Native Instruments Traktor Pro 3 – is it worth upgrading?
Native Instruments recently launched Traktor Pro 3. Let’s investigate whether the update is all that worth it.
Before diving in, I want to outline a few things that might make my experience different to yours.
I’m a long-time Traktor software user, and avid creator of custom mappings. I’ve never owned Native Instruments Traktor Kontrol MIDI controllers and I’m not a vinyl/DVS user. If the above is different to how you use Traktor Pro, you’ll probably have a totally different experience.
That being said, there were a few personal let-downs with the Traktor Pro 3 update; it could be due to my own expectations, however I thought it would be a good idea to outline some of them for everyone.
My Personal Let-Downs:
It seems like the core focus with Traktor Pro 3 is on the redesigned graphic interface and features that coincide with their new line of hardware controllers.
As a non-user of the Traktor controllers, and someone who honestly couldn’t care less about how DJ software looks (are you looking at the screen or the crowd?), this was a let-down for me as I’m sure it is for a large portion of Traktor users who are in the same position as myself.
Again, as a custom mapping creator, the new “Mixer FX” seem slightly pointless, with a bit of effort or a downloaded custom mapping you already have access to quickly triggering instant FX changes, rather than having to sacrifice your channel’s filter for a reverb or something like that.
Native Instruments also claim to have redesigned the audio engine, alongside the built-in master limiter, although I don’t hear much difference with regular track playback. I personally feel this slight improvement could have been squeezed into a free .1 update or something like that.
The Pros:
Native Instruments have added a new time-stretch algorithm, so huge variations in tempo will be slightly less recognizable, and they’ve also added a reverse playback mode to the audio tracks. Both are pretty cool features, however I personally won’t use them much.
Traktor Pro 3 now includes a “Scratch” license, that means if you use DVS systems you don’t need to purchase an extra license, so if you’re a vinyl DJ this will be good news.
CPU Usage has improved quite a bit in the latest Traktor Pro 3 update, and it seems like the software loading times have been reduced by considerably. It could just be my system; however, this is also something that should be a stability update.
The Round-Up:
If you’re already a Traktor Pro 2 user like myself, I feel the update to Traktor Pro 3 is a bit of a let-down for USD $49 (Around R720), as you’re not getting all that many new features.
On the contrary, if you’re new to the Traktor environment USD $100 (Around R1460) is actually a VERY good deal.
Here’s a video talking about my experience with Traktor Pro 3, and whether I feel the update was worth it for me:
