The CDJ-2000 nowadays
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  1. #1
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    Default The CDJ-2000 nowadays

    So now that the CDJ-2000 has been around for a little while what do people think of it and the place CDJ's will have in the future. I have worked on 2x CDJ 2000 for about a year or so now and am now I am just using them as very expensive midi controllers for Traktor with an X1 doing most of the work.
    With Pioneer entering the controller market I am very interested to see where the CDJ is headed. I much prefer Traktor now rather than using CD's or USB and would not purchase 2x CDJ 2000 or even 900 after realizing how limited they are for my purpose.

    What are other peoples opinions?

  2. #2
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    I think they're the end of an era. People will start realizing how limited they are and of course overpriced. There is no need to use CD's in general IMHO. As you firstly download it and then burn it meaning you can just put it in a usb drive. I have no idea why pioneer doesn't produce a non CD player "CDj style" machine, like the ones in the market but only with usb,and midi capabilities, so that the cost will be reduced. There are people out there paying 1.5k for a CD deck to use it as a midi controller. And the sad part is they do it just for the logo and looks, losing every serious aspect of djing.
    Just my 2 cents
    15.4 mbp i5, NI X-1(x2), Allen & Heath Xone-42, NI Audio 4dj , TSP 2.0.1, Stanton Uberstand.

  3. #3
    Tech Guru Conall's Avatar
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    the cost of cdj's isnt due to the cd drive....its due to the fact that pioneer are greedy...and they need to have a hybrid anyway, the vast majority of dj's are using CD's and no club is gonna buy usb only decks right now, there needs to be a bridge. once it gets to the point where the cdj-2000 is the standard, everyone will be using usb. then it might happen.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Conall View Post
    the cost of cdj's isnt due to the cd drive....its due to the fact that pioneer are greedy....
    Yes but the lack of cd drive will eliminate their excuses for the insane amount of money they are requesting.
    15.4 mbp i5, NI X-1(x2), Allen & Heath Xone-42, NI Audio 4dj , TSP 2.0.1, Stanton Uberstand.

  5. #5
    Tech Guru Liambo's Avatar
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    The future of the CDJ is heading the same way as the Turntable.. It will be here until further notice (i know Technics are discontinued).

    I know controllers and DVS is taking over the market but there are still vasts amounts of DJ's using TTs and CDJs and will continue to for many years. Some people just want to mix and use the built in effects on a DJM or a EFX to use effects unlike controller users that want more freedom.

    The majority of DJs in my area only use vinyl and CDs, about 25% use DVS now and less than 5% use a controller. So just shows even though controllers are the future, some places are just not ready for them yet.

  6. #6
    Tech Guru mostapha's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Liambo View Post
    The majority of DJs in my area only use vinyl and CDs, about 25% use DVS now and less than 5% use a controller. So just shows even though controllers are the future, some places are just not ready for them yet.
    +1. Obviously, I'm cool with controllers. Mostly, I spin on a pair of X1s and an LPD8 right now out of convenience and simplicity…despite owning other gear in sig, including a xone.

    But it's easy to lose sight of reality if you spend enough time on DJTT and similar places. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but here's a dose of reality.

    I spent music week in Miami. My friends and I went out every night and saw a lot of DJs spinning a lot of parties. Yes, all of Miami is sponsored by Pioneer during March…but the sponsorship wouldn't force some of these people to play on other stuff. Since I'm a geek and have an iPhone…here are the numbers.

    • SSL - 4
      • Everyone on SSL used CDs, except Nadastrom, who appeared to be on internal mode
    • Vinyl - 0
      • the only 1200s I saw were the pair for Jazzy Jeff and a pair set up with dust covers that people used as a place to put laptops or CD wallets. Well…laptop or CD wallet. Only one guy that night didn't use CDJs.
    • Traktor (any version) - 3
      • Pete Tong, Jazzy Jeff, and Sasha. Both Tong and Sasha were spinning with a pair of X1s and no other contollers. All of them were probably already on TPro2.
      • Sasha might have been using CDJ-2000s as pitch controls.
      • Jazzy Jeff used Vinyl control. But, they had to bring out turntables and a DJM-T1 for him and put the rest of the equipment somewhere else. It wasn't on stage when the act before him started.
    • Ableton Live - 3
      • This one surprised me. I didn't expect that many.
      • One guy the first night used an APC40 but seemed to do most of the mixing on the DJM-900 and just used the akai to launch clips and control some effects. He was doing pretty simple mixing compared to what ableton is capable of, but it was enjoyable.
      • Skrillix really is a bit of a hack. He can run a good party–his primary goal–but I didn't hear him do anything on the DJ-side that I didn't learn how to do in Ableton within a day or so (allowing for the fact that Beat Repeat didn't exist when I first tried Ableton). It was a fun crowd, though…probably due to the abundance of bikinis.
      • Felix Cartal is a lot of freaking fun. His setup seemed the same as when I watched him spin last year, which means he's doing less than you think he is, but he's still doing stuff and he's pretty good at it. For those curious, it's just a UC-33e and one channel to the mixer.
    • CDs/USB - I lost count. Based on a combination of memory and fliers…it was somewhere in the area of 30.


    So…25% of the DJs I saw ranging from high-level openers to top-of-the-world touring guys used anything other than CDs or CDJ-2000s with a USB key.

    It's hard to draw conclusions from this small of a sample using computers, but it looks like Ableton and Traktor are gaining popularity over SSL…at least at the top level. But that might be marketing. I'm 90% sure that everyone on Traktor was using a pre-release copy of TPro2, which means they were either sponsored by NI or testing it for NI…with the possible exception of Sasha if his tweet about considering switching when TP2 was announced wasn't a marketing gimmick.

    It's still going to be a long time before CDJs go anywhere. Fortunately, Pioneer won the club-install war for CDJs and they're really easy to play on if you can beat match manually…and Rekordbox gives you a lot of help. In general, I think it's worth having a controller with a pitch fader so you don't have to turn down gigs if they say "CDs only" or some crap like that…or you could just wait for the world to change.

    It's going to happen…but it's still a while off based on what I've seen.

  7. #7
    Tech Mentor steffanko's Avatar
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    It depends of the music you are spinning...Music scene in my country is very poor. Most of the clubs have a simple policy: play something to the crowd that will keep 'em happy, and you'll get paid. Basically it all comes to spinning top40 charts and pop hits. Cdj's do just fine in those situations.
    And on the subject of cdj2000, I think its just pointless giving that much money for them. They are no better then cdj900 just more eye candy. And removing its cd tray won't do much good lowering the prices,since it's no different to the cd units in pc's and they are cheap. Denon dn hs5500 comes without cd tray and it cost only 50-60 eur.
    So, if cdj 2000 with cd support is 1500 eur, and without would be 1450 it's pointless.

  8. #8
    Tech Guru TommyQuiet's Avatar
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    I don't think cds are gonna burn out for many many years to come.
    but with software like ableton,serato,tp2 which is now at a stage where you can do a whole lot more than just mix 2 songs together, people are starting to buy controllers and they are less frowned up on,witch is great as i love the creative age we live in right now.

  9. #9
    Tech Guru mostapha's Avatar
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    I actually disagree that the CDJ-2000 isn't any different than the 900. It has cover art, and it feels much more solid.

    Whether that matters to you is just up to you, but…they're the only CDJs over $500/each that I'd consider paying for…which is why I don't own CDJs.

  10. #10
    DJTT Tankard fullenglishpint's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mostapha View Post
    I actually disagree that the CDJ-2000 isn't any different than the 900. It has cover art, and it feels much more solid.
    They have one of each on display in a shop I go to quite often, and the first one to break was the 2000. The jog wheel tension control (which admittedly the 900 doesn't have) had gone ping and you couldn't raise it past 50%.

    Not a huge problem, I'll admit
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