For the first time in a year, Native Instruments is shipping a major update to their DJ software, Traktor Pro 2.11. The new version includes a few major new features, including Ableton Link, a Remix Deck step sequencer, and Pioneer DJ NXS2 support. Keep reading for details and videos.
Editor’s warning: As always, we are obligated to remind you that updating to a new DJ software right before a gig is a bad idea! Make sure you test everything out. Here’s how to roll back quickly to an older version if things go south.
Traktor Pro 2.11: Ableton Link
In the new version of Traktor Pro, they’ve added the very powerful and increasingly common Ableton Link. This feature means that any other software using the Link protocol can be synchronized with Traktor. Any changes to the BPM are propagated to the other softwares.
You can add as many other softwares as you want – including Ableton Live and Serato DJ instances – all over a local area networks (Wi-Fi or ethernet).
Watch two Native Instruments employees show off how Link works in the video below:
What’s special about Ableton Link is that it goes beyond simple MIDI clock synchronization – and in our testing, tempo drift and latency is much improved. You can adjust the tempo globally for all the connected applications, and start/stop playback without doing so on the other linked apps.
Remix Decks Step Sequencer
Yes, Native Instruments is joining the step sequencing craze. We first launched our own Remix Deck sequencer with the Midi Fighter Twister years ago – it still is a powerful solution that’s a bit different from Traktor’s – but it is very exciting to have an official sequencer that anyone can map.
Traktor Pro 2.11 includes some sample step sequencer content, and it’s automatically pre-mapped to Traktor Kontrol S8 and D2 controllers. Stay tuned for a powerful mapping for the Midi Fighter 3D in the next few days.
If you make a MIDI mapping for the Traktor step sequencer for your controller, please upload it to DJTT’s Maps repository so others can try it for themselves, comment, and improve your work!
NXS2 HID/DVS Support
We wrote about this in a separate article earlier today – but finally users of Pioneer DJ’s NXS2 setup have full HID support. This means that you can control the decks via HID on the CDJ-2000NXS2s, as well as use the DJM-900NXS2’s audio inputs for DVS control.
Traktor Pro 2.11 is available now in Service Center or on NI’s website under Updates.
