‘here we go again’. But just as we started to blow out the candles from celebrating hip hop’s 50th birthday, it dawned on me that the ‘battle format’ market is starting to take hold. 74 With Pioneer DJ's world class 2-channel mixers (namely DJM S7 and S9) and the two controllers from the beginner targeted DDJ-REV1 and the overly weaponised DDJ-REV7, there sat a bit of a void for people who wanted more than a £250-odd controller but didn’t want to spend near on 1900 quid.

Does this make the REV5 your weapon of choice purely from a financial standpoint? First Impressions As a serial offender of buying DJ toys, and namely controllers (I’m looking at my Pioneer DJ DDJ-, Roland DJ707M, Reloop Ready, Pioneer DJ FLX10 and a Pioneer DJ XDJ-XZ), the Pioneer DJ DDJ-REV5 is already giving me ‘I have features you want’ vibes. It's relatively lighter than the REV7 but still a decent size and with great proportions - the mixer section looks like an implanted DJM-S7 or S9.

The jog wheels are a great size and feel like a Pioneer DJ product - jog feel is easy to access and a great feature if you like to scratch and answer the call for the odd wheel up! Mixing Action Most of the mixing action takes place in the top half, consisting of the usual two banks of eight performance pads above crossfaders - with other features like the FX control being on paddles with a hold down/lock feature, and a nice symmetrical layout for filter, EQ and volume levels.

The Pioneer DJ DDJ-REV5 also hosts a MAGVEL fader with adjustable cut curve and a reverse switch - all the right toys for people who fancy bringing out the Jazzy Jeff skills! I’m also a fan of low and high pass filter - the fact it sits in the 12 o’clock position means you swing it left or right depending on which filter you want to use. There's some interesting ‘secondary’ writing by the EQ knobs - but more on that later. If I’m going to be picky about this part of the controller, I’d say the lack of any external effects might be a drawback… but who’s carting round FX pedals and extra bits in this day and age?

The familiar layout means people progressing from the smaller controllers such as the Rev1 and DDJ-400s of this world won’t find it intimidating at all. Platters that matter Not apologising for the cheesy rhyme. Because they do. These controllers for the hip hop, open format and battle DJs amongst us, will have hands on them most of the time!

PIONEER DJ DDJ-REV5 Pioneer DJ have adopted the nonby pressing motorised, CDJ-esque platters as you can control opposed to the motorised version 2&4 at the we have on the DDJ-REV7 - which want to lock is almost certainly down to price vocal from point. Another observation is they (with stems or are aesthetically different to a CDJ scratch or or DDJ-1000 type jog - and I’ve the same time realised they have changed the deck layers! protruding dots on the side of the REV7 owners platter – different, but within half an hour of messing about on the Stems Control controller I didn’t miss them at all.

Well I said the The jog wheels contain some it’s only fair I information at their centre, which Pioneer DJ is nice. Not as much information first controllers as some of the other controllers direct control but again, if you really want the hardware itself. luxury of album art looking back advocate of at you, then the REV7 exists for and Rekordbox, that reason! Also, on each deck is me to play a a deck button. A welcome addition at my open - especially for the battle and open don’t know what format crews who like to chuck a Google ‘Skratch tune on as a set piece or first dance.

Stems’ and Another interesting use for this; mind to be STAYING MICKER PIONEER PRO MOBILE DJ DDJ UVS REV-5 pioneer dj ddj -rev5 shift and deck select, In short you have access to the both decks 1&3 or individual elements of a track - same time - so if you grouped by the vocals, melody, an instrumental and bass and drums. With many two different tracks other controllers you can re-map without) you can and get into the menu to give drop/jog them in at yourself stems control - but with without swapping the DDJ-REV5 you can make a live Now, that’s something mashup or remix at the press of wish they had! dedicated buttons, allowing you to toggle between the different elements on the fly. ‘S’ word so now As mentioned earlier, the EQ talk about it!

The knobs can also be put on stems DDJ-REV5 is one of the duty, as you can use their second with dedicated, layer function to control the over stems on the volume for the different stems I’m a massive elements. The feature I had the stems within Serato most fun with is using it with because it allows deck move, which allows you wider array of music to have an isolated vocal from format gigs. If you one track, an instrumental with stems is yet, just another and mix those two at Bastid - Demo the same time from another get ready for your standard track - James Hype eat blown. your heart out!

Z Z X X - - THE EARLY DAYS 75 75 pioneer dj ddj-rev5 Another notable design element are the pitch faders. The standard for so many years was having a vertical tempo control, but the battle style layout (harking back to vinyl turntables being rotated 90 degrees to keep a tone-arm out the way for performance) means that it’s basically a rite of passage to make controller tempo faders horizontal. These faders have an excellent feel with the right amount of resistance.

Local to the faders are the range, key lock and sync buttons - which is the most obvious place to put them for workflow. The next section along from the sync button is an interesting one It’s also a handy and a totally UNIQUE feature to you’d rather bang the controller world - the all-new the performance auto BPM transition. Now bear additional FX. Not with me, I know that some of these those acapellas you ‘we do your job for you’ features the fly with stems! make some of you mad and the rest of you underwhelmed; but.

Software This. Actually. Works. This little glossy part of the controller Just in case I haven’t can be there to make your life another controller incredibly easy. should start on just inclusive this Again, for the open format world REV5, like its smaller where we get asked to present siblings, is predominantly awards, hype the crowd, play walk DJ Pro product. up music, hold a mic for someone a nicely parked – anything - sometimes we need on the unit too, more than two hands.

This feature also work with RB will allow you to transition from software. one BPM to another without touching the fader. I should also give This also makes it a great feature mention to Serato’s to hop between two different expansion, which is genres when you are in the mix unlock. It’s an too, so you can select the BPM to this controller warp over 1, 2, 4 or 8 bars. Like manipulation (no a DJ edit for any track in your auto transitioning collection.

Want to go from hip and in conjunction hop into house? No problem. Very rarely do we get Want to go from drum and bass for free nowadays to reggae? Easy. is already included.

76 feature if Performance pads; the normal away at and the new pads or add to mention As mentioned, the scratch mixer just made on style of two banks of eight pads lives at the mixer section of this controller. It’s got the usual features: hot cue, roll, saved loops, sampler, pitch play, stems already sold and scratch bank. There’s plenty to myself, I of information on each of these how software functions online but the one I controller is. The need to talk about is piano play. and bigger a Serato This new mode is for anyone However, there is who’s thumped a beat-making Rekordbox logo controller or has a musical strand meaning it will of fiber in their body.

You can performance turn all 16 pads into a piano. The bottom row of pads are the octaves whilst the top row acts as the sharp black keys. an honourable Pitch ’n Time included as an I should mention that this is also essential addition part of the pitch play which kind due to the key of exists on other controllers but doubt for the that has always felt clunky to BPM feature produce anything that sounds with stems). good. Incidentally, when did any bolt-ons you hear someone noticeably so it’s nice this changing the pitch of a track on purpose when you were at a gig?

PIONEER DJ DDJ -REV5 IS IT TIME TO STANDALONE? PIONEER DJ - THE PIONEER DJ DDJ-FLX10 PROFESSIONAL 4-CHANNEL DJ CONTROLLER £2899. /PHASE1DJSTORE , DARLINGTON, MON-FRI 9AM-5PM; PERFECT MOBILE SOLUTION £1469. £ /PHASE1DJSTORE /PHASE1DJSTORE COUNTY DURHAM, DL1 2RZ SAT 10AM-4PM pioneer dj ddj-rev5 This new piano play will no doubt Build quality, increase this side of performance, as the pads light up based on The DDJ-REV5 is a what you select. You can also of road when it select different major and minor quality - it's solid pentatonic scales all whilst in the have no concerns mix.

I should also mention here that in a bag or case the pads are something Pioneer DJ with me to gigs really have mastered. They have barns. It’s a big a great feel, are responsive and entry level controllers bright even at daytime so you can REV1 and DDJ-FLX4, see what mode you’re in and what not as solid as a you’re doing. is obviously expensive.) The The ins and outs: connectivity faders and jog wheels of the line Pioneer In terms of computer input blindfolded using connectivity, you can connect or a pad, you could two laptops via USB-C - which this for an £1800 is welcomed by me with open arms (I wish everything was Having a MAGVEL USB-C).

The ability to connect controller like this two laptops at the same time for point for scratch back to back DJ sets, or having an all-in-one unit a second machine as a backup is about. Size is another great. In terms of outputs, there factor, it’s not actually are balanced XLR master outs a REV7 so still has and an unbalanced RCA stereo presence - but out master. I’m very happy to lighter than its bigger see a separate booth output on a controller like this too, provided by TRS 6.3mm jacks.

Other inputs are a pair of microphone inputs - one being a combo XLR-jack and the other being a standard jack. There isn’t EQ on these so depending on the circumstances you may need to consider routing microphones through a mini-mixer as most people that we open format DJs hand microphones to, don’t know how to use microphones. There is also an auxiliary input via RCA on the back, however there is no control at all for this (other than the master volume knob).

So, as a break glass situation playlist from a phone etc it's handy, but the DDJ-REV5 doesn’t host any standalone mixer elements, adding other players isn't possible. 78 design and size Summary genuine middle I think the DDJ-REV5 has a whole comes to build heap of features which can be and certain. I’d easily and lovingly embraced by about having it many different breeds of DJ. The and schlepping various scratch and pad features from bars to make it a mixtape weapon, the upgrade from stems and pitch play make it an like the open format DJ's dream and the though hip-hoppers will feel like their rider REV7 (which requirements can be taken on the significantly more tube.

If the lack of external mixer knobs, buttons, is a sticking point there’s half a feel like top dozen other controllers you can DJ parts - if use from the Pioneer DJ lineup - the crossfader the REV7 being the most likely if easily mistake you want this extra connectivity. unit. That being said, this is a midpriced controller with a boat load fader on a of things going on. In this world is a persuasive where everything seems to be DJs looking for getting more expensive, I for one they can cart am grateful that this controller interesting now exists. that far off some DJ booth Head to your local dealer and try nearly five kilos one out!

Meanwhile, I’m eyeing up brother. a space on my controller shelf! PIONEER DJ DDJ-REV5