We held off on this one for a bit as we wanted to get the details on Native Instruments upcoming Traktor Kontrol S2.  The S4 has been a big success since its release last year, and although we did not review it, we thought it had some positives as well as negatives.  After reading up on the S2, it appears many of the main features of the S4 will be available in the little brother, minus one of the best things the S4 had going for it in the 4 channels and the loop recorder.  The four channel feature allows you to run 2 tracks, samples, and acappellas together seamlessly integrating all of them at once into your mix.  The loop recorder allows you to record samples on the fly and trigger them at any point while beatmatching them, making for a great way to add extra snippets to your mixes. Read more »

Traktor Scratch Upgrade

If you were one of the people to buy Traktor’s Kontrol S4 and did not like using the jog wheels, this might be for you.  Native Instruments has announced their Scratch Upgrade Kit for S4.  This upgrade will allow you to use timecode (AKA: CDJ’s and turntables) with your S4 hardware so you can get the best of both worlds.  NI dubs it: The Scratch Upgrade Kit allows you to connect your turntables or CDJs to your TRAKTOR KONTROL S4 and combine your scratch routines with the professional features available on your TRAKTOR KONTROL S4. The ultimate DJ solution from TRAKTOR: the hands-on precision of decks with the creative potential of the TRAKTOR KONTROL S4.

Read more »