping precision and robustness (TAP) improved
Synchronization no longer ignores second and following grid markers
Fixed Cue Point inaccuracy visible in zoomed in Waveform
TRAKTOR KONTROL F1:
New preference option to swap F1 Mute and Stop behavior
The controller has been on the market for some time now, but it intregued me enough to take a closer look when I recently stumbled uppon a review by DJ Worx. So without getting my hands on the controller I'll take a shot at reviewing the controller based on the information that is available online and give you my reflected thoughts on the matter.
Traktor version:
It comes with a special edition of Traktor. They have cut down the effects section and removed a couple of the full version effect algorithems. It's a smaller version of the full, but you can upgrade and use this with full Traktor.
Build and structure:
The controller looks to be pretty solid in the brushed aluminium finish. It might remind a little about what Vestax deliver in casing build quality. If it is anything like the NS series the knobs and buttons are descent, but not at the top of the class.
Solid construction
Anglede FX unit:
The "FX Kommand Console" seems to be sturdy and easy to reach. It's placed above the other controller with an angled mounting bracket that is screwed in place. I'm used to the S4 and having the Filter buttons close to the fader. However it might look visually more appealing when performing to reach for them.
Optional FX/Filter unit
Also a mixer:
A great thing about the unit is that it doubles as a standard audio mixer as well with a midi controller. There are 4 channel inputs (Line/Phono/Mic) and you select the source on the switch right next to the fader. It also has an interchangeable cross fader with curve and channel assignment, both balanced and unbalanced master output as well as a booth output with dedicated knob at the surface of the controller.
Front view: Cross fader and monitor control
Soundcard: The controller has a fairly good built-in soundcard that can be compared to Rane SL 4 on the analog side, but has only a 24 bit/44,1 kHz digital range. The frequency range is pretty standard for mid-class soundcards. It doesn't say anything about the number of inputs on their webpage though...
Click the image to see a full overview of the connectors.
Controller layout: The layout is what we've come to expect of a 4 channel mixer with two transport controls, meaning it's really built for 2 decks, but you can switch from A/C or B/D which I think is a hassle. You need an extra controller to manage the transport of the C and D decks if you want to use them effectively; and then the four channels make sense. When it comes to button layout and control features the Numark 4Trak controller shines and sticks out! The general layout is tailored to Traktor Pro with a lot of special functions and with dedicated buttons that many other controllers don't really give enough focus.
Looks busy, but it's actually pretty well organized!
The surface of the controller is packed with buttons that do all the normal stuff that you would expect, but I would like to point out a couple of things that caught my eye.
The strip search is a feature I've never tried, but if you need to jump quickly in to a song it would come in handy. I normally use the beatjump feature to do this. At the top of the strip there is an indicator that probably is used to indicate the position in the track. I think that is pretty nice to have.
Key adjustment feature isn't found on a lot of controllers and the 4Trak even has LED indicators on the encoder. If you are in to key mixing this is a pretty neat thing to have. I seldom use it myself, but when I need to adjust the key it's a big hassle because I haven't got this available. If it was available on the controller I would probably use it more often though and be able to play a lot of other tracks together then I normally do.
Other features that I often use like Cruise (early in the evening) and Record are available as dedicated buttons.
The weakest point of the controller is that it does not have a designated section for the loop recorder and that they only could fit five hotcue buttons as opposed to the full eight.
BUTTONS!!!!
To sum up what this controller has that the other ones on the market:
Strip search with
progression indicator lights
Dedicated key adjustment contols with value indicator
Browse type buttons (Tree/Songs/Favorites)
Dedicated View mode button
Dedicated Tap button
Multiple instant loop buttons
Record button
Cruise button
Pitch bend buttons
Cue marker buttons (Set/Delete)
Jump to start button
Assignable buttons??!!
Non assigned buttons??!!
It has one encoder, one fader and a small button that is not assigned for each deck! As well as three assignable buttons in the master section. In my opinion this is AWESOME! I would use this to control the club lighting! :)
Conclusion
This is a total package controller. It doubles as a mixer and has a button layout to die for. Assignable buttons that are free to use for anything that you imagination might offer! The price point isn't too bad, but in my they could have priced a bit higher and put in a better sound card to make this a high end controller.
+ Great button layout
+ HID interface with Traktor
This one is for the newbees!
Pretty nice video from Zeke where he runs through the features on Traktor Scratch Pro 2.
Even though it's pretty old by now it's very informative and not much has changed in 2.5... The sample decks are changed somewhat. Other then that. It's almost all the same.
Enjoy!
Richie Hawtin stopped by the guys at DJ Techtools to shoot the breeze and they got to talking about his newest inovation: Twitter.dj
A while a go Richie started broadcasting his sets live through twitter with this new application that he custom built for Traktor. I wanted this sooo bad and today is my lucky day!
As this was a very good idea he started branching out this idea to work as a platform for more DJs and twitter.dj was bourne. They've made this available for everyone to see and this will probably open up for some interresting new aspects of DJing and sharing.
Through the website you can browse through live sets all around the world at any time. I spent the last hour looking through and I think it's amazing to look at what people are playing at different countries at different times and see what other DJs in the area are playing.
It will get you some new tracks and ideas! LOVE IT! Share the love and your tracklists.
The software is cross platform (Ableton, Traktor or Serato/PC or Mac) and is now available for everybody!
It comes with a very simple step by step manual and it's not that hard to set up.
On Traktor it uses the broadcasting capability to pick up the track info. It's not that hard to set up.
Download the software for Traktor here.
PS: It is currently in beta.
Got your F1 controller yet? :) I am so happy I got mine. The remix deck has made me think about DJing and creating sets in a whole new way. :) LOVE IT!!!
The guys at Dub Spot explain how to use the new controller in this very informative and educational video. DJ Endo goes through the functions of the controller and there is SO much to learn. Many hidden features. :)
Remember to check out the "Easter egg" at the end of the video. ;) VEGAS BABY!
This other video explain a lot of the features and how to use Traktor Pro 2.5 Remix decks in a context of Maschine Producer setting.
It points out a important thing that I missed the first time around. Set the Auto Gain for the remix decks to be active in the settings menu! :)
I've yet to get my self a case for my S4. I'm still using the case that it came in for protection when I'm out playing and that's mainly because I didn't really like the original case that it was released with.
A couple of things that put me off was actually all bout the laptop stand. The concept of the built-in laptop stand built in to the case is brilliant in it self, but it also adds unnecessary weight and adds to the height of the case.
It also requires you to have alot of space behind you setup. Some DJ booths are cramped and then you would just have to take it off anyway.
I mainly don't like hardcases (even though their the best protection for your gear) simply because they are terrible to carry around for long distances. Once my arms get tired I tend to lean over to the side a bit and then the corners of the case start hitting my legs all the time.
There are some good cases for S4 on the market like the UDG Trolley bag. I've bought the other UDG bag which I just love. The quality and all over solution of the bag is simply magnificent.
WARNING: This post contains a lot of words like awesome, fantastic and super...
Midifighter is simply an awesome product and has been one of my favorite controllers for a long time.
Produced by DJ Techtools, it's one of the simplest and probably most durable controllers out there due to it's use of japanese arcade buttons which is ultra durrable and super responsive.
Recently they launched a new product that uses motion sensors that makes you able to map the tilt and pan of the controller to a spesific function in your program. And the awesome RGB lighting of each individual button just looks fantastic!
This will be perfect for the new Traktor Remix functions, so I'm hoping they come with a mapping for Traktor 2.5 where the buttons light up like the F1 (according to the color of your sample in the bank).
Super faders?
Knowing DJ Techtools they also probably use something they called the "super fader" function which basically send multiple midi signals on one controll. Meaning that you've got one midi channel of continous controll for the controller from 0 to 90 degrees and when in 90 degrees it will activate another MIDI channel.
DJ Techtools has created this masterpiece. It's a of DJs for DJs product and I'm putting in my order as soon as my paycheck arrives!
DJ Techtools Ean Golden explain how to beatgrid your tracks.
It's like laundry. Do it every day and it gets done. Do it rarely and it's a hell of an undertaking.
What's explained in the video is the best way to do this, but when you're playing a gig you can do it then and there.
When you're playing a gig the sync type is sat to Temposync.
If you see in the video when Ean goes off beat the phase meter above shows the offbeat. But when you've got a track that is not beatgridded properly it will show off beat when you've got it in sync. When it's all matched up in your ears you can use the move grid to move it untill your phasemeter is correct.
Good luck!
DJ Endo is a sertified Traktor-wiz!
Check out these videos for learning the fairly vast amount of preferences in Traktor! Pretty important to know your system. I learned alot of things I didn't know. Enjoy...
Part 1: Audio Setup + Timecode Configuration
Part 2: Loading and Transport Settings
Part 3: How To Customize Screen Layouts
Part 4: Effects, Recording, Loop Recorder, File Management
So I took a look at this and it's not even close to what I would do my self on a gig and I guess the lot of you feel the same way. I wish Native Instruments would come out with a more direct example of how to use this practically in a club... Cause this is pretty narrow.
So I thought I'd just mention some things that you CAN do with these puppies even if you're not a musical genious like Moldover or as skilled DJ Shiftee.
Put different high hats in one bank, congas in one, drum rolls in one and “take off” effects in one and play them as loops and one shot samples to elevate the dynamics of your mix.
Put different vocal loops, raps, shout outs, name drops and so on into the different banks to fill up the blanks that are in some tracks of to fill up the space when mixing beat to beat on two tracks.
For those of you who use key mixing. Get different cords in the Camelot scale (Eg. 1A = A Flat Minor) 24 in total and distribute them on the pads over a couple of banks. Use it to check if your Keying software got it right.
The F-1 gives you the power to really elevate your mix and through more tools into your DJ toolbox.
A must buy for any DJ that isn’t bound to the A4 DJ format.
If you are however as good as Shiftee or Moldover… There isn’t any software and controller on the market that combines the trait of turntablist and controllerist better.
Normaly DJing require some skill, but to use this controller you need far more then DJ skills to spinn the music. Simply awesome! Might be a bit hard to bring this to the club to do a set though.
Goes to show how creativity and music loves to meet. Enjoy!
The new release is mainly all about the new Remix decks which Native Instruments has actually trademarked. Meaning: It's kind of a big deal for them, but what does it give us users?
What the new Remix decks in Traktor Pro 2.5 basically does is take 4 ableton decks and put them direcly in to a deck Traktor. Switching all 4 decks in Traktor in to Remix decks will give you the ability to play 16 tracks at once and have 256 samples or loops at your fingertips.
Alternative to Ableton?
You will be able to store each Remix deck as a "scene" or what NI calls a Remix Set (Also Trademarked) and quickly create a 64 (4x16) sample bank.
All in all this makes Traktor an alternative for Ableton users. What Traktor gives in adition to Ableton is offcause the native DJ experience and workflow. So in effect I believe that alot of Ableton users now will switch from Ableton and start performing in Traktor.
The goal
I guess the goal for Native Instruments is empower the DJ to be able to create remixes on the fly and have a tool and workflow that is both powerfull and user friendly. Together with the F1, I fermly believe that there is no other DJ software on the market delivering this much power.
Quatize
There is alot of new adaptations under the hood with this release aswell. You can now change the quantization for the decks. This probably means that you're not locked in to 1:1, but can go further down into quantization to be able to say in time and beeing able to play with 16th notes. Looking forward to seeing this.
Beat Detection
Also they've upgraded the beat detection feature. Though not as good as Ableton, Mixmeister or M-Audio Torq (which is able to handle songs of beat) it's getting closer. The tempo tap feature helps alot in these cases though and can help you stay on beat even if it changes. This is usefull in tracks that change beat. The new thing is that you will be able to go back to the previous stored tempo if the track is locked.
Read more about the new upgrade of Traktor Pro 2.5 at Native Instrument
The last couple of weeks I've been itching to see the new 2.5 version of Traktor and to see the entire Kontrol F1 revieled and yesterday NI lifted the vail.
The new controller is tailor made for the 2.5 remix section which replace the existing loop decks on C & D. Which in fact is a 4 banks x 16 samples clip launcher. It's got a 4x4 pad which is RGB back lit. You can color code different types of samples and get a very quick overview of what your launcing without looking at the screen. This is probably the best sample launcing tool around.
Allready ordered one. :)
The new software ships 30.May and is free for Traktor Pro 2, S4 and S2 users!
Controller is available at the same time at $279 / 249 Euro.
It looks like they've created entire bank files so you are able to store presets for each deck. This makes loading alot easier...
The video below is of DJ (funny bone) Shiftee and Rapper Greg Nice. The video is shot at Snoop Doggs appartment! All is pretty impressive!
Touch interfaces lack the tacktile feedback of an actual knob, turntable or jogwheel.
Even though this video is of a Serato setup I still believe that this might enspire someone to move ahead with implementing more visual feedback into controllers.
It looked like the video had alot of lag though and this offcause has to be fixed...
I perticular like the audio overlay of the turntables that they did and the audio strips along the mixer.
Visualy this does appeal more to me then the deck by deck layout that Traktor has. Maybe we'll see this on a mixer in the nead future.
It would be awesome if I could have a couple of small screens (connected via USB maybe) that we could place around the setup and then be able to pick elements (most likely the audiostips) of the software to be shown on these screens.
Just read a very informative article at DJ Techtools about this topic.
In my opinion it all basically boils down to what interface you have available.
HID is in theory superiour, but can be buggy at times. Timecode is simpler more analogue approch, but is also very accurate.
If you've got CD players and can pick either one. I think the HID is the best way to go IF the controller has a good HID integration to the software.
I still feel that when it comes to the pure transport controll of a deck; nothing can beat the intuitive and vastly superior feel of a vinyl record.
Best thing is that with Traktor you can go either way, so bring enough gear and cables to use both options.
After looking through this new video I'm pretty excited to see what upgrades will be done to the sampler in the upcoming release.
The new controller looks to be purposely built for a reworked sampler unit in Traktor.
The new sampler in Traktor:
The new sampler in Traktor will have be as it is today with four banks per deck, but you will be able to have four samples within each bank. These can be color coded and mapped to the controller for launching.
The new Controller:
The new controller will have the following layout (from the top to bottom):
Four rotary knobs (Filter for each bank)
Four faders (Volume for each bank)
3 buttons, LED display and encoder | Buttons: Sync? (?), ?(Edit), Capture (Delete)
5 button row: Shift, Reverse (Color), Type (Pitch), Size (Speed) and Browse (Midi)
4 x 4 RGB back-lit button grid (for sample launching)
4 back-lit rubber buttons (for stopping an entire bank)
Pressing shift, you can do the following setup for each bank: Key, FX, Cue and Punch. (1:14 in the video)
Speculating on a name: Traktor Kontrol X2
Speculating on release date: April.
Speculating on price: about 250,00 € or $300
