I haven't downloaded it yet, but other than the coloured waveforms, I haven't found much more new features to the S4.

Here's my Traktor 2 review I posted on another board.

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::: TOOLS :::
Traktor 2
Audio 8 Soundcard
Pioneer DJM800 Mixer (I used all 4 channels at once)
Kontrol X1
2 Pioneer CDJ 800's.

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Whoa! Time fly’s. I spent the whole night messing with the new Traktor 2. Here's my unbiased review.

Traktor 2 is a MONSTER!!!! Straight out, it's a whole different ballgame now and Traktor is now on a whole different league!

Like anything else in life, there's always something that stands out above the rest. In Traktor's case it's the new Sample Decks! These are the SP6 on steroids! You can have up to 4 samples per deck at once, that's 16 decks playing at once! I fucken loved them! You can use the sample decks to trigger drops and loops. But if you're using the sample decks to just trigger your drops, you're not taking full advantage of them.

Think of the sample decks as Ableton Clips inside Traktor!!! Yeap! You can load 32 beat loops in each deck and have them be perfectly synced in time with whatever track you’re playing live. I loaded a bunch of stems (kicks, leads, bass, percs, etc) into them and remixed on the fly. That was awesome!!!! I also replicated the DJM 900's noise effect using my DJM800. I loaded a white noise loop into a sample deck, applied a filter and phaser from the DJM800 and used the knobs on the mixer to control the timing. WORKED LIKE A CHARM!!! Or, I could've just used Traktor's built in White Noise effect, but that would've been no fun! hahaha

I downloaded the demo before shelling out $79 for the upgrade. The only limitation is that it's a timed demo, so it only works for 30 min. The new default Traktor interface has been streamlined and they've taken away a lot of the extra features to make the interface very clean. I can tell they did this to appeal to the Serato users. Traktor is completely configurable, so you can add all the bells and whistles, as you like.

Installing Traktor was a breeze. I had to download the new Service Center, and after that it was a piece of cake. They added a new Setup Wizard, so when you launch it for the first time, it asks you a bunch of questions and depending on your answers, Traktor is configured for you. That was cool, cuz once you follow it, and you really don't need to dig into the preferences unless you want more advance features. However, if you're not that technically inclined, Traktor might still be confusing to you. It's a give and take. Do you want to take your sets to a whole new level using the latest Traktor Technology? Or do you want to sound like every other dime per dozen DJ?

The new waveforms rock!!! They are VERY VERY detailed. I like them a lot. It seams like NI upgraded their algorithm cuz all my tracks were gridded properly. This is crucial because if you want your loops to work seamlessly, you need to have the tracks warped correctly.

interesting. to bad i dont have any mp3 anymore as i only use streaming with spotify now. damn. im still wondering why the soundcard doesnt have XLR balanced outs. its really weird imo.

quote:

Originally posted by Senator Clay Davis interesting. to bad i dont have any mp3 anymore as i only use streaming with spotify now. damn. im still wondering why the soundcard doesnt have XLR balanced outs. its really weird imo.

Because DJ mixers don't have balanced ins and neither do CDJs or TTs have balanced outs. And it's mainly a soundcard for DJs, so there really is no need for balanced outs on it. Balanced ins for recording? I guess, but then again it's likely going to be right next to the mixer and with a short RCA cable you're not very likely to get much interference anyway.

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put lets say you are djeing inside the computer without a external mixer (this is possible i guess???), and you just want to smash the soundcard directly into the monitors like 20m away. you would need balanced XLR. its weird imo. i find it weird that CDJ and standard mixer doesnt use XLR. All good HIFI does. and all other Pro PA too. weird. something wrong with the standards of djeing. its like they insists its toys.

hey , what option is the best to go for djing? and what do you guys prefer?

1.laptop + audio8/10/ +timecode vinyls/cds
2.laptop + audio2/4 + x1
3.laptop+s4?

How it works in clubs? I mean you need to plug in to the main mixer there right? so for 2.3 option you pick one channel on that mixer and connect your master to it? and for option 1 you need to reconnect more channels, wouldnt this be too messy at middle in the night?

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quote:

Originally posted by Senator Clay Davis put lets say you are djeing inside the computer without a external mixer (this is possible i guess???), and you just want to smash the soundcard directly into the monitors like 20m away. you would need balanced XLR. its weird imo. i find it weird that CDJ and standard mixer doesnt use XLR. All good HIFI does. and all other Pro PA too. weird. something wrong with the standards of djeing. its like they insists its toys.

Why the hell would you buy a sound card with 10 ins and 10 outs if all you need is two outs? And all good Hi-Fi uses XLR? Really now? I'd say that XLR is VERY rare in Hi-Fi. It's more of a pro audio thing. I guess CDJs, TTs and mixers could use balanced connections only, but there really isn't much benefit in it. Even if you think XLR's the dog's bollocks, it doesn't make sense to use it everywhere.

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quote:

Originally posted by drogtech hey , what option is the best to go for djing? and what do you guys prefer? 1.laptop + audio8/10/ +timecode vinyls

ur set

quote:

Originally posted by skip Why the hell would you buy a sound card with 10 ins and 10 outs if all you need is two outs? And all good Hi-Fi uses XLR? Really now? I'd say that XLR is VERY rare in Hi-Fi. It's more of a pro audio thing. I guess CDJs, TTs and mixers could use balanced connections only, but there really isn't much benefit in it. Even if you think XLR's the dog's bollocks, it doesn't make sense to use it everywhere.

you might have all those inputs for recording stuff. multiple purpose soundcards aint that stupid imo. or for cdjs or whatever. i just find it weird that in the PRO gear which djeing usually aim for, atleast the head products should be balanced all the way. yes it matters you can have like less noise and more headroom.

more headroom? awww shiiiiiiiiiiitt

quote:

Originally posted by Senator Clay Davis you might have all those inputs for recording stuff. multiple purpose soundcards aint that stupid imo. or for cdjs or whatever. i just find it weird that in the PRO gear which djeing usually aim for, atleast the head products should be balanced all the way. yes it matters you can have like less noise and more headroom.

The difference in noise levels is negligible with short cable runs. The possible 6dB increase in headroom? Where do you need that going from a CDJ to a mixer? You don't. The headroom increase is an argument for balanced connections but in the applications we're talking about it does not make a difference and otherwise the difference isn't very big either.

But by making all the connections on mixers, CDJs, TTs and sound cards balanced, you'd have to introduce a shitload of more circuitry to split the signal, invert the phase of the other and then invert it back at the receiving end and sum the signals back together. Some people actually prefer it that their audio doesn't run thru any unnecessary circuits. So with short cable runs you might even get less noise with unbalanced cable runs as the signal doesn't have to go thru any additional circuits. Also: more circuitry = more expensive and more space needed. So leaving them out where they're not needed is actually very sensible.

I personally think that balanced connections are brilliant, but there's a place for everything and for what you're describing using balanced connections simply does not make sense. They are not some magical solution to make sound quality better EVERYWHERE.

And about multi purpose sound cards. I agree, it'd be nicer to have all in one box compared to having an Audio 10 DJ and let's say an Apogee Duet separately but it would cost more and as most people wouldn't need some of the features, why should they be paying for them? If you need a great sound card with high sound quality and 2 balanced outs and 2 balanced ins, get the new Apogee Duet 2. You'll be much better off with that than an Audio 10 DJ.

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