When a loop is dropped on Deck A it is across all four lanes, but there is no loop moving across the other D2, so it has to be completely independent. There may be one or two lanes moving but the VU meters are showing 2, 3 or 4 decks playing. They’d be white if it was controlling Deck C.ġ, 2, 3 or 4 lanes are moving independently, which is not reflected in the mixer. You can tell it’s controlling one deck because the transport buttons are blue. (B and D are full decks as well, but C is a Remix Deck). So here’s what I saw:ĭ2 is controlling Deck A, which is a full track deck. I saw points where there was a single loop across all four waves, and that wasn’t reflected on the computer screen. Wait… there are two USB ports in the hub? That blurry picture looks like two USB ports.Īnd those stacked wave forms are something different. Bigger picture - the Kontrol D2 has the potential to be a club standard controller, provided NI opens up and certifies mixers. And if my predictions pan out to be true, this is so much more than just another controller release. I have no doubt that Pioneer will welcome them with open arms, as their policy seems to be to get everything working with their gear, and to make a Pioneer dominated club scene accessible to all.Ĭlearly this is a soft launch, because NI needs to be talked about positively again. Why would NI try to take on Pioneer and Allen & Heath when there are so many installed? And what could a Z4 bring that isn’t already out there? All NI needs to do is stop being so closed, certify every USB mixer, and the Kontrol D2 will sell by the container load. And then you get to use an established club standard mixer with your Traktor controllers.ĭigging deeper and reading between the lines, this release really does indicate that a modular Traktor jog wheel controller isn’t coming, and perhaps more disappointingly for many, the chances of a Z4 are getting slimmer every day. But turning up with a small bag with a pair of D2s (brace yourselves – twin D2 bags are coming), and pushing CDJs to one side is a much easier task. Getting full controllers (especially at S8 size) shoehorned into a booth is quite a feat. If you look at the setups in the videos, the Kontrol D2 is a controller aimed at being a CDJ alternative. We don’t know the price, but one third of an S8 doesn’t seem unreasonable for this. Our guess is that Traktor is being rebuilt from the ground up to enable in-app purchases among other things and will be out later this year. It looks to be working with the current version of Traktor. So it’s the controller element of an S8 that offers four deck control and has extra waveform options. Full four deck control can be yours, for a price. The image shows two, but there may well be four to bring it level with standard height gear. I’m not 100% clear on if these are remix deck waveforms, but in theory if the Kontrol D2 can control four decks then it makes sense to have stacked waveforms for those decks too.įeet - the Kontrol D2 can be angled. Stacked Waveforms - there seems to be some differences in how the screen is used. As the above image shows, there’s a USB two port hub for chaining, USB connector, a power connector and an on/off switch. As an F1/X1 style controller, it doesn’t make a huge amount of sense to include one, because this just controls elements of Traktor but isn’t a mixer like say the Z1. USB chaining - the Kontrol D2 doesn’t have an audio interface. Sorry people - no audio interface, but there is a hub. Thus I see four deck control from one D2, but I expect that most users will but a pair. And a mixture of guesswork and arm-twisting allows me to deliver what I think we’re seeing here.Ī big controller - the D2 is about 2″ wider and 3″ deeper than a conventional X1/F1 format, hence the D2 name.Īlmost identical to one third of an S8 - The only noticeable difference is four A, B, C, and D buttons above the FX select one. We got some official pictures of the evening, and of course skipped past the pictures of beautiful people having a good time, and zoomed in and enhanced forensically on the images of the gear. But it’s how you make this work with a mixer that is of most interest for me. As a unit, it’s an absolute no-brainer for NI to take a saw to the S8 and hack off the controller element. The best description I can provide is that it’s one third of a Kontrol S8, the right hand third to be more precise. Uner posted a picture of his setup on his Facebook page, and we’ve just taken delivery of proper pictures from the show that gives a little more detail about the new Traktor Kontrol D2. We gave you the heads up about the possibility of something new and Traktory coming from NI at the Winter Music Conference, and they didn’t disappoint.
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