That said Traktor is still a very complex piece of software which can be daunting for first time users. The turntable style jog wheels are fantastic fun, they feel great and we would love to see them on more products in the future. We are looking forward to seeing the firmware updates, the stand alone mixer is a feature that will really add value and will allow the S4 become the centre of a DJ setup. The screens could've been a bit larger and show more info. I got Joe Easton's mod which is a nice improvement, but if Joe can do it, why didn't NI make it such in the first place? When opening up your Native Instruments Traktor Kontrol S4 MK3, the first thing you’re going to notice is its jog wheels spin. Note: Make sure that the Direct Thru option of the input channels is disabled. Additionally, if you wish to save the Input Sens configuration for future use, perform these changes under the Startup tab. Read about the Direct Thru and stand-alone use of the TRAKTOR AUDIO 6 / 10 in this article. TRAKTOR KONTROL S4 Now, they have a more professional look. Buttons like the next cue point or the play buttons are a fair bit larger and more apparent.

The card is a 24-bit, 114db Cirrus Logic DAC and is the first time being put in a NI controller. And you can bet that it profits from it like nobody’s business. This is not particularly good if your laptop crashes and you still want a simple, external “thru” source to keep the music playing. Rumour has it that true standalone is coming in a firmware upgrade, which would definitely be welcome. It is easy to forget how popular the Kontrol S4 Mk1 and then Mk2 were, and how Traktor led the way in innovative controller DJing all those years ago. The Traktor Kontrol S4 Mk3 reminds you (literally) with a jolt.If anyone remembers the S8 and S5, they’ll remember NI’s famous attempt to change the jog wheel mode up for more screens, space, and buttons.

The mixer section is clean and logical, and there is no longer the gap between the two left and the two right channels. There’s now a fifth “strip” to the right of the main four channels handling output volumes – again it feels more “standard” than before, and we like it. Set the channel toggle switch on the top panel to either PH (Phono) or LN (Line) in correspondance to the external device you connected in step 1. Seriously, this motorized jog wheels felt more like a real and authentic turntable mode than any other I’ve ever used. I think it might be a TSI problem... Maybe even a firmware problem. Not sure. I'll keep experimenting with TSI's and wait for another update.

The unit itself isn’t a great departure from the popular Kontrol S4 Mk2 before it, being roughly the same layout and size, so it fits in that space between smaller, budget controllers and the bigger units many manufacturers have around this price point: Big enough to be easy to use, not so big that it becomes hard to move around. Above each jogwheel are “standard” software effects controls, with wet/dry for each unit, and three parameter knobs, all with corresponding buttons. Depending on how you have the effects configured (three single effects or deep control of a single effect per engine) these knobs and buttons do different things, but the first one is always wet/dry. The S4 MK3 very much runs with the spinning jog wheel crowd as it utilizes a blatant yet subtle motorized jog wheels platter on its face. Note: Channels C(5,6) and D(7,8) of the AUDIO 8 DJ only offer the LINE input level. Additionally on the AUDIO 4 / 8 DJ you can adjust the Phono input gain levels in dB from within its Control Panel. On a Mac, the Control Panel can be displayed from the drop-down menu below its icon appearing on the top bar of the Desktop. Read more about Phono Gain level settings in the AUDIO 4 / 8 DJ user manual. Overall, the updates to mixer layout/spacing, components, and styling make the center of this controller look and feel a lot more like Pioneer DJ gear, like the ubiquitous DJM-900NXS/2 mixer. At first I was a bit annoyed at this new “Pioneer” look, but it’s growing on me and certainly feels more professional than the classic Traktor controllers. One section in particular is a welcome nod in that direction… The Mixer FX (Instant Gratification)