Last week at WMC, a few DJ's like MK and Dubfire showed off the latest and greatest from Native Instruments: the new Traktor Kontrol D2. The D2 will be sold at $499 in the United States and includes Traktor Pro 2 software. You can pre-order it here and they'll start shipping out on May 4th.
As you can see in these impressive promo videos, the D2 has some beautiful on-screen features. You can even see the stems of tracks as they roll in and make adjustments to them (like downloads and other individual effects). It's easier to use and the heads up display should attract plenty of buyers who were hoping for more on the Kontrol S8. It's easy and lightweight as well, plus just about every Traktor feature has a control on the D2. Check out the video.
As you can see, the best part of this new mixer is the portable size. It's very easy to get around and it's affordable, especially for all the features. The following features that were available in the S8 are also available with the D2:
- Large touch strip with LED feedback
- High-resolution color screens for displaying track collection, track information, and FX parameters
- Kontrol X1/F1 hybrid with fx controls, hot cues, loops, alongside performance faders and encoders for remix decks
- New freeze mode for slicing a track into temporary hot cues across the 8 RGB pads
A few features that separate the D2 from the S8:
- 2 hub ports in the back for each side (requires power supply)
- Collapsable feet at the bottom
- 4 buttons to toggle through all 4 decks
For more info, check out this review from DJ Tech Tools
