A Message from the Makers of TRAKTOR

2 more thumbs for the Traktor D2s. I just gave them a proper DVS System on their sides and just realise how much you did right with them. So first of all, give that guy a job who does all the Interface updates for the D2 etc. He does such a great job (and I heard he at least got some part time for the CDJ3000 HID integration)!!! I guess, I also fit the Traktor vision quite a bit by beeing someone who was a producer first and then a DJ second. So things I would love to see are:

1.Real Time Stem seperation: Even though I could create Stem Files out of my own productions, I don't really do it. Mostly because I don't really like the idea of deconstructing a finished track for live sets in preperation. I much more go with the idea of being creative with all the tools I can get to deconstruct in real time. So real time Stems would be a great tool for that. And the NI Stem Controllers already has all the buttons and faders for that, right?! And the Izotope guys and girls could help you with the code, right?! (See RX8)

2.A per Track Looper: I use an Allen&Heath DB4 with a little one button Looper and thats just so incredebly handy as fast way to grab a piece of performance to free my hands up for other jobs in the process.

Or

3.A Sequence Recorder for Hotcue and Slicer Actions:Again, to be able to add another layer of performance actions on top.

And as a Maschine+ user it would be interesting to see ways of loading Maschine kits into Traktor.

Besides that I'm quite happy with Traktor, I have to admit.

 

I really hope not…

They have been conducting some surveys over the last year regarding hardware, and Pedram @ NI said “new” hardware!

Really looking forward to the new products / software updates, keep up the good work!

 

If only… a while ago I even made a post about some of the features I’d love to see in the Hardware, which I also stated on the X1 post they created

 

Thank you, one day, hopefully! I helped as much as I could while working on the CDJ-3000 integration project
Until then… I’ll do my best to help Traktor hardware owners improve their Traktor experience!

 

Oh dear…

 

Elastic beatgrids for the 25th birthday present.

 

I understand what your saying regarding "conventional" DJ's but i felt at the time that the whole idea of the these stems focused controllers where aimed directly at the less conventional Dj's with the hope that more conventional Dj's who perhaps were ready to try something in addition would jump on board and experiment.

In many ways i still feel Traktor is great as you can go very basic or all in extreme in a way that is not possible with a lot of other platforms (I've tried them all)

I'm very excited to see where Traktor goes from here safe in the knowledge that if they go in a direction that isn't as much fun I can still continue to use everything i do now without any problems.

 

It'd be wonderful if you were working on something like this:
https://www.native-instruments.com/forum/threads/traktor-kontrol-pro-series-feedback.449359/

Feel free to blow our minds with something even better!

 

I kind of agree. I still use Traktor myself. I guess the challenge is to find your "niche" between the main players. Pioneer is the big boss for the majority, conventional and EDM DJ's. Denon tries to be the challenger, i wish them good luck, it's not gonna happen imho. Numark is aiming for entry-level bedroom DJ's. Serato is typically aimed at more "urban" styles. Traktor was (is?) big in the Techno scene, with 4 decks & fx. So the question is: what would creative forward-thinking techno DJ's want in a combi of DJ software & hardware. I guess the answer lies in the looping, creative FX, multiple decks, easy management of loops/cue's, and integration with external devices (Link?).... delivering this in stable great-sounding software, combined with easy-access hardware is the key i believe.

 

Another jog controller for sure, there aren’t enough and techno djs never used turntables neither.

ironic mode: off.

All those djs asking for jogwheels derailed Traktor heritage but then never bought an mk3…

 

I'm not saying NI should deliver jogwheel based hardware, because I think "conventional" DJ's will be either going to Pioneer because of it's market dominance ("the boss, it's everywhere") or go to entry stuff from Numark, Reloop etc.

But being innovative and cutting edge has a clear risk: you REALLY need to understand what your specific market segment wants/needs, and if there is a big enough chunk for you to make a profit with.

It's like Ableton: it was conceived by musicians to cater for their own needs, and this resonated with a lot of other people. I feel Traktor 4 and its corresponding hardware should be conceived by the techno leaders like Speedy J, Richie Hawtin etc. for their specific needs and requirements, and then NI's strategy and sales dept need to figure out if there is a big enough market in this segment, and what the pricepoint should be. You need to have unique specialists features to compete in the current DJ market, otherwise you're just a me-too, and you cannot carve out a space. It's very tricky.

 

Denon Prime series HID integration would be also a great step, especially with the active Platter like Rane Twelves. Not only for Scratch Dj's but also for vinyl oldschool dj's who like the vinyl workflow.

What also is (...or was) a big hype out there - a mixer that has traktor on board (like Qbet's Invader) but then 4 channel maybe?)
Maybe an S8 or like a Xone 4D in stand alone version...? - cool for techno djs. (maybe a partnership with A&H to build a unique Techno driven mixer.
Another innovation would be Traktor based Media player working in Traktor's ecosystem + a remix deck standalone device as an adding to it - also would be a game changer for creative djs that like to rearrange tracks on the fly (with loop look ahead functionality).
A DJM-S11-like mixer with traktor on board for scratch djs to go back to Traktor from the competition...?

Of course many users will have different needs. These are just my ideas based on my own observations of the dj market, but I think these devices would tick many boxes form most of Traktor users.

 

Please, no.

I'm tired of this "superstar DJs know it better". They dont, in a statistical point of view.

Doing the above has led to this dire situation, and repeating it will make even worse.

 

Crazy idea: why not support... the DJM-S11 itself?
Because the HW is sold by Pionner?

 

That would be also cool, but we had Z2 already, just need more love and care.
Rane 72 - Serato
DJM-S11 - Rekordbox & Serato
Z2 - Traktor
Reloop Elite - Serato

New Traktor Z2 mk2 with Traktor on board....? - Why not

 

The Z2 was futuristic at the time of release, but the market has advanced so much, that NI can't realistically compete. Maybe against something like the Reloop Elite, but not Rane or Pioneer. Modern, digital DJ mixers are unbelievably complex. Z2 is hopelessly old by this point, and it seems NI mixers are just a dream. Without any own hardware, I doubt NI has any chance. Despite all the 'openness', NI can't even provide simple MIDI maps for even the most common hardware. I own an S11, and just can't be bothered with mapping TP any more, as I'd still lose a lot of functionality.

 

i get what you're saying. But isn't it a fact that the majority of the market for companies like NI are "bedroom DJ and producers" and that these always look to what their idols are using, and buy this? I'm not saying it's good or right, but it's what i see happening over and over again.

After FinalScratch came to Stanton, NI successfully approached and won the market from Stanton with DVS, but then let it slip away to Serato who was able to deliver a technological superior (as in more streamlined, stable and tight) solution and market this with the big names in the "Urban" scene. And thus Serato became a household name in this scene.

If you would ask anyone where Traktor is a household name? It's not the EDM and "wedding" DJ's, it's not the Urban scene, that's all Pioneer Rekordbox and Serato. They won't give this market away.

So where to focus on? What is your market? And what is your USP compared to the alternatives? Stems? Touchstrips instead of jogs? Coloured waveform screens in the controller? I dunno. its a hard challenge.

In my mind the big opportunity for NI and traktor lies in the combination of DJ'ing and live performing, with a focus on sound quality (like A&H has successfully pulled off)...the highest quality filters, the highest quality EQ, the highest quality summing, the highest quality AD and output, the highest quality FX, the highest quality timecode syncing, the highest quality sound-generators. But this comes at a price, and is probably only interesting for the (semi) pro market.

So NI first needs to decide for whom Traktor is designed: (semi)pro or bedroom hobbyists?

NB for myself: i started with custom-built DVS using DJDecks and MissPinky vinyl, then went to Traktor with DVS. I purchased for this the Audio4DJ. I still use Traktor 2.6.x because it's stable and it works on my Macbook Pro, but i'm not using DVS anymore, so i've added an X1 mk2. As long as the hardware works (and i'm able to stay on a Mac OS version that works with that hardware) i will stay on Traktor 2.6.x I've played around with Rekordbox but i'm not a fan, it feels sluggish and brittle. Serato i've never tried, but i don't like the lock-in on specific hardware (if that's still the case?). So when my hardware breaks down it's either NI providing a compelling alternative or I will be moving over to Pioneer entirely, because that's what is in place everywhere i DJ anyway.

 

Z2 is an old mixer now. But if We could get a mixer that would have traktor on board, looking like S8 with build in Traktor, and jus stick Your USB to it and play...?
Prime 4 but without jog wheels rings a bell? - Direction - Techno Dj's (Xone 4D with build in Traktor) - Innovative idea, putting al what you need together.
Adding 2 Platter/jog wheel controllers to it would be a great addition.
Direct DVS support for Phase and timecode - only adds up.

Or 4 channel mixer with folding touchscreen, that would be already midi and dvs ready - plug in Your TT's phase or midi/hid device, usb stick with musci (or build in SSD) - great gear again.
Lan and Wifi for ableton link - win again...

The idea is not dead if executed correctly...

 

sounds interesting! But this would be aimed purely at bedroom and "wedding" DJ's that bring their own mixer. I'm not sure how big this market is, and if bedroom DJ's want to spend money on such a "standalone Traktor mixer" if there are also fully integrated units, even standalone (like MixStream Pro, Denon Go or Pioneer XDJ range).

I wouldn't want to stand in NI's shoes. I think their best bet would be to go for a modular approach as described by Noiseproject: a self-contained Traktor-powered 4 or 6 channel club-mixer, A&H style, with full support for Ableton Link, MIDI, MIDI timecode, aux send/return loops for external fx, internal fx controls etc. Plus modular "click-on" controllers like a D2 mk2 and X1 mk3, which should be able to work with the Traktor mixer, but also with the Traktor software, all seamlessly.

 

As You seen on the basis of standalone devices the market is big and better to bite in to it before it gets filled up too much. Now we have actually 2 major brands to choose from and one lower tier brand. So why not go for the cake before it gets eaten…