NI Traktor 2.5 and F1 controller announced

Traktor Pro 2, Native Instruments’ highly regarded digital DJing software, has just received an update in the form of remix decks and a new version number of 2.5.

The new remix decks let users load one-shot samples, loops and audio files in to one of 64 slots, providing massive scope for creating your own remixes, mash-ups and augmenting your DJ sets with your own unique productions. Traktor Pro 2.5 provides up to four remix decks, with users being able to switch one of Traktor’s regular virtual decks to a remix deck. If you find linear deck-to-deck mixing too restricting, this could be the version of Traktor for you.

As if that wasn’t enough, Native Instruments is also releasing a new controller that lets you take full advantage of the remix decks. Called the F1, this controller has 16 multicoloured pads, four filter pots and four faders, as well as controls for specific Traktor functions. The F1 looks set to give digital DJs the tactile control they need to control the new remix decks effectively.

This is an interesting development in the life of NI’s Traktor software, taking it further away from the linear deck-to-deck style of DJing to a new and exciting clip-based approach. If the remix decks are as easy to exploit as NI suggests, we might even see digital DJs defecting from Ableton Live.

Traktor Pro 2.5 will be available to owners of Traktor Pro 2 as a free update from 30th May. The F1 controller is also available on 30th May, and its suggested retail price is €249, which is approximately £207, although it’ll probably be more than that as is often the way with these things.

If you want to see what the F1 can do, watch the talented DJ Shiftee put it through its paces in this video.