Final Solution To Audio Drop Outs Crackles Etc Using Traktor S4

I am sorry and you trolling people who have a genuine problem is helping any?
For the record i am venting my extreme frustration with a over priced product that does not work as stated.
Any system here having issues are WELL above the specs N.I. clearly outlines on the website and box, some are near server spec and face same issues so this isnt just users with old hardware.


I posted my findings here but my thread didnt get approved by mods.
I have tried this on multiple systems with windows bare bones not even activated and stripped way way down.
latencymon shows the same thing on all systems USB.sys shows 1.6+
the S2 is the only device plugged in.

My issue is i work in IT and for me to tell someone that to use a program they must get uber geek and disable a sh!tload of services just to get up and running.... is NO solution.
Disable wifi defeats the streaming option in traktor does it not?
Disable multicore support defeats the purpose of having a quad core system?

And for the people saying you dont need wifi when your djing... why not?
i post my tracks to twitter live as they play so anyone can view my tracklist.
I also stream sets live so people can tune in before hitting the venue.

This is a HUGE part of my setup and has been rendered useless by my purchase of the S2.

I have an S2 and thanks to N.I. price drop i can't get anything close to what i paid for this and believe you me i have tried.

 

Ethernet Adapter

After searching this forum for days, the only thing that worked was
Disabling the Ethernet adapter and wireless card. I used to have huge red spikes with latencymon and now they are gone. For now, this is okay but i hope there is fix in the future. Hope this helps anyone who is mad like me.
Evan

 

The solution is just up to you

@alessandrosra;
Your solution is master! Thanks!

To all having problems with drop outs:

Read alessandrosra's post above here, It's a good way for anyone to start and test their configuration!
You can build up from there, adding windows services afterwards if you like.
I also use process-hacker along with it to suspend threads like ACPI, this is also a common windows bug causing spikes.
Disabling the ethernet card can sometimes even cause red spikes too. Just disable wifi adapter only and test it.

Audio problems can happen with any pc and any hardware, because real time audio is a very delicate process that simply needs more system resources than other applications.
Windows is not build to perform that way straight out of the box.
It takes a lot of time trying and testing to get your system right.
If you don't get this, than digital dj-ing might not be for you.

I use Traktor for almost a decade now and I can get it running smoothly on ANY pc or laptop, even those old crappy systems with very underrated specs.
It's just a matter of disabling stuff like devices and services until the system can handle real time audio.
I always tweak my PC to the fullest, and then add some windows features and test them.
Sometimes the system needs some more tweaking, then try to use the latency-monitor and process-hacker method.
There's a lot on this forum about windows optimizations, so you can make it work. ALWAYS.
It just takes time..

So if you wanna be a computer DJ, then master your computing skills!
I had most of the common problems and solved them all by just using the search button in this forum.

 

You are talking **** guys, absolutely no one should disable half of his computer and waste weeks to make work something that should work in the first place and that ACTUALLY works with any other souncard or any other controller.

IT'S A DRIVERS PROBLEM AND I WILL SAY IT HERE TILL NI FIX IT, OK?

 

Yes, it's a bit of a sad joke. You don't have to be Einstein to work out that if your system works fine with any other soundcard ....

I think it's probably more than a driver problem. otherwise it would have been sorted by now.

 

**** or not, it works. I mean, I hear you, and you are right to be angry with NI and bang about it until they fix the stuff. S4 should work fine in the first place. I was just saying that, meanwhile, disabling half of your computer (or more than half to be honest) will let you use it.

To be frank I don't believe it's going to be sorted out really. I'm just waiting to bye a Mac, which does work properly according to everybody.

 

I dig every word, but don't call us a..holes when we try to make it work.
Granted, the driver issue should be fixed.
I've been down this road with Final Scratch, the audio 8dj, and any Traktor version, it's the same story over and over again.

 

Solve it ni!

 

this could go on for years this debate. i for one are on the fence, yes i do believe NI should simply 'sort it!' but then again i do understand how complicated laptops, the range available and different specs every single person on here has, i for one think that yes it should work straight out the box but also think people should be aware that modifications will be needed to optimize performance individually.

 

I now tried Traktor 2 & Kontrol S4 on another laptop with Win XP Pro & SP3.

But here nothing happens when I push PLAY!
No sound and the waveform is not moving! (but the play button gets green)

Any ideas?

I have installed all Win updates, I have calibrated all knobs & faders, I have reinstalled all the Traktor components!

And if I choose the internal soundcard instead of S4, it plays perfectly! lol

How do I get S4 to work with Traktor Pro, so play-buton will play?
---
And Traktor support are SO slow! I didnt hear anything for 2 days! And I NEED the equipment to work tomorrow!

 

Why would you buy a Mac (which also has problems, also with Traktor now and then) if you can also solve the problem by buying another external soundcard, if I'm correctly informed?

 

thanks, nice tips.
step 3, made windows startup time much faster
step 7, not many laptops have the possibility to disable speedstep/eist in bios
but it is possible to override in win 7 with a utility called ThrottleStop

http://www.techpowerup.com/158795/TechPowerUp-Announces-ThrottleStop-4.0.html

With this utility it is possible
to lock cpu clock speed at max (setting windows performance powerprofile 100% is not doing it)
undervolt vid to get lower cpu temp
it might be possible to damnage laptop with this tool if not used the right way

 

http://www.native-instruments.com/forum/showthread.php?t=162980

Check out my thread above. I have been following this thread for ages and decided to do something about it.

 

My thread was deleted as it was interpreted as "Advertising".

I have been following this thread for over a year. If anyone needs help setting up their Windows laptop with the S2/S4, PM me. I have done it a hundred times with various laptops. Some laptops will never work. Many will work fine. You might simply have one that will never work properly.

It is due to the open nature of driver development on the Windows platform versus the closed development environment of Macintosh. When anyone and everyone can develop driver software for Windows, you are bound to get some unforeseen and undetectable incompatibilities. It is what it is...

Your best bet if you have a Windows laptop that doesn't work after all the suggested tuning steps is to buy the exact model/configuration that someone else already has that is proven to work, or, like everyone says, buy a MAC.

 

Hello Everyone.

Firstly I have to say I feel sorry for all you guys who still have unsolved issues with their S4/S2. I was looking to buy the S4 for some time now but after following this thread for almost a year Im disappointed to see NIs lack of addressing the windows drivers issues... In the end I decided to go with a Xone 42 and 2 X1s.

Good luck with solving your issues!

Im out...

 

This is probably the best post in the thread.

-KLH

 

I bought a mac and the problem was solved. Now it runs like a charm.

 

why waste an extra £900 on a mac! save your money and buy a laptop, cheap one, and configure it and use it for traktor, you will have no problems atall, i dont. we need common sense on here, blaming NI isnt going to help you fix your laptop for your gig on saturday night, there are numerous options on this thread that if tried will probably fix most peoples issues.

 

People are going to keep harping that this is a Native Instruments problem because their random unspecified Windows configuration laptop doesn't work properly with their Traktor controller.

Windows machines are infinitely variable and different in their hardware configurations and drivers. This infinite assortment of non-standardized hardware and software causes MANY windows laptop to work terribly with the S2/S4.

On the other hand, the Mac is a laptop that is designed on standardized hardware, architecture and software. This means ALL Macs are more or less the same, so if Traktor works on one mac, it works on all.

If the S4 works on my Dell or Lenovo, there is no gaurantee it will work on your HP or Gateway etc. Even within the same Windows laptop manufacturer, you will find machines that will not mate properly with the S4.

THIS IS WHY PEOPLE SHOULD BUY A SPECIFIC PROVEN WINDOWS LAPTOP OR A MAC!

 

I agree w/ most evrything you said, and I also wish you luck w/ your business, but I will however disagree w/ the NI statement, especially when you can plug in pretty much any other interface and have no problems or you can actually use a NI interface run it on pre-S4 drivers (pre 2.9.4) and also have no problems, but take the same NI interface and run it on post S4 release drivers (2.9.4 and above) and you'll have audio issues.