words: MICK WILSON TECHNEWS
VERDICT BUILD QUALITY
EASE OF USE FEATURES
8.5 8.5 8.5
VALUE FOR MONEY 8.5 SOUND QUALITY
8.5
HYPE Traktor gets remixed with brand
new Remix Decks, coloured waveforms and improved beat detection.
GRIPE Still no support for VST plug-in
effects, and this latest version is processor-hungry enough to trip up older computers.
The new features and improvements to Native’s premium DJing software takes Traktor to a whole new level that will excite existing Traktor users, as well as tempting DJs to Native’s premium DJing software.
8.5/10 TAKE KONTROL (REMIXED)
Traktor Remix and Kontrol F1 are the two hot new releases to come from the Native camp, pushing the bar ever higher for digital DJing performance...
T
he hot news from Native Instruments and their latest gift to digital DJs is Traktor Remix, which has been released alongside the brand new Kontrol F1 hardware
controller — designed to make the most of the new features on offer in Traktor Remix. Native Instruments have succeeded in making the most exciting news in Traktor’s recent history not only incredibly exciting, but also fantastically confusing as well. As it turns out, Traktor Remix isn’t an actual product; you can’t buy it from a store and you won’t find it online either because Traktor Remix is a concept rather than a product. It’s a concept that DJs like Dubfire have taken onboard, demonstrating it to full effect at the opening of the Space Ibiza party this summer. Native could be onto something here — but what is Remix, and what can it do for DJs?
At the core of the Traktor Remix concept is the latest version of Traktor Pro, namely version 2.5, which has now been made the core of all Traktor products. This includes the controller-based versions such as Traktor Control S4 through to Traktor Scratch 2 and Scratch 2 Duo. So rather than release yet another flavour of Traktor — as would be so tempting to many manufacturers in order to squeeze a few extra dollars out of their consumers — Native have decided to offer the new killer features to all users of Traktor. Best of all, most Traktor 2 users will get this upgrade completely free!
The most exciting new feature to be found in Traktor Remix or Traktor Pro 2.5 (depending on your preference of name) are the Remix Decks, which open up a whole world of possibilities while in the mix. Each Remix Deck can hold sixty-four loops or samples, and also features scratch control (assuming you are already upgrading from a version of Traktor with scratch control) over the sample slots. Each Remix Deck is split into four columns that are perfect for grouping loops by type such as percussion, beats, vocal samples and effects, for example. The sample banks are further broken down into pages, with four rows of samples on each page. This is an arrangement that works fantastically well and is completely user-friendly and intuitive. The Remix Decks work so well that they really give Ableton a run for its money, especially as there is none of the dreaded warping that Ableton users spend so much of their lives doing. The only trick left up Ableton’s sleeve is that they support VST plug-in effects, whereas Traktor still does not which is a bit of a bummer.
Other features to be found as part of Traktor Remix are coloured waveforms, which are much easier to read, and an improved beat analysis engine that is noticeably better than previous versions of Traktor. Traktor Remix is an absolutely killer upgrade to an already great piece of software. It will have existing users excited for a long time to come and is likely to attract a whole new group of DJs to Traktor.
www.djmag.com PRICE
Traktor Pro 2.5 - Free upgrade for most existing Traktor 2 users.
Kontrol F1 - $249 with Traktor Pro 2.5 included.
ConTaCT
native-instruments.com
To compliment the new set of features found in Traktor Remix is a brand new hardware controller called Kontrol F1, which has just been unleashed on clubland. The Kontrol F1 is a similar size to the Kontrol X1 and is designed to control everything that the new Remix Decks have to offer. At the heart of the Kontrol F1 is a four-by-four grid of buttons which mimic the sample slots in a Remix Deck, with a volume fader and filter knob found at the top of each column of buttons. The buttons are exactly the right size for aggressive performances without slipping onto the buttons next to it, and the four colour LED backlights are nothing short of gorgeous. Sitting in between the faders and the button matrix are various buttons to enable Sync, Quantize and other useful parameter buttons, and a knob which controls the currently selected page of samples with a display next to it — indicating which page is currently active.
The build quality of the Kontrol F1 is excellent, the design is elegant and functional, but best of all the integration into Traktor is seamless and works straight out of the box without any fuss setting it up or issues like latency to spoil the fun. As an add-on controller used specifically for a Remix Deck, the Kontrol F1 is about as close to perfect as anything we have ever seen.
071
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82