Help! Don't know what to buy…

Hey there! I was in a similar situation to yours. I had a controller that was terribly mapped. The sync button started the music. If I were you I would go for the S2 because you can easily add to it later on with traktors other controllers like F1 and keep expanding even to a four deck setup. S2 has a booth out too which will suit your needs. Plus having your extra two decks separate will allow you to disconnect them and focus and your main 2 during gigs and mobile events. Btw Assuming you mean 3.5mm jack on the hercules, the RCA outs are better. Hope this helps.

PS I also recommend checking out the Denon DJ gear too. They are great for mobile DJ’s.

One more thing!

Don’t choose your software to what your buddies use. Give them all a try and see what suits you. If you don’t need very much sampler control and other options. Traktor may be more than what you need. Give Serato or Virtual DJ a try. Those are very popular among party DJ’s

Well Said Vintage!

First of all, if you are gonna be using the same controller gigging together, why get a controller of your own? And if you want one to practice separately (will you sync laptops?), why not get the same one your friend has? Just some questions that come to mind.

Since we don’t advice using the other controllers with Traktor, it’s not really an issue. You CAN always buy a powered USB-hub and hook your controller up to that, eliminating the MacBook port problems.

The mentioned controllers are entry level controllers, this means lesser build quality, no booth out, less(er) features, no balanced outputs, less(er) inputs, mostly no standalone mixer capability.
They are good for the price you pay. If you want more features and quality, the price goes up.

Whether a booth output is necessary, depends mainly on the setup. If you are not directly next to the PA or if you are mixing solely in your headphones, a booth speakers is almost a must. Otherwise it will sound good with one ear in your headphone and the other to the (further away) PA speaker and when you do the actual mix, it will be off.
Personally I am not a big fan of mixing solely in my headphones, so I consider a booth speaker a must. But that’s just me.

Why Pioneer put the headphones on the side, is a design question. I know many DJs who hate connectors at the front (like headphone and mic) because they keep sticking into their stomach as they stand closer to their controllers. On lots of traditional mixers the headphone connector was on the top surface. Nowadays that often isn’t possible due to the limited height of the controller and it being filled with electronics. Either way wouldn’t bother me too much. Get a 90-degree headphone adapter and don’t worry about it.

I had too much problems with Behringer. They have a few good products that I would safely buy, the rest is too much of a risk factor for me. Again, my personal experience with Behringer for the last 15+ years. Their “better” stuff isn’t all that much cheaper than the reputable DJ brands that are better in quality and features (more features doesn’t always equal better features) and their cheaper stuff is consumer gear. Nice to give your kids for christmas but not something I’d pick up in your case.

Frankly, I think you should consider holding off on purchasing a bit longer and use your friends gear where you can and buy a used S4 as soon as the bank allows.