![]() CONFIRMED: The Kontrol S8 won’t work with Traktor DJ for iOS.I cannot help but think that v3 will bring more to the S8. The S8 comes with Traktor an updated Traktor, but not the much rumoured but still absent v3. Key things are labeled, but the vibe I’m getting is that there’s more to come. Aside from obvious buttons, there is a lack of faceplate markings.And I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to imagine that a new small format unit will be coming along (F1 mk2? X1 mk3?) that will have the deck elements of the S8 in one tidy affordable unit, although you’ll probably want to buy two and stick them either side of a Z2, to make an S6 of sorts. But for those people, the S4 and S2 are still current (and I believe discounted too). It does leave this gap in the middle of what we would class as regular controller users. It’s strange to think that the S8 truly is a next level controller, directly aimed at a small sector of the market that is pushing the boundaries of DJing into live remixing, yet at the same time properly services the more traditional turntable and CDJ users. I feel it’s actually much harder to DJ conventionally on the Kontrol S8 alone. And that is vital for the success of this controller, as I don’t see A to B DJs (which is most of the market) flocking to the S8, as it’s not really designed for them. And while the Kontrol S8 does make them easier, it’s still going to take a good deal of time to explain them to people. ![]() To this day, I still don’t feel that the Remix Deck concept has been adequately explained to the masses. I did say to NI UK that I feel that this will be a slow builder. The Kontrol S8 is a single lump of pure controllerist goodness. But the more I think about the way DJs are working, the Kontrol S8 does properly service the needs of a small but growing group of DJs that are more about deconstructing and rebuilding music in a different way that the traditional 1s and 2s format, but do it with a number of disparate units that require much in the way of cabling and specialised mapping to work coherently. It could be argued that NI has artificially created hype and hoopla around the “remixing is the future” thing, generating a perceived need rather than a genuine one, and magically presenting a boundary pushing unit that just happens to fulfil their prophesy. The laptop is still there, and I don’t think NI is making the same “you don’t need your laptop” noise that Numark is with the NV. The capacitive knobs immediately react to your touch, and the whole workflow suddenly drops into place. ![]() You can see it right in front of you - a detailed high res screen, with controls laid out in neat lines right below them. I’m still not 100% down with the workflow, but my lasting comment having spent a little time with the Kontrol S8 is that this makes more sense of the Remix Decks. What is left is a layout that is considerably more focussed on working with Remix Decks. So the workflow isn’t dependent on cueing up the next track having made sure it’s on beat, thus you can realistically ditch two formerly key components and replace them with ones more suitable to the new workflow. Traktor’s Remix Decks push DJing into not so much mixing but remixing workflow, where everything is synced up nicely and not needing endless attention to beat matching. Obviously, there’s no jog wheel, but less obvious to the eye but more obvious when pointed out is the lack of pitch slider. Where to start… let’s get the two obvious omissions out of the way first. It would appear that the relentless finger print magnet comments have touched a nerve at NI, and there’s more brushed metal than on other controllers. But it’s a classic (too soon?) NI controller, albeit with a lot less shiny plastic. It was a tad rough and ready, as was the probably late alpha version of Traktor that was running it. I’m in the fortunate position of having seen the S8 in the flesh. And I didn’t leak it for bragging rights either. I took a sneaky shot of the S8 while down at NI UK. There will be inevitable overlap, and we’ll no doubt be adding a lot of opinion in the comments once we’ve seen what you all have to say as well. ![]() ![]() To do this, we each independently poured over the release, and put together our own ramblings into a single sales pitch free post. Having just given you the official lowdown on NI worst kept secret, it’s time to ponder and cogitate over what is in the assorted bits of PR, and to offer a handful of alternative and independent takes on what the Traktor Kontrol S8 is and could be. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |