Obviously with two deck sections, transport controls are shared, with clear selector buttons to the lower left of the platters to swap out the decks when needed. What’s Different? Like the S4, the Traktor Kontrol S3 is a proper 4-channel controller, with faders and controls for all four provided in hardware (with no shifting of shared controls). And, at a suggested $649, it’s almost exactly halfway (pricewise) between the S2 and S4. The gap filler? The Traktor Kontrol S3, the subject of this review. decided to expand that family to fill a perceived gap between the very capable 4-channel S4 (at a suggested $999), and the much more strip-downed, entry-level-focused S2 (at a suggested $339). has had three primary Traktor controllers on the market for some time now: The Traktor Kontrol S2, S4 and the cooly received (and unusual) S8. has put out over the years to support it. Let’s just say I have a soft spot for this software - and the terrific hardware that N.I. But clear back in 2006 when I first started DJing, I went down the digital path, and the software I chose when I first started was Traktor from Germany’s Native Instruments.Īnd when the gig calls for me to use a laptop and take advantage of my full digital collection and years of accumulated songs and their metadata (song tags, ratings, styles, BPMs, keys, cue points, etc.), I still primarily use Traktor.

And these days, the choices are wider and better than they ever have been. Over the 11-plus years that I’ve been writing for DJ Times, I’ve seen a lot of hardware and a lot of software for performing DJ sets.

Traktor s3