Native Instruments Traktor Kontrol S8 Controller

This piece of equipment is the swiss army knife of mixers. It has the capabilities to be a stand alone mixer as too! This is my preferred mixer for large shows and everyday use. I don't always have the luxury of transporting this beast so that can kinda be a kick in the pants sometimes. I use this with my cdjs, sl1200's and serato. Although you lose a few features using serato vs. its native program traktor, you can always midi map.

full mixer + traktor + fun

If I lost all of my gear, I would replace this and my subpac first.

By far the most integrated Traktor controller ever! Love the build quality & color display. Don't be discouraged by the lack of jogwheels, because you can connect turntables/cds & use it as a standalone mixer!

Full DJ mixer, mixtracks and layers with Stems, mashups and remix on the fly!!!

Love the stems view more than anything when dj'ing. You can really make creative mixes.. A little bulky to take to a club. Ideal for a home dj set up.

really impressed by the built quality and the creative power of this monster

Just purchased and I'm already amazed. Will give a full review later

The stems format is easily to use to the fullest. The whole body and structure of the controller is like two F1's combined, but now more easily accessed. I'm really proud to be one of the few actually using the remix decks live on stage, and combined with other live elements and the easy filtering of layers in my tracks that I prerecorded makes this thing a spaceship on it's own. It's definitely something to take notice of, if you never heard of either Remix Decks or Stems. But; 1 but, there's no platter. I really missed these for scratching. But the robust outlook could probably only be maintained with the touch sensitive pad above the transport pads on both the lower sides of the decks.

The S8 is not traditional to say the least but that's why I like it. I am more of an MPCer or finger drummer and that is how I dJ. This hardware allows that freedom.

Simple to use, it can get more complex the more you use it. Theres always something to improve on it. From mastering the remix to the freeze function.

at £995 ill have to be good for santa

I didn't learn how to DJ starting on turntables or CDJ's, I started with controllers because that is what was accessible to me at the time. After gaining a foundation on the basic techniques I wanted to expand creatively and musically. Only then did I realize that the hardware (or instrumentation) I used, regardless of brand or whatever, would always be my direct connection to the music and crowd and that I would be freed or restrained only by it's limitations and my ability to control it.

Fast forward a bit, after really diving deep into what DJ software can allow you to do, and I have found myself fully engulfed in the world of NI Traktor, especially the concept of Remix Decks. With the Kontrol S8, I finally had a way to monitor and control every minute detail and aspect of my performance, without multiple pieces of equipment, cluttered cabling, and issues regarding digital devices playing nice with each other.

It really did open up a lot more possibilities of performance for me and I'm glad I took the risk of trying it out. I can't wait to see the next generation of these types of controllers.

Note: For some reason, it's not letting me rate this item, but I give it 5 stars.

The first time I've ever used one of these was last week, where one of my mates was using this unit. I first had my doubts about it, considering there are no jog wheels on this specific controller. After watching some reviews from Digital DJ Tips along with DJ Techtools, I decided to head out and try one, and ended up taking one home.

The possibilities on this unit are endless, the inputs work as a Traktor audio box so timecode vinyls works without lugging a large audio box around (also saves your desk from messy cables!), the mixer is a standalone so using this as a mixer without a computer is possible, the remix decks are actually very handy as well; being able to isolate different voices simultaneously. That's only a fraction of what this unit provides.

I would definitely recommend this unit.

Fun overpriced studio gear but have been gigging with it for outdoor festivals and it is horrible in South Tex heat. Humidity has it choking up and heat makes it freeze. I love the features pads feel great and love the on board screens.