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NI S4 Already obsolete?

Home :: Reviews of DJ equipment :: NI S4 Already obsolete?Reply

NI S4 Already obsolete? Posted on: 14.01.2011 by Tawny Bruggeman So, NAMM is currently going on. I caught a preview of the up coming Pioneer DDJ series, basically looks like a pioneer version of the s4.... Are there any other controller/sound card/mixers/effects units coming to the market soon I should be mentioning? The only thing that I can see as an advantage for the s4 over the pioneer gear is price..... Did I waste me money?
Merilyn Sellards 18.01.2011	Originally Posted by deevey I'm a lil Suprised the Numark NS6 didn't get a mention as compared to the s4 / Pioneer / Denon debate. personally it believe it looks a whole heap better than the Pioneer with the flexibilty of a separate mixer like the denon, just with freaking huge jogs. The Denon or S4 IMHO would be perfect with bigger jogs though (damn you all!!!) I know I know, technically its an Itch controller, but it does use standard midi so I guess mappings will come. Well to be fair the info on the ns6 and the thread are both kinda new... but yes I was tempted to mention that one too, but personally I didn't like the looks from the photo, l upon closer inspection of all these units, my point of view will probably change. NS6 looks tough, but personally I just don't like numark design(but I wont go into that). The included analogue mixer is a really huge bonus/advantage I would like, this would of made s4 my gear for years to come. I want to say that if I could make a combo of all the cool features of these then I would change to that, until then I will beat the crap out of my s4. Yes you don't need so much options to keep the party going, but I have fun making really crazy crap at home and these nice "toys" are making it all possible
Merilyn Sellards 18.01.2011	Originally Posted by willrjmarshall The S4 looks like the best of the current batch of Traktor-oriented 4-deck controllers. The Denon offering has some advantages, but for me the lack of HDMIDI is more important than the analog mixer (and the additional S4/Traktor features are pretty cool). I also really like the feedback between the S4 and Traktor. The new Pioneer controller looks only OK by comparison. The needle strip is very nice, and the layout is a bit more open and spacious, but the actual set of controls is smaller and the integration won't be as tight. Also, Pioneer build quality is in my experience rather worse than Native Instruments. If the Pioneer job was the same price I'd argue that they're equivalent with different pros/coms. exactly what I said, I haven't read all the thread, but apparently it got a bit controversial, as are a lot of threads these days, :P but its ok I only stated my observations, and yet I also believe there is a cup of tea for everyone regarding what they use. Whatever, I don't look for any approval but somewhat saying what I believe at the moment about this or that product was relevant to me then. Maybe someone gets something out of it maybe not, creates a bit of analysis, just thought I would throw in those thoughts.
Franklin Momany 17.01.2011	Originally Posted by padi_04 is this your friend? Srry, love that kind of vids :d hahahaha
Nedra Fresneda 17.01.2011	Originally Posted by deviantdigi I used to be into skateboarding back in my teenage years. It was mostly just my friend and I going around causing mayhem XD I had a bunch of tricks down and could skate pretty good. But he couldn't skate if his life depended on it. I had and older beatin up skateboard setup, but his was top of the line stuff. Best trucks, bearing etc. No matter what he bought or added, it didn't make him a better skater. is this your friend? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4S2Gu7ZDT0 srry, love that kind of vids
Merilyn Sellards 18.01.2011	Originally Posted by deevey I'm a lil Suprised the Numark NS6 didn't get a mention as compared to the s4 / Pioneer / Denon debate. personally it believe it looks a whole heap better than the Pioneer with the flexibilty of a separate mixer like the denon, just with freaking huge jogs. The Denon or S4 IMHO would be perfect with bigger jogs though (damn you all!!!) I know I know, technically its an Itch controller, but it does use standard midi so I guess mappings will come. Well to be fair the info on the ns6 and the thread are both kinda new... but yes I was tempted to mention that one too, but personally I didn't like the looks from the photo, l upon closer inspection of all these units, my point of view will probably change. NS6 looks tough, but personally I just don't like numark design(but I wont go into that). The included analogue mixer is a really huge bonus/advantage I would like, this would of made s4 my gear for years to come. I want to say that if I could make a combo of all the cool features of these then I would change to that, until then I will beat the crap out of my s4. Yes you don't need so much options to keep the party going, but I have fun making really crazy crap at home and these nice "toys" are making it all possible
Merilyn Sellards 18.01.2011	Originally Posted by willrjmarshall The S4 looks like the best of the current batch of Traktor-oriented 4-deck controllers. The Denon offering has some advantages, but for me the lack of HDMIDI is more important than the analog mixer (and the additional S4/Traktor features are pretty cool). I also really like the feedback between the S4 and Traktor. The new Pioneer controller looks only OK by comparison. The needle strip is very nice, and the layout is a bit more open and spacious, but the actual set of controls is smaller and the integration won't be as tight. Also, Pioneer build quality is in my experience rather worse than Native Instruments. If the Pioneer job was the same price I'd argue that they're equivalent with different pros/coms. exactly what I said, I haven't read all the thread, but apparently it got a bit controversial, as are a lot of threads these days, :P but its ok I only stated my observations, and yet I also believe there is a cup of tea for everyone regarding what they use. Whatever, I don't look for any approval but somewhat saying what I believe at the moment about this or that product was relevant to me then. Maybe someone gets something out of it maybe not, creates a bit of analysis, just thought I would throw in those thoughts.
Vernie Beharry 18.01.2011	I'm a lil Suprised the Numark NS6 didn't get a mention Think of the NS7. . .and just drop Mixtrack jogs instead of the motorized ones . . .and a few other things that do make that controller very good. . .
Vernie Beharry 18.01.2011	Then there are the Forum posts for the S4 controlling Serato with some adjustments in the via midi. . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG5GRCnqnwY This looks very promising. . .
Rolanda Clodfelder 18.01.2011	I'm a lil Suprised the Numark NS6 didn't get a mention as compared to the s4 / Pioneer / Denon debate. personally it believe it looks a whole heap better than the Pioneer with the flexibilty of a separate mixer like the denon, just with freaking huge jogs. The Denon or S4 IMHO would be perfect with bigger jogs though (damn you all!!!) I know I know, technically its an Itch controller, but it does use standard midi so I guess mappings will come.
Cristian Carmona 18.01.2011	The S4 has lots of life in it, give it 12 months and let's see where it's at.
Inez Marcinik 18.01.2011	it shows in that NI video that the software used is Traktor Scratch Pro. they will be by no means "phasing it out". I realise NI have screwed people over in the past but everyone is jumping the gun. the only info we've had from NI about it in months is a one minute video. If/When they release more info confirming that they will be discontinuing support for audio dj 4/8 and traktor pro users, you can freak out. but until then, can everyone please stop making assumptions?
Lisa Lochotzki 17.01.2011	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b6HeJIKl1Q& http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYT-4msc-zQ&
Vernie Beharry 17.01.2011	The cassette walkman . .but that's the only boombox I got
Jonelle Pahulu 17.01.2011	IMHO S4 is best digital midi controller out there before getting one i was really confused and lost since its my first time picking a digital controller but as usual when buying something i always compare then use my secret weapon cough google cough and just search for cons on each and every device i have/had on my list thats how i ended up removing VMS4 and adopting S4 and am really happy with it and there have been no issues like on other controllers and S4 software is a Major plus <3
Franklin Momany 17.01.2011	Originally Posted by padi_04 is this your friend? Srry, love that kind of vids :d hahahaha
Nedra Fresneda 17.01.2011	Originally Posted by deviantdigi I used to be into skateboarding back in my teenage years. It was mostly just my friend and I going around causing mayhem XD I had a bunch of tricks down and could skate pretty good. But he couldn't skate if his life depended on it. I had and older beatin up skateboard setup, but his was top of the line stuff. Best trucks, bearing etc. No matter what he bought or added, it didn't make him a better skater. is this your friend? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4S2Gu7ZDT0 srry, love that kind of vids
Franklin Momany 17.01.2011	I used to be into skateboarding back in my teenage years. It was mostly just my friend and I going around causing mayhem XD I had a bunch of tricks down and could skate pretty good. But he couldn't skate if his life depended on it. I had and older beatin up skateboard setup, but his was top of the line stuff. Best trucks, bearing etc. No matter what he bought or added, it didn't make him a better skater.
Lashay Walchak 16.01.2011	Can a mod please change the title of this thread? It eerks me SOOOO bad. The S4 now has some quality competition, but obsolete? The OP used piss poor terminology and I believe it should be corrected or removed.
Randy Neave 16.01.2011	Originally Posted by djproben yeah, if you want to do those sort of things you need an ipad. lol
Randy Neave 16.01.2011	Phasing out old Traktor pro = yes, only to bring in a new updated version. S4 has no timecode support as of yet and dvs systems are far from being phased out, i never see that happening actually. Controllers are gaining in popularity by the thousands, and controllers are awesome and do alot of things. But DVS is not goin anywhere anytime soon. NI would be idiots to stop DVS support, They would basically be handing Serato hundreds of thousands dollars by doing so
Onie Sarandos 15.01.2011	The Pioneers both look very sweet, and, I would guess are probably of a better build quality than the S4. But the Kontrol S4 is the only one tailored to the S4 software, has more features and a better price point. I don't remember how much the denon is, but that controller looks sweet too-but, its still not tailored to the S4 software. I believe they all look great, but the S4 is the clear leader in the clubhouse to me.
Tatum Ansaldo 15.01.2011	What i'm saying is that we already know for a fact that it's happening lol, haven't you seen this? [youtube]xbcXbWgX6NM[/youtube]
daniela klein 15.01.2011	Well, NI discounting anything is usually an informal announcement that they're discontinuing it. And it would be dumb of them not to sell the S4 software by itself. And god knows NI has never done anything dumb.
Tatum Ansaldo 16.01.2011	Originally Posted by steveboyett I get the feeling NI is going to phase out TPro Do you mean the current version? Cos they already pretty much did that by selling off stock at half price and announcing a new version...
daniela klein 15.01.2011	The new controllers' relevance is going to depend on whether NI deprecates Traktor Pro. A lot of these controllers may work well for Traktor Pro, but the S4 is clearly the better controller ... for the S4 software. I get the feeling NI is going to phase out TPro, which would give them an upgraded software and the best hardware controller for it.
Danae Dumler 15.01.2011	Pioneer advantages: sound card, scribble strip, size of jogs, size of pitch faders S4 advantages: SOFTWARE, level meters on all channels, price
Danae Dumler 15.01.2011	Originally Posted by tgunn897 Why would any of these units be considered obsolete? We are using these units to mix music here, not splitting atoms and curing cancer. Yeah, if you want to do those sort of things you need an iPad.
Matha Obray 14.01.2011	S4 is still the best traktor controller out there. The ONLY reason u want the pioneer is cuz it says pioneer on it. If u put them side by side the s4 beats it in mamy ways. dont see why u would want to waste ur money on such an outdated product already.
Audrey Pinda 14.01.2011	The S4 and the DDJ-T1 are going to be very competitive. Pioneer is really going to be carrying it's product because of the name, and because it's very similar to their CDJ's in layout. So people who are transitioning, or want to have a similar feel to what CDJ's would be like in the club, will find this a bonus. The S4 does come with the improved software off the bat, and it's yet to be determined fully what the T1 will ship with fully. The build quality is honestly going to be something of personal preference, and having the TRS outs on the T1 is a nice thing for mobile DJ's to have. Either way you look at it, these are both going to be quality products. I personally believe that the S4 is more of a "controllerist" controller, where the T1 is more of a "traditional" controller. If that makes sense. What it's going to come down to is how each individual DJ feels that the gear will work with his/her workflow. ... And the S1? Well it's got some serious competition with the NS6. But as both are mainly designed with ITCH in mind, it's not really in the same category.
Larhonda Veuleman 14.01.2011	The S4 looks like the best of the current batch of Traktor-oriented 4-deck controllers. The Denon offering has some advantages, but for me the lack of HDMIDI is more important than the analog mixer (and the additional S4/Traktor features are pretty cool). I also really like the feedback between the S4 and Traktor. The new Pioneer controller looks only OK by comparison. The needle strip is very nice, and the layout is a bit more open and spacious, but the actual set of controls is smaller and the integration won't be as tight. Also, Pioneer build quality is in my experience rather worse than Native Instruments. If the Pioneer job was the same price I'd argue that they're equivalent with different pros/coms.
Randy Neave 14.01.2011	Originally Posted by sarasin You see....i look at it like this.... I am not only going to do the minimum to keep the crowd happy. I want to perform....I wanna do my thing and ZONE OUT..... This is why I would take as much to the party as I can! Well said bruh, my point exactly, different strokes for different folks. I dont want to do the minimum either, i surely want to stand out amongst my peers, and quality mixing and good fresh tuna definitely allows me to do so. Its all about flava and styles and what your into. All these controllers are great, and i support 100% the forward progress of where contollerism is going. Im glad to see tight integration with the hardware and software so people will spend more time honing their mixing and performance skills rather than tweaking, mapping,etc..... Anyways, nothing is obsolete or outdated, just use what you like and what you feel gets the performance across the best way you know how and sounds best.
Lilliana Perris 14.01.2011	lol I am know to be the most sober at parties....bar weed!
Tatum Ansaldo 14.01.2011	Originally Posted by sarasin I wanna do my thing and ZONE OUT..... This is why I would take as much at the party as I can! fix'd
Lilliana Perris 14.01.2011	You see....i look at it like this.... I am not only going to do the minimum to keep the crowd happy. I want to perform....I wanna do my thing and ZONE OUT..... This is why I would take as much to the party as I can!
Randy Neave 14.01.2011	Why would any of these units be considered obsolete? We are using these units to mix music here, not splitting atoms and curing cancer. It depends soley on what the consumer/DJ is intending to use these features for. All the extra bells and whistles on the S4 are for a totally different type of music creativity that seems to be popular here at dj tech. With that said, their is still a major major market for DJ's who just want to mix good music and make people dance, without spending more time mapping and worrying about the "next best thing". From my experience and from 99 percent of clubs and parties i dj at, 2 turntables and a mixer, with a couple cdj's is still the norm. Just my two cents All the new toys are great for everyones respective taste.
Lilliana Perris 14.01.2011	Damn....thats the first i have heard of a Chris DeBurgh fetish..... The thing that is selling the S4 now....is the software. There are a few options you can go for...budget wise. But at the end of the day....I want the software. If you can;t wait....S4 it is. NI also have a good build reputation with its gear. Another reason it is selling. And lastly....have you seen any video's of artists using the VMS.....Denon....etc to the caliber NI have? Nope....so that's why it is TOP at the moment.
Tatum Ansaldo 14.01.2011	Originally Posted by Erick chill! let me rephrase, its not up to date. there. lol I'm calm. If I'm honest I was just looking for a way to mention Chris de Burgh on the community .
Merilyn Sellards 14.01.2011	Ok, it's up to date in many ways but it would be behind others by not offering these features so they should suck it up and work on it. Don't get me wrong they are still awesome, I wish they would have done these loooong ago.
Merilyn Sellards 14.01.2011	chill! let me rephrase, its not up to date. there.
Tatum Ansaldo 14.01.2011	What is it with everyone calling everything obsolete? None of these controllers are anything like obsolete. The 3.5" floppy disk, that is obsolete. The cassette walkman, that is obsolete. Chris de Burgh, almost the definition of obsolescence. A brand new Pioneer controller that's not yet released and has some nice features, or an all in one system that ships with a piece of highly saught after software that's as yet unavailable any other way? Very much not obsolete!

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NI S4 Already obsolete?