Upgrade from Traktor S4 to DDJ-SX or DDJ-SZ?

I have a ddj sx and use serato so that’s all I can talk about really for me it utilises all serato has to offer. So does the sz and apart from it being bigger, having the two laptop thing and a slightly better mixer I cant see where the extra 900 quid is going . So as a choice it would be ddj sx for me in that fight. The ddj sx 2 has the flip controls too which are supposed to be fun.
However you say have an s4 that’s pretty pro already so I say save your money and go on a bender for 5 days…wallop!

If you are currently using Traktor and you don’t have a burning reason to change software (which is always a hassle, having to reset cue points, drop points and what not), I’d stick with the S4. You are not gonna get Traktor integration that tight with non-Native Instruments controllers.

If you decide you DO want to move to Serato (parallel waveforms, flexible beatgridding just to name two possible reasons), then both Pioneers will be good choices. The question is, does the SZ warrant double the price? I think the SZ will be very appealing to a DJ coming from a club setup of CDJs (900/2000) with a DJM 900 mixer. The SZ is really that combination with performance pads on the decks and with less and different hardware FX (which are only really interesting if you use lots of external sources as well (TTs, CDJs, whatever). It’s double sound card feature is nice for a club install, but not much use for someone playing on it all by himself.

The jogs on the SX are somewhat smaller than the SZ, but then so is the entire unit. It’s set up with plenty of space for controls (unlike the Denon MC6000mk2 that cramps all that into a 19″ form factor), but not as huge and heavy as the SZ (imagine the actual CDJ/DJM setup because it is that size, add a DJ coffin/flightcase and you are carrying around one very large beast). Size and weight won’t matter much if you are not gigging, but if you are not gigging do you really want to spend so much money on new gear?

If you are a mobile DJ, having separate mic channels might be a reason to go SZ. On the other hand if you use your sampler a lot, the extra fader in the middle of the two main channel faders on the SX will beat the simple rotary knob on the SZ.

With the advent of the SX2, all new features in the recent release of Serato are supported (like Flip, mentioned above).

My personal opinion, if you stay on Traktor, stay on the S4. It’s plenty professional and offers the best hardware/software integration you are gonna get.
If you plan on moving to Serato, the SX2 would be my bet. You can spend the other 1000 euro on things like a flight case for it, a used MacBook Pro if you don’t have one yet, a foldable DJ booth or one of the other zillion things we DJs always seem to have on our wish list.