Traktor Kontrol Z2 DJ-Mixer/Controller

Product Information

Again, as cues, loops can easily be saved; when a loop is active, you press an empty button among the four vertical buttons left and right on the controller to assign it to that button. The button lights green and the loop is stored. To delete it, you hold Shift and press the button again.

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. 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. While the Z2’s two knob/one button FX sections give you rudimentary control over all of Traktor’s effects, it isn’t as complete a solution as on most DJ controllers. However, its killer performance feature is that it controls the new Macro FX, that have been designed especially for performing on the Z2. Macro FX are factory-preset combinations of Traktor’s existing effects, all put onto one knob for easy and fun incorporation into the mix. The two knobs control wet/dry (ie the mix of the effected sound with the normal) and effect intensity.Built tough for pro use, TRAKTOR KONTROL Z2 features all the power and connectivity needed for even the biggest clubs. The integrated audio interface delivers 24-bits of high-output audio so your sets hit with maximum impact. Instant plug-and-play setup, with full TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 3 software** and timecode media included

Macro FX for effortless and expressive sound manipulation with the full arsenal of TRAKTOR effects, controlled by a single knob

Of course, nobody is going to buy this to use it simply as a standalone mixer, and the first good thing to say here is that the integration between standalone mixer use and Traktor is absolutely seamless. Ergonomically, the Z2 is a tremendous success. Native Instruments should be really proud of what they’ve achieved when it comes to integrating the Z2’s brawn with the Traktor brain, because it looks like the Z2 should do a lot less than it actually does. It’s not the first DVS ‘hub’ mixer, of course, not even close – but to my grubby hands it feels the most streamlined and logical, and when comparing it to other mixers it seems somehow more elegant. The Z2 hardware functions as a Traktor-centric MIDI controller, audio interface, scratch decoder and conventional analogue DJ mixer"