Quite a few years ago I had a set of CDJ-400’s and a DJM-400. I had purchased these because I had a deep desire to have a personal DJ setup mostly for my own enjoyment as I had worked for years at a private company as a mobile DJ working with vinyl and CD’s and really enjoyed it. I figured it would give me an outlet to relax after I got home from work, and it did exactly that, I had a blast.
Eventually I got interested in trying to produce my own music using Maschine MK2 and a synth and a DAW. My basis for getting into producing was that I think I was getting tired of fiddling with other peoples music and wanted to make my own. Producing had a very steep learning curve and while I like it, it seemed to bring on more stress than enjoyment.
I did not have enough time to produce and DJ so I opted to sell my DJ equipment. My wife had said I’d be sorry and now here I am, very very sorry indeed.
The point of this post is that I’ve been out of it for so long that I am confused as all getout with the different choices available today, I don’t know what I should get or what would be overkill. CDJ’s or a controller? If CDJ’s which model etc etc. The same for controllers.
I recently went and looked again at traditional CDJ’s and WOW have they changed! What I spent on my CDJ-400’s and DJM-400 barely came close to one new CDJ! Price aside it seemed to be the logical choice but between the CDJ-900 nexus, CDJ-2000 nexus it gets confusing to me. What’s really necessary, what’s cool and what’s fluff. To add to confusion I saw a RMX-1000 and that just added to the confusion. I got a headache from all the visual and audio overload and headed home empty handed.
This past weekend I looked at a DDJ-SX and DDJ-SZ, as they seemed to be where the market is heading but I needed to use my macbook and rely on software, software that eventually would no longer be supported and I’d be forced to upgrade in a few years. I inquired about using a RMX-1000 with the controllers but was told it’s possible but there is considerable lag so that was a put off.
I realize this most likely boils down to a personal decision I’ll have to make on my own but I’m just looking for some thoughtful advice from some vet’s or other hobbyists who possibly have had to make a decision similar to this one. What I do know is that I did dust off my old Pro-Scratch 2’s and had to burn a few CD’s and after an hour of use my wife said I had the biggest smile on my face. So I know this is a step in the right direction.
I would lean towards CDJs, rather than controllers. You can use CDJs as controllers if you really want to, so you have the option to mix with a USB or use a laptop with a software.
The main differences between the CDJ900nxs and CDJ2000nxs is that the CDJ2000nxs has hot cues and a needle search.
You ask “what’s really necessary” …that’s a personal choice. So what do you really need or want? Depending on what you need, you can get other CDJs that are cheaper, but the 900 and 2000 are obviously the best ones out there.
Why not buy a pair of CDJ 400’s again, there still pretty relevant and better than there replacement the 350’s. Or if the price of some 900Nexus is too steep why not look at the CDJ 850 ?
I think a good basis of your decision would be around where you plan on playing… at home, gigging at local bars, mobile for private parties, or trying to get a residency at a larger bar/club. I recently pulled myself out of ‘retirement’ and started playing at a small venue. For me, dragging CDJs or turntables along with my PA would be a hassle and not necessary. The lounge I play at does not have much room. So, I opted to use a controller (S2 that I bought on deal a few years ago) and Traktor (which I’ve been toying with for a long time). It’s easier to setup, takes up very little space, and allows me to get up and running fairly quickly. I do plan on possibly making a transition to a hardware mixer and X1’s / timecode… but, that is only if I move on to another venue that has a proper dj booth.
It sounds like you have experience with vinyl and cd already, so if you are asked to play a venue that has that medium you should be able to pick right back up and use the gear they provide
That will always be the case, even with CDJ’s. I can’t imagine serato dropping support for the SX / SZ for a long time to come.
I guess it boils down to whether you
A) just fancy having a mix at home every now and then.
B) Intend playing in clubs which already have pioneer gear installed and you need the same workflow at home.
C) Intend playing clubs / parties and carrying all your gear to gigs
If its “A” I’d get a decent controller like the DDJ-SX or even the DDJ-T1 which is super cheap right now and pretty much the same layout as your old CDJ-400’s.
If its “B” I’d probably splash out on CDJ-350’s or 850’s as you can prep sets in rekordbox and when you go to a club you can just plug in your USB and play
If its “C” I might consider something like the DDJ Aero or XDJ-R1 which can be used standalone via USB, with a computer or remotely with an iPad/iphone and are reasonably small for shifting around.
I think for me, having been out of it for a bit and not really paying attention to every conceivable new feature on the entire Pioneer line, I started to just get overwhelmed.
Like JayRuss said, just get another pair of CDJ-400’s, I think I got lucky when I got mine they were both new in box but now all that can be had is used with questionable history on fleabay, except the one NIB that’s over 600 currently.
Robbyluca brought up a good point, hot cues and needle search. This was something I had not considered till the salesman pointed them out to me while I was looking at gear. After that, my mind just went everywhere, what about adding a RMX-1000, what about having the reverse button or switch, what about this, what about that. Eventually it led me to start to micromanage the functionality of various units and who had what and if one had one feature and the other did not, I just kept going up the ladder, hence, cdj-400, to 850 to 900 then 2000 it doesn’t seem to end.
As deevey summed it up by breaking it down with A, B and C choices. I would most likely just be mucking about at home. I don’t really have any desire to re-enter the field anymore but again, I did not think I was going to miss my equipment so badly after I sold it all.
I’ve got it in my head that I now “need” all these extra’s from seeing what’s possible with the top tier gear, including apparently the ability to add a RMX-1000 on top of new kit I’ve never even used before. Apparently according to the sales guy you are not able to use a RMX-1000 with any of the controllers. I almost miss the old days to a certain point but then again it’s progression and I have to progress.
I want to be smart about this and not just spend a bunch of money on gear that is frankly not going to get used to it’s fullest or be a complete waste. Kicking ideas around like this helps though and I genuinely appreciate the input and feedback!
I would not splash out on Option C. Firstly because it’s heavier than the SX with a laptop. Secondly because you can’t trust that shit when you’re playing out. Just Google all the problems.
A DDJ-SX or SR would be fine for mobile gigs and still feel pretty close compared to the CDJ/DJM series.
Theres + and - with both, can’t use HID mode with traktor on the 350’s
Cant use Rekordbox in the 400’s
The 350’s are better overall in terms of file types, load times, but their connectivity lets them down - however this in the fault of NI and not Pioneer I’m guessing.
Yup, that’s why I mentioned earlier that he should find out what he really wants and needs. Does he want to use traktor? Does he want to use rekordbox? Does he need hot cues? Does he want to use USBs or burn CDs? Does he have a budget limit? Is he a scratch DJ? …Important info to know.
Well this is disappointing. I had responded a few days back with a well rounded response. Since the account is new it must be approved by the moderator. I’m sure it was approved but it never posted to the forum unfortunately.
I’m going to try to re-hash what I wrote from memory, albeit a few days late.
When I had my CDJ-400’s and DJM-400 I used them with CD’s mostly then picked up a few USB sticks and put some high quality bitrate mp3’s on them and started working with that. I tried wav but these players were not designed to play that and/or Pioneer decided not to offer that functionality.
Eventually I figured out that I could use Traktor with them but I failed to really see much benefit as the platters were laggy and any type of manipulation/scratching was always wonky. I did like the fact that I could see a wavform for buildups and drops, the effects I had to use with the mouse and got fiddly and eventually I just unplugged the laptop and went back to the usb sticks and onboard effects on the mixer. One benefit though was being able to record my entire mix with Traktor.
I am not familiar with Rekordbox, and have only glanced at serato briefly. I only came across Traktor by way of NI when I purchased my Maschine MK2.
Seeing that I have no interest to get back into dj’ing publicly this will strictly be for my own personal use. I am not a scratch dj. Although I did keep all my PA equipment so if the occasional gig did present itself I would be prepared but I have no desire to pursue that avenue again.
I did give consideration to re-buying CDJ-400’s but they can only be found here and there on ebay and other locations but the condition is spotty, sadly mine were purchased new and I have a hard time buying used gear online without seeing it first. Every time I warm up to it the price just seems to match with something newer.
As for budget, I have a track record of going above and beyond what is required or necessary. I’d like to avoid doing that with this. I’d rather not let ego take over. Just because one can doesn’t mean one should. The DDJ-SZ or SX seems to pose more decisions back to me, separate units or dedicated controllers. One thing though is that I can’t dedicate an entire macbook pro solely to the controller, I only have one laptop.
Again, sorry for the delay, I wished my original post had made it.
Now I look like a right nutter all my posts showed up at once.
I’ve watched videos of controllers with serato and the usage looks almost sterile when compared to footage I saw of someone using cdjs with mixer effects and a rmx-1000.
I found two cdj 400’s yesterday but now I’m questioning purchasing only because of the age and inconsistent compatibility with the future.
Obviously I can’t use any rmx unit with a 2 CH mixer so I’d have to re evaluate that as well.
I have a full Traktor/DVS/controller packed setup, which is great if I want to do fancy tricks, crazy effects or make things easier for myself when I play out (easy in terms of waverform feedback, browser selection, effects to smooth out transitions - not in terms of mobility!)
But I spend most my time now with 2x CDJ 350 playing from USB sticks and a 2 channel mixer (some do have send/return so you can hook up an RMX, when I get funds this will definitely be my next toy).
It’s really nice to just leave the laptop alone at home (minus updating USB sticks from rekordbox, which I do when I’m on trains or waiting places) even though my mixes probably aren’t half as creative or smooth.
I was deciding between 350s or 400s, had a play on both, and decided Rekordbox and resale value (I bought used but recently serviced) was worth it on the 350s over Traktor compatibility and effects. It’s basic, but it performs well with what it does (minus the loop divide, that function is weird).
So did I, and I did everything on it for the past 5 years, production, video editing, DJ’ing, Web Development - the lot.
Just plug it in when you want a mix, plug it out when its needed for something else - simples
I honestly wouldn’t let that put you off getting a controller, and if you did go that route I’d personally go all-in-one for convenience sake, go modular with controllers and you have more issues e.g. Jog wheel performance which you complained about with the 400’s, so no doubt would be an issue with modular units too.
If you were planning on splashing out on the SZ though you’d probably be as well off getting CDJ 900’s and a Decent Mixer with S/R and have the best of all worlds for almost the same money and a more future proof setup.
I’m still searching for a video that not shows the technical wizardry and use of effects, but also sounds enjoyable enough on the ears that it doesn’t sound like an angry teenager with ADD clawing at my skull after 5 minutes
My explanation of my interpretation of the cdj-400’s effects and the djm-400’s effects could be likened to the fact that in the videos I’ve seen of the cdj400’s being used, there was more movement and envolvement in the mix on behalf of the dj, where the sx/sz video I saw, it seems to be more knob tweaking and slight jog nudging as the software seemed to have done all the rest. This is possibly my lack of understanding of the new gear and controllers.
Of course now when I try to find the two videos I saw last night, I can’t… Have to check the history in my browser when I’m home.
I had a feeling if I made reference to the SZ that higher tier equipment would soon follow. Pioneers marketing seems to be taking effect here. The 900’s have features that are missing on the SZ but the 900’s or genuine seperates can still play cd’s and mp3’s without having to use a laptop. I’m probably just fighting change much like when cdj’s came out and the majojrity opinion for some time was that vinyl was better.
The cost of the mixer is one I keep forgetting about and one that has kept me a bit grounded still.
Your right about the controller being convenient, just plug in and go rather than try to fiddle with traktor with the 400’s. I’m not quite sure what makes serato or rekordbox so appealing vs just having mp3’s or wav (not on my 400’s) and working with that.
So right now I’ve found some cdj-400’s for around 350 ea and the mixer well, I am still trying to find a cdj400 or possibly a 4 channel mixer and after that’s all said and done I’m around 1200. If I want to add a rmx-1000 that’s another 750 or so, then it get’s complicated as I’m trying to blend a mix of outdated CDJ’s with a older mixer and a new rmx-1000.
I think I need to get out without the mrs and get my hands on some equipment that is hooked up and working, sadly the only shop by me has displays that don’t work and they can’t be bothered to plug them in.
I do like the insight and help, it certainly is keeping me grounded in reality and I genuinely appreciate it!
Serato also has a ton of effects built into the software itself rather than needing effects to do most tasks, not to mention built in samplers etc …
Its true, you can automate a hell of a lot in software, but likewise you can disable all the automatic functions like sync and beatmatch manually as you always would have if you so choose and just use the setup as a regular 2x CDJ and mixer setup.
I appreciate all the insight shared. Ultimately it boils down to what I want to do as many of you have said.
I genuinely miss my gear, but I want to make sure that I’m not going through some gear nostalgia faze and if I re-purchase my old gear, what’s to say I won’t get the itch to eventually go to a controller entirely. It seems that that’s the way things are headed now as everyone uses mp3’s and wav’s on a usb stick rather than cd’s now. Seems like a waste now that I think more about it.
I have a feeling I’ll keep going round and round on this till I loose my mind or my wife throws me out from obsessing over making a decision
So basically to keep it simple I’m either going to re-purchase cdj-400’s and a djm-400, get back into it and be happy or regret and say “I should have gotten a controller and moved forward”. lol Controller being a DDJ-SX or DDJ-SZ.
In any case I’m thankful for the input I got from the community here!
all my posts showed up at once.
