Following in the footsteps of the flagship S8 and single-deck D2, Native Instruments Kontrol S5 is the latest addition to the line of Traktor controllers. It is specially designed to fulfill all the whims of DJs. The device works together with "Stems". This is an open file format that allows you to play tracks as with a standard MP3 player, as by 4 independent parts (for example, drums, basses, synths and a cappella) when uploaded to Traktor Pro.

Like its predecessors, S5 is full of features peculiar to the series, such as "Stems" and "Remix Decks", which brought platters into oblivion making many DJs opt for a pair of decks with pads, touch strips and a screen. NI describes S5 as a portable Stems controller, and, given the 4-channel mixer section, it's a much more compact device than the bulky S8.

Much of what impressed in the popular S8 was introduced in S5, including a powerful housing, a brilliantly realized screen (displaying waveforms, individual samples assigned to pads, track names, BPM) and an excellent intuitive workflow. Most notably, there are 4 rows of mini faders and knobs (per S5 deck) that were used in S8 for mixing and filtering the individual parts of "Stems". The controller has 1 single stereo microphone input and 4 RCA.