Last month we reviewed Pioneer’s achingly beautiful DDJ-T1 Traktor controller, and bemoaned the unfortunate timing that saw the hardware coincide with the most substantial update to the software in a decade. Pioneer had promised a 2.0 upgrade to the manufacturer’s edition of Traktor in July, and they’ve delivered.
Bundled with all DDJ-T’s from August, the update is already available as a free download for owners of the original – in fact, NI have already sent download instructions to registered users.
The update really brings the Pioneer edition of Traktor in line with TP2, introducing those spectral waveforms and nine-level zoom, so you can finally use the platter to access Traktor’s deepest beat grids for super-accurate cueing. It also introduces a slightly modified GUI, optimized to reduce the need for your eye to scan the screen, and they’ve notched up the accuracy of the automatic sync, apparently, though honestly it was pretty freaking good before. If your own Traktor Pro 2, there’s also a new MIDI map available that gives you access to some of the features introduced since the DDJ-T1 was released. You’ll find it here:
http://www.pioneerdjusa.com/gear.aspx?product=DDJ-T1&cp=2
Early responses have ranged from the tepid to the triumphant and we’ll be watching to see how it all stands when the dust settles. If you’re lucky enough to own one of these beauties and you’ve already installed the update, drop a comment below and share your thoughts!
