Pioneer’s XDJ-RX: End Of The DJ Controller Era?

Earlier this month, we wrote about Pioneer’s upcoming Rekordbox DJ software – but the truth is, we’ve already seen what DJ software from Pioneer will look like. The XDJ-RX has a complete DJ software right inside of its 8″ high-resolution screen, allowing browsing, cues, loops, rolls, FX, and more. In this article we break down how the XDJ-RX is poised to become the digital DJ hardware of the future – and what obstacles Pioneer still faces.

Pioneer has built an incredible unit with this “standalone DJ system”, which easily wins the prize of best non-controller for all-in-one DJ products yet. The DJ world has seen a number of half-baked attempts at complete digital DJ systems – from the Stanton’s SCS.4DJ, to the Pacemaker hardware, to even Pioneer’s own XDJ-R1 in 2013. The truth is none of them succeeded at changing the game because they were usable but not well-polished.

The “also-ran” products of the standalone digital DJ world

But Pioneer has been building a best-in-class digital DJ workflow on the CDJ-2000Nexus and XDJ-1000 units. It’s simple and intuitive for anyone from any DJ background – so when they decided to build new standalone all-in-one, adopting that exact workflow made sense.

So will the XDJ-RX replace traditional DJ controllers like the Kontrol S4 or Mixtrack Pro? Here’s what Pioneer is doing right on this unit that makes it such a powerful competitor:

XDJ-RX Is A Club DJ Setup For Bedroom DJs

Immediately clear just from looking at the XDJ-RX is how much it mirrors the layout of two CDJs and a two-channel version of a DJM-900. This standardized layout means that there’s a “cross-compatibility” of sorts when it comes to DJ skills:

  • beginners learning on the XDJ-RX will be able to quickly adapt to a club setup
  • experienced club DJs will be able to quickly use most of their same skills and techniques on an RX unit

We’re pretty sure Pioneer very carefully thought about this concept (skills that translate from bedroom to club) a lot when making this piece of gear – because the truth is that bedroom DJs are where most sales of DJ controllers come from. By and large, professional DJs (a much smaller market) are either using a modular setup or some kind of CDJ/mixer combo.

Solid Setup For Mobile DJs

At a mobile gig – the less stuff to connect (while still looking pro) – the better! (photo via DJ

The second big market for DJ controllers? Mobile DJs. Tons of gear is sold every year to DJs that are playing mobile gigs for decent cash – weddings, birthdays, corporate parties, etc. These DJs are constantly looking for their ultimate piece of gear which usually entails:

  • quick + minimal setup required
  • microphone input
  • limited cords
  • looks professional

The RX hits each of these solidly, and has the added bonus of removing the laptop from the equation. There’s one less thing to worry about – and no chance you’ll have anyone wondering why you’re not a “real DJ” or that you “look like you’re checking your email.

The big drawback here for mobile DJs is portability – the RX isn’t quite as thin as traditional controllers, and weighs in at 8 pounds – a bit heavier than most. You also have no backup systems besides the unit itself, but if for some reason your USB sticks aren’t loading correctly, the unit can run as a standalone DJ mixer.

Get Advanced: Pioneer Color / Beat FX

It feels like Pioneer played “Survivor” with their FX and only let the best ones stay on the RX island.

Even though the XDJ-RX is great for beginners, it also has enough advanced features that you can practice more challenging techniques. The FX are especially nice – it feels like Pioneer has slimmed down the Beat and Color FX to the most useful options on any of the DJM mixers.

Want to try your hand at the Spiral effect, or play with Noise for a wash? No problem. Pioneer has even moved all the Beat FX rate displays to the main screen for super easy reference – this means less looking around to see how your FX settings are set before activating one.

Adoption of Best Industry Features

Record a set directly to your USB drive

Here’s the case for why Pioneer’s XDJ-RX is not just a good product, but a sign of the direction of the future of DJ gear: they are stealing great ideas from other DJ gear. So many companies in the DJ industry seem afraid/hesitant to incorporate great ideas that they didn’t come up with. In the RX, Pioneer has added:

  • Parallel waveforms: even the other DJ gear that has screens on them seems to be keeping the waveforms separated (we’re looking at you, Kontrol S8) – and Pioneer has never really had two waveforms side-by-side except for in the Rekordbox software. Virtual DJ and Serato DJ owners often rave about their waveform layouts that allow quick visual mixing if they need it, so it’s no surprise that Pioneer added this.
  • Recording on the USB stick: this might be an industry first, but having dual USB ports and the ability to record your set on the one in the second port (yes, you can load tracks from it at the same time) is a major win. We want to see this on other Pioneer DJ gear ASAP, please.
The familiar bottom-of-deck controls from the DDJ line…
  • DDJ-SX style buttons at the bottom of each deck: Pioneer has put a lot of work into building a memorable set of controls at the bottom of each controller. They’re at home on the RX, and we suspect it might be a sign that we’ll soon see a new CDJ/XDJ controller that has those same buttons on it below the platter..

What Still Needs Work On The RX

Despite being conceptually a DJ product that could take out all-in-one style controllers, there’s a few areas where the XDJ-RX needs a lot of work to make it able to compete:

  • Jog wheels aren’t platinum status: One of the biggest sells for the high-end CDJ-900/2000/XDJ-1000 lines are the quality of the jogwheels. They’re pleasantly hefty mixing tools that feel great. The XDJ-RX’s jogs are about what you get on the DDJ-SR/SX, not especially heavy but “good enough”. It’s particularly hard to do a long backspin on these with just a flick of the hand; they seem to have a limited range just from a single touch. Minor quibble, but enough to notice and consider going for a higher end product instead.

 

Cue/slice buttons should feel great – not ok.
  • Plastic cue/loop/slice buttons: We’re not very big fans of plastic buttons – and while the buttons at the bottom of each deck on this gear are responsive, they’re not really fun to use or easy to juggle with. Many all-in-one controllers do a lot better.
  • Beatmatching: Lining up tracks on the RX is different from all Pioneer gear – it’s way more “elastic” feeling. My experience was that unless you had Sync enabled, using the waveforms to mix was difficult as two beatmatched tracks only seemed lined up at the playhead – not ahead or behind it. As always, trust your ears before anything else – but this still felt weird.
XDJ-RX to scale next to CDJ-900Nexus, PLX-1000 turntable
  • Portability / Club-Readiness: This gear is really ideal for house parties, home studios, and maybe a mobile gig – but there’s no way you’re going to be able to clear almost 2.5 feet of width in most DJ booths for your gear. This is why small modular DJ gear will always win in a club setting – you can fit your gear in the booth!

Who’s Next?

Looking toward the future, we suspect that both NI and Serato must have their eyes on their own brands of standalone DJ gear:

Thinking of buying an XDJ-RX? Please support DJTT and purchase it in our store

Have you had a chance to mix on Pioneer’s new gear yet? Share your thoughts in the comments below. 

all-in-one dj controllersbedroom DJscontroller djsdj controllersmobile DJspioneer fxxdj-rx
Comments (92)
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  • Serato Nin

    Still my stuff is much better then XDJ-RX:

  • Detonate

    The biggest negative about this unit, is the lack of 4 channels, and being able to hook up real decks. Why doesn’t pioneer make a stand alone 4 channel controller, that plays cd’s, usb? If the ddj-sx or sz where real platters that controlled actual cd’s, with the screen from the xdj-rx, nothing else would compare. It wouldnt even need the screen, just offer the software for download, and have a video/usb out, so you could use your tablet or phone as the screen, and a dedicated spot to place the screen, similar to where the screen is located on the xdj-rx.

  • NEVERKiLLTIME

    The first minute of that video is the kid playing 1 track and the amount of unnecessary knob twiddling is ridiculous lmfao

  • D-Jam

    My only “eh” on these are the price tags. $1000-$1500 USD is either when you have loads of money to burn or you’re moving up into the “pro” realm.

    Controllers and laptops aren’t going anywhere so long as there are amateurs looking for the most bang with less monetary investment.

  • Eloy Zoet

    Nice to finally see things going this way. 2016, the year of getting rid of laptops? 😉

  • elseanjuan

    mobile DJ’s need a computer. Simple. I used my Nexus900’s with rekordbox for one entire season to see if i like it. At the end of the day, i felt i was only DJing at 75% to be honest. I didn’t have all the songs that i wanted (shitty requests to even bangers that i forgot to add to a playlist) and i felt it hindered me. with my laptop, i can just search through all my playlists and tracks super fast, and SEE 25 songs/playlists at once VS the 5-7 i can see with rekordbox.

    i use strictly rekordbox when i play lounges, because i use 4-5 playlists, something like that genre specific it works, but no mobile. based on MANY MANY gigs in a season.

  • jammasterjbc

    Im not sure if anyone else agrees with me, but DJ tech tools gear reviews seem to be more focussed on marketing products rather than giving objective advice and opinions.
    I’ve been reading and loving this site for so many years and it got me back into djing.

    I really enjoyed the objective opinions and honest reviews, but now it’s just seems to be push push push on the flavour of the month products.

    There also seems to be a lot of tug of war, between what is best, what is lagging behind, and a complete lack of a thread of logic or consistent and balanced messages.

    To be honest it doesn’t matter what you use as long as you enjoy using it. Gear can be sophisticated or simple, but to me as long as it’s intuitive and flexible and does what you need it to do it’s great. If it’s not doing it for you then try something new.

    Kinda getting tired of all the traktor vs serato vs recordbox love/hate/face comments. They are all good and it’s awesome there are different options to suit everyone.

    Just cos something new is the flavour of the month, I don’t think it should be hailed as the end of all others. This is just ridiculous and a blatant sales push, as per the last sentence of this article.

    Just my 2 cents.

    • Adityo Maltais

      Love your comment man. I have to change my S4MK1 to something else.Got very exited about the pioneer…felt like old time.. and no computer… wow that is great. But after reading a lot i see that I should wait and see … I might just buy the MK2 of S4 , I already have 2 f1s. I use to dj with vinils..then CDs (denon with pitch) old school b4 the pioneer.. lol

  • Joshua Bennett

    Honestly, I feel that even if the XDJ-RX is that good of a rig, I would still be much more comfortable with an S2 or S4 simply because they’re both good solid models.

  • djas

    i am waitingfor the 4 channels RX

    • Adityo Maltais

      it is been announced, verrrrry expensive and huge, for traveler dos

  • Tony Mitchell

    Different Strokes for different folks. This isn’t going to be the future of anything. This isn’t going to be the end of DJ controllerism. It’s just another product. I actually considered this unit, but I didn’t like the Jog-Wheels, I’d rather have real buttons for que points instead of the touch screen. That single screen is too small to display the songs in the manner that I would like. Nice try but this isn’t a trend setting product.

    • Svashtar

      What you talking about?
      RX doesn’t have touch screen. Cue points are still done with button.

      • Tony Mitchell

        I confused this with the XDJ 1000. Sorry. But the screen is still too small imo.

        • Dillinger23

          If you want/need a big screen, then no variation on this will ever be for you, which is of course fine! 🙂

  • DJSSJSJ

    I don’t think controllers will ever end. I know a lot of people want the laptop out of the way, but I’m the exact opposite. While I don’t have 200 gigs of music and I can probably everything on a flash drive, I like having a way of searching through all my music instead of running through playlist. And being able to download any song on the spot is also a major plus.

    • Jay DrTraktor Dizzle

      Totally agree dude. Searching is vital for me.

      • Dillinger23

        see above! 🙂

    • Dillinger23

      It has a search function, and although it requires you to scroll and input individual letters, in actual use its both quick and easy. You only need to input most of a single word (artist, title, name of remix), and you then get a search result of the tracks matching your search string. It takes mere seconds. I have 2 mirrored 64gb usb3 flash drives (the unit only reads usb2, but believe me you REALLY want usb3 for when you are creating/updating the flash drives via Rekordbox), and you can go as high as the media allows in terms of capacity. Two different 64gb flash drive and you already have 128gb of music!

  • Toast

    This is the least ground breaking thing in the world.
    Before the laptop got popular in the DJ world people showed up with records and cd’s and now USB/SD or laptops. The computer is still in lots of hardware. The pioneer mixer you’ve been using has software inside it. The effects have to come from some where.
    CDJ-2000nxs is a computer too. The CDJ-1000 was one way back in the day too.
    This is just trends changing and like always the biggest fish leads the pack.
    I would be surprised if NI wasn’t working on something. They aren’t dumb.
    I would assume the next level brands such as Numark, Denon or even Gemini are working on stuff too. Stanton i would assume is doing something with deckadance.
    It will be interesting to see how the non hardware making software guys are going to handle this. Aka Serato, Virtual DJ and the smaller fish.

    • Martin Wilson

      David Guetta endorsed?

      • Jay Smith

        No. The David Guetta Signature Series is coming out soon. They’re working on adding Intensity Control, Turbo Mode, and one more mic.
        He like threesomes.

  • Sagar Samtani

    Imo the xdjrx hits the mark for bedroom DJS and for DJs who play the occasional 2-3 hours.

    For mobile dj purposes, a laptop is still key, since you are playing 5 hours plus throughout different genres. And searching for tracks on the xdjrx is a pain unless you hook it up to rekordbox on the laptop.

    That being said, we do sell a lot of the xdjrx to our customers, most of them being bedroom to occasional DJs (who love the screen on it, and not needing to use a laptop)

    I would personally still go for the sx/sz personally due to 4channels, powerful browser, and the pads are great bonuses.

    Screens are definitely a big trend this year, and am excited to see more great gear being released, but it would be a long way from omitting the laptop from the equation.

    • Dennis Olivieira

      I agree with you. I have a pair CDJ2000nexus and a DJM2000 myself. And when I play a set of more the 2 hours I am glad to have my Laptop with traktor with me. Searching on the screen of a CDJ/XDJ is a pain in the ass. You have more overview when using my laptop especialy when you have to play a lot of different genres. If I play a 1 of 2 hour set of House or Techno a make a USB stick with Rekordbox.

    • Martin Wilson

      Would you personally go SX / SZ over an S8?

      • Sagar Samtani

        Interesting, hard choice. Would go for the SZ for a varied genre gig/video mixing, would go for the S8 if am playing on the same tempo most of the time.

        as of now, would go for S8 since am still on Traktor and have not migrated over to Serato.

        • Martin Wilson

          Good answer! I think I’m gonna get an S8 and use my 2 1200s.

        • Oddie O'Phyle

          Personally I find that Pioneer is offering a hibrid experience. Closer to software that older models or turntables, but not as much control as Traktor. I enjoy running a set on my 2000NXS when I don’t feel like setting up a laptop, but I still find that I plug in my X1 and F1s to get more out of software when I do. It’s the difference between a dj remixing with preformance features and controllerism using a loops to create a set. If I run software, I prefer Traktor as you can probably tell. Rekordbox as it is pretty much allows you to do what Serato does without the need for a laptop.

    • Svashtar

      It is so funny everyone is talking about computer / no computer thingie.
      You CAN have a computer with RX, you know? So if you need it, why not?

      I think the main point is that you are not controlling your computer software with a device, but the software inside the device. One less thing to go wrong in my oppinion, and this is excately why i have RX.

  • Andreas Keijser Lindeke

    I have been playing with the XDJ-RX every Wednesday at an open-air loungebar this summer. At first it was a bit confusing (using a “regular” rig at the club every friday/saturday) but after just one night I got used to it, you can do almost the same “moves” even though the jogs could get some improvement as mentioned in the article. It’s ok for lounge-gigs or “party/retro-floors” but at the club I would stick to CDJ-2000 and DJM-900.

    +
    Small and lightweight
    Awesome display
    Nice to have the pads


    Jogwheels

  • Mauri Moore

    The End ? no way . This things are controllers with computers inside .

  • TheReason

    Not sure why this would be considered groundbreaking….
    You either buy the DJ gear and the computer…. or you buy the DJ gear with the computer in it.

    • Dillinger23

      groundbreaking simply because no one has done it before! That’s how groundbreaking goes, as soon as someone does it (or rather does it WELL), the rest of us facepalm!

  • jprime

    I guess if you buy into Rekordbox. I don’t like the software personally….so I tend to disagree that it’s ending any eras.

  • mikefunk

    NI bites the dust!

    • noxxi

      I highly doubt that, this is not that much different to a pair of CDJs and NI are doing better than ever.

  • Chubs

    The XDJ-RX layout might look good in pictures, but there is too much empty space. I wanted to love it when I was trying it out, but I couldn’t. It feels like a really expensive toy for the home and nothing more. There’s something about the hardware and layout that doesn’t seem right. And that’s coming from a CDJ/DJM user. Don’t get me started on the XDJ-1000. If you’re an enthusiast, this is definitely for you. If you are really serious about getting into the industry, consider better (and less expensive) alternatives.

    I personally think the DDJ-SX/SX2 is one of the few best units in the market for enthusiasts, mobile DJ’s, and a great tool for going from bedroom/mobile to club standard if desired aka the DJTechTools community. There’s Serato/Traktor/VDJ compatibility out of the box (no external sound card required), and the layout is tight enough so that you can understand how to DJ on CDJ/DJM configuration. You’ll just have to find someone to borrow a CDJ/DJM setup for about a week or two but once you use it a few times at the club, you’re pretty much set. Rekord Buddy should always be a part of your toolset; when you are so deep into DJ’ing these days, these things come standard.

    Now if you’re trying to go straight from bedroom to the club, I wish you the best. This unit will help a little, but it won’t give you the whole enchilada. Nowadays, the barriers to entry is too high. Nightclubs especially have no margin for your amateur errors. You can master the Pioneer Standard, but that doesn’t mean you will have a successful night. There are bigger things to deal with. Other external factors like understanding promotion value and stage lighting (for example) will determine if you are able to spin at a nightclub or not. It’s much more valuable than a $1500 unit to practice on at home. If you’re strictly in the bedroom right now or just starting off, go buy a second-hand DDJ-SX and get going on the mobile side first before trying to play music for a nightclub. Your experience in the mobile world will benefit you in the long run and set you up for your own onto the nightclub realm. Once rekordbox 4.0 comes out though… that is something seriously to consider for enthusiasts, mobile DJ’s, and nightclub DJ’s alike.

    FYI The Serato face an excuse if you think you can DJ in public but have no desire to engage the audience. Go back to the drawing board, you simply aren’t ready yet.

    • Dennis Olivieira

      I am a CDJ2000NXS/DJM2000 user myself and last week I did a set on the XDJ1000s on a party Be a friend and I can say that compare to The CDJ2000Nexus there nothing on de 2000nexus that a XDJ1000 can’t do. Offcourse The XDJ1000 feel a lot cheaper than The CDJ2000Nexus but for DJs that don’t want to spend of that don’t have the money to but CDJ2000set this is a gold alternative. Same as a XDJ-RX set to learn to use Pioneer Gear. A DJ friend of mine have the unit and someday I will pass by to try it out.

      • Oddie O'Phyle

        Honestly, I passed up a pair of XDJ1000 due to the lack of the Wolfson DAC.

        • Martin Wilson

          Nerrrrrrdddd!!!! Just kidding. 🙂

          • Oddie O'Phyle

            No worries, I get called that so often that it’s almost a nick name now.

          • Dillinger23

            Wish a could up this comment more than just once. 😉

  • James Brian Thomaston

    Now let’s see Denon and the guys at inmusic take the spinning platters of the SC3900, and the all in one concept of the numark NV. Give it Denon x1700 guts as well, and engine software to run it all. I would buy that in a heart beat.

  • Be

    Yet another Pioneer product that doesn’t support FLAC… sigh…

    • Jay Smith

      just convert them to wav or 320 mp3

      • Be

        Wasting space and losing quality are both bad options.

        • Oddie O'Phyle

          FLAC is compressed as well, CDJs also handle AAC if space and processing aren’t an issue.

          • Be

            You don’t seem to understand the difference between lossless and lossy compression. Lossless compression codecs (FLAC is the only widely used one today) save space without sacrificing any quality. It’s like ZIP compression for audio, but more efficient because the compression algorithm is optimized specifically for audio. AAC is also lossy.

          • Oddie O'Phyle

            Sorry, was thinking ALS and ALAC but was mistaken when I checked on my cdjs… was AIFF. You’re right, AAC is compressed, minor confusion in my old age. I’m aware of FLAC files and the compression being in the kbps side while still retaining bit depth. I was using it on and off for years. Just to make you laugh, I even have a late 90’s/early 2000’s library of DnB and Techno on ATRAC. I keep rebuilding my old MD to run it 😉

        • noxxi

          at 320Kbp/s you wont hear the difference, especially in a club environment, so its really just audiophile nitpicking. there’s no real world advantage to lossless audio formats.

    • Serkan Kocak

      I don’t understand why FLAC and ALAC (both free open source) are not supported by any possible audio hard- and software. I want and need it from portable players to car stereos, from home theaters to DJ equipment.
      But most people are stupid and still going for MP3. And believe me space is not a problem. If it was there are still better options like AAC and Vorbis. It’s just plain stupidity and ignorance.

      • Drozdovsky Michael

        FLAC is not supported cause you need a lot of processing power to handle it

        • Be

          Bullshit. That’s not a valid excuse for machines that cost $2000.

      • noxxi

        Whats actually wrong with MP3 though? at 320Kbp/s theres no way you can hear the difference between that and a wav or flac for that matter. remember those formats are better quality but your ears cant hear the difference, save for the placebo effect.

        Then you have to factor in distortion from room reverberation, ambient noise, your equipment distorting the sound (all equipment distorts the sound in some way). So its really a non issue, unless youve bought into flac and converted your entire library, in which case, you made a poor decision.

  • Junior Pops

    The RX certainly shake things up and its interested to see the update version and i suspect it would have a 4 channel mixer , better jogs and 8 cue buttons . I also think we would see a entry level player with screens for the beginners who wants to get into Rekodbox.

  • Lamar LeRoy

    Does the Numark NV not exist anymore or something?

    • stefanhapper

      True. And overall this article for me a bit too much marketing the XDJ-RX. Yes, it’s an interesting controller, but “poised to become the digital DJ hardware of the future” ? That is a bit too much. Pioneer simply covers the full range of DJ products: stand alone players, controllers, mixers, turntables and some combination of it.

      • here_comes_the_sheik

        I guess the article stresses on the fact that everybody was screaming about the end of controllers and pretty much everything else when the xdj-rx was announced.

      • Dillinger23

        It is NOT a controller. It is two digital file only CDJs ie. XDJs, that are networked so able to both access either of 2 usb slots (CDJ-900/2000s can be networked to do the same thing), with the two XDJs hardwired to a digital mixer (as a previous poster has noted, pretty much ALL standalone mixers are digital now and have been for years), this digital mixer like all other standalone mixers has second inputs for each channel that can be either phono or Line inputs (turntables or additional CDJs/XDJs). Not a controller at all.

  • Damien Sirkis

    The S8 doe not have an onboard GPU. The screen are all rendered on the computer using the computer’s GPU. That’s why the screens freeze when the Traktor app is put in the background and doesn’t get a draw loop call any longer.

    The S8 and D2 are just big midi controllers. All the processing is still done on the laptop.

    • Be

      They’re not MIDI controllers. Are they HID devices or do they use their own proprietary protocol? Ionno if HID could handle the video data.

      • Damien Sirkis

        You’re correct, they are HID controllers but they also have midi mode 🙂

        My point is, they have analog mixing and filters just like a Z2 but they don’t have any CPU/GPU processing happening on board.

        • Be

          They don’t have MIDI mode; the drivers have MIDI mode. Also, I thought the S8 was a digital mixer. Either way though, it can be used as a stand alone mixer.

          • Damien Sirkis

            They absolutely do. Press Shift-Right Back to switch the S8 to a simple midi controller. D2s have the same thing.

            They can be used as a standalone mixer, as I noted above, but the mixing is analogue from what NI is saying.

          • Be

            That changes how the driver handles their signals. The controller firmware doesn’t actually send MIDI though.

          • Damien Sirkis

            You are correct but you’re splitting hairs 🙂 Most NI controllers are not class compliant for midi but the result is still the same, they’re just sending HID or MIDI signals to a piece of software on the laptop.

            That was my point.

          • Be

            The result is not the same for anyone who wants to use the devices with anything other than Windows or Mac OS X, such as GNU/Linux, Android, or iOS. That’s my point.

          • here_comes_the_sheik

            Don’t mix up analogue and standalone / embedded.
            Except for the older XONE models there is pretty much no non-digital mixer around anymore. (even the fancy-pants Rane MP2015 is a digital mixer)

          • noxxi

            Then why does the back have hardware midi ports?

      • mikefunk

        Yes. The are fancy MIDI controllers with screens but still CONTROLLERS! Despite their false advertising as decks. They do not make sound. They are just buttons.

        • Be

          Yes they’re controllers; no they are not MIDI controllers.

          • noxxi

            I think they can be though at greatly reduced functionality, ie, no screens, lo res controls. I might be wrong though.

    • Dan White

      Yep, good catch Damien. The S8 / D2 have their displays PROCESSED by the computer’s GPU, but don’t have their own onboard,

    • Dillinger23
  • NKLY

    The RX is certainly shaking things up (and I suspect a 4 channel RZ is coming), but here’s a free idea for manufacturers: Modular, Laptop-Free Controllers. Imagine a Traktor D2-style “Player”, with built in screen AND sound card, running Serato, Traktor or Rekordbox. Controls all non-mixing functions (playback, library, cues, loops, FX). It has the OPTION of running in tandem with laptop software, OR standalone. (Basically compact CDJ with no jog wheel and more software functions). Then there could be an equally compact, digital “Mixer” which could be for home use or in the venue if they don’t have gear. How awesome would it be to show up with a small modular deck running the software of your choice with nothing else required?

  • Doug

    I think the title is misleading…
    Yes, Pioneer will take over the controller market because (in my opinion) it listen to customers, its innovative and most hardware is made of good quality materials and has a polished finish; not half baked as you mentioned for other companies 😉
    In regards to the Pioneer’s XDJ-RX, nobody wants to make the “Serato face” while Djing….

    • Dan White

      The point is, the XDJ-RX (in my opinion) is almost as good as every DJ controller on the market. The XDJ-RX isn’t a controller, it’s a standalone system. If more controllers get onboard DJ software, it’s the end of the all-in-one DJ controller era.

      • stefanhapper

        I see your point, but don’t necessarily agree. Just because there will be (more) standalone systems doesn’t mean that the laptop/controller setups will disappear (or not sell anymore).

        Let’s also not forget that the XDJ-RX has a price tag of 1500 $, that alone is something that will exclude it for many potential buyers.

        Also it seems to me that NI will not go the standalone route. Your assumption would therefore mean the end of NI DJ’s products – at least in the long term.

      • Ohni Starfall

        This was done years ago by the Stanton ScS.4DJ. Nothing Pioneer is doing is innovative at all nor worth the $1500 price tag.

        • Dillinger23

          With respect have you used and played with one? The build quality and ‘nearness’ to being like using 2xXDJ-1000s and a 2 channel DJM-900 is startling. I tried for one mix and walked out of the shop with one.

    • Marco Hooghuis

      You don’t get a Serato face because you’re using a laptop, you get one because you don’t know your music. No piece of equipment is going to change that.

      • Doug

        …or you are very concentrated mixing 3 tracks together..;)

      • here_comes_the_sheik

        so true… vinyl only djs also get kind of their serato face, when they start beatmatching.

    • synapticflow

      Serato face? What sorcery is this you speak of?

      • Doug

        The frown of real concentration whilst completely ignoring the dancefloor…