Necessity or Novelty???

So i'm just curious of some opinions of this unit. I have been playing around with it for a couple weeks and learning more as i go but all n all, i'm not sure i'm sold on the piece. I mean compared to how many capabilities are packed into an X1 or F1 (besides those being mappable & half the size) this just doesn't seem to match up, am I wrong?? I dig the Stem play, the remix deck interaction and also being able see and use FX right on the screen but until there is more people on board the Stem train making kits, it seems like a very limited piece of gear no?? Now i'm not trying to bash this unit or NI for that matter but unless there is something in the pipeline thats going to bring some serious glory out of this thing, i'm not sure of it's true value... Would really like to hear some of your feedback on this or even your experience with the piece...

 

I'll start off by saying it's all about personal preference and playing style. I do agree with you about the X1 & F1 comparison, because I was in the same boat of thinking for a long time before getting the D2s. Though I don't I'm not completely sure when or if I'll use the STEMS format, but I do enjoy using the D2s just as playing decks. The only limits I see in the D2s, which is the same I see in the S8, besides the waveform (fingers crossed that they can make it happen) options is the Remix Deck controls. Not sure why they couldn't give us similar controls like they do on the F1. For me, my D2s replaces my two X1s & F1s when I didn't want to play with traditional decks. I was excited when the S8 came out, it was more or less what I was looking for in a controller except for the size. I was even more excited when they released the D2s, though if I would have know they were coming out with the S8 I wouldn't have brought it (mostly because I own a few good mixers). Before getting the units I have debated with myself if I should get a pair of Nexus CDJs. I say lets assume NI have something special planned for version 3, they did spent a lot of time to develop a lot gear related to STEMS and Remix Decks. I think what could have been interesting if they integrated a souncard in the D2s or microcomputer into the S8.

 

Novelty.

I own a pair of D2s and I mix 4 tracks with cue points, loops and effects on a high end mixer.
I previously owned an X1 mk1 and an Audio 2, then a S2 mk2 I sold because the sound quality was too low for me, then a pair of X1 mk2.

- I found out to have no use of the stems. It's certainly nice and fun but it doesn't fit my may of mixing at all.
- I rarely use the Remix feature, but I admit it can be fun to play with.
- The Freeze mode doesn't fit with me neither, it's useless in my case.
- I also found out the browsing and visualization features to be unfinished, and quite problematic to use. You have no way to display the comments for example... (see all the other posts requesting features on this forum, some dating 8 months...)
- The FX 3 and 4 allocation requires to hack your way through performance section mapping.

So for me it's a good concept that still needs to be perfected nearly one year after its inception. (still no upgrade, come on!)

As I still often need to use the computer (for browsing, seeing comments, FX 3-4 allocation, etc.), I'm thinking about going back to using a pair of X1s, or moving along with a pair of A&H K1s, even if their build quality is inferior.

 

I use an S8 with two D2's and I love it. I'm a 4 deck DJ and workflow is important to me. I use all the features on the D2 that the S8 has EXCEPT I rarely use the remix decks. I spin EDM so it works great for me.