Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX6 4-deck Rekordbox and Serato DJ Controller

Product Information

On the plus side, the system is USB bus-powered, which makes it a little more portable in general than some other larger solutions. You don’t need to install any audio drivers when plugging the device into your computer, and you can start mixing immediately with a built-in sound card that connects straight to any amplifiers or speakers through a single RCA cable. You can also record directly to Rekordbox with the USB connection. Mixers, Effects, and Faders The controller gives any DJ an edge when it comes to performing, and is a great way to keep the crowd's attention and take them on a journey they will not forget. It has incredible versatility with four available channels and new features and has easy plug-in-and-play functionality. Other features Since this is first-and-foremost a software DJ controller, you won’t have to get used to any other inputs for your DJ gear. However, it feels as though we should at least have an Aux input here. You’ll also find VU meters in all four of the channels here, but there’s no master VU meter available. The meters are a little dim, however, so make sure you’re equipped to see them properly if you’re DJing in outdoor festivals with a lot of sunshine. D DJ FLX6 : The Verdict

Jog Cutter is a feature that you can access to “scratch” without actually scratching. You turn on the Jog Cutter button at the top right of your DJ controller, then touch your jog wheel to jump your music to the chosen cue point. A There’s very little to grumble about when it comes to the sound quality of this device. You’re going to get an experience very similar to most consumer DJ controllers.

Rekordbox and Serato DJ Pro compatibility

Pioneer DJ has today announced the DDJ-FLX6-GT, a new version of the DDJ-FLX6 controller that replaces the current version in the company’s line-up, and that adds two more DJ platforms to those the controller already works with.

The FX select simply cycles through the effects you’ve chosen for the two engines, with up to 6 options available.

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With Rekordbox, your pads will give you access to musical samples in a keyboard fashion, allowing you to merge and trigger multiple experiences at the same time. Jog Cutter allows you to jump between one of six sections on your wheel to trigger different scratching experiences. According to Pioneer, there are around 10 different scratch jog cutter patterns to explore by moving your play head position, as shown on your on-wheel display. There’s also the added issue of the tiny pitch faders, which really don’t seem large enough for the rest of a DJ controller.

This is a software-only DJ controller, so you can’t plug in extra equipment, even if you bought your CDJ or turntable directly from Pioneer themselves. The jog wheels have displays in the center and are lovely for gaining an insight into exactly where your needle is. If you’ve already used a high-level controller with better-built jog wheels, however, you might find that these jog wheels feel a little cheap. For Traktor users, the DDJ-FLX6-GT brings a controller with full-sized pro jogwheels into the Traktor ecosystem for the first time ever, and so we think it will have unique appeal for some Traktor DJs who aren’t impressed with the much smaller jogwheels on the current official Traktor controllers. 2. Serato DJ Pro is, more than ever, a bargain addition The jog-wheels on the FLX6 are the same size as those on the CDJ-3000 multi-player. Scratching and pitch bending feels natural, and the inclusion of on jog display ensures vital information can be seen at a glance. Sample Scratch - the all-new pad mode We haven’t had time to properly get used to this unit here at the school yet, but once we have we’ll be happy to answer questions about it – ask in the comments! But for now, here are three first thoughts: 1. Big jogs are a winnerThe DDJ FLX6 bypasses things like advanced connectivity options and a metal-reinforced chassis to bring you a different set of bonuses, including full-sized jog wheels and four channels. Plug and play capability is available via the in-built soundcard and DJ Performance functions with either rekordbox or Serato DJ Pro. All you need to do is connect using a USB cable to a connected laptop that is running either of the music software applications, and you are ready to get DJing. This full-sized DJ controller is almost as large as the Pioneer DJ DDJ-1000, but it feels closer to the DDJ-200 in build quality. This is essentially a device built for beginners and people who don’t want to spend a small fortune on their craft. We do like the dark grey matte finish and the decision to add some really sleek-looking full-sized jog wheels, but this doesn’t take away from the plastic feel of the build. Performance pads Each jog wheel comes with an on-jog display to help you keep an eye on your position, and they look aesthetically great too. 1/O Connectivity

I mention it because an equivalent consumer four-channel controller for Serato, the Numark NS4FX, does not come with the pro version of Serato at all, making that unit bad value in comparison (plus, the NS4FX officially only works with Serato, although in practice it works fine with Virtual DJ, too). 3. The Traktor mapping may turn out to be underwhelming The DDJ FLX6 also offers an FX strip on the right similar to other products from Pioneer’s DJM portfolio. There’s a button to support toggling between each of the different effects in Rekordbox and Serato DJ pro banks, which you can choose and access whenever you like. There’s also a button to toggle between different channel assignments too. The Jog Wheel’s dimensions might be full-sized, but they’re not made of metal. These 7-inch capacitive jog wheels are tactile and weighted, despite being largely made of plastic. While for us the overall spec of the controller is still a bit underwhelming (find out our thoughts on it in our original Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX6 review), a plus point is that it does have pretty much the same jogwheels as you’ll find on pro CDJs – something that has undeniable appeal, and looks better value in a market where other DJ controllers seem to be rising exponentially in price. This is the first Traktor-compatible controller – ever – with large jogwheels and a club layout. The design looks good and follows a similar club-standard CDJ and DJM setup, so it allows for intuitive performance.Despite this, we should note that you certainly have a much tighter integration if you’re a Rekordbox fan. The dual Serato DJ Pro or Lite and Rekordbox compatibility is quite a positive surprise for a lot of mid-level DJs in search of versatility. You’d hope the Traktor team would not be happy for hardware to be announced as compatible with its software unless it is perfect – but that said, Pioneer DJ says that the in-jog displays don’t work with Traktor, which isn’t a good start. Most controllers do follow an exhausting trend of only using an exclusive single-software support option. It’s nice to see more than one option on one device. If your computer doesn’t work, or something crashes, your music will stop too. For voice-over and other elements, the DDJ FLX6 has its own microphone input, but this routes directly to the outputs, so you won’t be able to apply effects.