Paid €835 for an S4 MK3 running on a broken 2018 ASIO Driver. Unacceptable!

Manu_1980

Hi everyone,

I am writing this post out of sheer frustration regarding the current state of the Traktor Kontrol S4 MK3 under Windows 11. Native Instruments is still selling this controller at a premium, full-market price in 2026 (€835), yet they expect Windows users to run it on a completely obsolete ASIO driver that hasn't been updated since 2018.

In July 2025, the S4 MK3 was still listed as the brand's flagship product in active stock, was being promoted as usual, and was being sold at a premium price as the ultimate hardware for getting the most out of Traktor Pro 4.

This is not a configuration or hardware bottleneck on my end. I am running a high-end, top-tier setup tailored for real-time audio and performance:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D (one of the most powerful processors on the market)
• GPU: Gigabyte RTX 4070 Super AORUS Master
• RAM: 32 GB G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo DDR5 @ 6000 MHz (EXPO profile enabled)
• System Drive: Samsung 990 Pro 1TB - NVMe M.2 SSD
• Music Library Drive: WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB - NVMe M.2 SSD (dedicated exclusively to my Traktor library)
• Monitors: Focal Alpha 65 Evo Professional Studio Monitors
• Audio Cables: Mogami Neglex W2534 Quad with Neutrik Gold XLR / 6.3mm TRS connectors
• USB Cable: Neo d+ USB Class B (NEOUSB2M) with double shielding

Despite having this absolute beast of a PC, the 2018 ASIO driver causes constant audio stuttering, dropouts, and buffer issues. It is completely unable to properly manage modern Windows 11 CPU thread scheduling and power states. The lack of a proper, native Class-Compliant architecture forces Windows to split the device into fragmented WDM channels, making it impossible to utilize WASAPI Exclusive mode as an alternative.

It is unacceptable, and arguably misleading, for Native Instruments to market this product alongside modern software like Traktor Pro 4 while charging 2026 prices (€835) for an ecosystem built on an abandoned 2018 backbone. Windows users who buy this controller are being neglected.

We need to group up and demand that Native Instruments takes responsibility. We need a fully optimized, modern ASIO driver for Windows 11 that stops treating high-end computers like machines from a decade ago.

Please share your thoughts and upvote this if you are experiencing the same issues.

**** WE NEED TO MAKE THEM PATCH THIS DRIVER IMMEDIATELY !!!! ****

P.S. An 835€ professional controller should work flawlessly on a high-end Windows system without requiring a platform change. The issue is lazy software engineering, not my OS.

PK The DJ

In 2018 Microsoft's OS would have been Windows 10. Windows 11 is just a facelift, so any driver designed for Windows 10 should work without issue. It's not "broken" just because it's from 2018.

You make no mention of where you've set the ASIO buffer size. If it's too low you'll get pops and clicks, no matter how beastly your PC. Have you at least tried to adjust buffer size?

In addition to the above, since January MS have been making OS updates that have badly affected DJ controllers. They're still fighting to fix all the issues.