Native Instruments today launches the third edition of its Traktor X1 DJ controller, introducing a re-jigged layout for better usability, enhanced effects control, playback manipulation, looping, adjusted mixer mapping, and more.

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The changes have been made in response to feedback on previous models by the Traktor community, the brand says.

DJs can now find five useful OLED displays – one above each channel, one in the centre above the mixer and two displaying crucial track and effect details, such as progress, name, loop size, and selected effects.

To add to your DJ light show, the X1 MK3 also has lights underneath, which not only look cool, but signify when a track is playing, when it’s about to end or if it’s in a loop. There’s a spectrum of customisable colours to choose from, so you don’t look out of place in relation to the venue’s lighting.

The X1 MK3 now features bigger buttons next to each of its eight knobs that are easier to quickly hit when mid-performance.

The new Mixer Mode allows a seamless shift from controlling effects to using the X1 as a DJ mixer mode, giving you control over EQs and channel levels while monitoring all four channel levels on the displays.

You can adjust which features are mapped to where via Native Instruments’ latest Traktor Pro 3 software, which arrives bundled with the X1 MK3 upon purchase. In Pro 3, there are new features to add to its sonic sculpting capabilities such as time-stretching, an improved limiter, a huge array of effects, and a vast range of options for customising your mixing workflow.

In other news, a major investor of both Native Instruments and iZotope, the US firm Francisco Partners, was reported to have expressed interest in AVID, the owner of the producer DAW, Pro Tools.

Interested? Traktor X1 MK3 is available for pre-order at $299 and will launch officially on 20 September 2023. Find out more at native-instruments.com.

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