In Native Instruments’ “Traktor Pro Public Beta Test” forum, there’s been a fair amount of activity since early January. The news is that Traktor Pro 3.3 is coming out in the near future, and a number of new features and bug fixes are included – including XDJ-1000MK2 support. At the same time, two controllers finally get a MIDI mode. Keep reading for the details.
Traktor Pro 3.3
It might be hard to quickly ascertain what new features are coming in Traktor Pro 3.3 just by browsing Traktor Pro’s public beta test – the features are divvied up among different public beta releases. Here are the big four additions:
- Added: iTunes/Music API vs XML switch in the preferences
- Added: Music Node on 10.15 only
- Added: Pioneer XDJ 700 and XDJ1000 MK2 Integration
- Added: Pioneer DJM-V10 support
These are significant updates that bring integration and compatibility to heavily requested areas of the software. First up, the fix is fully in for iTunes / Music.app (although we still recommend waiting for the final release before you consider updating your OS).
There’s also support for the DJM-V10 – which clearly is a mixer appropriate for Traktor users looking for four deck layering.
Additionally, the update also includes HID compatibility for two of the best budget CDJ options. The $699 XDJ-700 and the $1,199 XDJ-1000MK2 now both have HID support in Traktor Pro 3.3. A DJ looking for HID control probably doesn’t want to shell out the $2,100 for a CDJ, so these make great options.
That said, here’s hoping that Traktor integrations with the Denon DJ Prime gear is coming soon – those might be even better options for Traktor users if they had HID control.
Something else with the browser?
There also seems to be hints in the forums that NI is preparing to overhaul the browser or add features to it. It would stand to reason that streaming integration would be on the list of upcoming feature additions to the browser. All we know for now is what Sander from NI wrote in a thread:
“we are doing a lot of refactoring in the browser with no direct user benefit to make it ready to implement new features and fix long standing issues!”
When is Traktor Pro 3.3 coming out?
While there’s no clear timeline for Traktor Pro 3.3’s public release yet, it’s clear the team seems to be sprinting towards a release soon – just look at the last few release dates:
- 3.3.0.91 = Feb 12th, 2020
- 3.3.0.86 = Jan 30, 2020
- 3.3.0.84 = Jan 29, 2020
- 3.3.0.81 = Jan 15th, 2020
- 3.3.0.69 = Dec 18th, 2019
- Traktor Pro 3.2.1 release = Oct 29th, 2019
Kontrol S2/S3 MK3 Firmware with MIDI mode…
There’s one other pleasant surprise in the Traktor beta forums: new firmware updates for the Kontrol S2 and Kontrol S3 MK3 that include MIDI modes. These modes make it possible to remap the controller in any MIDI-accepting software you like. It makes the hardware much more versatile.
We are left wondering why the Kontrol S4 MK3 still doesn’t have a MIDI mode. It seems like a shame as it’s the more advanced controller out of the three, and more likely to have users wanting to customize how they’re using it.
Download the latest Traktor Pro beta builds here in the NI forums.
