Traktor Kontrol Z2 DJ-Mixer/Controller

Product Information

Nowadays the safest bet is Pioneer or Numark but at the same time AS transition is showing how wrong was x86 dependency on djing field with apps like Djay Pro getting all the features at the palm of your hand meanwhile desktop can follow the development of drivers and only Vdj catching the wave… Plug & Play: Full version of TRAKTOR PRO 3 software, two timecode records & two timecode CDs included Integrate multiple TRAKTOR KONTROL F1 and X1 controllers with plug-and-play simplicity thanks to the Z2’s USB hub, freeing up additional ports on your laptop. Taking cues from recent NI hardware, the Kontrol Z2 features NI’s beautiful coloured button technology and two LED displays good for two characters each, lending svelte good looks and industrial style rugged demeanour respectively. Things are pretty much the same as they’ve been for a few years when it comes to the feel of Native Instruments hardware, so excuse me for not reinventing the wheel yet again when going into how things feel; perhaps look at my recent Kontrol F1 review for a more in depth description of the feel of the various knobs and buttons (although faders warrant a section below). Flawless integration of any DJ equipment is further supported by an integrated USB hub that allows you to connect TRAKTOR KONTROL F1 and X1 controllers to complement the eight color-coded trigger pads of the loop encoders. Seamlessly use the DJ mixer to launch music samples, loops, and cue points and expand your set up with on-the-fly remixing and sound tweaking.

Also, if you’re looking to add a scratch system to your existing gear (ie replace your mixer with a Scratch-software enabled mixer so you can DJ with either records/CDs or music files from software), you may want to consider the biggest rival system to Traktor Scratch, namely Serato Scratch Live. Or connect multiple TRAKTOR KONTROL F1 and X1 controllers thanks to the Z2’s USB hub: Freeing up additional ports on your laptop, and expanding performance possibilities.The 48KHz audio interface is blazingly fast, and after speaking with many other scratch DJs there seems to be a general consensus – and as this is anecdotal please take it as such with the knowledge that we’re all prone to persuading ourselves things are true from time to time – that the Kontrol Z2’s method of controlling Traktor’s internal mixer actually makes scratching with DVS feel tighter as the small amount of latency added to the fader puts cutting more in sync with the software translated record movements. Feel Combining a traditional DJmixer with a high-quality sound card and tight integration with the included Traktor Scratch software, the Traktor Kontrol Z2 DJ Mixer gives you ultimate flexibility when it comes to mixing analogue and computer-based DJing techniques. OK, so having got to the point where we’re all working, something simple to start with: The standalone mixer. TRAKTOR KONTROL Z2 delivers the reliability and pro sound quality essential for the world’s biggest stages and hottest clubs. A final addition to Traktor 2.6 is something that all Native Instruments gear will benefit from, and it’s the ability to override factory mapped functions to allow NI defaults and your own tweaks to play in harmony. If, for instance, you’re not fussed about wet/dry levels of effects, always simply adjusting the effect directly, you could always remap those controls to effects three and four (it’s a shame that mic/aux level and tone are hardware only controls, as they tend to be my go-to knobs for a couple of extra mappings when it’s possible). Standalone

DarkMatter– A noise effect, with compression adding a rhythmic quality to the distortion it introduces The Z2 feels like a real mixer – it’s solid in terms of build and weight, certainly no lightweight affair. We particularly liked the physical response of the crossfader and channel faders for mixing and scratching, though we’d have liked the curve control options available for the crossfader to be available for the channel faders too. It’s hard to do tight rhythmic work when the range of a fader is spread across its entire length, so most performance mixers of this type would be equipped with a curve control for creating a user-defined sweet spot to work with. However, given the price NI is asking we can accept that you don’t get everything you might want. If you have no gear and you’re coming to Traktor and digital DJing afresh, it’s probably best to go for a DJ controller with everything in one box. This’ll be fine for home, parties, bars etc, and some people even use theirs in clubs (depending on the part of the world, club itself, prevailing DJ culture etc). TRAKTOR KONTROL Z2’s layout builds on familiar standards for uninterrupted workflow from the start. A spacious control surface with faders, 3-band EQ section and dedicated filter knobs per channel are all right where you need them. Strrretch (Fast)– Can produce some really mad sweeping sounds with a strange human voice quality to themThe faders are made by Innofader, and feel great, the crossfader being loose without being in any way rattly, and the upfaders slightly less loose. All faders stop at their furthest reach without any kind of metal-on-metal noise, rather hitting home in a pleasingly dampened way, a bit like an Audi door thudding shut. I liked them. Setting up But here’s what I see to be the biggest potential group of users: people who already own some old-style DJ gear. Maybe you have a couple of turntables and an analogue mixer, or two old CDJs and the same.