Native Instruments Traktor Pro 4 is a game-changing DJ suite for performersFull version: £129
Update from Traktor Pro 3: £64.50
Update from Traktor Pro 1 or 2: £90
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Berlin’s electronic music scene is legendary so it’s no surprise that Native Instruments, headquartered in the east of the city, has been at the cutting edge of digital DJ software and hardware since the turn of the millennium.

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The latest major release of Traktor has been brought right up to date, incorporating long-requested features like flexible beatgrids and stem separation. But it’s also given users new stock features that were previously paid extras, such as the Pattern Player and Ozone Maximizer. So will it tempt you to move over from Serato or Rekordbox?
Traktor Pro 4 is a much more technically advanced upgrade than a first glance might suggest, adding some much-requested and genuinely impressive new features while maintaining a workflow familiar to existing users. It’s also friendly enough for the uninitiated just dipping their toes in the water.
Running on macOS or PC, Traktor Pro 4 is reasonably priced and the upgrade fee is even more modest. What’s more, the app comes bundled with almost all of NI’s Traktor hardware controllers. Kudos to NI for ditching the Traktor Pro Plus subscription option and just giving every user the Pattern Player and Ozone Maximizer as standard.
The Pattern Player in Traktor Pro 4 by Native Instruments
Traktor is a modular DJ system with up to four decks, each of which can operate in a variety of modes. Track mode is the most conventional for linear playback, Remix mode lets you trigger tracks and samples from within a remix grid, Stem mode gives you four separate stems within a deck to toggle on and off in real time, and Input mode lets you route in an external audio source.
Each deck, in any mode, has access to a bunch of effects to animate and energise your performances. These range from simple reverbs through to filters, choppers, delays, beat crushing and many more, all tempo-synced and designed specifically for DJ sets. Tracks are analysed, with their beats, pitch and tempo all detected, then automatically tempo-synced during playback based on which deck you set as the master.
Looping, cues and beat markers are all highly accurate and easy to punch in and work with. Even someone with little experience can sound fairly skilful after only a short amount of practice. All this ties in with NI’s hardware controllers too, many of which also act as audio interfaces, making for a highly efficient all-in-one setup. Traktor has also accrued a lot of other cool additional features over the years including live online broadcasting, an integrated audio recorder for your sets and of course it also supports scratch hardware if you’re that kind of DJ.
So what more could users possibly ask for? Quite a lot as it turns out, and NI has certainly delivered. The first big new feature is flexible Beatgrids. Simply put, this means that where a track has a tempo change, Traktor will now instantly adjust to it without any input from you, and other synced tracks will follow. All cues and loops still work the same way. In use it’s so seamless that you don’t really notice it’s happening.
Native Instruments Traktor Pro 4’s generate stems
The other really significant new addition is built-in stem separation. Choose a track from your library and Traktor can strip it apart into drums, bass, vocal and ‘other’, which is anything that’s left. Powered by machine learning from iZotope’s RX, this is the same style of four-part separation seen in FL Studio, Logic Pro and some others. It’s less comprehensive than the likes of RipX DAW at the task of separation, but it’s adequate here where screen space is limited and DJs aren’t necessarily looking to strip apart every element of a track.
Traktor already had Stem decks that used pre-created Stem files (with not much uptake from users) but now you can split any audio file from your library, drag it to a deck and solo and mute any of the four parts. Effects, cues, loops and the rest all work in these decks as normal. Given how much of DJ’ing is blending tracks and parts of tracks together, stem separation is a game-changer for Traktor users. No longer do you have to try to find a capellas – you don’t even have to worry about using the beat from a track that’s in the wrong key; just extract it and it’s ready to go.
Two other new features were part of the soon-to-be-retired Traktor Pro Plus subscription, with NI now giving them to every Traktor Pro 4 owner. Pattern Player lives in the effects section and is a mini step sequencer complete with a number of sampled electronic drum kits that syncs to your playback and can be triggered using pads on a controller. It’s a fun and dynamic way to contribute musically to a set entirely from within Traktor. Then there’s Ozone Maximizer which also lives in this section and can be inserted to boost and level the overall volume without clipping. It’s super simple but well worth using for maximum punch and matching levels between songs.

Though Traktor works with third-party controllers it’s when paired with one of NI’s own models (the S2, S3 or S4 or the Z1) that its potential is truly unlocked. Passing audio and data between computer, headphones, speakers or club PA, they provide a range of pre-mapped controls that make performances feel far more natural. If the bigger models are a stretch, the S2 at £309 or even the Z1 at £184 are more affordable and all give you Traktor Pro 4 for free. It’s quite the bargain, especially with these two models.
Serato and Rekordbox both offer some of Traktor 4’s features, plus boast their own specific directions and skill levels – and both cost more — but they are different enough that you might not necessarily change platforms. If you’re in NI’s world, you’re probably comfortable there, especially if you have Traktor hardware as well as software.
With Traktor 4, Native Instruments has built on an already stellar performance tool that’s as approachable for new performers as it is powerful for experienced ones. Stem separation will revolutionise the way you think about mixing and layering, the beat detection is near-flawless and the integration with NI’s hardware for live performance control makes for an outstanding all-round DJ experience. You’ll have no trouble at all getting the party well and truly started.
Native Instruments Traktor 4 key features

macOS or PC app
4 multi-purpose playback decks
Customise the interface based on your needs
Stem separation of any track
Extensive effects selection
Flexible Beatgrids
Pattern Player and Ozone Maximizer
Remix decks
Integrates with NI’s hardware controllers
Online broadcasting, audio recording of sets

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