Allen and Heath, the audio mixing console manufacturer, is rumored to buy Traktor from Native Instruments. This is groundbreaking news for aspiring DJs and artists.
Sources with knowledge of the deal confirm that representatives discussed terms of the deal in Berlin last month. Let’s talk about product lineup. Native Instruments already has one of the most massive product lineups so selling Traktor could make sense. They would focus on terms of investment and resources versus maintaining numerous hardware. This sale would also mean more energy invested in Komplete and Maschine.
It is believed that Traktor will still exist, it would just be under new management. As a powerful tool for specialist DJs, their products would continue to be developed and possibly expand their DJ offerings.
The DJ market is competitive these days which means top of the line gear is almost a necessity to stay on top. With Pioneer’s DJM-V10 out, it has full vertical integration between hardware and software. Who can compare to this? A&H might be able to.
Every DJ using Traktor still is also probably using Xone:K2 controllers, Xone:92/96 mixers, or Xone:DB4s. A hardware-only company like A&H can combine their analog and digital mixers to form a formidable powerhouse of equipment.
Traktor DJs do not lose their equipment and their work will continue to be supported. It would be frustrating to have worked so hard on something just to have it made obsolete due to technology incompatibility. Partnerships mean growth and improvement, plus expansion so we hope this works out.
While some products have been discontinued like the Kontrol D2, perhaps a re-release is in the works? A&H could certainly put some R&D in and create a new version. Exciting news? Well, some other companies also have their eye on this keynote player. Behringer, InMusic, Novation, Ableton, Apple, Bitwig, Algoriddim, Roland, and more are also eyeing this piece of hardware.
Terms of the deal remain unknown, but this is the news so far. For all aspiring DJs and artists out there, stay tuned. This could be for you!