Native Instruments Traktor S4 MK3

I was stuck between the Numark NVII and this. If you've used CDJs or other standalone decks and gotten comfortable with them, only then will you understand the feeling of limitations in controllers. The Numark NVII does a good job of trying to be CDJs, the built in screens are just amazing and mean you can keep laser focused on mixing instead of taking your head up to look at a screen. However, Serato seem to be the EA of DJing software - "we have the features you want, but it will cost you extra on top of the original purchase!" You have to pay extra for DVS, FX & filter models in a lot of cases so do your research!

Contrast this to Native Instruments and Traktor. They give you everything, for one initial price. DVS, a massive selection of FX - assignable to 3 tracks for each deck and also a mixer FX section where you have 4 FX switches plus an additional filter switch! There are a nice few filter models which can be changed in Traktor, which I recommend. On first launch, the "EQ Selection" will be set to "Classic". Click the settings cog, go to the "Mixer" tab and experiment. I recommend the "P600" and the Filter Type "Ladder" for that natural resonance sweep without distortion.
The Haptic feedback technology is really, really interesting. The torque is just like a turntable, no joke, it is. However, I haven't gotten used to it enough to be able to truly judge it.

Finally - the unit is really well built, it just has a premium feel. The lighting is well balanced and the controls and commands are more intuitive as you continue to use it.
The only issue I have had so far is sometimes the mini-screen for the waveform and track information just stays saying Traktor until I turn the unit off and back on (while Traktor is running). Reproducible bug and I'm sure it will be solved in time.
It's an extremely honourable offering. I'm just bummed I didn't grab it for €759 before it rose in price to €899!

EDIT (1/10/22): The screen bug doesn't appear to have happened for a while. I have the option to send statistics and reports ON and I recommend you do too, otherwise it's slower for these problems to get fixed!

I confess I ordered this controller because of the motorized jog wheels feature. The first unit I got, clearly had a left jog wheel issue that caused the music on Deck A (and C) to drag and skip on its own. Got a second unit from Thomann and this unit is now working fine (thank you, Thomann). The motorized jog wheels in TT mode are a lot of fun to DJ with, no doubt. I'm a bit old school and I love vinyl. The S4 MK3 allows me to have all the fun of vinyl without the hassle of having to carry heavy records in a trolley. However, the operation is not as smooth as you would expect from such an expensive controller. Playing using either TT or Jog mode, there are still few "bugs" that cause the software to sometimes not interpret the MIDI signal correctly and the Tempo glitches a bit making beatmatching not so accurate... A slight nudge of the jog wheel and the problem solves itself.
I think it might be a TSI problem... Maybe even a firmware problem. Not sure. I'll keep experimenting with TSI's and wait for another update.
One huge overlook from NI, in my opinion, is the lack of dust sleeves inside the faders. This made me anxious, so I improvised some external ones made of felt and mask tape. Although the faders are inverted and carbon protect, that doesn't mean that dust sleeves are obsolete... In fact, if there were dust sleeves, the faders would probably last even longer. Alas...
That said, the sound is amazing and very clear, the unit feels solid, although it's plastic, and, so far, I love playing with it.
Note: Mac Mojave users have to create a new account/user with admin permissions and download the S4 MK3 Firmware Update from the NI website using Safari to be able to update the controller firmware. Otherwise, it just won't work...

Pros
- Proper layout, all important functions are directly available
- Decent sound card
- Faders, FX and Eq buttons have a decent feel, just enough resistance.
- Easily assignable filter FX
- Filter FX are easier to use / more accessible than channel FX
- Combination of filter FX and channel FX allows for interesting ways to manipulate the sound.
- It's reasonably lightweight, convenient if you want to bring your controller to a gig.

Cons
- Filter knobs have little resistance and feel 'cheap' at first impression. Not what you expect from a device in that price range. But to be fair when mixing it doesn't bother me.
- Personal preference: I don't need jog wheels, I'm fine with nudge buttons. Would have rather had separate controls for every deck.
- Deck switching is prone to confusion, eg. hitting a cue button assuming you're controlling deck C while it's actually A. Practice helps, but mistakes still happen.
- The screens could've been a bit larger and show more info. I got Joe Easton's mod which is a nice improvement, but if Joe can do it, why didn't NI make it such in the first place?

Overall I'm happy with the controller. I can carry it to gigs and it all works like a charm. I might switch if a new version becomes available that replaces the jog wheels with deck controls.

Very Good differences between MK2. Motorised Jog Wheels is very useful and fun. Didn't turn off since the day I start to play with this controller.
The channels meters much more detailed (3 yellows and one Red).
The quality sound is better then MK2.
DVS support included. Just use an Traktor Timecode Vinil with my turntables.
LCD display with the essentials for your mix.
Good construction material, more robust than the MK2.
USB port hub included in the controller for connecting other devices (in my case an F1).
Traktor 3 license included. I love the new key lock features, it seams to me that the sound become more "elastic".
Definitely a very good upgrade from MK2 (my previous controller).

I began my DJ pursuits as an enthusiast, with the reservation not to dive in headfirst on the flagship product. I picked up the TK S3, as it seemed to have enough of what I needed, with some room to grow. The problem was that I’ve been a (iPad) software DJ for a few years, and the skills I learned had taken me further than I had anticipated.

The only thing I had to learn was juggling 4 decks instead of 2. That happened quite rapidly, and I found myself missing the ability to control the deck FX units (mixer FX are great, if a little limited), and so I picked up the X1 Mk2 to augment the S3. That worked ok, but there was quite a bit of remapping that controller to get what I desired from it.

Approximately 6 weeks after I got the S3 and X1 combo, I caved and bought the TK S4 Mk3. THIS thing is EVERYTHING that I wanted in a deck controller. I LOVE IT, and wish that I had just sprung the extra money for it, from the beginning. Live and learn, I suppose.

The only disappointment I have with this unit is that the customization capabilities are limited, because it is not a MIDI controller, like it’s predecessors. The Mk3 is configured on the HID (human interface device) protocol.

This is a double edged sword. It is the reason the hardware does it’s job as a seamless controller so well. On the other hand, if you think you’re going to use this with Serato, VDJ, or any other DJ software that is not Traktor Pro [release number], you are in for a LOT of work.

In summary, this controller and software combo is the best Native Instruments has to offer, and I recommend it without hesitation to anyone who plans to do this as a serious hobby, or even a career.

That being said, if you are not fully invested in the Traktor Pro platform, I would suggest that you just buy another controller for the other software you utilize, unless you have an abundance of spare time to remap the TKS4 mk3 controller on your own. You can bring external controllers to Traktor, but Native has made it difficult to use this hardware with other software.

I´m conservative Traktor dj software user for about 20 years.
I had S4mk3. Its not perfect, but i would say - good quality and well build dj controller for money. I had no big issues by using it and it has great functionality, button and mixer lay out.

My only problem was Sound quality. I play 99% lossless audio files and i wasn`t satisfied with audio quality. I mostly play home on my hi-fi. I did 1:1 comparison with my network player and difference in sound quality was hudge.
If i play simple electronic music like 4/4 Techno or house it sounds good enough, but more complex music with lot of live sounds and samples sounded a bit harsh, metallic and muddy. It specially in hi-mid low-hi frequency region with lot of snare sounds and i couldn`t eq it out. I was reading in forums and found more S4mk3 users who noticed the same sound patterns. I don´t know is it because of Traktor audio processing algorithms or controller sound card.

After playng with it arround and trying different kind audio settings i could not get any inprovements so i decided to sell it.

I wish it could have Digital OUT what might solve problem by connecting it to better DAC.

I know, i judge it from kinda "audio purist" perspective so it might not be relevant for most users who play mp3´s on average sound sytems. Than S4mk3 does its job very well!