crashing as soon as it opens

Thanks for this information - My unit does have a fault so I will hopefully get a replacement tomorrrow. If the issue persists then I will refer to your advice. thanks

 

unfortunately, even with a new unit I have the same problem. I have set up a power profile on high performance for traktor but I have the same issue.
I am not using a hub.
The software opens - I get a screen that says I need to update firmware and it crashes.
still unusable - even with a brand new unit???

 

Update the firmware to Ver. 66 with the Firmware Updater. If it do not work or crash have a look to a friend or your Dealer with a Mac. They should make the Firmware Update. I have no problems with Mac.

 

U

nfortunately

 

Unfortunately the software quits before I can get to the updater

 

Mac will be your best friend

 

just a quick update. 10wks & counting STILL NOT WORKING. this is an intel i5 problem as apple users having same problem. now beta testing 2.7.2 but still no joy although it appears all the 2.7 bugs have now gone and my s4 working sweet again. but as for the s8 ive boxed it back up til the problem is solved got fed up of switching between them after s8 crash which it always does

 

Hi,

My first post here and its for something like this.. I dont mean to hi-jack this thread but I too have issues with my brand new S8.

Its the same kind of issue as the OP said.

As soon as I touch a filter knob or try to load a track into my deck it crashes. The screens freeze/Audio stops sometimes the controller screens turn off completely but the PAD LED's remain active and then usually comes back on again.

Other times it could be because I press spacebar to browse my files in Traktor (v2.8.0) and it will crash.

I have a fairly decent system (2013-2014).
AMD FX 8150 @ 4GHz
16GB DDR Ram (2X8GB) @ 1600mhz
GPU: Sapphire R9 290X TRI-X (Stock)
SSD storage (SATA3)
USB3 to Kontrol S4 direct to back panel IO port
Gigabyte Motherboard GA-990FXA-UD7
Water cooling
SP120 high-air flow fans for the radiator cooling systems, etc etc.
Buckets of system capacity even under traktor load.

As suggested I have adjusted my Graphics card catalyst setting 3D profile settings for traktor, Created a new Power profile (High power)
Updated the drivers system-wide. etc etc.. idk what else I can do???

This is my sole system for using traktor on and I use my other system for day-job stuff.. But the problem remains on that system too!.
I'm quite cheesed off I cant use this device as it cost me a pretty penny and yet its not working..

I hope the tech-team get the bugs out of the drivers or provide a better working fix for me or I will be forced to go for a refund (I hope this is not the case though!)

Mods: FYI this is my support ticket ID which I just posted a moment ago
[Ticket# 2015051110000531]

Thanks & fingers crossed!

 

Hi Majikaz,

Your post does seem similar to a lot fo problems that people are experiencing.
I spent almost 6 weeks going back and forward to NI, they were very helpful but even after all of this I could not completely sort out the issue.
Through a lot of trials and sending reports and screen shots I was only able to improve things but it was still crashing through playback.
In the end I had to buy a MAC. this has solved all problems but not great for PC users. NI pretty much told me that because of all the different variations, parts and functionality fo PC that all setups cannot possibly be tested.
NI were very helpful but ultimately the pretty much said it is the best thing to do.

If you do wnat to persist, contact NI, they will send you an analysis tool which you can run and send hem the reports.
They shoudl get back to you wish some fixes and things to try.

Other than that, the decision will be yours to get a mac or return the item. check whether AMD processors are compatible too.

Not much help I know, good luck

ian.

 

Hey Ian,

Thanks for your reply.. All I can say is ****.!

"NI pretty much told me that because of all the different variations, parts and functionality fo PC that all setups cannot possibly be tested.
NI were very helpful but ultimately the pretty much said it is the best thing to do."

I'm sorry but that sound's like a bit of a cop-out!. N-I have built a product. Charged a lot of money for it, marketed it for cross platform support and they drop the ball.. Traktor is built using QT which by nature is cross compatible so that kind of answers one side of the equation. the other missing link are the firmware/drivers. Are they WHQL tested and verified. I have not checked?​

I really, REALLY hope this does not end up being the case.

I have not only spent a LOT of money on the controller itself but also all the other bells and whistles along with it. Monitors/Stands/Workstation/Acoustic materials/Desk. etc etc.

If the final answer is to buy a MAC how much money do they think I have? if this is only to work on MAC IT SHOULD BE STATED AS SO.

Until I receive official word this is just speculation in my case atm.

until I have word back from the tech team I can only guess as to what the problem's are.

With regards to the CPU support I did only see Sampron/Phenom cpu mentioned in the AMD cpu family dropdown list but NOT Bulldozer/Piledriver cpu's (which I am running). I hope they done some testing with those CPU's as they are what I have in my workstation system (And I bet many millions of other end users have bulldozer/piledriver cpu's installed on their systems too!!).

Forgive my ignorance but I assume the S4 controller went through something like this in terms of bugs/glitches on launch correct, (teething pains)?

Also my final point which is to the NI team.. Perhaps you should make the system diagnostic tool publically available and furthermore the list of Hardware combinations and cpu profile setups you tested against/across also publically available, not just on paper system compatibility tests but actual hard-systems which the S8 was specifically built for (excluding MAC based systems)

Did you test on any linux distributions if so what *NIX OS'es?? I would be happy to install Ubuntu or something of that nature if needs must.

But again Im getting ahead of myself.

Perhaps there should be ONE thread for all these common issues as opposed to several separate threads so we all have a cohesive flow of information to follow and carry out our own tests on to see which trick may help make these S8's work.

Regards

Majikaz

http://www.native-instruments.com/e...ontrollers/traktor-kontrol-s8/specifications/

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Mac OS X 10.9 or 10.10 (latest update), Intel Core i5, 4 GB RAM

Windows 7 or 8 (latest Service Pack, 32/64 Bit), 2.0 GHz Intel Core i5 or equal AMD processor, 4 GB RAM

GENERAL
Monitor with 1024 x 768 screen resolution, USB 2.0 or higher, OpenGL version 2.1 or higher, 1.5 GB free disc space, high-speed internet connection (for installation)

I seem to surpass that limited spec requirements list !

 

Hiya,

Yes, it does sound like a cop out but I am just passing on what I know. I could probably have sorted the issue if I had unlimited time and patience, but I wanted to get on with things and not have continuing issues that may or may not crop up with updates or whatever. I also had a computer that surpassed requirements but beyond that, there are much deeper issues not revealed.

Essentially, it's the screens in the S8 that cause the issues. They are being recognised as additional monitor screens and this is what causes the issues as is my understanding

The S4 did have some issues but is the screens on the S8 that are the source of the problems.

I completely understand your frustration as I was the same, I just had enough in the end.
I do suggest that you get onto NI for the analysis tool and perhaps suggest making that public.

I hope you are able to overcome these issues.

All the best.

Ian.

 

Hi again,

Just another though, we need a list of Versions of Traktor which are known to have the LEAST number of complaints from S8 end-users. my thought is to downgrade to an older version of Traktor. ?

Also a proper guide of all the compiled tips and tricks so far harvested throughout this forum for troubleshooting the S8 issues (All-in-one place)

This will ease the burden on the N-I tech team staff and also allow the more nerdy of us to carry out our own testing to see what DOES and DOES NOT work . But again I reiterate we need a baseline to work with. We need the base systems which the S8 was developed/tested against pre-production.

We also need any older S8 drivers (if there are any available) to back test.

And from a PR perspective some kind of public statement from the NI team about these compatibility matters so that potential customers are FULLY aware about the possible compatibility issues PRIOR to purchasing these controllers.

Until I get a response from the tech team I will carry out some methodical tests myself but that analysis tool would be a great first step.

Ian if you would be so kind can you forward that analysis tool over to me please. So I can take a look and try to make heads or tails out of any debug logs which it spits out.

Regards..

 

I am sorry but I ditched the the tool after I moved away from PC.

I found these instructions back from an old thread

1) update your drivers... its just a good idea (although maybe not necessary)
2) get into your graphics control panel (not the intel one if you have it) for me its as easy as right clicking on the desktop (windows), going to Nvidia control panel (or catalyst control panel for AMD users)
3) go to "manage 3D settings" (not sure where this is on an AMD)
4) On the global settings tab Select "High-Performance NVIDIA Processor"
5) Go to Program Settings Tab
6) Under "Select a Program To Customize" click add
7) Go to your Traktor.exe file (either search or if you use the default instal it will be in Program Files/Native Instruments/Traktor 2/ )
8) Click Open
9) Select High-Performance NVIDIA Processor in the dropdown

Beyond that I am at a loss, they did take my query seriously and I found teh team to be attentive and helpful
good luck

ian.

 

Hey Ian,

Cheers for the feedback.. and yeah they are the same set of steps which I stumbled upon in a previous thread.. thank you for reposting it here..
I agree with respect to infinite time etc I could probably fix things to a certain extent myself etc. but I hate seeing others having to face this same feeling I am going through at the moment. Its a real shame after receiving a brand new "toy" you just like to get stuck into and have a jam with it but yet we cannot ! UNLESS YOU BUY A MAC lol...

Oh yes, by the way can you recommend a cheap MAC laptop (cheap is not the operative word when it comes to macs, lol) but you know what i mean, which will suffice to use with this S8. So I have a rough idea on costs I could potentially be facing if forced to upgrade to a mac.. thanks again Ian.

 

No Worries, not sure I have been much help but I wanted to tell you my experience as you are not alone with your utter frustration.

I am not sure there is a cheap option for Mac but you are looking at £999 realistically.
You can get a 13 inch (non-retina) macbook pro for £899 - this is 8GB Ram and 500GB storage.
However I opted for a Solid State drive, with Retina display - this is £999
the storage is only 128GB but it encourages you to not fill up your computer too much
there is a 250 and 500GB version but they go up about £100-£200 each model.
You cannot upgrade the drives to larger capacity either

I hope that helps

Good luck

 

Hi just a quick update with regards to the S8 on Win based systems.. I have tested across several setups and several systems and I am having no luck at all.. I have noticed a couple of common triggers for the cut-off's for example when triggering a FX per channel that usually kills the controller but I have tweaked some OS settings via Process Lasso (Bitsum) I notice as mentioned previously and confirmed that CCC.exe (AMD Catalyst) is around the area where the S8 is having issues. Each time CCC is powering down the thread/process it trips Traktor or some other lower level system proc.

Which either is causing the buffer to fill and the amount of latency to build and kill traktor. In conjunction with all of the above the internal Audio Dialogue panel from within Traktor is stating that there are many USB errors. it "Panics" (goes "RED") controller dies then starts back up again.

A note which I think is worth mentioning during a few tests when the S8 crashed the screens went "funny" different than a normal crash if that makes any sense like I haven't seen before.. Like white and black "snow-flakes" like an out of tune TV screen..

Anyway, I have "unparked" all 8 cores of my CPU and messed with process priorities etc.

Following the troubleshooting instructions by changing USB ports, test through a USB hub etc nothing fixes it.

Drilling down in the Device manager to see if S8 controller is correctly detected in the system, in my case Yes the OS see it fine.

IMHO it seem's to steam from AMD Catalyst driver support (incl. USB)

Windows process thread management is crap and I suggest more granular control via process lasso.

It could be Motherboard (BIOS) IOMMU issue.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOMMU ??? (Will test on this later)
My gut is saying its a driver issue which can get fixed but i suspect NI team will not make it a priority.. idk i maybe wrong.

I have tested the traktor.exe process in real-time/above-normal, etc still no change I have also put CCC.exe into various combinations of thread priority but no luck there either.

I have also checked the USB root HUB in device manager and refreshed them all..
I have also tested with just monitor speakers (All S8 sound card) and no built in sound-card usage and it still comes to a grinding hault.

I have even put on ASIO4all 2 as a test but problems still remain the same.

IMO this controller is not meant for windows systems. I would like to hear from anyone who has managed to successfully run the S8 on a windows based system which the Kontrol S8 actually works on. And if they could be so kind publish their specs. <== ( That would help

I have not had any feedback from the support team either.. it has only been 48hrs or so but still not even a hint from the tech guys as to what it could be or even any further acknowledgement from the initial report I submitted..

A lot of effort has gone into trying to figure the problem out so far. The S8 is just an expensive paper weight for me atm and I am almost at my whits end. RMA springs to mind.!

--edit
I will dive into my BIOS and kill all the bells and whistles and any unused features for my Motherboard and see if that helps.

Also using the latest FW 80

Maj

 

HI,

I am running the Kontrol s8 on a windows system, also running fw 80 and traktor 2.8.1
My config is in my signature.

I never experienced any major problems with traktor or the s8 except a few things related to known issues. Like the crash of traktor when sorting tracks (version 2.7.3 and before), with the update to version 2.8.0 i had problems with a short audio distortion when first time changing or assigning an effect after startup of the S8/Traktor. This seems to be gone after updating to 2.8.1.
The update from 2.8.0 to 2.8.1 resulted in the S8 not working (staying in the startup screen) but doing a full install of 2.8.1 resolved that problem.

I had some problems with the screens and traktor showing a blurry waveform and not running smoothly whilst the audio was running just fine.

So if i can be of any further help let me know !

 

Seems i cant edit my previous post, the screen problems existed only on my laptop(diffrent setup, I5 lenovo laptop) but also window based when i was playing a gig. Also this setup never let me down execpt for a few audio drop out that were related to latency problems.

 

Hey,

ahh right.. ok.. Well, for the moment I have some more ideas what I can test myself to get this sorted but your post gives me some much needed hope !

Cheers rob !

Are there any AMD CPU setups this works on out there?? it maybe NI tapping into Intel 64-bit specific instruction sets which are not supported by AMD cpu's.. idk just a thought!