Opinion S4 vs Z2 vs T1
Opinion S4 vs Z2 vs T1 Posted on: 17.05.2013 by Genesis Bruess Hey guysBefore I hit the buy it now button and spend more money I would like your opinion. When I bought my S4 that was the cheapest way to rin dvs with the scratch upgrade. Now the T1 and Z2 is out I would really like to switch but I was wondering if it's a waste of money or I would really be a upgrade Thanks for your opinions | |
| Alphonso Deitchman 23.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by frdemari
Edit: corrected. |
| Doreen Schurle 18.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by octostout
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| Kathe Stump 18.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by mdcdesign
I guess if we're comparing shitty All-in-ones it's got more controls than some that cost half as much...? Most of the other ones around the S4's price have as many or more at WAAAY higher build-quality. But besides is the number of controls really a measure of how good a piece of gear is? My midi fighters have 26 buttons and 5 movement sensors each... I have several controls unmapped, and I can do more with them than I ever could with my shitty S4. because I can map it however i want without losing the only function that matters, like with the S4. |
| Doreen Schurle 18.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by makar1
EDIT: I was going to say "even the X1", but then again the Contour and Xone:K2 both have more controls. |
| Kristofer Krauel 24.05.2013 | Yeah no mixer usage at all because the s4 is purely a midi controller. |
| Alphonso Deitchman 24.05.2013 | Yeah, Thru is just straight to the Master. The gain dial on the back should still work IIRC. |
| Alla Bluemke 24.05.2013 | you sure? Ah I haven't used one in a while so you are probably right. I believe I was believeing of putting cdjs or technics in C and D and running it through which you can't. But Thru mode is just through, no mixer usage correct? |
| Alphonso Deitchman 23.05.2013 | You don't need a computer connected to use Thru mode; just for Live Input. |
| Alla Bluemke 23.05.2013 | You also have to have your computer on to go through mode on the S4..... To me the Z2 is basically a controller, with some very basic mixer functions. Without a computer its pretty useless, you might as well use as gemini or numark crap mixer. For home use a Z2 maybe cool, but for gigs its just plain silly to bring a mixer to a club that already has gear. I believe you should likely just stick with your S4, maybe snag up a cheap mixer, and a A6 to play out with if you want to use the clubs gear. |
| Alphonso Deitchman 23.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by frdemari
Edit: corrected. |
| Kathe Stump 23.05.2013 | I believe you can only on channel D. There's no Thru switch on channel C for some stupid reason |
| Genesis Bruess 23.05.2013 | Thanks for all you opinion Do you believe with a s4 I can listen old vinyl from my technics |
| Kathe Stump 18.05.2013 | I had one for two years, played over a hundred gigs with it. I can comfortably say nobody defending them has any idea what they're talking about. I can say without a doubt that in a number of ways, the S4 and it's software integration is the worst-designed DJ product that you will ever see anyone actually make the mistake of bringing out. |
| Doreen Schurle 18.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by octostout
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| Kathe Stump 18.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by mdcdesign
I guess if we're comparing shitty All-in-ones it's got more controls than some that cost half as much...? Most of the other ones around the S4's price have as many or more at WAAAY higher build-quality. But besides is the number of controls really a measure of how good a piece of gear is? My midi fighters have 26 buttons and 5 movement sensors each... I have several controls unmapped, and I can do more with them than I ever could with my shitty S4. because I can map it however i want without losing the only function that matters, like with the S4. |
| Alphonso Deitchman 18.05.2013 | DDJ SX, VCI 400, Numark 4Trak all have plenty of controls. |
| Doreen Schurle 18.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by makar1
EDIT: I was going to say "even the X1", but then again the Contour and Xone:K2 both have more controls. |
| Kathe Stump 18.05.2013 | Fuck yes you can. Their "functionality" is just features built into Traktor that they give exclusive control of to their products. Any function of any piece of gear they've ever built can be sent BETTER through class-compliant midi. The "functionality" of the physical gear itself is limited to things like encoders, knobs, jogwheels and faders... Of which they have among the worst of any gear company out there. |
| Alphonso Deitchman 18.05.2013 | Functionality is provided entirely through the Traktor software, which is all NI really care about. |
| Doreen Schurle 18.05.2013 | I must admit, from what I've heard over the years it sounds like NI have had some bad quality control issues, but then again you can't doubt the functionality of their products. |
| Alphonso Deitchman 18.05.2013 | My 1st S4 had an FX knob that gradually stopped working. It sent intermittent messages for a while before dying completely. The 2nd unit had a faulty FX assign button, a faulty Browse button, a faulty Load button (all 3 only worked from a very specific angle), the headphone socket was unreliable, the faceplate wasn't glued to the unit properly, and I had the same jog wheel malfunction (requires reboot of the S4) that Porter and Zedd had in their Beatport set. The rubber pad buttons also had an inconsistent click; some noticeably clicked whereas you could barely feel it on others. The 2nd unit wasn't even gigged - these problems just seemed to be out of the box. |
| Doreen Schurle 18.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by octostout
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| Kathe Stump 18.05.2013 | I had my S4 for two months before the faders started breaking... and I babied that thing. NI's controllers have some of the worst build-quality in the industry. Thee jogwheels on the S2 and S4 are below the quality of a mixtrack |
| Doreen Schurle 18.05.2013 | I wouldn't call anything by NI "joke gear", even if the build quality isn't up to the likes of Vestax and Reloop. Functionality-wise, you can't fault it... and unless you're using it as a trampoline when you're at home, it's not going to fall to pieces. Just have some respect for your gear, whatever brand it is. |
| Barton Rigazio 18.05.2013 | Funny to see how quickly people judge on this community . To each his own! |
| Kathe Stump 18.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by GI Trackt
Do you play trap music?
Originally Posted by makar1
Honestly... You don't hire fucking DJ Shiftee to be your poster child if you want to appeal to people who know what they're doing. DJ gear is starting to work like extreme sports gear. Burton pays it's snowboarders to wear their gear so that newbie kids will see their heroes wearing it and buy it. Just like NI pays Craze and Shiftee to use their joke gear. |
| Alphonso Deitchman 18.05.2013 | Plastic pots, glossy plastic faceplate, and the same tacky little buttons from the S4 say otherwise. |
| Barton Rigazio 18.05.2013 | The Z2 is NOT "like a controller" at ALL!!!! Sure it can be midi mapped etc, but it is and feels like a REAL mixer. This is hands down one of the main reasons people switch from controllers like the S4 to modular setups (or singular bc the Z2 can actually be your only "controller" too hehe) with actual mixers. Controllers like the S4/S2/Dn-mcXXXX/VCI-XXX just do not give off the feeling of a real mixer and that matters to some people. Obviously this is subjective as you just need control of EQ's and a cross-fader. There is something to be "felt" in a big box mixer :-) And after all that, I'm actually planning to switch from my Z2 to an all-in-one controller haha :-P Still love the Z2! |
| Alphonso Deitchman 18.05.2013 | If the aim is to practice for gigs elsewhere, you'll still need a sound card and a modular controller like an X1. So any simple 2 channel mixer will do the job. DJM 250 or Xone 22 are good budget options depending on what is at the gig. |
| Dedra Kreinbring 18.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by octostout
Each to their own as they say. Money is also a big factor in these decisions and pioneer 900 is not pocket friendly. |
| Kathe Stump 18.05.2013 | The Z2 is just a straight-up bad idea if you perform in any capacity that matters. The mixer component of your home setup should not have any advanced features, because at gigs you should be using the provided mixer. You shouldn't get used to a system at home that you won't have available to you live, and you should never believe it's an option to show up at a real event with your own mixer. For home use just buy a standard mixer and a sound card so that you're used to being versatile, so that you can just bring your sound card to gigs, and play on whatever mixer they have set up. If you're willing to shell out a bit more cash, just buy a Pioneer DJM 900. 90% of the gigs you want to be playing will have this mixer set up, and it has a Traktor SS soundcard built-in. Special-case mixers like the Z2 or Rane's midi mixer line are either for bedroom DJs who either don't care or don't understand how real gigs work, or headliners who are getting paid to have them on their riders. This comes up so incredibly often, and I can't stress this enough. If there's a single piece of advice for new DJs who want to learn and start playing bigger and bigger gigs, it's this: you should absolutely be using the provided mixer at your gigs. |
| Alphonso Deitchman 18.05.2013 | The Z2 is just a controller that happens to have mixer capabilities when disconnected from Traktor, like a VCI 400 or DDJ SX for example. |
| Jenna Skeem 18.05.2013 | Z2 still mixes internally if using with traktor, so its pretty much an s4 without jogs. |
| Avis Lekic 18.05.2013 | +1 on the Z2, tried it at a mates. Awesome mixer and looks great |
| Jetta Drenzek 18.05.2013 | From a Traktore fanboy, the S4 is still hands down the best controller NI have released. The Z2 is just a mixer, and the Pioneer T1 is discontinued. I tested it a lot, lovely unit, and I was about to take the plunge on that, after looking at the + |
| Lillia Datson 18.05.2013 | I was in a similar boat until last week actually. I thought that id sell the S4 and get a mixer, but a mate of mine who doesn't DJ was impressed by how much the S4 could do and said ''it's like you dont need anything else'' My view was clouded by RGAS, and actually for where im at and where i mix (Bedroom and houseparties etc) im not really in need of anything else. No saying that if i had a few thousand lying about and absolutely nothing to spend it on id blow it on a full club setup. But i can dream! |
| Alphonso Deitchman 18.05.2013 | The Z2 does not let you mix externally while using Traktor from what I've heard. |
| Kristofer Krauel 18.05.2013 | Main benefit would be that you get to mix externally. If that floats your boat. It's a pretty decent reason to swap in my opinion. Plus with those 2 mixers you still get a decent number of mappable controls. |
| Doreen Schurle 18.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by makar1
The only way it'd be an "upgrade" is if space is at a premium at the moment and you just want something more compact. Bear in mind, however, you'd be sacrificing a HELL of a lot of lovely mappable MIDI controls in the process. If you primarily use your TTs for transport functionality, have a tinker with your mapping and remap the jogwheels to something else... super FX, maybe. Same goes for the pitchfaders and any other unused transport controls. |
| Alphonso Deitchman 18.05.2013 | If you already have the S4 there isn't much benefit in switching. |
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