Traktor Kontrol S8 Teaser: Native Instruments Ditches The Jogwheels, Adds Screens

We’ve seen the Traktor Kontrol S8 rumors and various leaks around the web, but today everything has been confirmed: Native Instruments is set to release a new jog-wheel free controller with dual screens that pull information directly from Traktor Pro 2. Watch the teaser introduction video inside to see the first glimpses at the controller.

Native Instruments had a slew of big product releases this year including:

In the following video NI teases the Kontrol S8. The official announcement can be found here – or check it out in the DJTT webstore here.

KONTROL S8 FORGETS JOGWHEELS, FOCUSES ON REMIX DECKS

Remix Deck faders seem to live directly below the screens

The new Kontrol S8 controller appears to have a strong focus on the Remix Decks – note that there are four smaller faders that appear under each of the screens that likely correspond to the four columns of Remix Decks.

The screens appear incredibly crisp from these first video clips – obviously we’ll wait to see how they appear on the final product, but a great-looking powerful on-screen interface will be essential for NI to win the market.

A few other quick control interface items to glean about the Kontrol S8 from the quick shots in the video:

  • Filters now appear to have dedicated on/off switches for each channel
  • The Pads on each deck are full-buttons without any labeling (similar to the VCI-400’s) with full-color RGB backlights on each of them – likely to correspond to colored cuepoints or Remix Deck clips
  • There’s a Traktor button below each gain knob, as found on the Kontrol Z2 – making this a full standalone mixer that can be used with external inputs. This likely also means that the S8 will be Traktor Scratch-certified.

NATIVE INSTRUMENTS S8 LEAKS CONFIRMED?

One of the product shots that was leaked earlier this month now seems to be legit. (click to zoom)

We had seen a number of leaks show up at the beginning of the month from various sources – and while we haven’t been able to write about them on the blog, there’s been rampant discussion in the forums discussing and debating the validity of the product mockup shots that made their way onto the web. These initial glimpses seem to completely confirm the leaked images. Major things we can tell just from this image:

  • Touch Strips seem to be the replacement for jog wheel control but will we see Traktor DJ style features applied to this strip (freeze mode, two fingers to set loop/loop size, etc)?
  • The decks have pads with switchable modes, just like on most of the other all-in-one controllers out in the last year. Modes include Hotcue triggering, Loops, Freeze, and Remix.
  • “Capture” and “Edit” buttons to the bottom left of the screens seem to indicate that the Kontrol S8 has a complete workflow for recording and quickly deploying Remix Deck slots, a process that only has been super-intuitive on the Kontrol F1 controllers until now.
Two decks shown on the Kontrol S8’s screens simultaneously
  • The screens have the ability to show two decks simultaneously – note the above screenshot (grainy because of the zoom level) showing Deck A (track deck) and Deck C (Remix Deck)
  • The Kontrol S8 has on onboard crossfader curve adjust on the front of the unit – which means that effectively the entire middle section of the controller is almost identical to what a Kontrol Z4 mixer might look like. We can dream, right?

We’ll continue to have some of the best coverage of the Kontrol S8 in the coming weeks as it approaches a release date. Check out some of the original speculation about the product in this article where one of our forum members predicts the S8 almost on the money

all in oneall-in-one dj controllersdj controllerkontrol s8Native Instrumentss8touch stripstraktor kontrol s8traktor s8traktor screensTraktor Tips
Comments (252)
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  • Cody Carr

    I’d really like to see only the remaining (or right) part, without blender area as a flip, kind of like an X1/F1 with on board display. I think this operator is really awesome, but my xone 92 appears to be too excellent to successfully avoid, and imo, the people who use a xone 92, they use it for the audio and will never provide it with up.. and most the people in that promotion, use a xone 92..

    Dukan Diät Plan

  • Lee S

    A USB hub is missing on the S8.

  • Guest

    Here is pic

  • Tomas L.

    The price is 1149 EUR

  • Big Spender

    There are deck switch buttons but the remix buttons seem to be per deck so maybe Traktor Pro 3 will have remix slots on both decks along with tracks? Hence S8 –> that would make 8 decks. So everyone can play a bazillion different sounds all at once?

    NI seem to be crafting the perfect combination of Abelton and CDJ’s, I just wish they would release a controller that was a bit more hefty. They could get four decks in the space of a DDJ-SX/SZ!!!!

  • Nogui

    where is the pitch bend????

    • Yesgui

      I think its controlled using the touchstrip.

  • evolakim

    I love how Jon Hart just kinda bowed out of the conversation. It must get exhausting being a such a hater ns ad being wrong all the time.
    Anyway, I’m diggin’ the way this thing looks. I use and s2,x1 and f1. In conjunction with a djm 600. I use a custom mapping that makes use of jog fx and call me old school but I like Jog Wheels. They’re just logical coming from a turntable background. I guess the strips could be a worthy alternative depending on their response.
    I’m guessing this s8 is going to be $1000+ so not sure I’ll be getting one.
    I agree with the earlier poster who suggested making it a modular controller. Basically an f1 with screen.

  • MrBim

    Does this mean that we can get track info etc from tractor in to something like touch osc. That would be something I would be interested in.

  • Sean DjKonfirmd

    One big question I have is if they’re trying to make this an all-in-one controller, why can’t we have hardware support for all four effects units at the top?

    • Roy Bear

      hm? what do you mean? please enlighten us.

      • Sean DjKonfirmd

        I mean there’s 4 knobs and 4 buttons at the top of each side for 2 effects units. Why not 8 knobs and 8 buttons? Two rows at the top of each side? Easy access to all 4 effects units.

        • Roy Bear

          Hmmmm, I know what you mean, but it would be probably too confusing 🙂
          What about a little Controller which does things like that? A midifighter twister would do the Job.
          And some other keystrokes or combinations to switch swiftly between FX types would be marvelous.

          To bad i didn’t took the time to learn how to map such “specia” Features…

          • Sean DjKonfirmd

            2 x1’s will do it. But if I were to consider shelling out the money for an s8, I would not then want to buy another controller just to have fast access to my other effects.

          • Roy Bear

            True. Maybe NI don’t realy want to sell big units like the s4/s8 with too many Fx knobs…
            I am using a S4 and a F1, and since NI dropped a realy usable rmxdeck-template for Maschine, and this realy awesome seratostyle slicer mapping is available, I am considering to implement my Maschine into my “performance” setup.
            There should be enough buttons for quickswitch ‘dem Fx slots 😀

  • 2manyjuans

    There is a traktor button on the top of each channel that means it can also use as a standalone mixer. That means you can plug in stuff like that new piano s – series and capture clips to use for remix decks.oh wait there is a capture button too!! I think this is freaking amazing

  • Liferuiner

    I have a second hand Traktor S4 Mk2. I’m not considering buying this. Its more complex and Traktor stuff is MAINLY for beginner DJs or people who just see DJing as a hobby and not as a potential money making. I have no interest in making any money off of DJing, its just fun to mess around with and this controller will be overpriced for hobbyist like me.

  • Robert Wulfman

    Forget about the hardware, I want to see the new software features I can add to my custom controller mapping. The midi mapping possibilities are the real reason I use traktor

  • Ezmyrelda

    As usual people continue to piss and moan about what will work in the club or not, what it should have or shouldn’t and completely missing the mark on the real perks of the product because they can’t see how it would exactly fit into how they dj or what djing is “supposed” to look like..

    I think the product looks like a breath of fresh air and exactly the direction I had hoped they would take the hardware.

    Reals DJ’s don’t complain or fret about what is available at the club or venue.. They put things in their riders and deal with issues as they arrive at gigs.. I would imagine in proper clubs they would have the latest CDjs and a good mixer. But if time is tight you use the most logical and quick solution.. IF you have time maybe you use exactly what you want how you want.. But maybe you are feeling lazy and just want to plug in a USB stick.. you do that..

    As a pretty complete solution I admire it a lot.. If I want jogs or tables.. I will ask the sound guys to plug that in.. if not.. no big deal.. I can still do everything required of the job without having a freaking monitor in between me and the dancefloor.

    As to the hardware quality.. I’ve felt that they’ve improved the durability of the products with each new device.. I’m confident this will be travel capable..

  • Seville Lilly

    So no jog wheels and no dedicated tempo fader… the two things that make a DJ a DJ. WIthout them, this can’t be called an all-in-one controller. Are you supposed to beat-match and work the tempo with a touch-strip? NI keeps pushing these Remix Deck features that hardly any DJ uses and getting further and further away from practical DJ needs. It’s a shame because their re-EDITING features (hotcues, loops and markers) are so useful. They seem to be saying “You’re all going to use sync now, who cares if it’s an hour of the exact same tempo and nobody will need to mix out of the previous DJ because everybody’s going to drop a cold intro and do a jesus pose at the beginning of their set while the entire dancefloor faces the booth and snaps pics.” No thanks.

    • Don Stone

      I think the point they’re trying to make is “jogwheels suck” and if you want them you should really be adding turntables to the equation.

  • BiGMAc

    WELL IM FUCKING OUT Way To traktor…NI always taking the DJ’ing out of Dj’in on to serto.

    • BiGMAc

      ohh and never supporting their customers..i rather use free synths then kompletes expensive garbage.

      • Roy.Bear

        u serious? never had any Problems with Support, and Komplete is a production tool, nothing to Play with…

  • B-Wo

    I’d like it if the color coding of the songs key showed up when the songs are sorted by something other than the key (date added, for example). As well as showing up in the screen when the song is playing – whether on the controller or the laptop. I think the color coding helps a lot, but that help is lost once the song is on screen or the sorting is changed – then it changes back to white. Unless I’m missing something. Probably the wrong place to voice this, but something I’ve thought of a few times when mixing.

  • noelflava

    Where are the pitch faders? One thing that has always urked me about NI Controllers is the short throw pitch faders. Now its seems as if they have done away with them along with the jogs. Hmmm. Will be interesting to see once we get some proper product pics to see what they have actually come up with.

    • fu

      its in the center channel as a master tempo knob (i think) above the cue mix knob

  • BIG SURGE

    I hope this thing has line and phono inputs like the S4.

  • The other white meat

    I read through all these “pro” DJ’s talking about how this is garbage blah blah, well that’s just more reason to believe that traktor really is doing something right and DIFFRENT DJing now has become so cliché and this “call of duty” style of competitive DJ’s is just ignorate. This isn’t about mixing 2 or 4 songs together. It’s about creating a very personal “live” experience with live remix being on the forefront, I am excited for this new controller. Think of all the producers live remixing there songs, I wouldn’t doubt there being a built in drum machine in this new software/hardware.

  • midiman

    You just need Ableton, a laptop and a midicontroller not this S8.

    • BIG SURGE

      Traktor uses a more dj-oriented user interface.

    • Skratchit

      iIs that Bobby Hill haha?

      • Skratchit

        *correction: Is that Bobby Hill haha?

  • scratch-a-lot

    if you give this s8 to dj qbert, he will throw this in the trash

    • Oddie O'Phyle

      it comes with traktor scratch, if it’s anything like my Z2, it’ll have inofader and is a stand alone mixer with an integrated soundcard for traktor. it is meant to have turntables hooked up to it.

  • Mike

    Seriously though, what’s the point of having screens if you still need to use your laptop to run it? Duuuuh.

  • 1000 Cutts

    One of the paid DJ’s quotes “it has blown my mind” but he doesn’t sound that excited or bothered by, cannot see it being used outside of the house. Probably has too many buttons for Paris Hilton, she might get confused. I am an S4 user but I think I am off to the land of the CDJ and Xone soon…

  • decon

    Who uses these remix decks? I mean, I’ve never ever seen them in serious use anywhere but on youtube in the bedroom. I don’t want to sound too critical, but why on earth aren’t NI listening to their user base? How come that Hawtin, as one of their poineers, still uses maschine as a main instrument? Why don’t they implement more improve stuff instead of glorified loops.

  • Paco Loco

    I’d love to know what percentage of Traktor users actually use the remix decks. I’d bet it’s well under 10%, probably less.

  • x

    tiny screens? are djs too lazy to carry a laptop now lol

  • Greg4422

    Very interesting, about time we see something new from NI, I’m anxious to see the price point

    P.S On my controller wish list is the ability to play from USB flash drives, something besides the Pioneer XDJ R1

  • Elliot Noteware

    This thing will be awesome, I cant wait to get it. Sure it’s not going to be for EVERYONE, but for me I think it’s going to be great and my audience will be the real beneficiary. As far as what other people think I don’t care. Remember these things are just tools, like a hammer or a wrench and 99.9% of your audience doesn’t care because after all it’s the Indian, not the arrow.

  • synapticflow

    These screens should tilt upwards. I don’t want to be staring down forever. (ouch neck) Also, this better have an HDMI out. One HDMI out per screen would be ever sweeter.

    Either way this product isn’t for me. I still love jogwheels. I do see the beauty of a laptop free solution (if that’s what this is) but I would neverf be able to cough up the $1299 that they are probably going to ask for.

  • DJ TeeOh "The Official"

    Wow, so now these producers can stop staring at the laptop screen and stare at the controller screen. lol. Why not just build the software into the controller, have USB ports for hard drives, and do away with the laptop all together?

    • Greg4422

      I love you man…bro hug

      • DJ TeeOh "The Official"

        (hug) lol

    • Oddie O'Phyle

      Moore’s law states that your processor will be current for 18 months and outdated in 3 years. Spending 3k on an all in one controller that has a life span of 3 years is a bit more unreasonable than a controller that hooks up to any laptop, considering I use that same laptop for Komplete and Maschine.

  • Toontown

    Why is there a crossfader?

    • Stewe

      This is also a stand alone mixer.

  • ???????

    NATIVE INSTRUMENTS H?VE SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH HARDWARE QUALITY. I HAVE KONTROL S4, MACHINE MK1 ,KONTROL X1,AUDIO DJ 8. I REGRET TO BUY THIS PLASTIC HARDWARE. EXCEPT THE AUDIO DJ8 ,I LOST MY MONEY. AND I SEE THAT CONTINUING THE SAME MISTAKES.

  • Montoya

    Has no one seen the Novation Twitch before? That’s what this is, with added screens.

    • Paco Loco

      Agreed – twitch was waaaaay before it’s time. Would love to see a twitch Mk2 now at half the price of this thing.

      • CUSP

        I was just talking about this with a friend. Ideally, I’d like to see the new Focusrite soundcard inside, and add an *option* for external power (to charge iDevices).

        I suggested that the new Twitch use (possibly interchangeable) touch screen devices so that;
        1) the level of touch sensitivity would go up.
        2) the screen could switch to FX mode (so the DJ could tweak the envelope like the Kaos Pad).
        3) line faders could be made for the Remix Deck section (as per the S8).
        4) the screen could be another set of triggers (for a total of 8 on each side).
        and
        5) the track would be touch interactive (as per Traktor DJ on the iPhone).

        If desired, one of the iPhones (button assignable) could be the Master and the other a Slave to the unit which would require NO EXTERNAL COMPUTER.

        The big UPSIDE to doing this would be that older iPhones sell for something like $30 *RETAIL*, but they’re (still) so very useful, even for video (but that requires some other hardware).

        Not much would have to change to accommodate the iPhone modification (just make the whole controller a little taller), and hopefully they would upgrade the Red-Only LEDs for the channel strip V/U meters to multi color (on each side of the fader), and keeping the Deck Switch button everything else could just be the same as it was.

        If Novation wanted to really wow us, they’d *also* upgrade the Launchpad trigger buttons with their velocity sensitive trigger pads they have on the new LaunchKey (and please-oh-please Novation, move on to 3-color LEDs), this would be a real hit, satisfying a good number of people looking for the Computer-free interface. I’d even go so far as to say “making the iPhone decks hot-swappable” (instead of USB sticks) could even revolutionize the way DJs play.

        What do you think? Should I propose this to Kickstarter, or Novation?

  • Baze Selekta

    * Pioneer doesn’t innovate since many years…
    * Serato has doing some new features but stays a limited dvs software: they prefer the
    stability than the innovation.
    * NI Traktor is merging since couple of years to dvs live sets. They ‘ll kill the simple way of mixing with Cdj’s/Turntables to an other level. You can create new songs/mix in the fly. If you go to an other club, nobody will play the same tune than yours 🙂 🙂 🙂

    i’m curious about the price & the quality of the Kontrol S8…. but this controller is perfect for Electro/Techno/House/Minimalist/Dubstep genre ! For others musical genre, platterns need to be integrated in the controller.

    • Oddie O'Phyle

      you do realize that NI was developing DVS before Serato, don’t you? At a point in time when serato was developing time stretch and pitch shifting for pro tools, NI had teamed up with stanton for final scratch 1.1.

  • ClubbingRock

    But after having seen the Kontol S-Series pricetags what will this beauty obviously cost…?! o.O

  • audiojunk

    What about the software, does it still use Traktor 2 or will there be a new version 3 released?

  • LowenHertz

    as a dj who doesn’t really use jogs anymore, I can see this as a welcome change!

  • FishBone

    No Pitch faders?? Must have Remix decks? and no Jogs? not for 90 percent of DJs out there? this is thinking a little too out side the box for me, I wonder if Numark/Denon and the obvious Pioneer will steal whole crowd of NI customers on this one? I love NI, but question this one?? I feel like instead of making what everyone was asking for they made what the small Techno crowd wanted? I’m Struggling with this company’s decisions??

    • tr4gik

      chill boy, its just a different controller aside from S2, S4, you’ll still have those to play with + probably an already needed software update 😀

      • FishBone

        Yeah I Know. That was a little harsh, I’m not a controller fan in general though. it will actually work nicely as a Mega Mixer. between a set of nice turntables. That way you will get the pitch and proper Jog feel from the decks.that would be a pretty Wide set up though. I wonder if they will have a stand to bring it to proper mixer height?

    • Drift King

      yes! Those missing pitch faders. Wtf! How else are we suppose to drastically transition tempo?

      • Drift King

        Just realized there is a master tempo knob so far now all is good.

    • CUSP

      I think you drastically over-estimate the negative impact this controller might have on DJs… 90% will say no to this!?!

      First, this controller has the ability to be a stand-alone mixer, which is at least 40% of the market today… there’s bound to be at least a few DJs out there that want the newest Traktor Scratch Pro controller.

      Second, this is a full-featured controller with some really well-thought-out features. Touch strips for those who nudge and do live loops, the option for turntables for those who don’t.

      Third, this is the *only* Traktor controller with monitors built-in (the others are Serato DJ). Seeing as Traktor (and Scratch) Pro is still the most-favored application for DJs, I’d say this has a slightly larger market than the Numark NV has.

      Fourth, Techno and Electronic Dance Music (which is similar) have more fans and more money than any other type of music in the world right now. Hip Hop fell to #3 (or even lower in various markets) a few years back.

      Because of these reasons, I really don’t think that your “not for 90% of DJs out there” claim is accurate, and I think Native Instruments will have no problem selling *L-O-A-D-S* of these controllers (they learned a lot from their recent Market Research).

      This doesn’t have to be “…a little too ouside the box for you”, you can make this controller what you want… which is what I presume N.I. wanted to do.

  • Mazda Furai is dead

    You gotta give NI credit for trying to be innovative rather than copy something that’s already out there. Aside from that, I wonder what would those 4-mini faders on each deck be good for if a remix deck wasn’t to be used at all on any deck. Anyone have any ideas?

  • Oddie O'Phyle

    it’s shiny, but i can’t say that it “wows” me.

  • freeze

    With Innofader, DVS support, it’s not that bad. actually it’s great.

  • freeze

    Just one thing asking for NI is major updated TRAKTOR.

  • meteorman

    what’s the purpose of all that room near the crossfader, the shit can’t even scratch lol

    • Mac Joseph

      Just connect your technics

      • jason u

        u wont be able to reach your 1200 with that big ass controller lol

    • Oddie O'Phyle

      It will ship with traktor scratch, no different than a rane mixer. although you should be able to switch use to stand alone mode making it an analog mixer, just like the Z2.

  • Not Dan White

    I just cant wait to see what crazy mappings people make out of this.

  • Narvesh DjNav Prasad

    no more said

  • Russell Rutter

    not excited. i bought the s4 and s4 mk2 but trying to cram too much more than a transport and some basic essential effects is moot. let the f1 or x1 do what they are good at.
    they took out jogs but no touch strip? fail
    have you ever dj’d with another dj or band? (hold on guys, my toy s8 cant be nudged)
    lol ill stick with my s4 mk2 until NI does the transport “well” with a z4 or s8.

    • Gish

      By “no touch strip”, do you mean that it clearly has touch strips? Because it obviously does, and the article makes an obvious note of that. So it’s clear and obvious that it does, but somehow you missed it.

      • Russell Rutter

        ok. i guess i did.
        but honestly, what does this thing have over an s4? you still need a laptop even if you can place it on the side.

        • Oddie O'Phyle

          integrated remix deck support, no need to drag around F1’s. Inofaders and the ability to use it as stand alone unit for cdj’s or turntables, as well as being shipped with traktor scratch instead of pro for dvs support straight out of the box.

  • DJ KALEAF

    Im a Hip Hop Dj as well as a Remix Producer so Ill give my 2 sided perception of this Product release.
    1) I never cared for the small Jogwheels on the Original + mk2 models. From a Turntabilist standpoint they suck and they never did anything for me when I had the S4. I just used the timecode upgrade and attached my Decks to the S4.
    2) Im SOOOOOO GLAD THAT THE S8 is a Designed in the Way it is because as a producer, it is a GREAT TOOL!!! I love the layout and I would use it as is without even knowing the full spec overview.
    FROM WHAT I SEE HERE, THE NEW TRAKTOR S8 IS: AN INNOVATIVE TOOL FOR DJS WHO WANT TO CREATE THEIR OWN SOUND. AND I WANT IT!!

    • frozen_lion

      This.
      Who’s using this small jogs on S4? There are timecodes for scratches and sync button for phase matching.

    • Oddie O'Phyle

      The only problem that I can see with it is the fact that it looks like it has the same profile as the S2/S4. Honestly I believe that they should have made it the standard 4″ as to be the same height as turtables or cdj’s.

  • freeze

    Looks like enormous failure. nobody want to transport on touchstrip..

    • CUSP

      Then why did Novation sell so many Twitch controllers, and why is the X1 Mk2 so popular?

      • freeze

        I think it’s cheap and affordable to noobs. lot of professional dj use it tho.

        Mixers and controllers without turntable(or flatter) could not attract dj like 62 or z2 in a lot of routine vids. It seems s8 could be a standalone mixer with cdj or turntable IMO.

  • Greg Miernicki

    Those screens look awfully small….

    #justsayin

    • gigglekey

      The screen thing will cycle over the next 5 yrs. The screens will get better, and then people will start wondering “Why am I using this proprietary information exchange format that I can’t map to ableton/bitwig/whatever?”, and “Wow, I wish I could fit more on these screens. Hey look, my laptop has a bigger screen!” and NI will make a killing manufacturing a controller that has a cutout underneath so it can sit above your laptop.

      That, and the screens will transition to per-button screens that change their display based on context. Yawn yawn yawn.

      Here’s wishing *anybody* will make a replacement for the Korg Zero 8 so I can mix Traktor, Maschine, and outboard noise boxes from a single interface, with a crossfader. Right now that mixer doesn’t exist (except for the zero 8, but good luck finding one that’s not broken).

  • Onno Kaell

    Personally, the S8 doesn’t appeal to me at all!! 🙁

    Being a Hip-Hop, Funk & Soul DJ, the whole no-platter + extensive remix-deck setup just doesn’t work with the way and the music I spin.

    I can understand why N.I. keep pushing the whole producer/remixer angle of things, but I for one would rather have seen something a bit more “standard”:
    – like a modular Deck controller (think Numark V7 but for Traktor)
    – a Kontrol Z1 mk2 (but with an mini-innofader and timecode-capability)
    – a Kontrol Z2 mk2 (with 2 USB-Soundcards for easier switchovers, line-fadercurves etc)
    – or perhaps even an Z4! 😉

    I absolutely love Traktor and so far N.I. gear has “mostly” had me excited, but right now I feel like Serato (and their hardware partners – Specifically Numark, Rane & Pioneer) seem to be more on the same page with me!

    Yes of course, you could add turntables or CDJs to either side of it (the “timecode buttons” give away the fact the S8 also seems to function as a gianormous Traktor Scratch mixer) but the distance between the decks would be sooooo huge!
    Ever tried juggling with a DJM2000 between two 1210s? ^^

    Most DJs I know, still spin “traditionally” and even thou we all practice hard, use cue points, scratch, toneplay and thus prepare our sets a lot – we all still need to stay flexible and mostly only use 2 Decks with some samples on top!
    Not one of us has really come to terms with the Remix-Decks and the work and staticness that comes when trying to combine them with regular top 40s / hip-hop gigs.

    Maybe it’s just me but some of the things N.I. are pushing right now only seem to cater to a very specific type of DJ: the Big Name Ibiza-Club-Jocks who only play 3-4 hours and can prepare their entire set in advance….

  • carlos

    Pitch Fader?!?!

    • Gish

      Wondering that too.

    • Paco Loco

      I’m sure it will be on an encoder like it is on the X1 Mk2

  • Chronassuer

    ONE LOVE Can’t we just all get along

  • Memay

    I’ve got a massive erection.

  • KILLMeDJ

    When will they ever ask “real” djs what they need? Not the Ibiza elite. The guys and gals who are out there week in week out. Who need a rock solid software with a great interface and usable features. Like for example an amazing library and playlist setup. Not this convoluted double handling crap that we have to deal with now.
    Seriously Watching a bunch of dudes at an exclusive Ibiza villa pissing their pants over a product they probably will never use kinda makes me angry.
    Give us something “real” djs can use.

    • NeilOughton

      I agree that most of those DJ’s won’t use this controller. I completely agree that library and playlist management should be a priority.

      • killmedj

        Far out, I just re-read my post! Pretty darn militant ha ha! that’s what I get for writing before I’ve properly woken up! In all fairness this is probably the very beginning of a much broader rollout for NI, And although the whole “Ibiza Villa” thing still shits me, it would be ridiculous of them not to have a updated version of the software to go with it. All i hope for is that they have invested some serious energy into their Library and data base. not to mention any number of refinements that the forums have wanted for ages! Only time will tell huh?

      • jorn

        Agreed, but library/playinst management has never been at the forefront of NI’s Traktor product dev team.

    • Marco Hooghuis

      You already have that, it’s called every single midi controller in the history of mankind. Seriously, what more is there to want in a controller than the stuff you have already?

    • Oddie O'Phyle

      As far as I know… Ean Golden was one of the collaborators on the S4 build. I’m pretty sure he’s a “real” dj.

  • Sketch

    As much as this does look interesting, and creative, I am not looking forward to NI going on their inevitable huge marketing push about how innovative the touch-strips and pads are when all I can think of is my Novation Twitch in front of me.
    Aside from that it seems to be a great controller and the mixer looks very good, since it’s standalone and all, although I think the remix deck control should’ve been kept separate – they have dedicated controllers for that and it should’ve stayed that way, instead of cramming them into there and almost forcing any DJs who want this controller to use the remix deck control. Especially with the touch-strips squeezed on the bottom. Granted, live performing routines are probably the future of DJing but it seems as if NI has just assumed this and they’ll expect everyone to follow suit – this will not be ideal for many DJs outside of the techno/house scene that’s been doing that kind of performance for years.
    But I am intrigued for coming information 🙂

    • Toontown

      100% agreed

    • CUSP

      I have a Twitch too, and I love it, but it’s probably time for an update (whatever that might entail).

      To be honest, I think Native Instruments got a hard-on for touch strips when the Twitch came out, which may have given them cause to rethink how to approach “#thefutureofDJing.” N.I. lost a lot of ground on the “jog wheel controller” market (the Mk2 versions of their DJ controllers don’t even compare to the Pioneer, Numark, or any other “full featured” jog wheel controller features). I think they did the right thing when N.I. Included a touch strip on their new controller (why not, the X1 Mk2 is selling well), then they made the controller “Scratch Pro capable”, and gave the user the option to plug in their own turntables. Jog wheels are simply an imitation of scratching on turntables and why fight an existing audience that wants the best of both words… the mighty Technics 1200 turntable, *AND* all the features of Traktor Scratch Pro… this is what the S4 Mk2 should have been, and this S8 seems to win across the board.

      … if only they thought to use iPhones instead of the non-touch screen monitors, they would have totally usurped the entire Pioneer line.

  • Tomash Ghz

    If that thing could play tracks off USB keys or SD cards without a laptop it would have been a dream. Instead of having one one big high definition laptop screen to stare at, all you get now is 3 screens to choose from.

    • Tomash Ghz

      Got me thinking now though, how that would work with a headless Mac Mini setup..

      • Paco Loco

        I don’t think those screens will be big enough to stop you looking at the laptop completely. It will be a step backwards when browsing for tracks for a start.

      • jorn

        You’d have to ensure Traktor was set to launch at boot and came to the front and stayed there. Perhaps having an iPad at the ready, so that you could log in via something VNC-like, might help.

      • CUSP

        Why a headless Mac Mini, when iPhones already have Traktor DJ as an option? All they really need to do is get the hardware of the controller to sync-up with the iPhone version of Traktor… like the Kontrol Z1.

  • mikefunk

    Up-Faders are too short for EDM mixing. We do not scratch (or very little). I want long up-faders!

    • mikefunk

      Or give us knobs optional (for track volume of course)

    • Dan White

      The upfaders are a normal S4-length on the channels, they’re shorter on the Remix Deck slots.

      • mikefunk

        Yeah. What I meant extra long, like on Xone DB2 for example. I think they are something like 80mm. S4 length looks too short for me.

  • mikefunk

    But it’s still a controller. Not standalone (say linux) based machine… right?

    • gigglekey

      Yes, it’s a controller with a soundcard.

      • Oddie O'Phyle

        people think the same about the Z2, but there are days that I don’t bother to hook up my laptop and just play my old cd collection off my 900’s. don’t be surprised if the S8 does the same.

  • b

    once again, NI is really missing the boat by bringing out yet another toy for the home market, that promo vid with luciano, carl craig and squilacce is nice and all, but this thing will never ever be used by the pros in a million year.
    ive said it a million times : they should bring out that cdj style deck controller with a jog and hell, maybe even the pads, with the screens with traktor dj built in, wich can read from usb etc. so you can ditch the laptop, have two or three of those decks with the mixer of choice and all three decks linked..

    • strotifiler

      The issue is that the pro market simply isn’t as big as the amateur market. NI has thrown lots of money into figuring out what will sell and they believe this is it. Also pioneer has such a tight grip on the pro market that it doesn’t make much sense for NI to try and break through.

      • b

        youre absoluty right, but i think that when ni makes such a high end device, traktor will be everywhere, there are a lot of pros using traktor with cdjs, so why not make something like that? i like traktor a lot, but i dont like the feeling when playing with it, with controllers, and i think those using traktor with cdjs feel the same..i think such a device will really compete with pioneer in the pro booth.

        • mikefunk

          I will just add my 2 cents. I agree with all above, furthermore I think that “Only we can make Traktor hardware” approach will soon end or at least cripple NI in DJ game. Serato is currently winning this game hard. Even me, I am considering to switch after seeing all these Pioneer and Numark controllers. Serato has effects now as well, slice and other goodies. Traktor has… really nothing different now. Yes, remix decks (which half of DJ’s will never use including me). Besides that Traktor offers nothing new and it’s like Iphone 6 now. It’s good product (S8) but it’s nothing really new and groundbreaking. Maybe they will launch it (finally) with Traktor 3 but in my opinion, they are loosing hardware controller game by locking themselves in. I am waiting for stand alone unit with build in computer (or iPad) for around 1000-1200 Euros. Ideally I would prefer standalone controller deck with screen (or two) without mixer able to play music with hard drive (SDD) without PC. That would be a dream. This way I could play without a laptop and use any mixer I want or that I have. It would be smaller and more portable (and yes I want to play both decks form one controller). Until then I will stay with my Xone DB2 + K2 and beloved turntables.

          • Nolan Walker

            I’ve been leaning the same way as you mikefunk; those other controllers for Serato DJ look really nice, especially the high end Numark one (is that an oxymoron? HIgh-end Numark?). The key thing that keeps me on Traktor is the depth of the midi-mapping capabilities (I’ve got a some really in-depth mappings for my midi controllers), but if I felt that the midi-mapping in Serato was up to snuff, I’d probably switch back to the Serato products. I love the Remix Decks conceptually, but I haven’t spent the time to properly utilize them, and it isn’t a high priority to do so yet.

          • mikefunk

            Yeah. I have a lot of midi mappings myself. I will stay with Traktor but they need to pick up their game. I mean, Traktor still needs better mapping system, editor or something more straightforward (like ONE DJ). Much, much better playlist editor or even separate software for playlist and music database management. Something like Recordbox or even Beatunes which I am now testing. To sum it up. WE ALL NEED TRAKTOR 3.0!!!

          • Mac Joseph

            Omg YESSSSSSS!!! NI needs touch screens!! With built in computer to receive info from USB simple!! No laptop needed!! DONE now go make it NI and shut up and take my money!!

          • Oddie O'Phyle

            …and what do you do when hardware requirements go up due to a new version of Traktor, update or the opening of the remix deck from 4×1 samples to 4×4 samples per program? too bad you’d be stuck with a piece of crap mobo with hard soldered memory an nand flash drive in your all in one controller. Too bad we are still caught up in Moore’s law, your internal processing unit will be completely outdated and useless in 3 years, if it happens to last that long.

          • Oddie O'Phyle

            The SZ can be mapped for Traktor and when NI allowed Pioneer to create a controller, it turned out that NI had designed a better lay-out than Pioneer and out sold Pioneer. After all, how many ddj-t1’s do you see compared to S2 or S4 MK1? Lately the trend that I have been seeing, is a bunch of Serato Djs I know are starting to migrate to Traktor.

    • Daniel

      Or they let you connect the new S8 with an iPad and TraktorDJ that let you use all the features when it is connected with an S8.

      • b

        that would be nice, but that means youre still using the s8 as a mixer and no jogs..wich is the keypoint of my post..jogs and mixer of choice.

    • couic

      “ditch the laptop”

      i’ve been saying this for years 😀

      yup, small CDJs clones with built-in OS and SSD would rock. no more laptop, just 2 small devices to carry in your bag (the promoter provides the mixer).
      same thing for maschine.

      I come to think laptop manufacturers (especially apple) pay NI, ableton, akai, etc to not develop hardware with built-in OS that would permit to get rid of laptops. or to not have hardware such as small MPCs to have built-in SSDs and as much RAM as laptops (I would have gotten rid of my laptop a loooong time ago if this existed).

    • Gregg

      so you mean a CDJ 2000 without the cd bit? bit pointless really

      • gregg

        because you can already use 2000s as controllers for traktor

      • b

        i mean something like the side of the ddjsz with a screen with traktor dj built in, wich can read music from usb or a hdd. using a cdj2000 with traktor, thats pointless really..
        so you dont have to take your laptop with you, and people can still use their preferred mixer.
        a cdj2000 is a really expensive controller if used like that…

        • Gavin Varitech

          The point of the CDJ2000 is to be installed at clubs and purchased by sound rental companies and promoters. Not for people to pack them in cases and drag them to gigs just to play on them by themselves.

          It can be used by ANYONE. CDs, Rekordbox, USB, or Traktor/Serato over HID (or timecode). Not just by one specific user, which would be the case of the controllers you are talking about.

          What you are talking about is for personal use. And honestly, if you are bringing TWO of something the size you are talking about, you may as well just bring an all-in-one at that point.

          • john hart

            someone who owns a kontrol and likes to pretend to dj got his feelings hurt

          • Gavin Varitech

            Someone that is too fucking stupid to even know what “a kontrol” is, as proved by previous posts, got his feelings hurt when a few people with at least average intelligence dared point out his idiocy. An anonymous bitch scared to use his real name/persona on this forum.

          • b

            youre missing the point..if ni makes such a unit, cdjs will become less used, when using cdjs as controllers you still need a laptop..might as well get an all in one? means you cant use your mixer of choice..what i am talking about is a device that could be installed, so anybody who is familliar with traktor can use it..or if not..it still reads your music from say a usb..so jogs and pitch is nessecary.

          • Gavin Varitech

            You’re talking in circles. Pioneer CDJs already do that. That is why they are in pretty much ever club already.

          • b

            youre missing the point again, its about using traktor and its benefits with a dedicated per deck controller, i want to take advantage of traktor in a traditional way but without the laptop….anyway different people…different opinions…but this is what i would like to see realised.

    • john hart

      finally someone who gets it

      • Oddie O'Phyle

        you may want to teach yourself something about computers and read up on something called Moore’s Law

  • x

    so the only thing u can scratch with this is your nutz

  • Deksel

    A few things:
    The screens and the new remix deck design look great!
    This is not a turntablist device. Couldn’t we also do without the crossfader?
    Too bad they aren’t touchscreens yet.
    Remix decks with only two rows is a minor setback.
    What extra funtionality are they gonna bring that finally make the remix decks a succes (i love m, but i get the sense that i’m a minority). The edit button looks promising in that regard)
    Traktor pro2.7 or 3.0?

  • Rick Vallone

    I’m curious to see if some industrious tinkerer will figure out a way to get those screens to pull data from Ableton

  • 4dwJ

    I had one of the first vci 100, a xone 1D, a korg padkontrol, and a mpd24. i still have a x1, a midi fighter 3d and a twister. i also tested a f1 and a s4……. but this thing is absurd.ok, the displays are nice, but with all that other “endless possibilities” and 23487 effects, the results will be soundcrab! when i go to a club, i wanna hear a producers track played by a dj! when i go to a concert or a festival i wanna hear a live set (ableton) played and arranged by an artist! of course a dj can play self-made interludes between the tracks, but in a full club nobody will dare hitting the samples like crazy. except professionals like dj craze^^ …better save the money for some real live-pa gear!

    • Alexey Popoff

      It’s not what it can do, but how you use it 🙂

  • snijman

    Don’t like it, the screens are not really an improvement. Luciano says: “Now I can hide away my computer”. Yes, but you still need to bring your computer anyway, so why don’t you just look at your computer.. It would be really ‘the future of djing’ if you wouldn’t need a computer anymore.

    • Dan White

      So by that logic, this should be the most popular DJ controller right now, right? 😉

      • Mark Smith

        Good vcall @spacecamp:disqus lol! It’s not for good reason. There are much better options like the WeGO 3 I feel.

    • slemip

      Building overpriced mini computers into DJ gear (aka CDJS 900 and up) in a time when everybody has a powerful mini computer in their pocket is definitely not the future!

    • Oddie O'Phyle

      sorry, we had djing without laptops. we call it the history of djing.

  • DJ Yagga™

    THIS is #TheFutureOfDJing ? catering to the Ibiza festival minority seems to me very shortsighted in this day & age – I’m hoping TSP3 is a hit, else I’m permanently switching to Serato DJ & Cross DVS..button mashing & knob twisting is now called “DJing”? c’mon !!!

    • Alexey Popoff

      I doubt NI is releasing this to replace their all-in-one dj controllers with a more traditional layout. Not in the short term anyway. There will still be other options, so there is nothing to worry about.

      • David De Garie-Lamanque

        agreed. i don’t think they will replace their other controllers, after all it is called the S8, not the S4 mk3…

        • Alexey Popoff

          Good point 🙂

    • DjFusion

      The Ibiza festival minority like you call it are more into CDJs and fake EQing

  • Alexey Popoff

    Best thing? No stupid glossy finish anywhere other than on the screens! 🙂 The whole mixer section is brushed metal. Hope NI apply same approach to future versions of their other products.

    • Dan White

      Hmm, so it seems – we’ll see what the final product looks like – remember that the leaked image is just a rendering, and it’s pretty hard to see for sure in the video if there’s no gloss.

      • Alexey Popoff

        True, but there is always hope 🙂

  • RoyBear

    Well, calm your horses. As long as NI doesn’t present this “controller” I ain’t gonna say anything, and neither should you 😀
    I remember the hysteria before the S4 MK2 was released, and everybody was “it’s going to be awesoooooomeee!” – and guess what happened 🙂
    And I refuse to make any thoughts how I should and could use this piece of equipment, as long there are only rumors and mockups.

    btw: I am tempted, if this is going to be the S8 😀

    • Dan White

      This is officially the S8 – it was posted on NI’s YouTube channel this morning.

  • Buffaz

    If this has DVS built in like the latest S4 then i say “Shut up and take my money!”

    • Dan White

      Considering all of the Traktor buttons at the top of each channel, I think it’s safe to say that DVS control is a part of this.

      • David De Garie-Lamanque

        The amazon.com leak of the S8 mentioned it being bundled with Traktor Scratch…

      • Buffaz

        Cool.. Im just gonna mail my account details to NI then they can just take what they need

        • Dan White

          Why not sign up for our email list instead and we’ll tell you when preorders start? 🙂 http://eepurl.com/3UyGn

  • GoodBytes

    Do not like 🙁 i grew up on turntables.. I’ll be sticking with my S4 Mk II

  • PanPan

    But are the screens touch screen? And why didn’t they put 16 pads for remix set and more hot cure juggling. If the future of djing is live remixing then why not have 16pads and touch screen. Is there a way for the iPad traktor app to be a midi controller for Traktor? All in all a good step towards live remixing djing.

    • Dan White

      The screens do not seem to be touch-detecting based on the controls around them – likely a pretty pricey thing to implement?

      Also there ARE 16 pads, just on two different decks. It’s not out of the question that you might be able to use all 16 if you can set both sides to control the same deck? Otherwise, just grab a Midi Fighter 3D obviously 😉 https://store.djtechtools.com/products/midi-fighter-3d

      • Deksel

        Ah, but i’d like to have all my 4*8 hotcues or 8 banks of loops under my fingers (futureofdjing / live remixing, right?)

    • Alexey Popoff

      Yeah, probably no “Maschine deck” in this iteration. Maybe next version? 🙂

  • Göran Svensson

    Will it be a Maschine deck in Traktor 3 with VST instruments/drums? I think it will work like this load a track T1 and int also loads samples and loops in a remix deck R1 at the same time so 4 T+R= S8

    • CUSP

      Those pads look a little smaller than Maschine pads, but it would not be a stretch for the Remix Deck pads to use Maschine in a limited fashion, especially if this controller implements a “Maschine Studio Jr.” type of interface.

  • calgarc

    just give us an X1 sized version with soundcard so i can use my real mixer haha 😀

    • mikefunk

      And touch screen

  • gta

    They took out the Loop Recorder, no go for me

    • Dan White

      Perhaps the “Capture” button will supplant the need for the traditional loop recorder?

  • Phando

    This layout is a breath of fresh air. If you are not a turntablist, there is too much real-estate devoted to the jog wheels. Adding screens is a nice move. New side columns, rock! New center column looks killer too. I hope the overall footprint is more like an S2 instead of the S4, but it doesn’t look that way. Looking forward to checking it out.

    • Paco Loco

      Even if you are a turntablist this is still better – it has Traktor Skratch compatibiity so you can use real turntables instead of jogs.

      • Mac Joseph

        That’s what I’m talking about, so stop crying all you babies!! Jog wheels suck just use your 1200’s duhhh!

        • Oddie O'Phyle

          I’m happy with my 900’s and they don’t tend to wander, although I have timecode and a pair white labels just in case they are needed.

  • Mert

    Nice one , but where is the Loop Recorder to catch Live Vocals ?

    • Mac Joseph

      Yea where is the loop recorder. I hope they explain that

      • KoenraadVDS

        you can capture live loops on the remix decks..

  • Thierry

    I’d really like to see only the left (or right) side, without mixer section as a modular, kinda like an X1/F1 with onboard screen. I think this controller is really cool, but my xone 92 sounds too good to pass up, and imo, the guys who use a xone 92, they use it for the sound and wont give it up.. and most the guys in that promo, use a xone 92..

    • lanceblaise

      yes, I don’t want to use the NI mixer. I like to use the xone.

    • Dan White

      Hmm, not a bad idea. Maybe it’ll be the Traktor Kontrol F1 MK2? I’ll work on a Photoshop mockup.

      • Oddie O'Phyle

        agreed, F1 with screen would be sweet.

      • Dan White

        Here’s my quick-and-dirty mockup. Needs work:

        • Chaser720

          Stretch the faders, tighten up free space around the screen and maybe add a touch strip.

          IDK if NI would go that wide with an F1 MK2 though. Would have to make up new cases.

          Overall I like it. Would be much more likely to buy this than the S8.

          • john hart

            a device like this actually makes a lot of sense, as opposed to the S8, which is worthless.

    • Alexey Popoff

      I think it’s only a matter of time before we see something like that. There will be demand for sure.

    • mikefunk

      I will die before I use other mixer then (than?) Xone…

      • Richard K

        Than

        • mikefunk

          Thanks!

      • Pete K

        my thought exactly!

    • Jorge

      That´s exactly what I would love to see Imagine one each side of a Xone 92 woaaaah and audio coming from a nice soundcard into the mixer

    • Ginkgo

      You took the words right out of my mouth.

      • Dj BitEric

        agreed

        • john hart

          wow what a colossal piece of overpriced garbage. not that it matters,
          anyone who brings NI gear to any legitimate club gets laughed out the
          door. form over function, NI’s motto. Paris Hilton wants 3 though NI
          so don’t worry you’ll sell some!?

          as long as you have to plug it into a laptop this feature is
          worthless. if this thing worked completely independent of the pc i’d
          say kudos NI, but it doesn’t. as usual they are completely behind the
          curve, well, not when it comes to marketing or releasing “MK2” versions
          of things that do nothing but kill the resale value of previous models.
          touch strips are unfinite pieces of shit that do a poor, poor imitation
          of a jog wheel. the numark nv blows this thing out of the water, and
          the first company to put out a solid, truly independent all in one
          controller that accepts usb drives, will be the ultimate king of this
          landscape. my moneys on pioneer or allen & heath to make this
          happen.

          cdjs are widely used because they are rock solid tank
          like pieces of kit, the only other equivalent being technics 1200s. NI
          are shitty little plastic toys with dogshit driver support.?

          • Maria

            You do realize that this is a controller for Traktor? So your complaint that it does not work without a PC is, well as you say, worthless.

            “anyone who brings NI gear to any legitimate club gets laughed out the door.”

            This probably depends on the genre and area. I’m active in the techno scene in my area and the local DJs who are most known and praised all use Traktor and NI controllers.

            “cdjs are widely used because they are rock solid tank
            like pieces of kit, the only other equivalent being technics 1200s. NI
            are shitty little plastic toys with dogshit driver support.”

            Comparing apples to oranges to bananas much?

            We can probably agree that this is not equipment that is for you. This still does not make your hateful post right.

          • john hart

            show me a youtube video of a single reputable dj using a traktor kontrol interface, you’re crazy. i’m not talking about the f1, which is a fine additional controller, or maschine, which are great pads. i’m talking about kontrol, it’s shit, always has been.

            my opinion is this device is crap. i know it uses traktor, i don’t care, i want traktor built in to the controller. do you work for NI or something? overpriced tinker toys, when’s the MK2 coming out with blinking pink led lights?

            if you’re not on a xone or an es400 or a pioneer mixer in the club you’re just a fucking joke sorry.

          • Ryan Ruel

            So much hate.

            Companies produce products. If you choose not to use them, then fine, don’t buy them. But you don’t have to flame others who choose to buy them or express interest in them.

            You are calling a device crap which nobody has even seen yet.

            There are many ways to DJ today. How about you focus on the music rather than the tools someone chooses to play on?

          • john hart

            This isn’t a tool it’s a toy, a shitty tinker toy. It is a money gouge and a scam perpetrated on unsuspecting amateur dj’s everywhere. A scourge that needs to be stopped. Have a look at the last sound card comparison video on this very site to get a nice little peak at why NI is a completely worthless piece of shit company that doesn’t care at all about its customers, just the bottom line.

          • Maria

            “Have a look at the last sound card comparison video on this very site to get a nice little peak at why NI is a completely worthless piece of shit company”

            Oh really? Less than two weeks ago: http://djtechtools.com/2014/09/17/dj-sound-cards-on-a-budget-reloop-play-traktor-audio-2-mk2-griffin-dj-connect/

            “If the Audio 2 didn’t have so many issues with iOS in my testing (compatibility, no Lightning connector), it would have been the standout product here, by a mile. So compact, so loud. So flexible – Mac, Windows and iOS compatible. The power supply option is great, even if it costs a few bucks more. For laptop use it’s a very reliable sound card for general all around DJing, especially on the road.”

            Also I have heard lots of really great music which was mixed on NI equipment using Traktor. You are just a severe case of snobism.

          • stewart

            lol ive never ever seen an es400 in anybody’s booth. other than danny krivit who brings his own i say good look on finding it supported any booth. im a urei dude myself but whatever the venue provides is what you work with unless your big enough to have a tech rider.

          • john hart

            i own one, many do, many clubs do. plenty of boiler room sets with them.

          • stewart

            stop obsessing over boiler room sessions. if your there clocking what every dj set uses your not a fan of music you sir are a gear whore and generally folks like that suck as deejays.

          • Mark Smith

            Do X1’s count? Victor Calderone would beg to differ I’m sure.

          • Oddie O'Phyle

            ritchie hawtin, carl cox, pan-pot, dj shiftee, dj craze, john digweed, dubfire, ean golden… is that enough nobodys for you? I’m pretty sure that if you bring up a boiler room feed of ritchie hawtin, you’ll see him using Traktor with an X1.

          • john hart

            apples to oranges to bananas? lol. they’re all the same exact thing, a controller designed to play and mix music, whether its a turntable or a cd player or a piece of dogshit like this. again, how many djs do you see on boiler room breaking out the kontrol s4? ….besides paris or skrillsux that is.

            and remix decks aren’t relevant, you can accomplish all that with a simple sampler. have a look at this, this is how a real dj does “remix decks”.

          • stewart

            i call bullshit!!!! the game cant get any more professional than the legendary francois k. i would think he would be better judge of what quality gear or sound would be than you or anybody you could possibly reference. also you seem very confused here, on one post you say the f1 is a fine bit of gear yet another you say the remix decks are not relevant. makeup your fucking mind. oh here is a fine example that you swore didnt exist: a “professional” dj, on a boiler room broadcast and using a kontrol s4 to devastating effect. please STFU you just look like a angry little troll that you are.
            http://youtu.be/RJLZpnXuTI0

          • john hart

            it’s called a promotional stunt, you see NI likes to pay big name DJs to pretend to use their products.

          • stewart

            you really need to talk to your shrink to change or reduce your meds lmfao. i show u a legend doing what u said no “professional” dj does. i live in ny and actually know francois k and have witnessed him over the years at his celebrated night “deep space” at cielo a world class venue using the same set up. saw him most recently at the red bull music academy block party for larry levan performing in front of 22,000 on one nyc block same damn set up. so where is the stunt at??? the only stunt is your perception of reality. and what in god’s name is the reason or logic in replying with some totally unrelated video???

          • D15TO

            Why are you so afraid of the next generation? Why do you feel the need to hate new music tools that fall outside your interest? Fear not, brother, for people care about what comes out of the speaker system, not on how much you spend on equipment.

          • john hart

            i embrace new technology, if it’s good. this however, is shit.

          • YoungEpic209

            Last time I remember, a professional is someone who gets PAID to do what they do… Therefor, there are lots of professionals using Traktor and some sort of controller.

          • Nathan

            Francois kevorkian has been busting the S4 recently at fabric and beyond and he’s been about since before some of you haters were an itch in your daddy’s pants. i was speaking with terry Francis the other day and he had nothing but good things to say about the S4 also. Reckons he might start using one also, it’s all about what you want to achieve and the best tools to get there.

          • brian

            how about mr carmack or r3ll they killed boiler room sets with an s4 your dumb

          • Rutger

            Actually quite a lot, I’m not sure but I thought Kaytranada was one of them (I think I watched it yesterday so forgive me if I’m wrong but I’m pretty sure)

          • Jared Keller

            Starting to more look like a cdj minus the jog wheel.

          • Oddie O'Phyle

            The S8 looks like it’ll have the same “stand alone” analog mixer feature as the Z2.

          • Per Jakobsen

            come to ghana, with ur USB stick only, and u will be laughed at, in any club…
            Here u have to bring ur own equipment, and smaller lightweight is THE KING.

          • john hart

            you probably ride horses too whats the point?

          • Is

            So what company do you work shill, re loop,pioneer, or behringer? Lmao…

          • john hart

            just a dissatisfied NI customer. owned maschine, traktor dj 4, sound cards, etc. all horrible experiences. only product that’s worth a shit is the F1 MK1.

          • Gavin Varitech

            You’re hilarious. First you say “anyone who brings NI gear to any legitimate club gets laughed out the door.” which should get you laughed out the door because NI gear is EVERYWHERE. The X1 and Traktor interfaces are nearly ubiquitous with professionals in legit clubs. You want to see professionals using them in legit clubs all you have to do is open your eyes.

            Its hard NOT to see these things. Last few clubs I’ve been to (that were not my own gigs) were Carl Cox, Marco Carola, Josh Wink, Loco Dice, and Danny Tenaglia. 100% of them had a Kontrol X1 (Carl uses 2) and a Traktor interface.

            Look at any video of professionals at legit clubs in Ibiza. Outside of those using Rekordbox (my estimate is about 20-25%) EVERYONE has an X1 and a Traktor interface such as the Audio 4/6/8.

            Then you say “show me a youtube video of a single reputable dj using a traktor kontrol interface, you’re crazy. i’m not talking about the f1, which is
            a fine additional controller, or maschine, which are great pads. i’m
            talking about kontrol”. This is hilarious too!

            In computer audio / the DJ world you know the most common usage of the word INTERFACE is a soundcard, right? And you also know that the world over NI interfaces are far and away the most used by professionals (outside of the hip hop/open format scene in the US, where Rane-Serato interfaces are king). And not only for Traktor users but also a lot of Ableton Live performers and other Live PA performers that use a computer. The Traktor Audio 6 is an amazing interface for live performance.

            Then you double down on your confusion with the term interface with your confusion with NI KONTROL gear. The aforementioned KONTROL X1 is probably the most used MIDI controller in the history of professional deejaying. You’re “talking about kontrol”, and so am I. KONTROL is the most used controller of professional DJs at legit clubs in the world (Novation Dicers seem to be the #1 for hip hop deejays in the US).

            Odds are, outside of hip hop DJs in the US, if you go to a legit club and see a professional DJ playing with a laptop you’ll also find an NI INTERFACE (Audio4/6/8) and a KONTROL X1.

          • stewart

            john hart clearly a man with kontrol issues lol

          • john hart

            TL;DR

          • Oddie O'Phyle

            you talk about the remix deck being irrelevant… so why are you saying that the F1 is the only product worth investing in? The F1 is the remix deck controller.

          • Chris Conforti

            Dude, if you think Maschine is crap then there is nothing else to say. This convo is a freakin waste cause you dont know jack. And NI is prolly the best audio software company ever period. Watch videos of like 80% of the top producers in any genre and i guarantee they are using NI products in conjunction if not exclusively. But hey, enjoy living in your sheltered world.

          • Per Jakobsen

            My point is, yes I can mix on pioneer,cud’s ext ext. However as a dj in Ghana you have to carry your own equipment, and then a traktor controller is a good alternative.

          • Gavin Varitech

            Wow. That would be a very interesting world to live in and I totally understand the appeal of those all-in-one controllers in a market like that. I still would have zero interest in the S8 but I’m sure I’d have an all-in-one controller or two if that is what it was like where I played.

          • john hart

            nothing wrong with all in one controllers. everything wrong with NI all in one controllers.

          • Is

            You sound stupid.

          • john hart

            and you are stupid

          • Is

            I rather be stupid, then sound stupid. Think about that one, A-hole…

          • Dj GoodSex

            im a resident at the mid in chicago and am booked consistently, i have used a traktor s4 mk2 for the last year to play my sets. enjoy sitting at home not booked playing with your old toys.

          • john hart

            we do things differently in berlin i guess, “dj goodsex” rofl

          • DJ MagickFox

            I am an Australian based Club DJ who gets booked solidily – I use an S2 mk 2 and 2x f1’s… goes off everytime… I am with Goodie here, its not what you use its how you use it, and what you bring to the show – if your attitude is “thou shalt worship me” [as your’s appears to be] well then you are going a long way to nowhere, and I say, enjoy the ride!

          • Oddie O'Phyle

            just to show you how much of an idiot you are… IDA world battle 2014 promo video, because, you know… “anyone who brings NI gear to any legitimate club gets laughed out the door”.

    • Clay Ford

      Don’t forget about us guys with a DB2 😀

    • Sagar Samtani

      agreed. first thing that popped in my mind when looking at the S8.

    • Robert Wulfman

      it would be amazing if it had a user mode like the F1 mk1 does with deck controls and have the deck displayed on screen but then it would kind of make the X1 obsolete

  • Kaz

    holy shit!!!! this is f***ing aweseom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!