Why, After 20 Years of Use, I’m Disappointed with Traktor Pro 4 and Forced to Consider Switching to Rekordbox
I’ve been using Traktor for more than twenty years. I’ve seen every version, every evolution, and I’ve always appreciated its philosophy, flexibility, and stability. For a long time, it was the most reliable DJ software on the market.
But today, with the arrival of the CDJ-3000, the experience has degraded to the point where I’m asking myself a question I never thought I would:
Do I need to abandon Traktor and switch to Rekordbox?
Latency and Sync Issues That Can No Longer Be Ignored
Using CDJ-3000s in HID mode with Traktor Pro 4 on macOS, I regularly experience:
unstable latency, sometimes for no clear reason
progressive sync drift between the audio and the display
unstable or inconsistent pitch control
audio dropouts or glitches
random tempo fluctuations
sudden desynchronization even with a properly configured setup
After years of trusting Native Instruments, this is incredibly frustrating. With every update, I hoped for a meaningful fix. Unfortunately, these issues persist, and using a pair of high-end players like the CDJ-3000 becomes almost impossible in real performance conditions.
Switching Software: A Forced Decision, Not a Choice
Moving to Rekordbox is not something I want to do — it feels like something I have to do.
This switch comes with a massive amount of work:
rebuilding all my playlists
redoing every cue point and hot cue
learning a completely new interface
adapting to a different workflow
reexporting my entire music library
Doing this after 20 years with Traktor feels like having to relocate after spending a lifetime in the same home.
A Deep Disappointment with Native Instruments
What surprises me isn’t Pioneer’s rapid evolution — that’s expected.
What disappoints me is seeing Native Instruments fall behind, without offering a stable solution to problems that are now affecting many CDJ-3000 users.
I find it abnormal and absurd that such a long-standing and respected software — used by so many professional DJs — fails to provide solid compatibility with the world’s most common club players.
Conclusion: A Difficult but Necessary Turning Point
I never wanted to leave Traktor.
But today, reliability matters more than loyalty.
Unless Native Instruments takes action soon, many long-time users like me will be forced to make a difficult decision:
leaving Traktor behind and switching to a more stable and better-integrated solution like Rekordbox.
