Advice for a Fun and Portable Hybrid Traktor Setup

gustavjung

Hi everyone,

I'm a beginner hobbyist DJ looking to upgrade my setup for more fun and portability. Here's my current situation and goals:

• Current Setup: DDJ-400
• Goals:
  1. Add more fun and experimentation to my mixes.
  2. Create a portable setup for outdoor gigs, like playing by the sea or in nature.
  3. I am OK to have less portability but more creativity at home, but still be able to have a portable setup for outdoors if I leave 1 piece of hardware at home for example.

Background

I have experience in music production with Logic Pro and some past DJing with Traktor. I recently rediscovered Traktor's features (remix deck, step sequencer, etc.) and want to integrate them into my setup. Currently, I'm using a basic mapping for DDJ-400 to control Traktor but feel limited.

What I'm Considering

• Additional Hardware:
  • Traktor X1 Mk3 (not sure if it will be convenient to control deck faders using knobs)
  • Allen & Heath K2
  • Traktor Z1 (do I really need it if I have DDJ400)
  • Arturia BEATSTEP (Can be used for remix deck and effects)
  • Akai LPD8 (I guess control if effects will be still limited)
  • F1 (already ordered, will compare it's convenience with Touch OSC)
• Software: Touch OSC on iPad with 2 dedicated mappings available for Remix deck & Effects.

Option of a setup:

1. F1 and TouchOSC:
   • Cost: €100
   • TouchOSC with dedicated mappings for RemixDeck and effects
   • (F1 already ordered)
2. K2 and iPad with TouchOSC:
   • Cost: €200 (used K2)
3. X1 MK3 and TouchOSC:
   • Cost: €250 (X1 MK3 on sale)
4. Z1, F1, and LPD8 or Beatstep:
   • Cost: €330 (Z1 for €150, F1 for €100, LPD8 or Beatstep for €80)
   • (F1 already ordered)
5. X1 MK3 and F1:
   • Cost: €350
6. K2, F1, and LPD8 or Beatstep:
   • Cost: €380

Needs

1. Additional Channels: I need at least two more channels for tracks and remix deck.
2. Remix Deck and Step Sequencer: Full control over these features.
3. Effects Control: Full control over effects for three decks to enhance creativity.

Specific Questions

1. Using Allen & Heath K2:
   • How convenient is it to use one K2 to control 2 decks, remix deck, step sequencer, and effects?
   • Is it practical to switch between these controls on one piece of hardware, or is it cumbersome?
2. F1 questions:
   • Can F1 be used for both deck control and remix subchannels? Or us it cumbersome?
   • What features Touch OSC will cover best of all to substitute a hardware. Theoretically, it substitutes F1 completely.

Question

Given my goals and the equipment I'm considering, what would you recommend for a fun, affordable, and portable DJ setup? Any advice on specific hardware or combinations that work well with Traktor would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance for your help!Hi everyone,

pARty_bOy

Hi! with a F1 you can control a Remix Deck(a/b/c/d), play and copy/edit samples on the remix deck from the decks and whatever more, and you can switch to Midi Mode/ User Map and control 2 decks A and B, check the manual for details

https://www.native-instruments.com/fileadmin/ni_media/downloads/manuals/traktor/traktor_kontrol_f1_manual_english.pdf

Sûlherokhh

F1 does only provide controls for the sub channels (apart from deck sync and deck quantization).

K2 is absolutely awesome for many purposes, but you will need to put in a lot of work mapping it.

Both are somewhat cumbersome when it comes to switching the controls to something else, although the F1 can easily switch deck focus and has a single inbuilt toggle to switch between exactly two different control mappings on the fly. Anything more requires fiddling with the mouse in the controller manager.