Current Controller: Kontrol S2. Looking to upgrade?

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Current Controller: Kontrol S2. Looking to upgrade?
Posted on: 12.10.2012 by Mitzi Crimes
Hey guys so I'm new to the community and have done lots of searching and reading to compare as many controllers as possible before posting this, but in the end it seems that my questions and situation are rather specific to my needs.

First and foremost, I am only a recreational DJ and pretty much just play for friends at home, maybe a house party, and am looking to move into doing a little side work at some very small local bars but nothing crazy. It's just a hobby for now and not looking to go 1000% professional with this. Not that it couldn't happen down the road, but it doesn't fit into my needs at the moment.

So that being said, I went from toying around on a Hercules MK4 controller to having some cash to spend and went with the NI Kontrol S2 package after having a nice experience playing with a friend's S4. Felt I didn't really want to spend upwards of $1000 and since I don't normally mess with more than 2 decks at once, the S2 fit the bill. I am working currently on exploring how to incorporate the sample deck features, but am not sure yet if they are what I truly want, or if I want to upgrade to a true 4 deck controller like the S4 just to have that added flexibility, even if I only use it sparingly.

With that in mind, I started looking into controllers the next level up from the S2. Obviously first in line was the consideration of the S4, but after extensive reading on here, it seemed that really the S2 could do pretty much everything the S4 could do once some new mapping was done. Yes, not EXACTLY the same as the S4, but for a non-professional, selling the S2 and adding quite a bit of cash for very minor differences just kind of seemed like a waste.

That's when I came back on here and started toying with the idea of straying from NI. There's the VCI-400 that people seem to like, as well as the ReLoop Jockey 3. I believe the price range on all of this is within reason, although if I sell the S2 I would have to repurchase Traktor software (I believe). Build quality looks nice on all, however maybe slightly more confusing for someone like me who is relatively inexperienced? There's also always the option for me to just add an X1 with my S2 to gain the capability I want if I'm not mistaken.

I would just like to hear a little more about some of these other controllers and anyone's experience with them up against the NI controllers and if you believe they fit what I'm describing for myself. I have very little experience in doing any crazy custom mappings and whatnot so simplicity is a factor. I'll leave it at that for now as this post is beginning to get lengthy but I can answer any questions if it helps you make a recommendation for me.

Thanks to everyone in advance!
Mitzi Crimes
18.10.2012
Originally Posted by Culture_Shock
The F1 is wonderful, but I've found that it does have a learning curve to it. The performance aspect of it is fairly straightforward, but I still have to double check the manual when trying to use some of its more advanced tweaking and editing options. Performing with the provided samples is pretty fool proof, you could almost hand it to anyone and get a good sound out of it with the NI remix sets cued up.
Using your own samples and sounds is a bit more involved. Unless you take the time to re-edit your samples, or know your levels from having produced them yourself, your remix deck is going to need a bit of balancing just like mixing any other track. not only do you have the "remix deck" eq, gain, and filter to do this with, you also have volume, filter, and gain per sample slot! Too sharp of a lead used to mean turning down the mids or maybe highs by just a bit, and adjusting the gain. now you have to believe, "do i eq the remix deck as a whole, or turn down the offending sample slot? If I cue another sample in this slot will it be more or less out of balance?" and stuff like that. I may just tend to get overly particular about my sound, but I found this new level of control to be almost daunting at first.
Also the facts that no two samples in the same slot can be played at once, and that you have a crucial split second to scroll between pages are both things to keep in mind when building songs or routines! Polyphony is only across the pads, not up and down, so don't put your kicks and hi-hats in one slot, and if you have a cue that needs to come right up after the pig breakdown, don't put it on a separate page!
Hmm. Lots to believe about and learn for sure! Thank you for the input! I'm a huge fan of real techno (Cox, Hawtin, etc) so the remix deck ideas really do appeal to me to be a good intro into creating portions of things live, but yea I'm sure there are lots of details to be minded.
Mitzi Crimes
12.10.2012
Originally Posted by ksandvik
Get an F1.
To pair with my S2? To be honest I don't understand controllers like the F1 when I look at them. I haven't taken the time to really look in depth but any time I see pads with that style of the buttons I always feel somewhat intimidated.
Mitzi Crimes
12.10.2012		Hey guys so I'm new to the community and have done lots of searching and reading to compare as many controllers as possible before posting this, but in the end it seems that my questions and situation are rather specific to my needs.

First and foremost, I am only a recreational DJ and pretty much just play for friends at home, maybe a house party, and am looking to move into doing a little side work at some very small local bars but nothing crazy. It's just a hobby for now and not looking to go 1000% professional with this. Not that it couldn't happen down the road, but it doesn't fit into my needs at the moment.

So that being said, I went from toying around on a Hercules MK4 controller to having some cash to spend and went with the NI Kontrol S2 package after having a nice experience playing with a friend's S4. Felt I didn't really want to spend upwards of $1000 and since I don't normally mess with more than 2 decks at once, the S2 fit the bill. I am working currently on exploring how to incorporate the sample deck features, but am not sure yet if they are what I truly want, or if I want to upgrade to a true 4 deck controller like the S4 just to have that added flexibility, even if I only use it sparingly.

With that in mind, I started looking into controllers the next level up from the S2. Obviously first in line was the consideration of the S4, but after extensive reading on here, it seemed that really the S2 could do pretty much everything the S4 could do once some new mapping was done. Yes, not EXACTLY the same as the S4, but for a non-professional, selling the S2 and adding quite a bit of cash for very minor differences just kind of seemed like a waste.

That's when I came back on here and started toying with the idea of straying from NI. There's the VCI-400 that people seem to like, as well as the ReLoop Jockey 3. I believe the price range on all of this is within reason, although if I sell the S2 I would have to repurchase Traktor software (I believe). Build quality looks nice on all, however maybe slightly more confusing for someone like me who is relatively inexperienced? There's also always the option for me to just add an X1 with my S2 to gain the capability I want if I'm not mistaken.

I would just like to hear a little more about some of these other controllers and anyone's experience with them up against the NI controllers and if you believe they fit what I'm describing for myself. I have very little experience in doing any crazy custom mappings and whatnot so simplicity is a factor. I'll leave it at that for now as this post is beginning to get lengthy but I can answer any questions if it helps you make a recommendation for me.

Thanks to everyone in advance!
Mitzi Crimes
18.10.2012
Originally Posted by Culture_Shock
The F1 is wonderful, but I've found that it does have a learning curve to it. The performance aspect of it is fairly straightforward, but I still have to double check the manual when trying to use some of its more advanced tweaking and editing options. Performing with the provided samples is pretty fool proof, you could almost hand it to anyone and get a good sound out of it with the NI remix sets cued up.
Using your own samples and sounds is a bit more involved. Unless you take the time to re-edit your samples, or know your levels from having produced them yourself, your remix deck is going to need a bit of balancing just like mixing any other track. not only do you have the "remix deck" eq, gain, and filter to do this with, you also have volume, filter, and gain per sample slot! Too sharp of a lead used to mean turning down the mids or maybe highs by just a bit, and adjusting the gain. now you have to believe, "do i eq the remix deck as a whole, or turn down the offending sample slot? If I cue another sample in this slot will it be more or less out of balance?" and stuff like that. I may just tend to get overly particular about my sound, but I found this new level of control to be almost daunting at first.
Also the facts that no two samples in the same slot can be played at once, and that you have a crucial split second to scroll between pages are both things to keep in mind when building songs or routines! Polyphony is only across the pads, not up and down, so don't put your kicks and hi-hats in one slot, and if you have a cue that needs to come right up after the pig breakdown, don't put it on a separate page!
Hmm. Lots to believe about and learn for sure! Thank you for the input! I'm a huge fan of real techno (Cox, Hawtin, etc) so the remix deck ideas really do appeal to me to be a good intro into creating portions of things live, but yea I'm sure there are lots of details to be minded.
Deangelo Boender
18.10.2012		The F1 is wonderful, but I've found that it does have a learning curve to it. The performance aspect of it is fairly straightforward, but I still have to double check the manual when trying to use some of its more advanced tweaking and editing options. Performing with the provided samples is pretty fool proof, you could almost hand it to anyone and get a good sound out of it with the NI remix sets cued up.
Using your own samples and sounds is a bit more involved. Unless you take the time to re-edit your samples, or know your levels from having produced them yourself, your remix deck is going to need a bit of balancing just like mixing any other track. not only do you have the "remix deck" eq, gain, and filter to do this with, you also have volume, filter, and gain per sample slot! Too sharp of a lead used to mean turning down the mids or maybe highs by just a bit, and adjusting the gain. now you have to believe, "do i eq the remix deck as a whole, or turn down the offending sample slot? If I cue another sample in this slot will it be more or less out of balance?" and stuff like that. I may just tend to get overly particular about my sound, but I found this new level of control to be almost daunting at first.
Also the facts that no two samples in the same slot can be played at once, and that you have a crucial split second to scroll between pages are both things to keep in mind when building songs or routines! Polyphony is only across the pads, not up and down, so don't put your kicks and hi-hats in one slot, and if you have a cue that needs to come right up after the pig breakdown, don't put it on a separate page!
Mitzi Crimes
17.10.2012		So I take it nobody else has any input on thoughts for what seems to suit me? Not that I have anything against the F1. Just curious about options and advantages/disadvantages from peoples' experiences. Otherwise I'll probably see an F1 around Christmas and really get to work with it!
Mitzi Crimes
14.10.2012		Had only watched the second, but thank you for the other! So far still believeing that the addition of the F1 to my S2 is going to be nothing short of amazing.
Nedra Fresneda
13.10.2012		In case you missed these


Mitzi Crimes
13.10.2012		Spent last evening watching videos and reading about the F1 and thank you very much for the recommendation. I believe maybe that paired with the S2 is going to do exactly what I want. There's tons of versatility there and so much better control over the remix decks that originally confused me a bit. I'm still going to continue to look around at some other hardware in the meantime but as of right now S2+F1 seems like a killer combo!
Mitzi Crimes
12.10.2012
Originally Posted by ksandvik
Get an F1.
To pair with my S2? To be honest I don't understand controllers like the F1 when I look at them. I haven't taken the time to really look in depth but any time I see pads with that style of the buttons I always feel somewhat intimidated.
Celine Surico
12.10.2012		Get an F1.

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