There are two methods of outputting the master signal. Other inputs include two pairs of RCA inputs for the connection of turntables, CDJs, samplers or whatever else you fancy using. The most obvious is the 6.3mm headphone jack on the front, but round the back you’ve got two MIDI connectors (one in and one out), a type B USB connector, and another two 6.3mm jacks (one MIC input and one footswitch input). The Kontrol S4 might not have the wealth of I/O options seen on high-end units such as the DJM-900 and DB4, but by controller standards it has plenty. Would their positioning be the one design choice to render the Kontrol S4 awkward and unusable? At first sight my main concerns were with the placement of the cue and PFL controls on the front panel. I had intermittent problems with the power switch on the review unit and some of the controls don’t feel particularly strong. Even so, I do have my concerns about the longevity of the units. It’s not heavy, but neither is it worryingly light. The Kontrol S4 is plasticky for sure, but its shell feels far tougher than that of the CDJ-1000. In use, I’ve had nothing to complain about, although it is difficult to see and interact with the back panel of the Kontrol S4 when the laptop stand’s in place.Īs for the S4 itself, it certainly challenged my memory of it at BPM 2010, at which I’d been unimpressed by the build and finish of the unit. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t without necessitating a trip to A&E, but I get the impression I could put my fist through the S4 flight case, and I don’t get that with Road Ready’s CDJ-1000 cases. It's tough, but it doesn't feel as tough as my Road Ready CDJ-1000 flight cases. Would I buy one? Most likely, but it isn’t perfect.
#TRAKTOR S4 MK1 BUTTON REPLACEMENT FULL SIZE#
It’s large and sturdy enough to accommodate a large LCD screen and a full size keyboard without it feeling overloaded. Perhaps the best thing about the stand is its size.
Push the stand too far back and it’ll come clean off its runners, pebble-dashing the pub carpet with broken Vaio. The stand can be pushed back, giving access to the top panel of the S4, but be careful. Not only does the flight case protect your S4, it also gives you a sturdy laptop stand on which to position your beloved computer. The handle is spring loaded and attached behind a sheet of metal that’s riveted to the case, locking the handle in place. The case is pretty tough and can be padlocked in two places. In fact, the case and the S4 are a perfect match. The cue pots and MIC volume pots can be pushed in to give the front panel a lower profile and make it easier to place the S4 in a flight case, but someone hadn’t done this and the flight case paid the price. It was only after many minutes of careful coaxing that the front panel came loose and I could see that this wasn’t some elementary design fault on the part of NI and the case manufacturer, but neglect and carelessness on the part of whichever uncaring hack had reviewed the S4 before me ( I swear it left here in first class order! Gizmo). Not only was the foam damaged, it also made it difficult to remove the front panel of the flight case. The front mounted pots had cut into the foam of the flight case. When I first popped the lid on the S4’s flight case my first impression was that it had been designed by a clown. Countless controllers have been anticipated with barely contained excitement, only to meet with readily expressed derision and disappointment when their jog wheel deficiencies have been exposed.
And then there are the minuscule jog wheels, which are much smaller than those of an SL1210 or CDJ-1000. The Kontrol S4 is widely regarded as the ultimate Traktor controller, if for no other reason than it’s manufactured by Native Instruments, but is it really the best? It’s not particularly big, which is no problem in itself, but with so many controls crammed into such a relatively small space there’s going to be some impediment to use.
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