At BPM, Pioneer presented a stark contrast in new equipment. On one hand, the SVM-1000 looks at home on the bridge of the Enterprise and has a price tag and spec that will ensure that only an ultra-small section of the DJ community will be able to own one. On the other hand, the new CDJ-400 looks like being a player that, like the other CDJs before it, will become a standard. But there has been some debate across the DJ intarwebs about the platter and if is in fact any good. So being the responsible hack that I am, I figured that the only way to find out was to do an early morning assault on the Pioneer stand and set the record straight.
As we all know, the net is full of people ready to cast an opinion based on zero experience of what they're pontificating about. But I have touched, groped and fiddled with the new baby CDJ's platter and after plugging my camera directly into the back of the mixer on the Pioneer stand at BPM, I spent a few oh so brief moments scribbling and dragging the platter as well as demonstrating just what those scratch effects are about.
Hopefully I'll be able to lay more hands on a CDJ-400 very soon and give you a much deeper insight into Pioneer's all new USB deck.
18 comments to this story
On November 12, 2007, GiJay commented...
nice giz...
Can't wait on the skratchworx test!
On November 12, 2007, Jon Avalon commented...
Gizmo FTW
On November 13, 2007, RodrigoSM.br commented...
Looks very good from here. I guess Pioneer was trying to cater to the people out there who mix rather than scratch, but eventually indulge in som wiki-wikiness. There's a HUGE market there, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them slim down their line not too far down the road, cause, with this, there's just too much and their decks will start competing with each other. Can't thank you enough for bringing the Nextlevelness to us, Giz!
On November 13, 2007, DJCruz commented...
Giz, Would you say that the scratch sound quality is on par with the CDJ 800/1000?
On November 13, 2007, wakka commented...
Thanks for covering this Gizmo, I no longer want one.
Any CDJ can boast that it has new and improved scratch capabilities, effects, flashy lights brighter than the inside of a toy store, and what have you. But either way you spin it (pun intended), whether you spend $1300 USD per CDJ or whatever the Pioneer "mid-range" value this one is going to be, in the end, you're just fiddling with a plastic 3.14 not much bigger than your average beverage coaster. All while calling this scrunched-up hand having a seizure, "scratching."
Therefore, I agree 100% with Gizmo that this is not a scratch deck. I'm not going to be some hifi-evangelist and say that vinyl is the only way to DJ, because it's not. But I think we can all agree that there are better and more practical decks on the market for scratching, even CD ones. Numark HDX/CDX, Vestax CDX-05 + TTM-1, that Gemini hybrid turntable, just to name a few. And there's always my personal favorite, your turntables combined with a DVS system like Serato.
I have one in the lab right now. Even better in familiar surroundings.
On November 16, 2007, ndazzle commented...
Can't wait to hear the review. Can you do some beat mixing too for us mix DJs also to check out out well you can beat mix with it?
On November 16, 2007, Daiko commented...
Nice Giz,
bette hurry can't wait on ur holy opion on this masterpiece
On November 16, 2007, ndazzle commented...
Oh is there a set street price and a release date yet?
On November 16, 2007, nick commented...
now its time to build a controller!!!
On November 19, 2007, DJ MDX commented...
Please let us know how well it works so far with Serato....
On November 20, 2007, DJ Pulse commented...
Right now it works as a regular deck does (eg. a CDJ1000) but when the new version of Serato comes out in the spring it will have full support and integration for the CDJ400 (and apparently some other decks too). Included features will be stuff like display of the trackname on the player, navigation of the library / tracklist via the track controls, etc.
Rules
- Use your brain and only post if it adds to the story
- Keep your comments on topic
- No "first post" stuff or similar attempts at being clever
- Treat others as you would expect to be treated
- Unless factually incorrect, opinions aren't wrong.
- Flame and be banned
- Rather than hijack a story with an off topic question, go to The Skratchlounge and post your question there instead
On November 12, 2007, GiJay commented...
can't wait on ur holy opion on this masterpiece 
18 comments to this story