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View Full Version : upgrading to the traktor s4???



G I L L
09-05-2013, 02:16 AM
i've had my numark ns7 for about 5 years now (god damn lol).. anyway it's been great to me and taught me everything i know but its time to upgrade.

i decided i want the s4. now, i heard it's now discontinued and was wondering if it's still worth the buy. you can get them for like 500-600 bucks now and i just think thats a sick deal. besides, if they do release the new s4 it'll probably be like close to 1000 and i cant afford that right now anyway.

opinions ?

Panotaker
09-05-2013, 06:52 AM
I wouldn't consider that an upgrade, it's more of a sideways move. If you are a fan of motorized platters, you are probably going to hate it. If the motorized platters are not that big a deal, then you will probably love the two extra channels. An upgrade would be waiting for the NS7II or waiting to see what they are going to replace the S4 with. I'm a long time NS7 user too and also wanted a change. So I switched over to Traktor by getting a Z2 and an X1mk2 and an F1, but I am using it with two SL-1200mk2's. I already had the turntables, so the move wasn't that expensive for me. I wouldn't consider my move an upgrade either, it's more of a sideways move. The turntable setup is cool to use, but the NS7 is still easier since the timecode never runs out. I'm old skool, so I have to have a motorized platter. That is the main reason I didn't get an S4, although I will probably get one eventually, once the new one comes out and the prices start dropping on the old ones.

KLH
09-05-2013, 10:11 AM
I must disagree with you, Panotaker. As someone who sold an NS7 for a S4, the S4 with Traktor Pro is definitely an upgrade relative to the NS7 with ITCH. With the S4/TP you get two extra channels, the ability to mix TWO external devices (like CDJs and TTs), a sampler, much more effects, optional remix decks, an optional upgrade to a full DVS (via Traktor Scratch Pro), and a more portable footprint.

I don't recall if ITCH ever got a sampler, but I assure you that the S4 is an upgrade.

Now, as to just the controllers themselves, the S4 is absolute downgrade. The beautiful 7" moving platters become 5" jogwheels with push-down top to activate scratching. (That's the most painful change.) Instead of being 100mm, the pitch sliders are 60mm (which is practical, not preferable). The brake, reverse, and censor switch/buttons are GONE as Traktor uses an effect for these things. The auto-loop buttons are gone replaced with two rotary encoders (which I'm now a fan of).

As to the key software difference, ITCH has flexible beat-grids AND stacked waveforms - which Traktor still lacks.

I still miss the NS7 - not ITCH - but the controller itself. IMHO, it's still the benchmark of what controllers should be.

-KLH

Panotaker
09-05-2013, 10:35 AM
Well I was talking about the S4 itself and not Itch versus Traktor. The S4 is not an upgrade in my opinion. If you are going to start adding TT's or CDJ's, you might as well get a Traktor mixer like I did with the Z2. The S4 is a nice controller, but not for what they are going for right now. I would wait a little while until the new one comes out, and then you will be able to get a used one for 2 or 3 hundred bux, that's all I'm saying. As far as Itch versus Traktor, I like both, that's why I kept both. My Z2 setup has two 1200's running Traktor, and two V7's running Itch, plus I still have my NS7. Yeah, I know, I'm a gear hog, but my truck is a piece of crap.

KLH
09-05-2013, 11:51 AM
Wise counsel, Panotaker. Rep.

-KLH

G I L L
09-11-2013, 03:21 AM
i dont care about the moving platters (i actually shut them off) or the look of it. the position im in right now, im basically looking for 2 things... mobility and 4 channels. and the s4 is just that

the ns7 is just fucking huge for no reason

KLH
09-11-2013, 10:07 AM
FWIW, I love the S4... but miss the feel of the NS7. And no, I'm not getting an NS7-2.

-KLH