Most of the announcements at NAMM 2016 seem to be screen-focused, and Pioneer DJ wasn’t going to be left out. Under glass, they’re showing a new prototype line of DJ hardware, the Tour series. Designed to be top-of-the-line hardware for use in festival settings, the CDJ-Tour1 and DJM-Tour1 both have top-mounted monitors that show four decks of Rekordbox DJ information. Read on for more details, photos, and video.
Pioneer Tour Series
The new Pioneer Tour series looks like a massive behemoth when displayed this way – each of the units packing a large attached screen and additional side bumpers on each side of the units. They appear to be built to be more durable, heavy-duty versions of the CDJ-2000NXS2 and DJM-900NXS2.
DJM-Tour1
There are a few distinguishing factors between the DJM-Tour1 and the DJM-900NXS2, notably the additional controls on the sides of the unit. There’s an expanded send/return section and a separate set of headphone cue buttons section for the second set of headphones (perfect for crazy B2B sets!).
Also make note of the rear I/O on the DJM-Tour1 prototype below:
CDJ-Tour1
The CDJ-Tour1 looks to be about the same as the CDJ-2000NXS2 – very similar face. On the left and right sides there’s a new bumper (likely to help absorb shocks and jostles better), and of course the large screen mounted on top. We thought the rear of the unit was actually the most fascinating – note that the Pro Link connection is no longer simple Ethernet – it’s been upgraded to something a bit more robust.
The Tour Series’ Screens = Rekordbox DJ?
Of course the stars of the show on this new line from Pioneer DJ are the large screens on the top of the unit. The displays showed a variety of different waveform layouts, all with four decks. It looked to be an advanced display from Rekordbox DJ – but we’re not entirely sure if these displays are running off of the CDJs/DJM themselves, or if there’s an external computer required for this advance setup (although considering the name of the line, Tour, we would guess these are all standalone units?).
There’s no information on price or release dates – Pioneer was very insistent that these units are prototypes and not final at all – but it looked very complete based on our observations.
Keep reading more about NAMM 2016 and new products right here, or watch our Instagram for the most up-to-date information.
[…] Aspekt eine untergeordnete Rolle spielt. PIONEER durchkreuzt dieses Argument und teasert mit der CDJ-Tour1 Edition eine weitere Version "für den professionellen Einsatz" an. Hervorstechendes Merkmal ist ein […]
[…] Aspekt eine untergeordnete Rolle spielt. PIONEER durchkreuzt dieses Argument und teasert mit der CDJ-Tour1 Edition eine weitere Version „für den professionellen Einsatz“ an. Hervorstechendes Merkmal ist […]
have some Test-Tune for this
https://youtu.be/91xyjUB0y5E
[…] Read more here […]
[…] DJ Tech Tools captured some images at NAMM, showing that the Pro Link cable on the CDJ is much stronger than ethernet connections on older products, with an enhanced bumper to reduce shock impact. […]
kind of seems a bit pointless, like, how many screens do you need? wouldnt a laptop or ipad app be sufficient to display whatever information you could possibly ask for?
[…] Source – DJtechtools […]
“Designed to be top-of-the-line hardware for use in festival settings”
lol ! everyone knows they played pre-recorded sets in festivals 😉
[…] on your phone, computer, or a SD card as a backup if your USB drive fails). We also noticed that the DJM-Tour1 and CDJ-Tour1 prototypes on display still had CD slots on […]
[…] on your phone, computer, or a SD card as a backup if your USB drive fails). We also noticed that the DJM-Tour1 and CDJ-Tour1 prototypes on display still had CD slots on […]
[…] DJ Tech Tools captured some images at NAMM, showing that the Pro Link cable on the CDJ is much stronger than ethernet connections on older products, with an enhanced bumper to reduce shock impact. […]
Hey, hey, hey!!!! Big mistake…. “my fans can not take pictures of me with those screen in between….” Think like a DJ, specially the short ones.
There you have it folks. The trend that everyone else will spend the next few years following.
I’m buying one as soon as I can!
About time to get professional connectors for Link. Also, about time to get XLR for booth out and digital out. And about time to pack the ethernet switch within the mixer.
Still missing: A hard, permanent send/return for the mics to route the mics thru a live mixer and back to the DJM while the DJ retains control over mic volume and getting it on the booth monitor.
Also, I really expected those features on the DJM900 and CDJ2000NXS. At that price point it’s really a joke that connections aren’t any better than what you get with a 100 bucks Behringer mixer.
[…] Nuevos prototipos de Pioneer. Fotografa de DJ Tech Tools. […]
[…] Check out all the other features here. […]
Wow, just ridiculous
[…] Image via: DJ Tech Tools […]
Hey, where is the DJ??
Probably on stage somewhere behind that big wall of screens.
[…] DJ Tech Tools captured some pictures at NAMM, displaying that the Pro Link cable on the CDJ is a lot more powerful than ethernet connections on older items, with an enhanced bumper to minimize shock effect. […]
Anti reflect screens will help as well…..
Only to be used in the boiler room 😉
If these are Tour grade, they should make them more durable, maybe step away from Plastic. Also waterproof would be really nice
Dust and humid proof! Agree! I’ve seen some picture of “malfunction” cdjs and djms in burningman festival, it looks awful, djing with your gear covered in plastic ?
Nothing is able to survive more then 1 burn without being fully cleaned…
especially last year!
Yeah it was a rough one last year. My camp’s XDJ-1000s took a beating
I’ll will hit you up closer to the burn. I’d love to hear our set.
What is Pioneer thinking ? They had the brilliant idea to put a flat screen on the CDJ so there’s no laptop between the crowd and the DJ only to now hide it behind 5 screens ? Wtf ? Plus there’s already all the information you need on the CDJs screen. I must have missed something.
Better connection for touring gear sounds great though.
A DB meter on the mixer would have been great.
prototype my ass. looks like frankenstein dvs
Meanwhile, as DJs who use CDJs constantly bash DJs who happen to use laptops for whatever unknown reason, CDJs are slowly and steadily becoming laptops. ?#
Reminds me of way back when DJs who use CDJs constantly bashed DJs who use sync. But that seemed to have come to a screeching halt not long after CDJs adopted the very same technology.
?Irony? lol
absolutley agree, i’ve been saying the same for some time.
Overpriced kit with dated technology=pioneer
Haha so true…
Try to watch a few DJs playing on CDJs and see how many of them are actually beatmatching or rather “dialing in bpms and pressing play at the right moment”.
Yet they would tell you that DJing with a laptop is not real and manual beatmatching is such an important skill! If you put vinyl in front of them they suddenly loose the desire to manually beatmatch.
Exactly. Stick ’em on a pair of turntables or Hanpin media players without sync and they’d train wreck.
Very very expensive, limited-capability turnkey systems.
What’s interesting to note here:
The DJM has a Word Clock IN, but no Out. Not sure what that would be used for.
The Digital Out on the back of the mixer has switched to an analog XLR Connection. Not sure why it’s still labeled as digital out.
The booth out has been upgraded to XLR. This is a much welcomed feature. As someone who sets up backline DJ equipment at major festivals, you ALWAYS have to have a 1/4″ to XLR adapters. I’m not even sure why they make the booth outs on other DJM pro mixers 1/4″ still. No professional booth speakers in clubs will take a 1/4″ connection practically.
There’s a built in Link hub! With 4 Nuetrik RJ45 connectors now!!!!!! Very very appreciated. Having to setup and carry an extra Hub around for festivals is a pain. Having to renumber CDJ’s during changeovers is a pain. This will forgo all that. And the link connector will pretty much never fail now. Interestingly there’s a 5th port for “Extension”. Not sure what it’d be for.
Also a Nuetrik port for Internet for the KUVO system. I suspect Pioneer is going to do a more hard launch of their KUVO system in 2016.
I’m not too big of a fan of moving the 1/4″ ins & outs for the Send/Return onto the top. That will look really silly in a pro show environment.
I also would have removed microphone input entirely. Most major festivals do not run the mic directly into the mixer as the FOH engineer has ZERO control over EQ, compression & feedback.
Now onto the screens. Personally, I think they won’t make it past the prototype phase, but everything else will. It’s completely unnecessary to have screens on the CDJs and again on top showing the same information. I do like the one above the DJM showing more detailed metering tho. Maybe that’ll get retarded headliner DJs I’ve worked with to finally stop redlining.
What everyone needs to realize is this, first these are prototypes. PROTOTYPES. Not real. If they become an actual product, they will be marketed towards MAJOR festivals & tours. You probably will never touch or see a set of these yourself. I very much doubt pioneer will sell them to consumers. They will be special order for Backline companies, major festivals, tours & the top of the line clubs.
the Word Clock IN is to sync the prerecorded mix with fireworks
WRONG. that’s not what Word Clock is. you’re thinking timecode. Word Clock is for when you have multiple digital sources as inputs it helps eliminate jitter in A/D conversion.
Actually no. It helps avoid jitter while using digital connections. 44.1kHz is not always exactly 44.1kHz and also, even if it is, it’s not necessarily in sync. To avoid that, pro equipment got wordclock in/outs.
As it says clock on there, it must definetly be something for the countdown to the next drop.
It could indeed have something to do with the sync feature, I suppose.
I think, there actually is a digital XLR Out. Because next to MASTER 2’s 1/4″ are the two analog XLR outs of MASTER 1. And why not put a digital signal throu XLR? I’m no technician but maybe it’s even a balanced digital output.
AES digital audio signals use XLR connectors.
Agree on all points, about the Booth Out… RCA out on some mixers.. lol.
Word clock in used to be a necessity with antiquated digital pro systems that couldn’t reclock. So when the first TI digital input chips were released, all the digital and hybrid pro boards starting including word clock inputs. But that was also the era around the time companies like Tascam had boards that couldn’t even do digital gain. For like a decade, reclocking chips from TI (and others) have existed that make the issue moot. The DJMs never needed it and didn’t suffer from SPDIF jitter. While it doesn’t hurt to include it, all I can think is they’re including that to make old pro audio hands more comfortable.
The digital master out is just using an XLR connector. It’s likely AES/EBU. You’re just used to seeing XLR connectors used for analogue signals, but remember, RCA used to be used solely for analogue signals and now it’s S/PDIF as well – been so for quite some time. None of this is new… by a long shot.
About the 1/4″ booth outs – I feel you. I know how you feel. However, most sound systems that are worth their salt have M-1/4″- F-XLR cables; hell, just use a DI since they’re probably being spat out at line level anyway. But, being XLR to XLR, I guess you could simply hit the pad on the engineer’s side and call it good. Like I said, I understand not wanting 1/4″, but it’s not a difficult nor rare thing to remedy.
@spacecamp:disqus , without sounding like a smart-alec, pedantic bore, let me offer a tiny correction. This video from briansredd ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlZt-R2J8lw#t=0m9s ) – and, indeed, your full-resolution photo: http://djtechtools.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/cdj-tour-rear.jpg – shows that the prototype CDJ is called the CDJ-TOUR1, to exactly match the DJM-TOUR1. [It’d also be interesting to see if the ‘&EP058 TP ???7’ (‘… Marketing7’) and ‘ES-01302’ captions on the white label on the rear top-left have any significance.]
By the way, did you guys receive my brief e-mail about whether you’d be happy to receive a longer e-mail of questions about the new Pioneer DJ products to pass on to Pioneer DJ CEO Yoshiaki Ide and his team? It may be the case that some of the features I’ve remarked on have been implemented in these prototypes.
Interesting concept, I agree with “lam” that I don’t think this will catch on as thats just simply too many screens that will further remove the dj from the audience and will not be embraced by many of the top names. However, I really like the rear panel and is XLR for LINK connection? I hope this is a direction they are going in as it seems like CAT5 is always a huge problem making the contacts and consistently broken/unreliable in nearly every setting. A more durable option of connecting players together would be a dream for me.
the Link connectors are now Nuetrik RJ45. It’s basically the professional pro audio version of Ethernet.
Thanks for the info! Anything but Ethernet IMO
It still is Ethernet…just with a casing to protect the connector and the cables are usually several hundred dollars
the cables are not several hundred of dollars. For a jump connection you need for this you are looking at $25 to $39, less if you make it yourself. And Good News, you can still use your regular ethernet (RJ45 with Cat5, Cat5e or Cat6 cables) in these connectors. Just for a pro cable that does not get disconnected or broken easily this is a smart move.
right, i guess my only experience with etherCON have been for FOH runs of 250′ feet. usually kevlar re-inforced cable. quite expensive. probably not necessary for a 5′ cable run 😛
What’s the point of having large screens on top of normal screens? Main complain about laptop DJ is that the screen cuts you from the audience. It’s a f**king wall now :’)
It does point three glowing Pioneer logos at the audience, though so that’s a win for Pioneer DJ marketing!
I’d guess the idea is that these would be generally used at a fairly low a angle so it wouldn’t be a literal wall.
Lol the apple way tough