What’s happening with Traktor Pro these days, anyway? While a recent massive investment in Native Instruments is promising for the future, there are signs of life from the Traktor team with a brand new update (the first in a year). Traktor Pro 2.11.1 is out today – keep reading for a quick overview of what’s changed.
Traktor Pro 2.11.1
Color Coding
The big change here is a minor feature update that allows DJs to color-code their tracks. In the Traktor browser, there’s a whole new column for track color. This shows up when you’re browsing in any view (assuming you have the color column enabled). It’s a pretty minor feature, but to see any movement in improving the browsing experience is a welcome sign.
Change Log
Here’s the full change log for this version of Traktor Pro:
- New: Color coding column in playlists: Right-click on the Playlist header allows to enable a new column called “Color”. The new column shows to the far right of your existing columns and can be dragged to the left. Right-click into the fields of this column, to assign the track to one of six colors.
- Fixed: Remove legacy drivers from installer: Drivers of discontinued hardware products have been removed from the installer.
- Fixed: Browser tree row height: The Browser Tree row height is no longer affected by changes of the Playlist row height.
- Fixed: Save Remix Set: “Save Remix Set” no longer ignores captured samples.
- Fixed: “Collection Invalid” message: The “Collection Invalid” message on startup does not occur anymore.
- Removed: Key Lock “ECO” Quality: Traktor now always defaults to HiQ Key Lock Quality.
To download the new 2.11.1 update, open the Native Access or Service Center apps, or just visit the downloads section on NI’s site.
[…] there’s a great potential in the Traktor ecosystem – and even though it was incredibly small, seeing a new feature added to the software (color coding) is a good sign that there is ongoing development happening on the […]
[…] there’s a great potential in the Traktor ecosystem – and even though it was incredibly small, seeing a new feature added to the software (color coding) is a good sign that there is ongoing development happening on the […]
[…] there’s a great potential in the Traktor ecosystem – and even though it was incredibly small, seeing a new feature added to the software (color coding) is a good sign that there is ongoing development happening on the […]
[…] single modern DJ platform now has track-based color coding – from CDJs to Serato DJ, and (just recently), Traktor Pro. Serato DJ probably has the best implementation – they also have color-codable cues […]
I wonder what NI is going to do with the 59 Million Dollar Investment from EMH.
From the article on djtt: “Native Instruments will continue to improve upon several of its existing products aimed at innovating around the DJ-producer experience, including the popular DJing software Traktor and the Stems technology, which breaks tracks into its component parts for live remixing.” – Billboard
That makes me cautiously optimistic that there will be a major update for Traktor in the future.
What an extraordinary function! I’ve been waiting for color-code for so long time!
Lol… Traktor is starting to look so outdated!
Not mentioned by NI but this version fixes the screen freezing on the S5/S8/D2 when you use full screen (Mac) and switch to another application (space) … So now you don’t need to use Windowed mode if you’re using Maschine or Ableton.
I know that it’s not a really big thing but the whole idea of screens on the S5/S8/D2 is so you don’t need to look at the laptop and for me with an 11″ Air it helps having Traktor in full screen when I do need to use it, then the 3-finger swipe to my other apps is extremely convenient.
Mind you it’s taken 2 years to fix this …
Good to know! I wonder what else was fixed that’s not in the change log.
I still cant get color code columns with latest Traktor update.
Can someone put up an idiots guide please.
In the listing of tracks, right-click the column header area to bring up the context menu. Click “Color” (to make sure the little dot is showing to the left of it, indicating that column is displayed). The Color column will be added to your listing, but as the right-most column. You will likely need to scroll the table to the right to see the column; you may want to drag it to a more left-wise location (left-click, drag).
Once the column is showing, select a track (left click). Then right-click the “Color” column for that track, and a context menu will appear; left click a color, and a color of that block will appear, and the track row itself will be highlighted in that color (though the color is blended with the background grey-black, so it doesn’t leap out quite so much).
Many thanks
That was really useful
The “Color-Column” dosnt work on my Traktor (win-10). I see the Column but a “right-click” only brings the typical Context-Menu and no color-selection.
Still cant find how to get colour columns in browser
Did anyone try this version with the display mods?
While minor, the color-coding is a welcome addition. I’m a really visual person, so being able to categorize by color (for the energy-level of a track, for example) is definitely a plus for me
Instinctively Energy-level to me, is like more or less on a scale, instead of colors.
You could use the Star-rating for Energy as shown with my MP3tag-script: https://forums.mp3tag.de/index.php?showtopic=21749&view=findpost&p=98189
I’ll get excited when they tell us we get 16 Hot Cues per deck
Agreed. The one feature I really wanted was a ‘Preperation’ template, where I could have one deck to work on and see both Cue Point prep panels as well as Beat Grid panels. 🙁
After 7 hours work perfect … no bugs with macbook pro 2011 , sierra and s4 mk2 traktor
[…] post Traktor Pro 2.11.1 Launches: Color Coded Tracks + Bug Fixes appeared first on DJ […]
I’ve recently started messing about with Rekordbox and the track prep functionality on there is light years ahead of Traktor. This colouring in your tracks thing is incredibly weak when compared against having fully assignable keywords, that’s a feature I covet massively and would get a huge amount of use from.So how much longer should I wait for Traktor to catch up before I make the switch to Rekordbox? The only thing that’s holding me back right now is the lack of modifiers, that’s one of the only areas where Traktor still has an edge and yet I’m approaching the point where I’d be happy to live without them just to use Rekordbox.It seems to me that Pioneer have the entire DJ game all but sewn up. Their gear is ubiquitous in clubs and their software solution works for pretty much anyone (standard DJs at least) on pretty much all of their equipment. You have to admire what they’ve done with Rekordbox really, DJs have been fragmented onto all sorts of different platforms since the Vinyl vs CD days and now Pioneer have managed to develop one piece of software that has the potential to bring everyone back under the same roof. It’s very ambitious and they’ve pulled it off.Can NI pull it back from the brink? If and when we get a major Traktor update will it have innovative and genuinely useful features that the others don’t have whilst gaining comparable functionality? Anything less than that just won’t be worth bothering with anymore. That’s if I haven’t moved on already.Hmph.
Colors? Fine, cool. But why it needs so wide column? It would be much better with just FIXED narrow column as the color box (with some fancy palette icon header instead word color). Omg, guys in NI, where’s your imagination? You are not able to code your own grid with custom column components? Whaaat?
Am i understanding this correctly:
Fixed: Remove legacy drivers from installer: Drivers of discontinued hardware products have been removed from the installer.
Does that mean I won’t be able to use my Audio 4 with Traktor anymore? Interesting choice of words calling that a “fix.”
It means if you need a legacy driver, download it from the ni website 🙂
Ah ok… I can live with that! 🙂
They’re “gently” pushing you away from using it. I still don’t know why Traktor tries to install every driver during setup anyway.
What a disappointment ! All competitors are moving and improving. Native Instruments is not really known as the “Customer Journey” company. Pioneer and Rekordbox are starting to (re)gain momentum.
This sounds like a “guys, we got cash now and we’re back at work” encoded message.
FWIW, this version has been in beta for months.
Good to know! I guess a lot of work for a drunken monkey to debug the code all alone
Any way to pass automatically from MixedInKey colors to traktor ones? (using RekordBuddy maybe?)
Just sent an email to Damien (the creator of rekord buddy)… let’s see!
that poor dude… he like JUST finished v2.0 and now he’s gotta start all over again! 🙂
Just sort them in MIK, select range, drop to Traktor’s Playlist, select all, apply color, clear playlist, select another range in MIK… and so on. Same with iTunes or Finder Colors, for example.
Just updated my color-coding method to pass MIK colors (semi-)automatically from MIK to Traktor.
Use version 3: http://forum.djtechtools.com/showthread.php?t=81518&p=683994&viewfull=1#post683994
the color-coding addition sounds like a cool idea. I think what could improve it is if you could color-code individual sections of songs, too. not all are “red bangers” throughout. funk and jazz change modes / moods. drum breaks might feel like mute silver.–it’d be a tough sell labelling an entire track for me if it’s progressive. lo-fi hip hop or reggae or something that’s relatively static–as in, it gets off the ground and maintains a mood–that I could get. it would be interesting to incorporate those flag markers / cues so that a song’s color-change might be automated / preset by the user. w00t
such as mixed in key energy level… 😀
I like this thinking – you could almost “highlight” a track with different colors throughout.
The idea I’ve got for the colors is set time song placement; different colors for each area of a set, ie. Opener, Warmer, Groover, Banger, Chiller, Closer.
I still like my color-coded system more: http://forum.djtechtools.com/showthread.php?t=81518&p=683994&viewfull=1#post683994
Wow! Cool idea, using album cover art metadata for key organization!
How long have you waited for “smart playlists”? Or, a mid-song beatgrid marker to handle song tempo changes? Or … pick your feature.
In the meantime, RekordBox is getting near to feature parity with Traktor, and I have to use it to get ready for club sets anyway. (See RekordBuddy at next.audio for joy on this front.)
The sunk cost of my existing NI controllers is a consideration if I move away from Traktor. But, owning a controller is not a total lock; the need to buy a Pioneer controller will not prevent me from switching if Traktor doesn’t get MUCH more amazing in the next 9 months. N+I needs to deliver tons of features long-awaited by users, and at the same time show something really revolutionary. Without that, I’m on the verge of switching; it won’t take much inaction by N+I to trigger it.
In the meantime, Pioneer has a 9-month window to enable RekordBox software to fully utilize N+I controllers to drive RB. And it should read / write Traktor metadata, providing a seamless migration path for disaffected Traktor DJs.
Good points. Smart playlists and a flexible beatgrid seem like no brainers!
I’d love to use Rekordbox DJ with the Kontrol S5.
>9 months
Why the specific timeline here? Is something big happening in July 2018 that I don’t know about?
>enable RekordBox software to fully utilize N+I controllers to drive RB
Seems unlikely, Pioneer makes so much money from selling their own controllers – it would almost be more likely to see Pioneer make a(nother) Traktor controller.
Nothing specific. It’s my personal “fuse”.
A well-proven product management strategy is to cannibalize your own short-term product sales by adding support for your competitor’s products in order to provide an easy exit-path for users of competitive products (who are disaffected & ready to change). And IMO the software is the more “sticky” product.
Once Pioneer enables Traktor S4 control from Rekordbox, they’ve got their hooks into a DJ, and will sell them plenty of Pioneer HW in the future.
FULLY AGREE!! German tech focused on technical details forgetting about the market, competitors and their users. They are losing momentum. And need to regrip and focus fast. I’m in the same position as you are. And I’m sure we’re not the only ones.
Meanwhile, us touchscreen midi junkies are still waiting fir them to give midi out on the color of remix deck cells :-/
I’ve enjoyed most features mentioned above for years. Check out VirtualDJ ya’ll.
too soon…
“Groundbreaking” This is what $59mil buys you.
They just got the investment.. you were hoping for tractor 3 the next day? lol
Any word on hid mode for pioneer xdj 1000mk2
Ok, that’s it. There have been at least two rounds of beta testing for this, and this is the whole result? Rediculous. I’m heading over to Serato (with Denon MC7000 or Akai AMX/AFX/DVS). I’m craving for Serato features like 1) the prepare panel 2) crates 3) Serato Flip. Features that Traktor lacks for too long.
That’s what I said in my beta feedback too. But, some progress is better than no progress, right?
we want upGRADES
My question is where is Chad Carrier? And why he hasn’t giving us “Tempo Anchors” or “zplane elastique time stretching” as he did for Torq 1.5, 9 years ago. I stop using Torq, once it went to 2.0 which was a flop. I like 1.5, but it was unstable at times. But really has how much more better I feel Traktor is compared to other DVSs, I feel its losing it traction. Im swaying towards SeratoDJ, I feel limited and missing features Im use in Traktor and I can go towards RekordBox too but, its only good if Im actually using RB players.
http://sonicstate.com/news/2008/12/30/m-audio-ship-torq-1-5/
https://www.native-instruments.com/en/career-center/berlin/product-creation-development/director-of-dj-products/
That explains a lot too, he ruined Torq with 2.0 and now he left Traktor for dead…
Maybe he’s still there but not as leader, who knows? Afaik since 2008 global crisis old paradigm djing tools had suffer a reconversion (market shift) and maybe Chad was the person behind “The Future of Sound” (he was advertising stem creator) and due the low adoption he gone fired… it’s a shame because I’m agree with you about Torq.
It’s a shame, there’s a VST now called Regroover, that does a pretty good job of stripping tracks down to stem-ish ness via machine learning. A new version just came out, and I’m like “Holy crap, somebody built the thing I’ve been wishing existed!” Stems are a nice idea, but it’s impossible to build a library of stem music. Regroover offers a third path.
Well, they have the money to buy and integrate that brand now.
I’ve only recently started playing with Rekordbox and the track prep functionality there is light years ahead of Traktor. This colouring in your tracks thing is incredibly weak when compared against having fully assignable keywords, that’s a feature I covet massively and would get a huge amount of use from.
So how much longer should I wait for Traktor to catch up before I make the switch to Rekordbox? The only thing that’s holding me back right now is the lack of modifiers, that’s one of the only areas where Traktor still has an edge and yet I’m approaching the point where I’d be happy to live without them just to use Rekordbox.
It seems to me that Pioneer have the entire DJ game all but sewn up. Their gear is ubiquitous in clubs and their software solution works for pretty much anyone (standard DJs at least) on pretty much all of their equipment. You have to admire what they’ve done with Rekordbox really, DJs have been fragmented onto all sorts of different platforms since the Vinyl vs CD days and now Pioneer have managed to develop one piece of software that has the potential to bring everyone back under the same roof. It’s very ambitious and they’ve pulled it off.
Can NI pull it back from the brink? If and when we get a major Traktor update will it have innovative and genuinely useful features that the others don’t have whilst gaining comparable functionality? Anything less than that just won’t be worth bothering with anymore. That’s if I haven’t moved on already.
Hmph.
Just curious…is there a list of legacy hardware which NI removed from the installer? Are those removed drivers still available somewhere?
Pretty sure all legacy drivers are available on NI’s website. They’re likely referencing any non-class-compliant gear, like old S4/S2mk1s, which are no longer officially supported.
It seems NI discontinued also the sales of A6/A10 (keeping the driving support almost) so maybe something new is coming.
A10 is discontinued, A6 is still current and available on the site.
Thanks for clearification, mate.I talked by memory not with the facts in my hands.
I bet for z1mk2… what do you think Oddie?
Z1MK2, interesting idea – it would mean a whole new Traktor DJ update too, right?
It should and something is happening from year ago or so. Are you aware of it or need a link?
Ok, that’s it, I waited for the beta test version to be released to fully see the changes. There have been at least two rounds of beta tests. And now that’s the total changelog? Ridiculous. I’m heading over to Serato. Sure, the other side is not DJ heaven, but features like the prepare panel, crates and Flip are simply something that Traktor is missing since years.
Yeah, but you’ve got to spend $1k+ for a 4 channel controller. The cost of entry is high(ish).
The Denon MC7000 sells for less that 1k and it’s a beast. Even better than the
Pioneer DJ DDJ-SX2.
Open up to all audio interfaces for DVS and introduce rekordbox import and I will switch back. Hopefully this update is NI showing that they are bringing back the DJ division.
Traktor users waiting for an update for one year. Native Instruments: Heres a box of crayons, go play.
Agreed. The one feature I really wanted was a ‘Preperation’ template, where I could have one deck to work on and see both Cue Point prep panels as well as Beat Grid panels. 🙁
This is a great idea – Traktor should absolutely refresh the entire experience of preparation and organization.
Great Idea!
It should be traktor iOS app but it was lost in time…
Agreed. Traktor DJ was great for track prep! I miss it!
There’s now Files in IOS 10 – which would seem to indicate that if NI wanted to, they could revitalize the prep functionality.
How about loading a same track in two decks one with CUE and second one with GRID pane modes, would that work? 😀
If there were a way to load the same track onto both decks in a single keystroke, yes. It would still be better if Traktor was re-designed with track preparation in mind.
Add IN > Deck Common > Load Selected. Just be sure to make one duplicate of the same command and assign it your other deck.
Thanks!
I made a keystroke Shift+Up Arrow to load to both decks.
I made a custom map for track prep on the S4 MK2 (the beat jump knobs
makes prep soooo easy). The main changes are remapping the gain knobs and FX buttons on decks C & D for zooming into the waveform and placing a beat grid +
cue 4 (at the same time).
http://radleymarx.com/blog/custom-mapping-for-easy-track-prep-on-your-traktor-kontrol-s4-mk2/
As i heard early this summer from an employee on a exhibition that early 2018 will be a bigger update!
From an Native Instruments employee? Tell us more! 😉
DaNoqk it’s you?
Ironic mode: off 😉
Lmao!!!!!!!!!! Nailed it. Couldn’t of said it better. hahahahahah.
…..
While minor, the color-coding is a welcome addition. I’m a really visual person, so being able to categorize by color (for the energy-level of a track, for example) is definitely a plus for me
It would be great if those colors were also visible in the Traktor S5/S8/D2 Browser.
Removed: Key Lock “ECO” Quality: Traktor now always defaults to HiQ Key Lock Quality.
WHY?
Eco actually sounds better than hiQ!!!
If you ask me… they should go to zPlane
You mean Elastique? I thought Traktor, as well as Ableton, use Elastique. No?
Almost all DAWs use ZPlane Elastique, and have for many versions:
http://licensing.zplane.de/technology#elastique
So much so it’s practically a monopoly. I’d love another company come in and show some innovation in this area. A Phase Vocoderr coupled with short time FFTs is the basis of the technology, and it needs reevaluating. Want a hint? Wavelets.
Roland has Variphrase but I doubt they share knowldege with Serato who has pitch&time… if they want they could make a mindblowing turntable sampler but instead of they brung Dj808 :/
So true. At small tempo differences, Eco is much better and almost transparent. Same in Ableton, using Beats Warp Mode.
HiQ sounds better if you slow down the track and ECO sounds better if you speed up the track. Go figure…
What about High Sierra ?
Working, but still not officially supported. High Sierra is still somewhat buggy with the new filesystem, and I guess NI doesn’t want to get support tickets because of the issues in HS.
https://support.native-instruments.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005151589-macOS-High-Sierra-Compatibility-News?flash_digest=93ec249e9abfa4070710c3ee3ff6e51961be2656
This article has been last updated on September 25th, 2017
Yeah, but they spend us an update which is a bit useless…maybe they should do one big update with this support aswell…
Still no midi mapping for sorting columns of playlists? come on!
Looks folks, we just re-arranged the deck chairs on the Titanic. Looks pretty right?