Advice plz - using an F1 to control stems on Pro 4 with an S3 controller

DJ Uncle G

Hi, I'm looking for a better (more intuitive) way to adjust the volumes and add effects to stems on my S3 controller. I am thinking of using a second hand F1. Hopefully I can use this to control stems on 2 decks. But second hand gear is a little concerning, not knowing the history of a unit is a worry. Some folks say they are very rugged, and others say they have been broken. I cannot find another NI midi controller with 4 sliders, to use as stem volumes. I have been told the Allen & Heath Xone K3 needs to be mapped to Traktor, and there is no mapping from A&H. Please does anyone have a suggestion, or comment. By the way I'm a 70+ years young, open format (Soul, Funk, Reggae, Rare Groove, World) DJ.

Sûlherokhh

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/51163/advice-plz-using-an-f1-to-control-stems-on-pro-4-with-an-s3-controller

F1 is perfect, but only for 1 deck at the same time, which can be switched with SHIFT+ENCODER (TURN).

You can, of course, ignore the native mapping and create your own. All mapping commands necessary for stem deck control are available. The same is true for Xone K1/2/3, with a lot more knobs, encoders and buttons available for more in depth controls. If you rather use knobs than faders for stem parameter adjustment, the xone series is better suited to controlling two stem decks at the same time.

Have a look at the mappings collection at DJTechTools, both for F1 and Xone K1/2/3 (most of the K series can be used interchangably).

If you want to do your own mapping, start a thread in the mapping sub forum, we'll give you a hand.

Edit: My F1's are in constant use for more than a decade now. Sturdy as f..k, if you don't just drop them from several meters. Same goes for the Xone-K series, more so in fact.