- 8 0 0 : £. Pioneer DJ's latest controller offering has started shipping! This one is a unit dedicated to rekordbox dj, offering two channels and a pretty impressive feature set for such a compact model. In fact, it has almost every pro feature offered by the popular DDJ-1000, by Ian Forest back in issue of 88 of Pro Mobile, and sits well above the DDJ-400 entry level unit.

But is it useable on the road as a mobile DJ? Let’s find out… 74 74 What Pioneer DJ has done with their latest rekordbox dj controllers is to mimic the layout and features of their ‘club standard’ CDJ-2000 / DJM- 900 combo. For example, the effects section is no longer along the top of the controller, and the loop section is no longer below the tempo fader, as on the DDJ-RZ. This means that if you are used to playing on a pair of CDJs and a DJM, the DDJ-800’s layout will not confuse you at all.

Vice versa, if you are a mobile DJ using this device constantly, you will not be fazed if confronted with a CDJ/DJM combo. Indeed, most of the effects from Pioneer DJ’s topof-the-range DJM-900NXS2 mixer are present on this controller, just like on the DDJ-1000. Connections The DDJ-800 has been designed with all the pro connections you need. Starting with the front, you will find both types of headphone jack (1/4” and 1/8”).

This means that if you leave your headphones behind, you can always get by with your earbuds! The rear panel has a Kensington lock slot and power is supplied from a 12V DC mains adapter. There is also a power switch and a single USB connector to hook up your laptop running the rekordbox dj software. The Mic 1 connection features a combination XLR / 1/4" jack input, whilst Mic 2 is just a 1/4" jack, and both have attenuator controls on the back panel.

Each of the two main audio channels offer external input via stereo RCA sockets, which can be switched between phono or line level and there is also an earth signal binding post. So connecting a turntable or a CDJ is no issue. The main output is on balanced XLRs, as you would expect for a pro product, but RCA sockets are also provided. The Booth Output is supplied via a stereo pair of 1/4" TRS balanced jack sockets.

Now let's take a look at the layout. The DDJ-800 is a compact, lightweight controller, with three distinct sections. The middle area features a 2-channel mixer with decently-spaced controls. To each side of the mixer section is an identical control surface for each channel, with a jog wheel, pad section, full-size tempo slider, loop section and all the controls you’d expect from a pro rekordbox dj interface.

The Decks The jog wheels, which are smaller than those found on the DDJ-1000 or CDJ-2000, are still a really good size, and feel fine in use. Each wheel contains a really useful full-colour display which can show a number PIONEER DJ DDJ-800 of things such as time elapsed or time remaining, album artwork, waveform, cues and hot cues, BPM and loop information. As the playing track approaches its end, the jog wheel flashes – just like other Pioneer DJ playout systems – which is a really useful feature when playing out at a gig.

There is also a Jog Adjust control for altering the stiffness of the wheel. The Tempo slider can be set to +/- 6%, 10%, 16% or 100%, and a Master Tempo button is provided to freeze the key across a tempo change. Beat Sync and Key Sync buttons are also provided to the right of each jog wheel. To the left of each jog wheel there is Shift button which allows you to access the alternate use of quite a few controls on the DDJ-800.

At the top left of the jog wheels we find the Loop controls, which allow you to set a 4 beat loop automatically or a custom loop using the In / Out buttons. Next to these is a Reloop / Exit Loop button together with the all-important Quantize button to make everything you do snap to the beat grid of rekordbox-analysed track. A few other buttons at the top right allow you to recall, add to memory, or shorten and extend loops. Next we come to the pad section, which is located below the jog wheel.

This aspect of the controller simply phenomenal – just like on the DDJ-1000 – and gives creative DJs a massive playground! There are SPTIOANYIENEGR MDJO BDIDLJE-800 Pioneer DJ DDJ-800 a number of different modes you can call up for the pads. The most important from my perspective is Hot Cue mode, which allows you to set or recall 16 cue points / loops for each track. These work really well when quantized and I often make extensive use of them when playing Mastermix's DJ Beats versions of popular tracks, extending and moving around a track on the fly.

The Pad FX1 and Pad FX2 modes allow you to assign many different special effects to each pad, while Beat Jump and Beat Loop modes allow you to jump beats and phrases, as well as setting beat loops in the mix. a Finally, the Keyboard and Key Shift modes are quite amazing for creative DJs! They both do different things but in a very similar way. Keyboard mode allows you to fire off a hot loop in different keys, one semitone at a time. Key Shift does the same thing but with the track already playing.

The best way to understand this uber cool feature is to check out the DDJ-1000 tutorial videos on the Pioneer DJ website a (the DDJ-800 pad section works in exactly the same way), or simply have a play yourself! The Mixer The mixer section contains all the usual suspects! It is features an intuitive layout for each channel including a level fader, Cue select button, Colour FX knob, 3-band THE EARLY DAYS 75 Pioneer DJ DDJ-and Trim control. The EQ can two microphone be set to +6dB to -26dB or full individual level controls kill, which I prefer.

In between the a shared 2-band EQ EQ sections is a multicolour level switch. The rekordbox LED meter for each channel and also has a new clever also the Master. A crossfader is automatically detects provided which can be assigned the effects of and disabled in the Mixer View sure to come in panel of rekordbox dj when in occasions it is Performance Mode, and the fader guest loose with a curve profile can be changed in Settings too. FX At the top of each channel, a There are two main selector can be used to switch on the DDJ-800. between two of rekordbox dj’s mixer itself, you virtual decks and the external input ‘Colour’ FX (Dub/Echo, for the channel.

So channel one Pitch and Filter), can be switched between deck 1, selected using 3 or its external input and channel and applied to two can be switched between deck independently 2, deck 4 or its external input. This rotary controls. To means that even though the DDJ- side of the mixer 800 is a two-channel controller, also a dedicated ‘Beat’ you can still make use of all four of These quantized rekordbox dj’s decks and can also straight from Pioneer play from vinyl, DVS, or external of pro standalone CDJs if you wish. fantastic for creative transitions.

They are Above the mixer section are the fader to either one controls for track navigation and recordbox dj decks, selection in rekordbox dj. These output, or the comprise of Pioneer DJ’s familiar (which also has a rotary push button control control) and a little alongside Load buttons for each of all the FX info you the two players. rekordbox dj The mixer's headphone section allows you to monitor each channel As I said at the or the main output. There is plenty controller is designed of volume available here, and a DJ’s rekordbox dj Cue/Master mix control allows for I have personally split cueing set exactly as you want its inception.

The to hear it. bundled with the the software and There is also a dedicated Aux trick is that the level control, which is linked to a coded into the stereo pair of RCA sockets on the so when you plug back panel. This allows you to, for laptop, it ‘automagically’ example, connect an iPod and use it Per formance to play background music and then software. Previously, have it on standby as a backup. I’m have had to manually sure this will be a feature that is long key. welcomed by many mobile DJs.

The 76 channels have Conclusion as well as and On/Off What Pioneer DJ has done here dj software is produce a more compact utility that version of the amazing DDJ-1000 and reduces rekordbox dj controller with very feedback, which is few features removed. The smaller handy on those size makes it more portable but necessary to let a doesn’t pose a problem when it mic! comes to performance, as the controls don't feel too crammed together. Everything is really well laid out, unlike many other FX sections compact controllers I have seen!

As part of the will find four If several DJs are on the bill, this Noise, is not the controller for you. It’s which can be bigger brother - the DDJ-1000 - has dedicated buttons two USB inputs which facilitates each channel DJs taking turns in DJing on one using separate controller, while the DDJ-800 only the right hand has a single USB port. The jog channels there is wheels are also not as big as the full FX section. size ones found on the DDJ-1000 effects are lifted (and CDJ-2000), but they work really DJ’s range well and feel just right for the job. mixers and are mixing and I absolutely love the DDJ-1000, assigned post which I use for all my events now. of the four When this DDJ-800 arrived and I the master put it through its paces, I was very on-board sampler surprised at just how useable this dedicated level new compact model is.

I found it display gives easy to set up, fun to use, great need. sounding and, in fact, I could certainly use this as my main system without any problem. Rekordbox dj has been a solid performance tool beginning, this for me for many years and it's great for Pioneer to see how it has evolved. software, which been using since Pioneer DJ is offering a dedicated DDJ-800 comes protective carry case / hard bag for full version of the DDJ-800, and my review model a really neat was supplied in one of these.

This Licence Key is is where I found the only niggle controller itself, I could come up with during this it into your whole review: there is no space enables to stow the AC adapter safely in Mode on the the case! But that's all I can find you would to criticise this little gem of a enter a nice controller. Go have a play with it – I think you’ll like it! PIONEER DJ DDJ-800