Traktor Pro 4 Beta Tester Spotlight: Nachopenades

Meet Nachopenades, our top Traktor Pro 4 beta tester.

@nachopenades has been instrumental in shaping the new features and improvements you'll soon enjoy. In this interview, we chat with Nacho about his favorite beta moments, the features he’s most excited about, and what keeps him hooked on Traktor.

Can you tell us something about yourself? 

I'm Nacho Penadés, from Valencia, Spain. I signed my first contract as a deejay in 1999 and since then I've been a professional dj, I combine it with the management of my ecommerce dedicated to create mappings for Traktor in Prodjmaps, and above all with my work as Team Leader in a multinational company of photovoltaic material distribution.

Although my presence as a dj has been mainly at a local level, I have had the opportunity to play at unforgettable events at Space Ibiza or Fabrik Madrid. 

I enjoy playing with all formats, vinyl, cdj, etc... but for my live performances I always use Traktor Pro, since 2006, when my passion for mapping was born.

How did you get involved with our community and what motivated you to participate in the Traktor Pro 4 beta test? 

It was many years ago when I first joined the community, in 2010, I was probably looking for answers to my questions. The Native Instruments community is the perfect place to find answers, it also gives you the chance to meet peers with the same concerns as you, to learn from them and also to help them. 

When I was proposed to be part of the beta test of Traktor Pro 4, I didn't think about it for a second. It was an exciting proposal, but also a responsibility to be able to contribute value in the tests proposed by the NI team.

What has your experience as a beta tester been like? 

It has helped me to learn about the hard work of the NI team, the challenges that arise in the development of the programme, and to learn about the priorities of stability and professional quality that developers are looking for.

What new features of Traktor Pro 4 are you most excited about and why? 

I really like the way the new Stems features have been implemented, the quality and stability of the software has been prioritized, and this gives me a lot of confidence for live performances. I also like the new design.

How was it for you to collaborate with other testers and our development team? 

Very enriching, the beta testers teammates are of a high level, it has been a constant learning experience, learning about the concerns of other Traktor experts is priceless, it makes you see things from different points of view. 

Regarding the development team, having the opportunity to talk to them and share my concerns is fantastic, a top level team of which I take a good memory and an image of maximum professionalism.

What future improvements or features would you like to see in Traktor Pro 4? 

It would be great to expand the functions of the "control manager" with more modifiers, even with a third and/or fourth conditioner. I would also like to be able to record Stems directly into the Remix Deck without having to go through the loop recorder. Enable a "check" to the mapping functions so that they respond to a "double click" on any HW. Of course, new effects. And also integration with a lighting system would be welcome, especially for private gigs or smaller venues where there is no lightjockey, this would also be welcomed by streamers.

Do you have any advice for new users or potential beta testers? 

I always say that you have to differentiate yourself, and Traktor gives us many options to make our sets with different nuances. I encourage colleagues not to stop researching new tools to include them in your setup. 

To new users, I will say something basic but that few people do, the best advice I can give is to read the manual, it solves many doubts, and also helps you to discover features. And do not hesitate to enter the community to see how other colleagues work, and to ask your questions, it brings a lot of value.

To potential beta testers, little to say, for me it is exciting and a privilege to have access to beta versions.

Follow Nacho’s work on Facebook and Instagram.