Traktor Kontrol S3 (controller and ASIO etc)

I have a Denon MC4000, I can say that this controller is the best that was on the market in its day and for me, it still is today (talking about 2-channel controllers).

Robust and professional steel construction, outputs of all types balanced or unbalanced. Drivers (ASIO64), exclusive audio control for the headphones, powerful and quality, a dynamic range and audio quality (112 dB) that, for my taste, It beats anyone in its price range. 100 mm tone faders and Knobs of very good quality, long and with a great feel.

The only thing that is not the best are the jog wheels that are quite imprecise and sometimes get a little stuck, a shame in that sense because for me, it is an excellent 2-channel controller in terms of quality and price.

1. Long throw 100 mm tone faders

2. Balanced cab outputs for local monitors, with independent level control

3. Spacious control layout for an effortless, streamlined workflow

4. Dedicated EQ and FX controls on each channel

5. Professional-grade steel construction ensures long-term durability.

6. Balanced main and cabin outputs.

In all this, the Denon MC4000 is much better than the same Traktor Kontrol S3 (+ expensive), and a thousand times better than the famous S2 MK3 (+/- same price).

Something that shows how over the years we lose quality in products, but everything is more and more expensive every day. This already seems to be a standard in any industry, unfortunately for everyone.

Speaking concretely of Traktor Kontrol S3. NI, has played with putting 4 channels and thought that with that and some decent jog wheels everything was done. Nothing could be further from the truth, the construction is literally completely made of plastic, giving the sensation of being flimsy, looking like a children's toy. The faders are horrible in general, the short and simple knobs, specifically the gain ones, are tiny and have quite poor control (they should have a point to better know when the gain is at 0)

It is not very spacious and for me, uncomfortable to try to mix at ease and without space problems, and it does not have dedicated FX, something quite unfortunate for its price.

I really don't know who designs and what type of engineers or developers NI has, but in my personal opinion, I am convinced that they do not take into account opinions of real DJ's or even the users of their own products. For me, their designs leave a lot to be desire in general, both in audio quality, performance, and construction speaking of quality/price.

Where I am going to congratulate NI is in Traktor software, since I have been using it for several decades and for me there is nothing better on the market in this type of software. Congrats on that.

PS: I have DJ controllers from pioneer, Denon, and I have had several from other brands in his day. I bought recently, Traktor Kontrol S3 (the first one I have from NI) and, unfortunately, I think it will be the last, it is by far one of the worst in general terms (audio-quality/price/construction) that I have used. All this speaking from my own taste and personal experience, ofc.