Ever since Pioneer properly got into the controller game back in 2011 with the DDJ-S1/T1, DJs around the world have been waiting for the company to bring the standalone experience of two CDJs and a mixer to the controller world. After a first pass with the XDJ-R1, Pioneer’s new XDJ-RX appears to be a true merger of CDJ and controller experiences.
Name: XDJ-RX
Available: Late February 2015 (click here to get notified when preorders + more details are available)
Price: Street price will be $1,499 ($1,799 MSRP)
In A Nutshell: It’s a standalone controller with Rekordbox built-in, a basic DJM mixer with effects and two CDJ-style controller platters
Watch the video introducing the new DJ system below, and then read the feature highlights after that.
XDJ-RX: No Laptop Needed
So first up is the obvious step for Pioneer, incorporating their Rekordbox playback software (already built into CDJs and XDJ-1000s) into an all-in-one controller, allowing controller-minded DJs to completely ditch their computers. You’ll still need it for library management and collecting your tracks, but the 7-inch LCD screen has displays for everything else. Some standout parts of this standalone system include:
- Parallel Waveforms: A Pioneer first – something that only Serato and Virtual DJ have had access to
- Dual USBs: Read tracks from either of two slots (each located just above the jogwheel, as on CDJs) and rotate out drives as necessary. Pioneer is touting the unit’s ability to also record sets directly on to a USB drive in a WAV format
- Onboard Hardware Effects: Instead of relying on software effects, Pioneer has Beat FX (Delay, Echo, Spiral, Reverb, Trans, Flanger, Pitch, and Roll) and Color FX (Noise, Gate/Comp, Crush, and Filter) into the mixer section.
- Beat Sync & Quantize: Not everyone was a fan of Pioneer adding a sync functionality on their CDJs and XDJ-1000s, but clearly it’s a requirement for this type of controller. Quantize also ensures cue points and loops are set on-beat – something that makes on-the-fly prep and performance easier for many.
XDJ-RX’S CONTROLLERISM ELEMENTS
In many ways, the RX actually is more like the DDJ-SX controller than a CDJ setup. The four rubber buttons at the base of each deck are used for cuepoint triggering, automatic beat loops (1, 2, 4, or 8 counts), or loop slicing. Loop slicing is a new Pioneer feature – mirroring Freeze Mode in Traktor and Slicer mode on Serato DJ.
Additionally, the unit does have the ability to turn into a full-fledged Traktor controller – we asked Pioneer about it and yes, the waveforms and browser will show up on the screen just like on CDJ-2000Ns, and yes there likely will be advanced HID support on the platters (we are waiting on an official response). Editor’s Update: Pioneer’s press release got it wrong, the only compatibility with Traktor will be in MIDI mode, that means no HID jogwheels or waveforms.
The Physical RX: Just What The Doctor Ordered
So what about the actual hardware specs? We don’t yet know complete dimensions, but assuming that the screen is really 7 inches in diameter, we can estimate that the above Photoshopped comparison between DDJ-SX and XDJ-RX is accurate. The jogwheels are almost identical in width, and the units are very closely sized overall.
The mixer section can be used as a standalone mixer, with both phono and line inputs on each channel. The input/output section on the rear of the unit (above) is relatively limited, but considering that it’s just a two channel mixer it’s a decent set – including XLR and RCA master outs, 1/4″ TRS booth outs, and two mic inputs. There’s also an ethernet link jack for connecting to other Pioneer products.
Want to know as soon as more info comes out and preorders are available? Click the red button on this page in the DJTT webstore.
More NAMM 2015 news and articles:
- NAMM 2015 Predicitons for New DJ and Producer Gear
- Mixed In Key 7 Adds Automatic Cue Points for Traktor/Serato
- Casio Launches Millennium Falcon DJ Controllers
[…] and features that have developed over the years. The first XDJ-RX was originally released back in 2015, and it was an interesting (and, perhaps quite smart move) pandemic release to get its third […]
[…] djtechtools wird der neue 2-Kanal Controller von PIONEER (der ähnliche Dimmensionen wie der DDJ-SX haben soll) […]
I have used Traktor on and off for the last 10 years, I actually went back to CD for a number of years after I had a Mac destroyed by a drink leaving me unable to complete a gig. Of course the boss argued it was my setup that failed and not his when we were discussing the payment for that night. Now all three venues I play at regularly have Rekordbox functionality and its been a couple of years since I played CD or took a laptop to a gig.
Last week I landed a gig at a venue I had not played at before and later found out they were stuck in the dark ages with a set of CDJ800s having already accepted the gig and having assumed that they would have something with USB. Yes this was an oversight but it was a rushed phone call and a last minute booking! 🙂 During the process of updating my Traktor music collection with the view to brush the dust off my timecode CDs something went wrong and Traktor started to crash whenever I tried to load a track (which I now think was related to a corrupt library). I didn’t have time to sort it so I panicked a lot before calling in a massive favour and borrowing a set of CDJ2000s. The gig went great in the end and the boss wanted to book me again, no thanks to Traktor. So I am now considering buying an XDJ-RX for exactly the two reasons deviant inc gave in an earlier post…
1) Having an XDJ-RX is the perfect solution for me to be able to have an affordable home setup that is fully compatible with the Rekordbox functionally present in all the venues I play at regularly. This allows me to use USB only at the gigs and have some form of medium to prepare at home without spending umpteen thousands on CDJ2000s, an expense which I have not been able to justify to date and thus have no medium other than the Rekordbox software at home to prepare. I don’t think this has been a hinderance to my performance given that I only play the local nightclub circuit and also due to my years of past experience, but my set can only improve given the medium to configure more things before a gig.
2) It is also perfect to serve as a solution for the odd venue that is still behind the times, where I need to take something to play off. Reliability has been less of an issue using a Mac, however I have still landed myself in the shit at least twice in the last decade with Traktor problems, plus the risk of a drink over the laptop or forgetting that vital cable! I would still opt to use the house setup given Rekordbox functionality but for the occasional one-off booking it would be great to have a flight cased XDJ-RX, so that I can goto a gig with very minimal fear of a system failure. This is particularly important for a one-off gig at a venue I have never performed at, where I am more likely to have to impress a club manager I have not met before (first impressions count!). I was defiantly more confident taking CDJ2000s to that new venue last week than I would have been with a laptop! Plus it was mentioned that I ‘obviously knew what I was doing’ with reference to the fact I bought CDJ2000s. I neglected to mention that I borrowed them! 🙂 This also suggests that you may be taken more seriously by non-tech club bosses when showing up with non-laptop based setups.
And to be honest, carting a setup to a gig is taking me back to the days of having a cart boxes of vinyl around. In those days I could only dream of a time where I could take everything I need in a large coat pocket and not even need a bag. During a time where that is now possible, why would I want to resort to lugging bags of equipment round with the added annoyance of having to plug in and the added risk of failure?! I personally want to embrace the new found technology as much as possible in order to make DJing more convenient and less stressful (i.e. more enjoyable), not more of an inconvenience or a risk. An XDJ-RX is of course far more to transport than a USB stick, however it is probably the most compact and risk free solution available if you want the feel and functionality of a pro Pioneer setup in the booth of a venue that is stuck in the last decade.
In terms of ‘what you can do’ with a setup, 99% of punters in 99% of nightclubs in the real world are not going to get it when your being flash with knobs and switches. Thats not to say don’t do it, I certainly like to include technical skill in a set, if anything to make the night more interesting for myself! However playing the right music in the right order while mixing it smoothly and possibly having a personality on the mic (if its that kind of gig), is all you need to do to get booked and be successful when taking about the majority of the run-of-the-mill paid gigs available. Im all for the technicalities of DJing and I keep my 1210s for scratching, but my views shared here are very much from the view of a pretty experienced pro DJ who treats it as an enjoyable profession/second job. I want to make as much money as possible and have as much fun as possible while keeping the effort and risk minimal. For me, the XDJ-RX is defiantly a tool that could help me achieve that.
[…] XDJ-RX: Pioneer Launches A New … – XDJ-RX: No Laptop Needed. So first up is the obvious step for Pioneer, incorporating their Rekordbox playback software (already built into CDJs and XDJ … […]
[…] XDJ-RX: Pioneer Launches A New … – XDJ-RX: No Laptop Needed. So first up is the obvious step for Pioneer, incorporating their Rekordbox playback software (already built into CDJs and XDJ … […]
OK I’ve given up on reading the comments. I think this unit is designed for people who want Pioneer or already use Pioneer in the clubs who can use this unit at home to practice sets and get your USB’s ready for Rekordbox. Oh and maybe mobile DJ’s.
So I’m guessing this can’t be used with Serato? But can be mapped with Traktor?
I hope so as the only issue I have with Rekordbox is how long it takes to export tunes onto USB. If you want a spontaneous quick mix with new tunes you will have to wait to export the tunes to USB. The beauty of controllers is you can just mix tunes straight away off your laptop.
I have a controller at home which I quite enjoy mixing on but would prefer this as its so much closer to mixing on a club set up without spending silly money. (I have had Pioneer CDJ’s and DJM mixers over the years but as they have broke or I’ve been broke I’ve slowing downgraded to controller due to funds and lack of space)
Also all you guys going on about using your mac / expensive laptops in clubs. I hope your getting paid allot!? I for one are not going to take my mac or controller to a club / party unless I am getting paid allot of money/ I like to play my set then enjoy the rest of the night, I’ve lost enough headphones over the years, not about loosing your mac or controller! USB’s in the jeans pocket and I’m away to enjoy the party!
Can this unit read and play my Wav & MP3 files from a 2 Terra Byte Harddrive without any problems?…I have all my music already in selected folders
Can u record vinyl straight onto the usb with this controller…..save me having to put all my vinyl on to computer and then usb.
(XDJ-RX: Pioneer Launches A New Standalone Rekordbox DJ Controller)
whoever wrote this article is an idiot its not a dj controller
it is called the pionner dj system all in one the xdj-rx is a complete dj system its not a dj controller,read, educate yourself first and then write any article you want
Am I the only one who has a problem with this only being two channel?
[…] These tricks are also applicable to the upcoming Pioneer XDJ RX. […]
[…] the Pioneer XDJ-RX replace your […]
This looks a good product depending on the quality of jogwheels. I want to learn to dj on cdjs and these look the best/cheapest option for me.
Any news/updates about the release date? Late Feb is fast approaching.
NI’s approach is different. It does more than just play tunes. If anyone should be worried, its Serato.
So can someone tell me which would be a better investment of the two and which has more advanced features? Pioneer DDJ-SZ vs Pioneer XDJ-RX Thank you….
[…] Party Mode! Anyone can play these controller-free, full-body sports games. With your body as the controller, nothing comes between you and the […]
Not announced yet.
Can this be used with Serato DJ??
I have a newbie question; will it be possible to plug a SSD hard drive as a USB source ?
THanks
Interesting enough tho, when browsing Youtube for NAMM ’15 clips. I came across one where a Pioneer official announced that they will release a tsi file for the XDJ-RX in the coming months.
Another thing…. why “dj’s” always have to fight over equipement and all and all ?? Equipement is a personal matter. If you don’t like one piece of equipement well dont use it… thats all ?
I don’t even understand why you guys are arguing ?? This controller look super sweet !!! Okay it is only 2 chanels but finally a real stand alone controller with usb…. no need of laptop, and I don’t understand the waveform and HID complaining ? there is a waveform on the 7″ screen and well…. why dont you mix with your ear instead of your eyes ?
People on here care about upping comments?
looks nice, mice.
btw: i fallen in love with colored waveform of music
I think its silly to argue about this. Most venues have some form of Pioneer CDJs, or at least you can get them easily anywhere in the world. This is a great way for people to practice at home without having to drop 5k and then just bring USB sticks to the venue. What’s wrong with that? If you like Traktor or whatever better, that’s great too; you probably won’t buy this.
native instruments all day! #traktorsquad
Brace yourself…. Now all these 100 Year Old Vinyl DJs are here!!!
i would like to see a mixer with these features, ditch the controllers and let me hook up my tables.
Screens Everywhere. I don’t know if that its a good thing or a bad thing. But whatever it is there on everything.
Excuse my ignorance. Will the system play MP4 files off a USB stick, even if it’s only audio?
Dear DJ techtools team,
you should really try to moderate your comments section.
This comment tree transformed from a nice discussion to a huge mess of troll comments, insults and zero information statements. It’s a shame… and will keep people who really have something to say from commenting.
Looking at the specs for this and notice the sample rate is
only 44.1 kHz compared to 96 kHz on the DJM900xs. Even my trusty old DJM700 had
an 96 kHz sample rate.
Can we expect to hear drop in audio quality when comparing
this unit to a standard Pioneer CDJ and DJM setup?
I have read lots of complained about the audio quality of
the Kontrol S8 that had sample rate of 48 kHz so this is a concern for me on
what otherwise is going to be a straight up purchase from me.
It has a screen, Processor, and RAM. Not sure how it’s doing away with a laptop. The laptop is inside.
the end era of CDJ ?
Why does Pioneer half ass everything there is so much room for
improvement and the controller is not even out yet of course they’ll
probably improve it a month or two later and release it as the XDJ-RZ or
something lol great idea horrible execution
Not only this device looks really good and complete for a bedroom dj.
I think the cleverest thing Pioneer is going to achieve here Is bridging Bedroom gear with Industry standard gear through Rekordbox and similar layout.
With these piece of hardware you can practice at home, develop your routines and pick the same USB drive to the club and perform almost the same.
I´ve liked both worlds, I have NI soundcards and controllers as well as I have the NXS line with my friends on my crew, but I find myself working differently on each platform, where I feel better really depends on where I have spent more time recently.
This unit will allow me to move more to the Pioneer side. It will become my device for practice, home/small parties and I will only have to take care of my Rekordbox library.
Not feeling it….for the money you’d be much smarter to buy the S8 until they can beef this up to a 4 channel. Lose the damn giant jogs already…who the hell is scratching on a controller anyways.
Damn! No HID for Traktor. I sure hope this unit doesn’t start appearing at my gigs
Trust me on this, learn other gear in addition to what you like. It will serve you well.
I appreciate the advice, I actually have a duplicate setup on record box which I sync with Trainspotter2, plus 4 MP3 CDs packed with back up tracks. Plus I still have my old SL1 Serato box should I need to go back in time. I just love HID with Traktor, and I’m not too keen to see it phased out. =(
I’m getting progressively more concerned with the lack of energy Native Instruments is putting into Traktor and Traktor support. Every big name controller should have HID support for Traktor. I guess it comes down to ‘what are the priorities for Native Instruments’ and ‘what is Native Instruments going to do about them ?’
You mentioned you use Trainspotter2 (or 3… the website says version 3 is available), how do you like that in comparison to MP3Tag?
they’re actually quite different. trainspotter is designed specifically to make up for the incompatibility between Traktor and iTunes. and sync iTunes playlists directly in to Traktor as Traktor playlists. It works really well but I think I’m just going to go back to using the import iTunes function in Traktor now that they’ve got that working better now.
Yo. Yeah Trainspotter specifically syncs iTunes playlists to the Traktor playlists. it can do all the other meta data stuff too. But it’s really just for Traktor and iTunes. Hopefully now that Tracktor and iTunes and playing nice-ish there won’t be any need for me to use Trainspotter any more.
This is my first New Year Prediction coming true by the way…
I think a stand-alone mixer that can play digital tunes (as though they were prepped for SeratoDJ, VirtualDJ, or Traktor Pro) is an idea so overdue, it’s actually past it’s optimal marketing target (by about 2 years). This is basically a controller with a smartphone inside. For the DJ “who only plays music”, this could be really good, because it’s grab and go (don’t forget your headphones or patch cables), but now it seems destined that Pioneer will charge premium rates for something that should be competitively-priced, which draws customers on the merits that “everything you need is inside.”
With the exception of Native Instruments, everyone makes some sort of video plug-in which either plays videos or synchronizes with a video effects program. I just don’t see how this is possible without attaching a computer to this controller, and that kinda’ defeats the whole purpose of an all-in-one box.
For those of you who really loved the way CDJs looked and felt, and feel that avoiding Serato face is so important you have to sacrifice flexibility, this may be your kit. I suppose this controller is ideal for the person who hates computers to say “I don’t need your laptop!”… but in reality, there’s a computer inside the controller, and you have to prepare tracks ahead of time on a USB stick or internally with a computer, so the joke’s on them.
I get the feeling this is going to be a very expensive controller ($1500-$3500) because it aims at replacing traditional CD DJ gear (which for some reason is still much more expensive than controllers and computers, but that reason is not quality).
Djplayer isn’t this? With z1 or ipad dock (the new ones will came with usb host even…) even DVS!
Add to you prediction “spotify integration” and you have djay app.
Deezer? Djplayer once again…
Traktor dj app is compatible with s2mk2 &s4mk2… And soon it will integrate beatport (rumour)
The true question is: why people shits about ipads due their touchable surface and then go nuts for non-touchable, low resolution and so much limited screens on Pioneer gear?
It makes no sense.
About video… Vjay app. Video out? Docks have it, appletv does airplay and even you could plug an hdmi adapter (audio video output)
Jm2c… Nothing personal my friend 😉
Stanton SCS.4DJ was the first laptop-less DJ controller many years ago.
It’s a great piece of kit but for the price you can get a second hand macbook pro for djing only and a DDJ-SX which has more functionality. For DJ’s who aren’t earning hundreds of pounds a week (i.e. 80%) then it is still a bit out of the price range. If you have cash to splash though and fancy a beginner set up then this will last you all the way to a club.
Like most Pioneer gear, I could see it as ideal in clubs, bars, and even for mobile DJs who wish to not deal with laptops.
However, I can’t fathom bedroom DJ hobbyists shelling out $1500-$1800 for this. Not when you can spend much less and use your computer with it.
What I think Pioneer will drive will be for DJs to leave the gear at home and just show up with headphones and thumb drives.
Personally as a mobile dj, this is something that really interests me. On the other side of your comment, I do have some trouble with the pricing. I love the idea of being able to use the same gear on mobile gigs as I would for club night gigs. This is what appeals to me most about this. Couple that with Rekordbox’s growing features and its a bright new future.
I would love to see a 4-Channel Version with CDJ size Jogs !
when they announce XDj-RZ with 4 channel mixer and bigger jogs it will be the ultimate controller then I can give up my traktor setup (DJM-2000+X1mk2) good job pioneer =)
Waiting for the big boy XDJ-RZ ,bigger jog and I hope send-return FX for my RMX-1000 🙂
I supose since it will cost a fortune (at least for people living in stupid counries as ME for example) won’t be that popular. And don’t see it as a threat for Traktor – since it has gained speed and most people will continue to use it… I have a VCI 400 and will continue using it… Also it doesent look hat pleasing…
Hardware is back. This the SHYT I’ve been waiting for. I’m a NI user and i’ve always looked ahead for technology to improve. I thought NI was going to give me the Z4 but No they came out with a Midi Controller. Then the come out with the S8 and thats when i knew NI hit a brick wall. This unit ROCKS!! Without a laptop NI’s S2, S4, or S8 are just a paper weights. When you get rid of the laptop you get rid of lots of problems. For starters, NI and Serato scrambling to make there software compatible with Apples updates. The game of electronic updates is old. I think NI stock just went down. I’m getting this unit. Can’t wait to see a four channel version.
See I can’t stand the all in ones. I feel the S8 offers way more than this thing.
idk why people are complaining about this. It’s basically the same functionality/similar looks to the 900/2000 + nexus mixer at 1/3 of the price. Only negative is that it’s only got 2 channels. Still sounds like a pretty good deal to me.
Perfect for noobs/home/mobile djs & makes it easy to transition into clubs.
Infact I really don’t see a point for the avg home/mobile dj to get cdj900/2000 with a mixer anymore.
It’s finally affordable to get club standard dj gear.
F**k pioneer!!!! Constantly putting out stuff so close together, why can’t they just have one solid controller/player whatever you want to call it. How are you supposed to invest in this gear when it’s constantly changing.
yeah kinda sucks. I bought an xdj-r1 a few months ago. THis new xdj-rx was exactly what I was after too.
Lucky I got it on sale for $300 off though. Still feels like I wasted my money.
I like that you can read tracks from both USB ports for easy switchovers or multiple collections. More so that the recording ability.
Also it seems like the A/B/C cue points are dead. Whatever the XDJ2000 will be will probably have some kind of pads like these instead of the old 3 cue points. A good move IMO.
Hi Damien, without give you some pressure, when will have the V2 of rekord buddy … waiting to move from Serato to RekordBox. 😉
Should be a few more weeks. It’s in limited beta right now.
Nice to hear 🙂
I totally agree…
Actually, the more I look at this controler, the more I think it’s ideal for most users…
Did someone say you can plug turntables in? Surely if that’s the case there would be phonoline switches for each channel? That would be ideal to record WAVs of vinyl-only stuff. If not, maybe the inevitable 4 channel version will…
Just watched the video – nice! That might just sell it for me…
According to this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztzyGZy2izA) the jogwheels are the size of the DDJ-SX, so smaller than the DDJ-SZ.
You hear that folks? …..That’s the sound of NI taking their last pathetic breath.
GAME……OVER……….
Dumb. There are made for two totally different types of users. While I vastly prefer the XDJ-RX some people will not like it at all and love the S8.
nobody loves the s8 don’t be stupid.
Dumb comment, they are very different things, plus you have four full channels on the s8 and if you think about it its like having 2+8 channel mixer because of the remix decks, ability to apply effects to any one of those lanes individually, and play them at different levels and settings, Basically you can create a song on the fly and mix to other stuff. Yes you need a laptop but to many that is still an advantage since I can sync and use other audio software simultaneously. The creative possibilities are way more. That said I don’t love it but wouldn’t mind having one.
NI can still make a comeback IMO, Stanton already made a cheap all-in one solution and almost got it right, by now tech is cheaper and making a full all-in-one will be easier inevitably. Nobody is going anywhere, let’s face it. So far I still like NI’s software better and when they manage to make a mega maschine-traktor all in one computer/controller it will be killer.
Nobody is going anywhere, tell that to Vestax…
You just said you like NI’s software….I’m actually dumbfounded and can’t respond any further….
True, some will die, but I don’t think many big ones and specially NI will disappear anytime soon since they produce a load of awesome products other than traktor (yes software) which will keep them alive enough to try and make a better product. I guess you haven’t used anything from them but traktor. I’m dumbfounded back. I’m also a happy DJ that has used traktor for years and 100s of gigs without an issue, meanwhile I saw dozens of fails on cdjs for different reasons too, so I guess everyone has good and bad experiences with all kinds of equipment. I just stick to what works best for me.
or maybe i know software better than you. traktor is buggy as hell, but the effects are awesome. serato is simple and more solid, but also somewhat buggy. there aren’t really any good choices….until now of course (ditch the laptop completely).
Homeboy, you have proved several times over that you don’t know sheeeeeeeiiiiiit. and it’s unbearably obvious to everyone on these forums.. Go away anonymous asshole that has rammed two random words together to form a user name they can use to hide behind.. Be accountable for the BS tripe you spew or go away.
you actually didn’t say anything just then.
Do the XDJ-R1s not support Rekordbox?
they do support rekordbox.. but do not have any sort of wave graph for you to see. This is pretty much the r1 with a color screen. xdjr1 i would say is equivalent to having cdj 850’s, while this is like mobile 2000’s
i’m a CDJ guy now with reckordox, but i think this thing is pretty cool. i ditched the controller thing beause “i want to leave my laptop at home” for my own reasons. a lot of guys get hung up on the “a computer is more powerful, you can do more with it, etc” but i don’t know how many DJ’s are out there that a truly controllerists? my style of DJing is aim for best possible tracks, mix them as best as possible, maybe throw in my KEY effects (only use maybe 4-5 tops) use a filter, use a jogwheel, and loops. that’s it. i think for a LOT of us doing sets, that’s really all we need? i can see as controllerist “we need more this, more power, because i want to add layers and layers” which is cool, power to you if that’s your style. for those just mixing music, this is a perfect setup. play with this at home or mobile, then go to a club and use your reckordbox with CDJ’s. all familiar territory. PS i used traktor and serato for YEARS both amazing software, but why does there have to be a battle? use what works, bring a laptop, don’t bring a laptop. buy what suits your style, and be honest with yourself what your style is, so you don’t over spend on a million hotcues and effects, when you only use a couple haha
$0.02
so far, for me, beatjumping is the main feature of traktor that pioneer always forgets. i never use loops for mixing anymore thanks to it.
plus, i trust my laptop (tablet) more than the usb sticks. or pioneer cdjs. seen to many fail.
and, my setup is 100% identical no matter the club. no dirty mixers, no faders that don’t work properly anymore.
and your audience finds you oh so boring.
good thing both me and the audience doesn’t care. instead we enjoy it and have fun. realtime remixing and mashing up of songs using beatjumping sure is boring. definitely less boring to have to play the track as is (yeah, i know about cuepoints. i have infinite of them at hand)
at least you admit you don’t care
why should i? everyone’s happy with what i do. how i do it is my business only.
Agreed. Beat jumping and loop move.
XDJ-1000s are the first Pioneer units to have those features, but haven’t seen them mentioned on this system yet.
You trust your laptop (or more precise, your tablet) more than CDJs? Are you serious? You trust a generic piece of cheap hardware more than a professional certified piece of equipment like a CDJ? What the hell were these CDJs you mention seen them fail? 15 years old, turned upside down?
new ones at Clubs, older ones, etc.. they all die. and yes, hw i own and can thus control myself, i trust more. and no, it’s not a generic Piece of cheap hw. given my daylive is working with computers, i know quite well what to trust.
and buying my own cdjs and Mixers just to know what i have (and replace them with the ones i find at the Clubs) would be even more ridiculous (plus, much more expensive, for less Quality hw).
Owning your own DJ equipment is probably the first step to transform yourself from a bedroom DJ to a Pro. Imagine a drummer relying solely on club setups to practice to and then play with his band. It’s the same concept.
And still, a CDJ or a mk2 are still way more reliable and solid than any fisher price tablet out there. You might have experience with computers, but you don’t look that experienced with DJ equipment. Or you have just been unlucky in every gig you played to.
sorry, but the surface pro 3 is definitely not a fisherprice tablet. and so isn’t the Traktor s4. i was supporting (technical Support) a Club for years. cdjs fail quite often. not like weekly, but i had definitely less issues with Computers than with the dj Equipment.
Like I said NI software is still better than Pioneers half-ass firmware. More stable in many ways, neither are perfect and I must say Pio has gone a long way too so, honestly stuff will just get better. Let’s remember what we didn’t have just a few years ago! We will always want more….
for all you retards out there: Club owners will gobble this up. Its cheap, and ANYONE with a USB can use it. Just fucking download recordbox, prepare your music on your USB and bring it to the club. You have a complete fucking set up with a screen and everything so you can even see the waveform, since you suck so bad at djing and need to actually look at the track instead of listen to it. This is a no excuses, all inclusive Dj setup, with all the features Dj’s are used to. Fuck off if you don’t like it. We’ll see you in the corner of the booth with your laptop and midi controller scratching your head trying to figure out what’s wrong.
Edit* – Bar and Grill owners will gobble this up.
High end clubs won’t ever go the way of an all-in-one controller.
One word. Toy.
xx
I currently own the DDj SZ and I love it along with my Mac sense I also use other programs when DJ but this I must try and like always Pioneer will come out with the same concept but with bigger platters !!!! So I’ll be keeping my eyes open !!!
MSRP on their website says $1499 not $1799.
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/DJ/DJ+System/XDJ-RX
“Ditch the laptop” wait wait wait…werent there already laptopa ditched when we were djing from CDJS? you just needed to burn music on to cd or transfer to usb. And isnt controlerism about customisability?
so basicly pioneer ditched cdjs from the package, added more software features aka whole os traktor-like called rekordbox 3 on to same cdjs (usbjs now), repacked and started to market as a tool for controllerist.
This is not something new its just repackaging.
Continuing evidence that Pioneer is finally recognizing that moving media within the digital realm is dead (and has been for quite some time now).
GASP!!!! OMGWTF?!?! It has the dreaded sync AND a display! Run for your lives, it’s the end of DJing!
It’s gonna be kinda funny to watch all those CDJ users who for years have been bashing DVS users for having sync and an expansive display eventually migrate (already is actually lol). :eatingpopcorn:
Be on the lookout for “Pioneer Face” soon lol.
[…] Original Post on DJTechTools.com […]
From the Pioneer press release:
“Two USB ports enable DJs to record even while both ports are in use
The XDJ-RX has two USB ports, with Deck 1 enabling playback while Deck 2 allows playback and recording at the same time. So two DJs can perform together and record their set, without sacrificing an input.”
This unit will sell, trust me. plug and play. I love my S2 and my Macbook Pro (13 Inch w/SSD) I can see this being at my home and making mixing fun again, I don’t always wanna use my 2000NXS so this comes as blessing for me. if further reviews are good, I’m kissing my S2 goodbye. At the end of the day its all about what works for you. The S2 has its day it might be time to retire it unless NI does something magical with it. The S2 MK2 was a flop !!
For the price of this you can buy an even better laptop free option… Technics 1200 s and a mixer.
wow you are so gay.
hey great rebuttal!
did you work hard on that?
[…] djtechtools wird der neue 2-Kanal Controller von PIONEER (der ähnliche Dimmensionen wie der DDJ-SX haben soll) […]
A bit offtopic:
I expect new appletv with appstore to run djplayer in the same way I’m doing it with ipad+dock. If the new appletv includes usb host (or usb host bluetooth comes standard) I can see NI giving some fight with S8 and revamped traktor dj app. More or less you have the same combo with traktor dj app and S4/s2 mk2…
Then add health kit to equation (heart rate, accelerometers, music collection from iphones and iwatch) and probably you could see the future of dijing coming…
This is cool. Perfect gear for anyone that wants to practice at home with usb sticks and use cdj’s out. If a friend comes over or you decide you want to play some vinyl you can plug some 1200’s in as well. Built in effects is good.
That is exactly who this is for.
is an interesting take on Pioneer to push is as it first Rekordbox controller (Numark rip-off). But the no laptop functionality should me an option and not a must feature…also it need dual ports for 2 DJ to ease transition or have them share it and make an interesting duo performance.
Despite Rekordbox being pushed, from the article it seems it will support Traktor and Serato, which is a good thing to embrace other platforms than alienate potential user.
Still waiting por a dual souncard mixer from them since my DJM-900 is ok but not good for digital dj transition, there are work-arounds but it should be easier from them if they really want to still be named industry standard and not a monopoly.
The beat and color effects are well-implemented
I can see the direction this thing is going and considering it’s cheaper than a standard CDJ 2000 Nexus, it’s price point is pretty sweet for what you get.
However, I’m not a huge fan of this “all-in-one” solution that every company is heading towards. I had a Numark NS6 for a while which is smaller than this thing and I always had trouble setting it up in the booth, especially when there were multiple acts. I usually ended up stuck off in the corner routing my audio through the main mixer. I’ve since downgraded to a pair of Numark V7’s and it’s much easier to route audio and consolidate equipment.
None the less, 99% of my DJing colleagues use CDJs for their sets and I can see club owners buying these up as a cheap alternative to CDJ2000’s with a proper mixer. So I guess I just have to get used to it.
I’m in the exact same position with my S2. I’ve never really used cdjs and buying these could get me used to it so I don’t have to take anything
i think you missed who this unit is for.. its for the people that want to learn how to use club gear.. everything you learn on this directly translates to using cdj2000’s and a pioneer mixer. This isnt a unit you bring with you to a club.. this is a unit you use that will directly translate from home to club without having to spend an absurd amount of money. Pioneer is trying to make it so everyone knows how to use the club standard.. and this is exactly what this is gonna do.
Don’t think it’s a $1799 deal – $1199 maybe. Not sure where they think people can come up with this amount of cash. Especially for an unproven RecordBox product. People will use it with Traktor over RecordBox I believe.
Im confused, so its a pioneer rekordbox player which doesnt need a laptop. Isnt that just what CDJs are?
Except it’s all-in-one. Small, light, easily portable for those mobile DJ’s. Not to mention it’s much cheaper than 2x XDJ1000 and a mixer ($1799 MSRP so probably like $1599 MAP)
It can be compared to two XDJs + mixer + 7 inch screen
XDJs already have touchscreen, but i get your point.
software features, functionality and set-up is a bit closer to S2 and an iPad running Traktor Dj.
[…] Traktor: Laut diesem Bericht bei den Kollegen von DJTechTools ist der XDJ-RX voll midifähig und kann als vollwertiger Traktorcontroller genutzt werden. (Ja, das […]
People need to stop focusing on the tree and look at the forest.
This is probably the most important product release in years. It practically represents the first major attempt to ditch the laptop completely (besides Stanton’s effort, which never really kicked off). Also, this product shows the direction Pioneer wants to go: outside Traktor/Serato.
Obviously, this specific unit is not going to be 100% on point. But the next versions will. And NI/Serato simply don’t have the resources to pull something similar alone, due to hardware complexity/resourcing. Only Pioneer could afford to invest in such R&D levels. Which leaves them alone to create a new market segment for DJs: standalone controllers.
Probably the next units will come out cheaper and more loaded. Then, the typical controllers will have a very difficult time justifying their total cost, including an adequate laptop. A 4 channel version of this, under 2k price, will render completely useless units like the S8.
Cheaper?!!?
I wouldn’t count on it, LOL!!!
But there will undoubtedly be an XDJ-RZ…….that’s when I will pull the trigger!
Well, that is if Rekordbox supports FLAC.
I don’t like it at all it looks fuglyyy it’s like the dj aero and those other pioneer products no one really payed attention to. Still prefer real size platters with the xdj and either a Rane sixty two or any pioneer mixer
Yep… the next products Pioneer brings out will definitely be loaded with new features and way cheaper. Because that’s what Pioneer is famous for… 😉
If they bring out a DDJ-SX2 like standalone unit it will definitely be around (rather above) 2000$. This standalone trend will be over sooner than you think and we will see who has some useless, non-upgradeable, non modular pieces of plastic at home.
but no need to upgrade ever. Honestly I never use more than two decks and a mixer when mixing, even this has more than I need. no need for upgrading at all
Ok… you will buy this thing and never ever update anything again. Fine. After 2 years something will break and/or Pioneer will stop supporting it with rekordbox and new firmware.
nah pioneer is solid as a rock kid, you’re thinking of NI
Exactly! Pioneer is using its reputation, as a high quality manufacturer, to convince people that standalone units can actually work. After that, they can sell them at the same cost as the high end controllers, while keeping for themselves, as en extra profit, the royalties they would pay to NI/Serato otherwise.
Not an easy plan, but one that will put them directly on top of the market, in terms of profitability. As long as they deliver what’s been promised.
They are going for the ecosystem approach, building the hardware tailor made to their software, and selling them together. Still a very expensive, but also a tried & successful approach. Similar to the Serato/Rane days of Scratch Live.
Most people are followers, we both know this. The future is obviously stand-alone controllers. Since the first day I saw some idiot on stage staring at a macbook screen for 2 hours straight I knew, one day, technology would get powerful enough to replace it.
You look like you’re pressing space bar when you “perform” using a laptop. There’s just no way around it. Even if you have a ton of other high end equipment, some percentage of the dancefloor will always be thinking “I wonder if he’s just hitting play”. And then you have the percentage of DJs who actually are….
If you get rid of the laptop entirely, it reconnects the performer with the audience the way it was intended. Nobody will think the DJ is cheating now, and there’s no soul sucking illuminated apple symbol killing the energy in the room.
I sound like a Pioneer fanboy and I do not care. I have been saying for years this was the future, and out of the two companies who are worth a damn in DJ hardware these days (Allen & Heath the other), I applaud them for getting to market first. Just wait until they start upgrading this bad boy….. I haven’t been this excited about a piece of DJ technology in a long, long time.
I don’t care about Pioneer too. The only piece I got from them is an SP-1 and I still think that I overpaid it, even if it is a pretty solid unit.
But I couldn’t agree with you more, they are the only ones currently approaching the future of DJing in a very solid and rational manner, which most definitely relies away from laptop screens but still around spinning platters.
The first who will conveniently disengage the DJ from his laptop will win this round. NI tried it with the S8, but they tried to also force their approach to DJing (sync+button bashing), leaving out all DJs with the traditional approach of spinning decks (either mk2s or CDJs).
Looking at laptop screens, screens on units like this Pioneer, and/or breaks in vinyl is not going anywhere. Just because you have a screen in front of you doesn’t mean you still can’t connect with the crowd. If the DJ is staring at any screen or their gear for too long they will lose their connection with the crowd. I use a computer and rarely look at it. A computer allows much more flexibility for the type of performance I do not to mention flexibility for future programs/features.
Indeed, a laptop with a DVS or CDJ & a good FX controller combo is currently the most advanced system. I am using one myself.
But I would prefer to avoid using a laptop. My workflow & MIDI mapping currently allows me to not touch the laptop for anything besides start/shut down. Still, it feels weird from a DJ standpoint, because you rely on a laptop to perform. Not just musical equipment, but a laptop too. And usually a very expensive one. Which I have to brutally expose in every gig I play.
This is the market that Pioneer targets.
NI didn’t disconnect the computer though and likely never will. Their entire bullshit business model is based on sticking people with equipment that they can’t resell or even just use on a friends computer. And they can’t maintain this without attaching their security center nonsense.
I keep hearing Pioneer is overpriced, but yet there isn’t a single thing on the market that even compares to what they’re offering. Yes I’d love a dozen companies to be fighting for this market share, but obviously Pioneer is the only company who has 2 brain cells to rub together.
Who is even offering a complete high end djing solution that works independently of the computer other than them? Let alone at a cheaper price.
This at home potentially with 1200s and using 2000s at the club just seems like the ultimate solution to me. How can everyone else be so blind to this.
for any video you can find of someone performing without a laptop, and further more any video you can find off someone performing using JUST pioneer CDJS… i will find 10 BETTER performances of someone using a laptop in their set up. it will always be this way.sorry guys but the computer is going no where any time soon. stand alone gear is for wedding djs .
have you been to a wedding in the last 5 years….it’s a laptop with someone hitting play.
the laptop performances you describe are only good because the artists had no other choice but to use one. you’re seeing the higher end people like jon hopkins and haxan cloak slowly minimize and finally remove the laptop from live performance. it’s just a 2000$ box that plays mp3s and not much else at this point.
Mark my words.. you will NEVER see an all-in-one controller replace a modular setup in high end clubs. All-in-one controllers will stay with the wedding/high school djs and the bar and grills around the world. And you forgot the other company that sits at the top… RANE.
ya ranes solid but they haven’t done much in years. if you want a good dj mixer they’re definitely up there. if they come out with a controller like this i’m def interested.
where did i say an all-in-one would replace a modular setup in the club? lol…. this is for home use, you just use the 2000s at the club.
There is only one thing you can say about the future, and that’s “It’s uncertain.” Experience tells me that no two people want the same things, so making an all-in-one better mean making it customizable to appeal to a wide market. I don’t see how this all-in-one is customizable.
What’s the difference between “appearing to be reading your e-mail” and “appearing to be hunched over your controller, not looking up”… or for that matter, physically digging through your crates? We get that you don’t like that someone is doing something. With this controller, people will be focusing their eyes in a different place, but they won’t be any more engaged than the Serato faced DJ, unless they actively work on engaging with the crowd.
But… with more screens added (like the new Numark NS7III), and probably getting bigger to easier manage music libraries, will the DJ not just be staring at those instead?
So instead of “Serato Face” we get “RekordBox Face”?
you mean….looking at the equipment….like they do already…….?
No pun intented, but: we will see who has some useless, non-upgradeable, non modular pieces of plastic at home. Really? Since when the other controllers are out of metal, upgradable and modular? Last time I checked, they fall in the same category like this unit.
I could agree though with your first comment about Pioneer’s pricing. If they were still part of Pioneer, I wouldn’t expect a single penny discounted. However, we are already witnessing different directions, now that they have become PionnerDJ. Pricing models like Apple’s or Rane’s would never work on this product category. They know it all also pretty well, just look at the sales of the SZ or the S8.
This guy gets it.
i have to disagree with this because pioneer isnt going to be able to constantly come out with new feature updates to this type of controller the way you can with software. this will appeal to the same type of person all in one controls always appeal to. people that like to use things the way that they come out of the box with little setup involved, and just use it the way every other person that has one uses it.
this might also appeal to the serato crowd since they also tend to use things the way its set up out of the box,although most serato users are DVS. NI will not be feeling much heat from this kind of thing because their market is more made up of people that want to get under the hood and customize things so that they feel they have something unique despite still using the same control as a lot of other people
.example: pioneers RMX-1000 effects control costs way more than a traktor license, but the RMX isnt coming anywhere near traktor in what can be done with custom effects mappings.
and considering the fact that like 99.99999999 percent of DJs already have a laptop, its not a huge jump to get into software based DJ programs.
CDJs remain the industry standard for big clubs and touring DJs simply because they are familiar to all. any dj can walk up with a usb and play what they played at the last club with minimal stuff to carry. while this seems great on the surface , it doesnt do much for the actual performer if they want to be unique. when was the last time you saw a big name perform using just cdjs? i usually see them in the setup , but i also see a laptop running ableton or some daw, and a host of midi controls and or analog gear. a real performer isnt going to last long with just cdjs so this argument pretty much goes out the window too. CDJs are the nike of the scene.. they cost alot, and they perform OK, but i can find alot of shoes that perform better.
pioneer will certainly have some market with this, but we arent going to be getting rid of one the most powerful( musical) tools to ever come along ever… just because pioneers marketing department says so.
I agree 100% with you. Only that you believe that Pioneer is after controllerists. Truth is, Pioneer was always after the professionals of this craft, the DJs & owners who want rugged performance at top quality levels. People who play other people’s music, not people performing their own songs.
Pioneer is the Mercedes of the DJ world, while NI is VW and Serato is BMW. I hope this example helps understanding my view on this.
NI is more like Delorean.
You don’t know too much about german cars, do you? 😉
What should I be aware of in this case? Please enlighten me 🙂
well most people consider Mercedes to be like ford in Europe to start with. but this is why i agree with your analogy. pioneer is like ford. most people would rather drive an audi (VW) than a ford.
BMW>Mercedes>VW. But, to be honest, this is a more or less subjective perception. Like yours of DJ brands 🙂
In terms of quality, performance and value depreciation, I absolutely agree that BMW>Mercedes. In terms of sales, market share, mass appeal and brand recognition? Mercedes>BMW anyday everywhere. Exactly what the situation is between Serato and Pioneer.
And then you have NI, acting like VW. Huge in volumes and offered products, but still lacking the end-customer quality to reach value levels similar to BMW & Mercedes. Even AUDI is suffering from these shared platforms & engines of the entire line of VW.
Couldn’t you have at least referred to Native Instruments as the VW-Audi corp? Also, who wouldn’t want an Audi R8?
I did mentioned them like that 🙂 And instead of an R8, I would pay the same and get an AMG GT or a Z-series M. The R8 is a great car, but it is still built around Golfs and Ibizas. It is a victim of corporate unification. Like the Phaeton.
The same applies to NI. You see the same components everywhere, only installed in a different layout and trying to act as different units. At least Pioneer is trying to keep things interesting, at least at a greater extent than NI.
99.99999999 percent of DJs already have a laptop and the same amount would not like to bring their only laptop to the gig. Ask anyone.
Those who can afford to have separate laptop for gigging don’t mind. But that IS additional cost of laptop.
I think most DJ’s would love to see these installed on every club.
well i for one dont see the difference in bringing my laptop or a 1500+ dollar controller out with me only in that the laptop is easier to cart around. and i would never want to play on a club set up of any kind ever again. i have put up with tooooo many abused club set ups over the years.toooo many broken cue buttons. tooo many wonky pitch sliders.toooo many bleeding faders. i prefer to set my own stuff up and know what to expect from it while im playing.
so you’re gonna show up with the club who has nexus/1200/djm and hook up your lappy and your s8….right…
i dont use an s8, dont believe in all on ones. but yes if theres room i would set up my own stuff over some club set up.
The guy below is just a troll. He’s trolling this entire thread and upping his own comments because no one else will. Sad little boy somewhere.
Nice mid range set up 🙂
Well done Pioneer, no more laptop, no more screen between the crowd & us, no more bug.
Bye bye Serato or Traktor
Pioneer just dropped a bomb on NI….
Brace yourselves. The pioneer fanboy army is already there.
turns out they didnt. No HID, and no waveforms would have been a HUGE BOMB. As it is its a midi controller and you’ll still be looking at the laptop screen.
laptops suck, good riddance
yeah, coz you havent got one i bet, you use a typewriter. down with technology.
for live performance dumb dumb.
I was only teasing, but i think you missed the point of my comment though! With HID & Waveform, you could close the lid on the lappy and never need to look at it! At least that was the hope, I think many were hoping that HID/Waveform would come alongside track search obviously, so the laptop would effectively just be a huge harddisk and the controller would use Traktor in external mode, just like having traktor plugged into two CDJ2000s/900s/even 400s! But looks like that isnt happening, so with just Midi control, the worry is that you may not even have track search capability meaning… you’d have to look at the screen of your lappy. So actually I was with YOU, buddy!!! 😀
or you could…you know…not even bring your laptop to the gig because its useless.
Depends what equipment is on offer and where the party is. I find a lot people who are aggresively anti what anyone else uses, especially the decks/mixer only brigade are often fantasists living in a dreamworld who have cheap decks in their bedroom and have never even seen the inside of a DJ booth. People who actually do it, dont care enough to get angry, they just let other people get on with their shit.
i could give a fuck what others use. its been 1200s and cdjs for me for 15 years and now it will be 1200s and this…until allen and heath comes out with their version hopefully. i dont really care about the nexus functionality, will just use those in the club. def not worth blowing 4k at home for glorified cd players.
good djing is about track selection and mixing skill. no amount of tech can replace that. some effects a sampler a looper is all the highest end djs krush, shadow, etc, have ever needed. this is what bs companies like NI and their followers will never understand.
One, the phrase is “I couldn’t give a fuck”, not could give a fuck. Many Americans seem to get this wrong, if you say you could give a fuck it means you DO care, not that you DON’T care. Simple grammar my American cousin. Mate, we believe the same things! I believe track selection and mixing is whats important, the only aspect of tech I use, is looping, whether 2, 4, or 32 bars. This is also all I need. I prefer playing on a good pair of CDJs and thats it! However, truth is I do like the ease of carrying just my macbook pro 13″ around or even better a USB stick, rather than constantly burning CDs as mostly I use just lossless audio files now for new music. I feel we don’t need to be arguing and for my part in us falling out I apologise. We are all one big community here and all of us love music, so I don’t see that Pioneer lovers or NI lovers need to fall out. Lets all use the tech, new or old that we want to, as long as the dancefloor is happy and lovin’ the tunes, I’m happy.
Ahh attacks on grammar. The last bastion of a failed internet argument…..
Not at all fella, I think I successfully made my points anyway, I just don’t understand the childish need ta speek all gangstr. I also don’t get where all the hate is coming from. Why do you care what equipment people other use, I’m genuinely curious to know?
shadow plays on serato, with a laptop, and i dont see him dumping that for this pioneer controller.
fact is any dj thats truely “killing it” is using 1200s or some TTs and a laptop. then you have mainstream EDM pioneer users.
except they’re using 2000s not a laptop. have you been to berlin in the last 10 years?
Using turntables and a laptop is far from killing it. Using two 1200’s with real vinyl is killing it. I spin both vinyl and cdj’s and never use a laptop because in my mind those are the EDM users and auto sync morons.
time will tell i guess. most of the gigs i see him do is just cdjs/1200s and a mixer.
ya mean NI followers like qbert or kraze? i mean i know they arent the highest end or anything, i mean they just won the dmc so many times they basically had to respectfully step down so others could have a chance… what do they use ? oh yah traktor…
kraze is a bullshit dj with horrible taste in music, as his label proves. he can scratch but he has no taste and no soul.
qberts the man, but he could kick ass with a couple of fisher prices and a piece of electric cardboard, if he’s using NI gear it’s because they’re paying him to.
1. i guess you have your opinion, but the judges see him as a few levels above horrible.
2. qbert could get paid by any developer to use their gear, including pioneer, but he uses traktor, just sayin.
perhaps they paid him the most? what ni gear is he even using? he’s a turntable dj….
if you wanna argue which is better serato or traktor i’ll admit it’s a toss up. serato more solid, traktor better effects…
when i saw q like a month ago he was using the z2….has been for a while
a mixers a mixer i guess. hed kill it on a 50$ numark i doubt it matters really.
Word. To each their own. I rather like the concept of a Rekordbox ecosystem, and this controller making that accessible to a lot more people that can’t justify the $7,000+ price tag that comes w’ a CDJ/DJM Nexus setup. That said, I currently use a Serato controller for SDJ, and also own (2) N.I. F1s to use w’ Traktor Remix Decks. So I am down for all systems. Each DJ uses what gets their needs accomplished. No need to be a fanboy for one or another…….use it all, I say!
Recordbox is your “huge harddisk” in this case. You don’t need Traktor at all… Why using Traktor without minding the Laptop when the same thing would be connecting Rekordbox via LINK?
Also, you ‘upped’ your own comment? Really? 😉
Cuz I speak truth NI fandouche.
See you upped your own comment again. Funny, 3 people upped mine and none of them woz mi innit! So I guess I speak more truth. and you sound like you’re about 12 years old. G’night aggresive rude troll. Maybe when you’re 13 you’ll learn how to be polite to be people.
you judge your life based on internet upvotes….lolololol….masses are asses fucknut.
certainly dont judge my life on it. I simply observed that exactly ZERO people cared what you said. Zero.
you still judge your life on internet upvotes…..sad…..
you have a stupid name you should shoot your parents. fuck face.
you think this is my real name lul
Never said I thought it was your real name, your name is just stupid. and you should shoot your parents 😉
you mean two random words i put together to form a user name is stupid, you got me.
It’s good for wedding mobile dj,s that want to take less gear and less gear is good when your a moble DJ.
laptops are far superior to any controller for live performance even with just a qwerty keyboard. there is far far more versatility with a computer than some toy “stand alone” dj device.
You are equating versatility with talent, that’s rich.
look man i can tell you love to troll cuz i looked into your other comments , like where you follow one guy around berating him from site to site. the fact is its my opinion that this all in one isnt the “game changer” people are claiming it to be. its just another stand alone gimmick for people that mix 2 tracks together like the masses of people that do the same thing.they are not even the first people to try this. im sure people will buy into it, but successful performers arent going to be using this AT ALL. not on stage and not at home.
all IMHO
troll onward
its the first piece of dj equipment this troll has been excited about since the cdj.
Are you then arguing that talent has nothing to do with versatility?
dude with raw talent can kill it on an animal pelt stretched over a tree trunk. yes i dont think it matters.
Ok for a club that plays house and you only have 4 cdjs to play off why not just bring your flash drive? If it’s the wave forms you need then you can still see them. When you bring traktor you have to run all the cabling to hook it up to a usb hub that could fail, link into HID mode, select outputs on the cdj for traitor computer channels (gain structure gets a little more complicated), and hook in your controller to jump cues and do effects, not to mention if your laptop fails you are bood and embaraced. It takes at least 2 songs to even get that all setup just to mix song from song. I just don’t see why you would risk all of this for a couple extra features. Hip hop world is different because you need variety at it is easier to search but everyone uses serato and its way more stable. Just my 2 cents
I’m waiting for an Underwood compatible controller. It’s gonna be sick.
brilliant. 🙂
The least you could do would be to log out and vote yourself up as a guest…
cuz i gives a fucks about internets upvotes child……
cuz I gives a fucks. Your grammar is terrible.
your grammar impresses nobody but your english teacher kid.
I’m in my late 30s, and my job? I teach academic writing in England. I am in fact an English teacher of a sorts you angry little boy raging in the dark in your bedroom hating the world because no one notices you. One hand on his pecker, the other on the keyboard getting off on trolling and hating. Awww diddums. Gonna throw your toys out of the pram again are we?
oh man i gotta say your comment gave me a legitimate belly laugh. right on man, right on.
GOOD!! Hope we’re friends now. We may disagree, but can still play nice. 😉
$1,400… are those platters motorized??? If not, then no thanks. Numark NS7 set the stage, and no one else seems to wanna get on it.
You’re funny, but you’ve missed the point of the ‘controller’. You said:
“As it is its a midi controller and you’ll still be looking at the laptop screen.”
Maybe you need to put your academic research skillz to the test and actually find out what the piece of equipment you’re commenting on does (and if you did already but I missed it from this tl;dr thread then apologies). This is NOT a MIDI controller. It CAN be used as one if you like, but it’s primarily a STAND ALONE dj system (essentially, it’s 2 x XDJ1000 + DJM with some new extras). So you will NOT be looking at the laptop screen, unless you the special kind of person who buys a $1500 standalone system to use as a $500 controller.
There are two kinds of people who will want this device:
1. Those who play out in clubs, where the clubs use the standard CDJ2000 setup, and you cannot be fucked to drag a controller/laptop combo BUT cannot afford the thousands needed for CDJ2000s to practise on. Then you play with the xdj-rx at home, take USBs to use with the CDJ2000s.
2. People who find, for one reason or another, laptops-setups to be unreliable as fuck (or at least, unreliable enough). and who want a digital system that avoids them, without spending the kind of $$$ required for a CDJ setup.
I am a bit of both; I’m fed up with taking shit to gigs, would love to just turn up with a USB and play. But also, I have had my laptop cause problems before. Maybe I just didn’t buy a good enough laptop (and apart from an annoying auto-restart, my new lapppy seems to holding up), but then I’ve played at a rave after some guy using a next-level vinyl-control Apple Mac set-up, really expensive equipment, but his set is due to start and he can’t get his shit working. 20min of clunky mix-cd combined with periods of silence. It was a fucking joke. It’s like people feel they need to justify their dj-credentials with a pile of wires and hardware, as if it won’t be impressive enough if you minimise this crap. I know that’s not totally true, I have used working vinyl control and good equipment and it is better than when I go minimal with a korg nanoPAD2/KONTROL2, but still… it adds unnecessary complexity to event set-ups…
wow, way to necropost! TBH I can’t even remember what this thread is about, let alone the point you’re referring to, but you must have misunderstood the comment or I must have posted in the wrong place! I know this isnt a midi-controller! In fact I think its an amazing bit of standalone kit and a MASSIVE improvement over the XDJ-R1. REading your two definitions of who would want this unit, i couldnt have put it better myelf. So either things have got a little confused on the reply button or I was having a SEROUS senior moment. Either way, peace out fella, lots of love from the UK.
Yeah, 2 months is a long time in interzone… Dunno why you said it, but it’s there ^^^ – we all have our moments I guess O_o no worries, I’m UK too BTW. Blue skies x
Its starting to come back to me now … I can’t swear, but I THINK I was talking about the R1, not this one, and for those that specifically wanted it to integrate with Traktor, as many did. IF you wanted it to use as a Traktor controller then you would have to look at the screen as the LED screens on the R1 are tiny. Fine device if you are still using CDs, but to be honest even scrolling through USB sticks might be a bit of a pain on a screen that small! (Screens make us a bit spoiled). Whereas the RX would be much better IF you wanted to use Traktor, as the screen is much more advanced than the R1s. It IS still of course first and foremost a standalone cd/mixer combo, and a lovely looking one at that! I think that entire offshoot I went off on was speaking only for those that wanted to use it as a Traktor controller. I think the point stands that even if you are controlling Traktor (as you can do of course with 900s and 2000s), its nice if the device has a fairly decent readout so you CAN go the whole night without looking at the laptop screen! 😀 PHEW!! That was a bit long winded, but I think might have been the direction I was going in. When its been a long day, sometimes I lose sight of whether I’m contributing to a discussion or just plain trolling. 😀
Back in days of yore when I was – but a shouty little oik (like many of
you); if I went to a club and they only had brand ‘x’ decks and mixer,
it didn’t stop me doing my stuff. R&B or dubstep is always going to sound just as bad – regardless of the expensive tools you’re using.
What Pioneer seem to believe, however, is that they can happily charge
one-and-a-half-grand (without even blinking) for a unit that’s worth about a quarter of that price.
Saying that; my current wife will be delighted with the form factor of this product and is likely to demand that I buy one before she “puts my entire hardware collection on Gumtree”.
In the future, they will look back at these kind of hateful comment streams and chuckle at how low we currently are on the evolutionary latter.
I bet right now that an XDJ-RZ is already in the works, but will cost more than the RX.
They did a similar thing when they released the SX and received similar comments. Eventually, the SB and SZ came out.
They do this for two reasons:
1) More products = potentially more sales = potentially more profit
2) Not everyone can afford a $2000+ flagship controller like an SZ or supposed RZ
Tell that to Samsung.
It doesn’t quite work that was because there’s too much choice.
You’re missing the biggest reason: to test the market and see if the concept will sell. The DDJ-SX did incredibly well after launch and so it was a natural next step to release variants.
I really don’t understand why all people are loosing it about the ‘no laptop’ thing. For the price of this I can buy a DDJ-SX and a decent dedicated dj laptop (e.g. used macbook). So where is the f**king difference in taking a unit that costs as much as one of the best controllers on the market plus a laptop to the club or just taking the laptop + controller.
There is obviously only advantages on the side of the laptop / controller setup:
– way way way more features dj wise (4-channels, more fx, better library management, on the fly analyzing, better loop control, etc.)
– a bazillion more features regarding what you can use a laptop for (watching movies, editing audio, producing music, do graphics, do online marketing)
– upgradeability, modularity, exchangeability of each part of the setup
– probably less weight
– a screen that is 20 times as big as on the standalone unit
On the side of the standalone controller I see:
– It’s probably easier to use for beginners
– If both / all DJs have their USB sticks rekordbox analyzed it’s probably pretty easy to play together
– On-unit-screen. (which you can already have on controllers and will have soon on many controllers)
So please proove me wrong. But what is the big advantage of having no laptop for DJing? Why is it the future to put overpriced super basic CPUs in dedicated hardware in a time were everybody carries a small ‘laptop’ with enough CPU-power to launch a spaceship to the moon in his pocket. Show me the first pro quality unit with native support of iOS and android which only needs me to plug in my phone… that will be the future!
Well, laptop can probably cause problems more often than just controller…
A well maintained laptop with a proper controller will definitely not cause more problems that a standalone unit. But yes, I agree. For beginners a standalone unit is probably easier to use. The problem (which can be seen already at the newer pioneer CDJ range) with more and more features the standalone units get less stable. The old CDJ 1000 mk3 were solid tanks and I have never ever seen one that failed. But I have seen quite a few of CDJ 2000s and 900s fail.
laptops suck, face it.
Yeah, because Rekordbox is totally reliable…
Just last week I lost most of my hotcues on my Rekordbox stick for no apparent reason.
It’s all about convenience. I’m not a mobile DJ and I don’t gig out but using my $2000 MacBook Pro in a bar/club scares the hell out of me. It’s my only laptop and has my life on it. With this, you only need to bring one piece of gear to your gig and protect that.
I definitely understand that you are scared to bring your 2k$ Macbook pro. But for the price of this standalone unit you can buy yourself a dedicated DJing / performance macbook + a nice 2 or 4 channel controller. A used 1 or 2 year old regular macbook would easily do it. If you keep this macbook clean and put on some protection like silicone cover for the keyboard. And if someone spills a drink on the macbook you (or the person who did it) can get the macbook repaired / swapped out.
If someone spills a drink on your 1800$ standalone controller you will not be able to switch out only one part of the whole setup.
And regarding how fragile CDJs are (just ask any club owner) the unit will probably not be very resistant to everyday club usage.
So true, I’m glad I read your posts, modularity rules for upgradeability and with controllers like the s4 you can even use midi sync and sync a beat machine or whatever instrument, I haven’t seen Pioneer think too much about all these things. Just that it works with other pioneer stuff 😛 I would be way more worried about this thing getting damaged since it’s harder to be transporting than an s4 and a laptop. Screens getting smaller is not the future to me…. I had an idea of a modular laptop that integrates into the controller and is upgradeable, with touchscreen, that would be frikin sick.
modularity is unreliability
nope not a synonym, choose your parts carefully as with everything.
for me the convenience is to know my hardware exactly, as it’s mine. and taking my surface pro 3 (>2000$ all in all) with me poses no problem. a) backup! and b) insurance. for 6$ a month i get a full replacement payed no matter what happens, and i can just go to the next store and buy one myself, and get the money transfered afterwards. good when you kill it on a friday night and need a replacement on a saturday night, no matter where you are.
The point is that you do not take this controller to a club, but only a flashdrive. Also the chances that it’ll be compatible with the clubs sytem without any difficulties is pretty high whereas the chances that they do have a controller setup is minimal.
Makes sense… I also use CDJs if they are available but I don’t need to have them or a controller like that at home. For individual/home parties I prefer a small controller setup (z1&x1)
You hear that folks? …..That’s the sound of NI taking their last pathetic breath.
GAME……OVER……….
This ^^^ are exactly my same thoughts what is it with this “no laptop” fad?
cuz laptops suck and have no place in live music…..
Djing isn’t live music; that’s why it’s called ‘djing’, not ‘live music’..
huh?
what are you? a 13 year old gear fascist? you are ridiculous.
because laptops suck the soul out of music
lol.. Casin.. you are obviously new on the scene. They said the same thing about CDJs when they first came out. Once again.. you are going to reference a screen regardless of it being on a CDJ, iPad, or Computer.
but with no separate device dumb dumb. you look like a douche with your lappy on stage….
nobody’s ever had a problem with cdjs, they’ve always been great. there was some fight from traditionalist 1200 users but the smart ones just integrated them into their setup. same as today. laptops nothing but a glorified ipod, and makes your audience think you’re cheating. which you probably are.
So you have never gigged with laptop? Ask anyone who plays more than few times a year that laptops fail. They just do and you can’t do anything to it. My touring DJ friends all play with USB sticks as that the most reliable way of DJ’n 2015. IF they want to get fancy and the is room in the booth (many, many booths have no space for laptop+controller) they bring USB sticks, CD’s AND iPad as backup. All ‘cos laptop cannot be trusted when you are playing for 5000 people and you have 5 minutes for setup.
Have played 4 years without my mac failing, sorry.
i play with the same 440 euro lenovo laptop and my x1 since four years now without any problems! i play 3-5 nights a week year round and in winter in a ski holyday area i play 7 days a week up to 13 hours a day! you dont know shit about playing with a laptop!
I bet there is gonna be a 4 channel version with 8 performance pads coming 😀
XDJ-RZ, no doubt.
for $3000, price on this unit is ridiculous
all in one unit for less than the price of one nexus 2000. ya…what a ripoff.
I sincerely hope so. 2 extra channels and 8 extra pads are probably the only things preventing me buying this. Seems too obvious to me that they’re missing…
Happen to check my email before bed and see this.. wont be getting any zzz’s soon.. This may be what I have been waiting for. Going to have to do some research but this looks like the solution alot of Dj’s have been waiting for (myself at least). I like the direction Pioneer Dj is taking their products.
Absolutely the truth… I have to have it. Let’s do this Pioneer. Yes.
Is anybody aware if this will have HID functions like the CDJ-900 and 2000 for Traktor/Serato
no laptop so no HID i’d assume
It has a USB port for connecting with pc so I guess it has hid
“Additionally, the unit does have the ability to turn into a full-fledged Traktor controller – we asked Pioneer about it and yes, the waveforms and browser will show up on the screen just like on CDJ-2000Ns, and yes there likely will be advanced HID support on the platters (we are waiting on an official response).”
nope. sadly that was wrong. 🙁
Goodbye Traktor S2 !!!
I’m thinking the exact same thing, my only problem is the size. That’s the only reason I still hold on to the S2
I agree, it is a bit large but i have been reading on this thing and it is a beast. I love my S2 but it has become so boring. Size isn’t really my issue because i like the fact no laptop is needed so its like have a CDJ package with a 2 channel mixer which suits me fine, don’t care about having 4 decks.
Nicely done. I’ll hold out for the inevitable 4-channel version.
So if this is the new trend for DJ controllers, how will Native Instruments and Serato DJ adapt? Specially Serato, since they are primarily software.
Serato will have a really big problem as soon as pioneer has developed their own software. And seriously… it’s a shame. Serato (DJ /
SL) is a cool and nice software which I used for a long time as well. The company seems to be really forward thinking and customer oriented.
Are you sure? This is a cool product that definitely has its user base (Mobile DJs that are used to using Rekordbox) but I still believe the future of DJing is in software… Computer technology and the possibilities of software grow in such a rapid speed that it’s pretty hard to follow that in the long run with all-in-one products having a tailor-made computer inside.. Even if thinking simply about the economies of scale in production..
One word – Finally!
Weird and clunky looking, but I like it
Really hope Pioneer releases a 2 channel mixer this year!
No computer? Count me in! ????
Just needs the following “little” tweaks 😉
1) Lose the mixer section
2) Lose the jogwheels
3) Make it have 4 decks
4) Make it the same dimensions as a standard 12″ mixer.
Perfect, now where can I buy one? 😉
It really is an exciting time for DJing
Indeed – and this week has quite a few more surprises forthcoming. It’s NAMM week!
“Available: Late February 2014” 🙂 maybe in Late February 2015? 🙂
Pioneer actually is planning on going back in time and releasing the product at last year’s NAMM show using their CDJ-1985: http://www.djtechtools.com/2013/04/01/world-exclusive-pioneer-tease-a-brand-new-cdj-1985/
Lol, made my day Dan! 😀 Thanks!