Setup
Licensing & software
This is a Serato DJ Lite hardware unlocked device, meaning it unlocks Serato DJ Lite when connected.
It is also a paid upgrade to Serato DJ Pro device, meaning it requires the purchase & activation of a Serato DJ Pro license, in order to be used with Serato DJ Pro.
You can try Serato DJ Pro, before making a purchase:
Please ensure you have the latest version of Serato DJ Pro installed:
Drivers & software
The Traktor Kontrol S3 is a class-compliant USB plug-and-play device on macOS & Windows.
We recommend installing the latest firmware for your Traktor Kontrol S3, from Native Instrument's website:
Then simply launch the latest version of Serato DJ Pro, and connect your Traktor Kontrol S3.
Overview
| # | TRAKTOR KONTROL S3 CONTROL | FUNCTION |
| 1 | MAIN OUT XLR | Connect speakers with XLR |
| 2 | MAIN OUT RCA | Connect speakers with RCA R/L jacks |
| 3 | KENSINGTON LOCK | Connect Kensington Lock to secure unit |
| 4 | BOOTH OUT | Connect booth speakers via 1/4" jack |
| 5 | LINE IN D | Connect external / AUX input via RCA |
| 6 | USB | Connect USB to computer |
| 7 | 15V-1.2A | Connect optional power supply |
| 8 | MIC INPUT | Connect microphone via 1/4" jack or XLR |
| 9 | PHONES OUT | Connect headphones with 1/8" or 1/4" jack |
|
# |
TRAKTOR KONTROL S3 CONTROL | FUNCTION | SHIFT FUNCTION |
| 1 | REV | Censor playing track | Toggle Reverse playback |
| 2 | PREPARE PANEL | Open Prepare panel | - |
| 3 | LIBRARY BACK | Cycle backwards between Library & Crate list | - |
| 4 | CHANNEL (SECTION) |
Turn to adjust channel gain, turn to adjust channel EQ bands HI/MID/LOW | - |
| 5 | CHANNEL FX (SECTION) | Turn to adjust Channel FX depth & press ON to arm or disarm Channel FX | - |
| 6 | EXT | Press to toggle channel 4 to THRU mode for selected external input source | Toggle external source between MIC or LINE D inputs |
| 7 | FX SELECT & FILTER | Press 1 (REVERB), 2 (DUB ECHO), 3 (REVERB), 4 (NOISE) or FILTER to adjust respective Serato DJ Pro Channel FX type. | - |
| 8 | MASTER | Turn to adjust master volume | - |
| 9 | BOOTH | Turn to adjust booth volume | - |
| 10 | FLX | Toggle Slip mode | - |
| 11 | ADD TO PREPARE | Add selected track to Prepare panel | - |
| 12 | BROWSE | Turn to scroll library, press in to load selected track to deck | Fast library scroll |
| 13 | VIEW | Cycle Serato DJ Pro view modes | - |
| 14 | KEYLOCK | Toggle Keylock (or Pitch 'n Time DJ, if available) |
Cycle pitch range options |
| 15 | SYNC | Enable Sync | Disable Sync |
| 16 | TEMPO SLIDER | Adjust tempo/pitch | Ignore tempo/pitch adjustment |
| 17 | LOOP | Press in to turn Autoloop On/Off, turn left to halve Loop length, turn right to double Loop length | Press in to perform Loop Roll. |
| 18 | MOVE | Turn left to Beat Jump left, turn right to Beat Jump right | Turn left to halve Beat Jump, turn right to double Beat Jump |
| 19 | GRID | Hold while moving top of Jog wheel/platter to perform Beatgrid Adjust, Hold while moving side of Jog wheel/platter to perform Beatgrid Slide | Set Beatgrid |
| 20 | MIX & VOL | Turn to adjust headphone mix between CUE / MASTER, and adjust headphone volume | - |
| 21 | CROSSFADER | Crossfade audio between channel 1-2 | Crossfader start |
| 22 | CHANNEL CUE | Toggle channel cue for monitoring | Perform Tap Tempo |
| 23 | CHANNEL FADER | Adjust channel volume | Channel fader start |
| 24 | PERFORMANCE PADS | SEE PERFORMANCE PADS FOR MORE INFORMATION | - |
| 25 | PLAY/PAUSE | Toggle Play / Pause on selected deck | Stutter Play |
| 26 | CUE | Set / Trigger Temp Cue | Load previous track |
| 27 | SHIFT | Shift modifier, which can be held while using another control for secondary SHIFT function | - |
| 28 | DECK SELECT | Toggle deck layer swap between 1/2 & 3/4 | - |
| 29 | PAD MODE | Press HOTCUES to toggle Hot Cue performance pad mode, press SAMPLES to toggle PAD FX performance pad mode | Press HOTCUES to toggle Sampler performance pad mode, press SAMPLES to toggle Stems performance pad mode |
| 30 | JOG | Toggle between Jog mode and Vinyl mode | - |
| 31 | JOG WHEEL | Turn jog to bend pitch, or control waveform within Serato DJ in vinyl mode | Fast track waveform scroll |
Performance Pads
The performance pads have 4 different modes you can select.
The first four are activated by pressing the Pad Mode buttons once, the second four are activated by pressing the Pad Mode buttons while holding SHIFT.
- HOT CUE mode: Press HOTCUES once, to enter this mode. Pressing pads 1-8 will add Cue Points or trigger existing ones. Holding SHIFT and pressing pads 1-8 will delete the Cue Points.
- PAD FX 1 mode: Press SAMPLES once, to enter this mode. Pad FX 1 mode allows the user to trigger quick and powerful preconfigured FX in an intuitive manner. Pads 1-4 can be pressed and held to apply FX, whereas pressing pads 5-8 toggle FX that are applied until the pad is pressed again (toggle).
Pads 1-4 consist of Echo, Flanger, Reverb, and Repeater, while pads 5-8 consist of Echo Out, Backspin, Braker, and Rollout. - SAMPLER mode: Press HOTCUES while holding SHIFT, to enter this mode. Press pads 1-8 to trigger samples loaded into the Serato DJ Pro Sampler slots.
Holding SHIFT while pressing a Pad will stop a currently playing Sampler slot or load a new sample into it if it is empty. - STEMS mode: Press SAMPLES while holding SHIFT, to enter this mode. Control features from the Stems Tab, allowing you to utilize real-time audio separation in Serato DJ Pro.
Press pad 1 to toggle off/on the Vocal Stem, press pad 2 to toggle off/on the Melody Stem, press pad 3 to toggle off/on the Bass Stem, and press pad 4 to toggle off/on the Drums Stem.
Pads 5-8 toggle Stem Pad FX: FX Vocal Echo, FX Instrumental Echo, Instrumental Braker FX, and FX Drums Echo.
NOTE: Using Stems is very CPU-intensive and may take some time to initialize.
Click here to learn more about using Stems
MIDI
NOTE: MIDI remapping is not available with this device.
Help
Show Tooltips
Click on the Help button in the upper right-hand corner of Serato DJ Pro, then Show Tooltips to enable Tooltips. Tooltips provide a handy way to learn the various features of Serato DJ Pro.
Move the mouse over a section of the software to bring up a context-sensitive tooltip that describes the feature.
Click on the Help button again to turn off Tooltips.
Show Shortcut Keys
Click on the Help button in the upper right-hand corner of Serato DJ Pro, then click Show Shortcut Keys to launch a pop-up window displaying shortcut keyboard combinations.
These shortcuts can help you perform various actions quickly, such as triggering specific deck functions, controlling playback, or navigating the library.
Watch Tutorials
Click on the Help button in the upper right-hand corner of Serato DJ Pro, then Watch Tutorials to launch
your default internet browser and watch tutorials to help you get familiar with Serato DJ Pro.
Get Support
Click on the Help button in the upper right-hand corner of Serato DJ Pro, then Get Support to launch your default internet browser and navigate to the Serato DJ Pro knowledge base, where you can find helpful articles and guides on Serato DJ Pro. Alternatively, type keywords in the Search Help box to search the Serato DJ Pro knowledge base for specific, related topics.