#Traktor kontrol s8 software

Remember that you are controlling software here : most of what you are doing is already present in Traktor itself, but the tight integration between software and hardware means the tools are more or less all there in front of you to see, all the time. If you are an experienced user of Traktor on the desktop the thing that really strikes you about bringing the S8 into your setup is the incredible way in which it brings out the functionality of the software. Snap and Quantize can be switched off from the hardware if you need complete freedom to perform. You’ll need some skill to get it right every time, but it’s easier than you’d think. The Performance section is really powerful and as well as letting you work with Remix sets easily, allows you to capture sections of tracks to the performance pads and then drop them back in over the top of other tracks. Freeze mode is tremendous fun, mapping slices of a loop to the eight performance pads. A virtual playhead carries on and when you’re done experimenting, leaps you back to where the track would have been.įreeze a nd Slice As well as conventional stuff like setting cue points and loops which are made a lot easier thanks to the visual feedback on the two screens, the S8 gives you hands-on control over other stuff too. It’s also nifty when combined with Traktor’s Flux mode where you can jump to cue points and loops without losing the position of the original track. It’s true that this is a different approach to navigation than some DJs will be used to but it works really well and means that far more space is available on the hardware for other controls. They can also be used for bending tempo when syncing tracks and as beat phase meters. In this mode the left and right sections are knocked out but the central mixer section is active. It’s worth mentioning that you can use the S8 without a computer by connecting your turntables and mics and treating it like a regular mixer. Traktor’s software preferences gets a new tab where you can make some settings for the hardware like touch strip sensitivity, LED brightness and calibrate touch controls. As you would expect it’s all tailored to work automatically so you can connect the S8 and fire up Traktor with basically no setup.

#Traktor kontrol s8 pro

Mode Selector The hardware comes with a copy of Traktor Scratch Pro 2, which is the same as Traktor Pro 2 but adds timecode functionality so you can use it with special timecoded discs. Set to a more extreme curve the crossfader works almost like a switch, which is better for scratching. With a smoother setting you can transition gradually between signals. There are crossfader assign switches so that each channel can be assigned to the left or right side of the crossfader, or bypassed by leaving it in the central position.įinally a crossfader curve knob changes the way the crossfader behaves. The front panel also has some hardware features like a headphone section with two connectors, one small and one large headphone jack so you can listen to the cue output as well as the main mix.

The fact that it only needs a USB connection means the computer acts as the brain, doing all the audio and effects processing, but you don’t have to spend much time interacting with it.

Rather than having two or three devices to achieve all this, here you get a single box. Of course when you DJ you need not just to control playback but also incorporate other sound sources like turntables or CD decks and get sound out to the PA as well as monitoring.

#Traktor kontrol s8 Pc

Sound and data is sent back and forth to your Mac or PC down the USB connection but you can do much more than just play tracks without touching the computer: the S8 is also a standalone mixer and an audio and MIDI interface in its own right. It would seem to be designed to sit on a surface rather than being plumbed into a rack and to this end it has rubber feet and also six anchor points on the underside which allow it to be fixed down using screws. Where some other high-end DJ controllers have had a chunky design so as to slot into equipment racks in clubs, the S8 is much flatter and shallower, just under 7cm thick in fact.