Over the last ten years the CD DJ has become a more regular fixture in nightclubs, to the point now where some clubs have even abandoned vinyl record decks altogether. Vinyl record shops are in decline and the bulk of record sales in dance music are now predominantly sold in MP3 format. One of the driving forces behind this revolution is the audio technology company Pioneer.
Pioneer has led the way in CD decks with their DJM series and the latest addition to their product line is the CDJ-2000 which is a pro-grade digital DJ deck and multi-format player. It is the most recent in the Pioneer CDJ series and usurps their previous models including the popular Pioneer CDJ-1000 which was the industry standard CD deck since 2001. Pioneer has stated that this model is the follow-up to the discontinued Pioneer CDJ-1000 MK3.
The Pioneer CDJ-2000 was announced on September the 17th 2009 and was available to buy in December of that year. Since then it has become the standard bearer for digital CD DJ decks, being used by big name DJs such as Tiesto, Paul Van Dyk, David Guetta, Carl Cox, and Andy Whitby – so whether you are in a club dancing to trance, hard house, or electro house, then the chances are the DJ will be operating one of these beautiful pieces of technology. Read on for a completely impartial and unbiased review of the Pioneer CDJ-2000.
Pioneer CDJ-2000 is a Digital Multi-Use Media Player
The CDJ-2000 has been designed as a reaction to the proliferation of digital media now pervading popular dance music culture – and the decks are a fully fledged digital media player supporting multiple formats and being able to take music files from a variety of sources including CD, DVD, USB Drives, and SD Cards.
One of the first things you will notice about it when you take it out of the packaging is the size of it. It is much larger than the CDJ-1000 MK3 – and this is all down to the large WQVGA screen. Other improvements include an in-built Wolfson DAC processor which means to your trained DJ ear you will notice far better sound quality levels when you are playing at increased volumes in a nightclub.
In addition to that, Pioneer has really thought about the practicalities of a DJ’s job when playing in a dark nightclub, with some great back-lighting across the console and buttons. This can be easily adjusted at the touch of a button to either increase or decrease the brightness levels.
Watch the Official Video Promo from Pioneer
Manage your Digital Library and Music Files with the CDJ-2000
If you think about the progression of the DJ, then in the last ten years they have gone from carrying large and cumbersome vinyl record boxes to their gigs, to smaller CD wallets, and now with the Pioneer CDJ-2000 that takes another turn. This is all due to the Rekordbox file management software system that you can install onto Mac or PC and then import all your music files into it.
Laid Back Luke Demonstrates Rekordbox
It’s a very similar user-interface to Apple’s iTunes and means by synching your laptop up to the CDJ-2000s you can pull your tunes into the decks on the fly – but the best part is you can fully prepare for a gig in advance by using some of the more advanced features of the Rekordbox software. It will let you add cue points, loops, and cuts to any tunes so that the DJ’ing experience for the clubbers becomes much more enhanced and unique.
Never again will you play the same set or same records as another DJ because you can make your tune selection completely unique and add aspects never heard before. Everything you work on in Rekordbox can also be saved to a Flash USB stick too so you can take your pre-arranged effects with you and quickly upload them into any Pioneer CDJ-2000.
New and Advanced Features of the Pioneer CDJ-2000
The Pioneer CDJ-2000 comes with many new features that have yet before been seen on any rival CD decks. You really are paying for a top of the range digital deck system with Pioneer and some of the stand out features include.
Needle Search & Needle Drop Functions
The new Needle Search function on the Pioneer CDJ-2000 is a touch sensitive bar allowing you to quickly and easily access different parts of your tracks in real-time. What this means is you can rapidly find all the cue points and then lock the needle – so over time you can find your way around your tunes with ease – whilst freeing up more time for you to interact with the crowd if you wish.
One Button Four Beat Loop Tapping
If you used the Pioneer CDJ-400 then you will be familiar with the one button four-beat loop. By tapping this you can set the four beats up and even shorten it with addition taps. This will help your timing and beat matching no end, and whilst vinyl purists might pour scorn on this feature, ultimately it is helping to free you up to concentrate on the more technical aspects of the CDJ-2000s.
Additional Compatible Software
The Pioneer CDJ-2000 is designed to keep up with the latest technology advancements in the DJ world and so is fully compatible with software such as Traktor, Serato, and MixVibes Cross2. Users of Trakor DJ software will love the way the CDJ-2000s can be used to control the software interface – and you can also pull new tracks from Traktor onto the screen using the CDJ controls.
Connecting the Pioneer CDJ-2000 Via Ethernet
Impressively it is now possible to connect your CDJs to an Ethernet port – meaning up to 4 CDJ-2000s can be run together at any one time. They will all share a connected USB key so a DJ just needs to turn up to play their set with just the USB drive and their headphones.
Scratching with the Pioneer CDJ-2000
This is all managed through an industry-first from Pioneer which is their Pro DJ Link – so all your digital music files and database can be stored on the single USB drive or SD card – and you can then share that information to four CDJ-2000s connected across a local area network (LAN).
Not only that but if you really loved the set you played and want to remember it and play it back in the future then each set will be saved and can be converted into a playlist that is compatible with the pre-bundled Rekordbox software. Creating your own live set CDs after a particularly impressive performance is so easy using this functionality.
Conclusion and Summary of the Pioneer CDJ-2000
Yes it’s expensive, but given how the CDJ-1000 MK3s became so deeply entrenched in popular dance music and DJ culture it’s hard not to see the same happening with the 2000 versions. Whilst it may take some time for these digital DJ decks to become as mainstream in nightclubs as their predecessors, it can only be a matter of time.
So if you are a DJ planning on having a career over the next few years then you simply have to get your hands on a pair of these decks and familiarise yourself with them.
For more information and a full technical specification on the Pioneer CDJ-2000s then make sure you check out the official product page on the Pioneer website.
http://www.pioneer.eu/uk/products/44/106/462/CDJ-2000/index.html
Buy Cheap Pioneer CDJ-2000s Online
If you want to buy Pioneer CDJ-2000s online then I would always recommend Amazon. They have awesome customer service and tend to range the cheapest deals on Pioneer CDJ-2000s compared to more specialist DJ equipment shops and stores. As well as a cheap Pioneer CDJ-2000, I’ve also listed out some accessories you might want to purchase too including headphones and a DJM-800 mixer.
