Traktor Kontrol S2 MkII

Native Instruments has been at the forefront of DJ software technology since the very beginning. Its Traktor package was one of, if not the first truly professional solution for the DJ working with a computer.

Since then, Traktor has built upon its reputation for power, stability, features and flexibility, and Native has expanded its catalogue with a range of tailor made hardware controllers for the software.

The S2 and S4 in particular have proved to be insanely popular, providing ‘hand in glove’ integration with Traktor, in a robust, intuitive and great-sounding controller.

Now, the Berlin software giant has updated these controllers to ‘MkII’ versions. We take a critical look at the ‘little brother’ in our Traktor Kontrol S2 MkII review.

Before we talk about what’s new in the S2 MkII, here’s a little summary of what the original was… Put simply, the S2 was a high quality 2-channel DJ controller with built-in high quality audio interface.

The new MKII version is the same, at its core- but what’s new? Plugging in and firing it up reveals an altogether more colourful experience. The four hot-cue/ loop/ sample trigger buttons now bear resemblance to the trigger buttons on the excellent F1 sample deck controller. A sample deck level controller effectively turns it into a third channel.

No surprise, perhaps. The new, multi-coloured, LED lit buttons are very welcome, however, with colours coordinating with the colour set for a sample within Traktor.

The jog wheels/ platters have also had an update. Gone are the plastic models, to be replaced with a new design featuring and aluminium top. They remain as tight and responsive as their predecessors, however.

Flux mode is now featured on each channel (aside from the sample deck channel) via a button above each tempo fader. If you haven’t used this before, this allows the user to move the jog dial for cuts, scratches, spin backs or other effects, whilst the track continues to play ‘in the background’. So, when you stop scratching and take your hand off the wheel, the track will play from where it would have been had you just left the track to play.

A booth output has been added, meaning that there’s now a pair of RCA outputs and balanced jack outputs.

The other big addition is that the S2 Mk2 is now iOS compatible, integrating with the Traktor DJ app.

Aside from this, NI say that tech specs such as dynamic range, output level, and cross talk have also been improved.
Using the S2

If you’ve used the original S2 model before, there’s little to bewilder you here. The new jog dials are very nice, with a more reassuring feel when depressed. In addition, they seem (to me) to be slightly more responsive and accurate. Making tiny moves just seems to have a greater sense of precision than before, something that could be said, in fact, for all of the controls on the S2 MkII.

In terms of construction, the S2 has a slightly more robust feel. Rotary controls are a bit more solidly placed, as is the chassis. The faders have new slimmer caps, and the grey filter knobs are a nice touch.

A big deal has been made on Internet forums about the new remix deck buttons (or lack of them) on the S2 and S4. I guess the speculating public always tends to ramp expectations up to levels where the finished product would never match it. Adding more of these buttons would have made the unit more expensive and bigger. Plus, for many people, 4 (or rather 8 in total) is more than enough, so why make the majority pay for features they won’t use?

Plus, if you really need more, you can always add a Kontrol F1 and get the maximum possible control over the remix decks.

Also see: DENON DJ VL12 Review