Is S4 mk3 worth it or not?

Dj Mayo

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/32537#Comment_32537

Wonderful review! Thank you so much!

djadidai

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/32537#Comment_32537

Bigger better jogs - jogs are fine on mk2.

looping - it’s possible to do on the mk2 as well, adjust length and position. It’s easy and tight on the mk2 as well.

effects - there is the channel lp/hp filter and you could also set different filters on the effect rack. Maybe new slightly better sounding filters just won’t do it.

soundwise I know mk3 has a better sound card and so on, but from what I’ve heard through my Yamaha hs80m i could not tell the difference whilst playing the exact same files. Maybe it’s noticeable by geeks like us on a super duper club system, but I believe it’s a little bit like the emperors new clothes you know…

i’ve been playing for many years and regarding cd’s, I always have double copies so what you mentioned won’t happen. What I’m trying to say is that whatever traktor does for me I can do with cds, set loops, mix 4 decks with tight loops, mash stuff up and bring stuff back and so forth, not just going from A to B. Why I prefer cds is because I love working with the tracks, pitching manually, looping manually, extract and insert a physical disc… maybe I’m old but that’s what I prefer. Traktor just makes it too easy, I get bored even playing 3-4 decks at the same time going on for hours, constantly beefing up the sound coming out. It’s awesome but just makes it too easy haha. It’s a good thing in a way.

i agree traktor makes life a whole lot easier bcs of on screen info and playlist managing (and sync of course) but I guess we have a bit of different philosophy. Every night for me is a blank canvas. All of my music is extremely organized as it is and I never fail to find what I need. However I never decide what to play beforehand. Never run out of tracks, never mismatch or miss a transition. It’s about using ears more than eyes. Eyes on the crowd, ears on the music. I couldn’t tell you track name and artists on all tracks I have, but I do know them in my head as soon as I hear 5 secs. I know my tracks by heart, not by name, bpm, key, genre, but by sound and vibe and feeling I want to express.

DJDL

Hey, thats great for you. To each their own, as I said. For those willing to move on and embrace new technologies, you can't go wrong with the S4Mk3. I guess this is a simpler answer for the OP, as requested. Cheers.

lord-carlos

However I never decide what to play beforehand. Never run out of tracks, never mismatch or miss a transition.

That's pretty badass 😎🆒

djadidai

im embracing new technology constantly but doesn’t mean I prefer it Or have to use it just because it exists. No you can’t go wrong with an mk3, but you can’t go wrong with an mk2 either. Don’t get me wrong, if someone would give me an s4 mk3 I would take it, but there’s nothing on it I miss that I don’t get on an mk2.

myalteredsoul

The S4 MK3 is a super solid controller.

It sounds like your worry here is more about the traktor roadmap. With NI bringing stems back, will there be a new controller coming out with stems control (like the s8 had), or not?

Abeltje

Hello, I'm new here.

Don't know if this is the right place to ask but can you turn off the jog wheel lights on the S4mk3?

rmn

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/6239/is-s4-mk3-worth-it-or-not

It all depends on how you want to play.

NI controllers are designed to meet the most common requirements. If you are looking to interface with Traktor (and only Traktor) and care for plug-and-play solutions, then probably all NI stuff is fine. If you want flexibility and innovation, then maybe look somewhere else. Traktor controllers are heavily opinionated and this will inevitably affect the way you play and sound. And if everyone is using the same tools in the same way.. Perhaps consider your controller a physical instrument, like a piano. There are many great piano concerts and virtuoso artists playing it. People enjoy listening to piano music and nobody is debating the latest piano design. Yet, the expressive range of a piano is fixed and at the end of the day all pianos sound alike.

So, ask yourself: Do you want to be a piano player? Or do you fancy another instrument? It is up to you. All your decisions are equally valid.

Stevan

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/32537#Comment_32537

And still, takes away all the fun when you realize you cannot overmap it in the same way as S4 MK2.