WRONG.
You still will need an SL1, SL3 or 57SL

That's what I thought... misleading to say the least, especially when the visuals show the dude unplugging his NI interface at the same time...

serato wont run without SL1, SL3, or 57SL...but its full native mode. so no need for timecode or midi controllerss for hot cues etc.

but i bet this bad boy will break your bank account.

•The CDJ-2000 will be available in November 2009 with a suggested retail price of $2,150.
•The CDJ-900 will be available in December 2009 with a suggested retail price of $1,600.

Two new devices, a CDJ-2000 and a CDJ-900, mirror the contrast between the CDJ-1000 and 800 series. Some of the main features are:

•Needle drop simulation via a touch strip above the jog wheel.
•Native support in Traktor and Serato for all controls via HID.
•Angled WQVGA 6.1-inch full-color 480 x 234 LCD with waveform and track views.
•“Pro DJ Link.” Up to 4 players can be linked via ethernet, so they can play multiple songs from a single drive.
•Support for MP3, AAC, WAV and AIFF audio files from CDs and USB memory devices, and from DVDs and SD cards.
•Rekordbox™ software, which is used to prepare songs in advance for non-software djs.
•Works as a 24-bit/48 kHz sound card via USB connection.
•Up to 35 controls transmit MIDI or HID data for custom mapping.


Native Support
DVS integration with CD players has been seriously lacking. Precious few features on CD players have actually worked with DVS software other than basic jog wheel action. Pioneer circumvents that problem by offering plug-and-play compatibility with Serato, Traktor and MixVibes Cross.

The HID controls were implemented into the players for superior interfacing with software, faster communication speed over MIDI, audio/visual streaming and two-way information on displays. HID enables easy, precise and native control of DVS systems such as Serato™ Scratch Live, Native Instruments’ Traktor series and MixVibes Cross2, without the need for time-coded discs.

The CDJ-400 is now fully supported via HID in Traktor 1.2, so I imagine all functions on the CDJ-2000 will also be supported with 2-way communication and fast platter response similar to what you experience with the VCI-300 and Itch. The downside is that the HID mappings need to be hard-coded in the software, and cant be modified by the user. So like the CDJ in general, what you see is what you get—no creative re-working of the control surface. For those who don’t need razor tight-platter control for scratching, the CDJ-2000 does support MISI output on all the controls, so you can map it to suit your needs. It’s unlikely that you can have the best of both worlds though, and must pick between HID platters or MIDI programmability.

Pro DJ Link



By linking together multiple CDJs via ethernet, you can play music on all of them from a single data source, including MP3, AAC and WAV formats on CDs, USB memory sticks, Data DVDs and SD cards.

The new turntables feature Pioneer’s Pro DJ Link that enables up to four CDJ-2000/900s to be connected via the Link Port to share a single music source, whether it is a hard drive, USB and/or SD memory card. Once linked, users have the ability to quickly find, display and choose the music file from a connected source through the CDJ’s built-in display and control knobs. A quick turn of the knob lets users scroll through created files and folders and a push of the knob confirms the song choice.

Prepared to Go

Music preparation and organization is the core feature that makes DJ software significantly more powerful than records or CDs. Pioneer hopes to recognize and address that fact with its stand-alone software:

Both the CDJ-2000 and CDJ-900 turntables include rekordbox™, Pioneer’s proprietary music management software that organizes and catalogs a DJ’s entire music library. When music files are imported to rekordbox, the software analyzes each file and prepares them for use specifically with the new CDJ turntables. Key elements of Pioneer’s rekordbox software:

o Beats Per Minute (BPM) Data – BPM/Tempo information for each song is identified and processed into rekordbox for use by the DJ in preparing and performing a set.
o Waveform Data – The waveform of each song is identified and then displayed on the bottom screen for quick data visualization and for use with the needle search function on the CDJ-2000 turntable.
o Tag Info & Artwork – Edit and customize the file information to performance needs.
o Hot Cues, Cue Points and Loops – Prepare and customize cues and loops as well as create and manage hot cue banks.
o Playlists – Create, edit and manage customized playlists for various performances.
o Beatgrid – Utilizing the new Quantizing feature, cue points and loops can be set perfectly on-beat. The Quantize feature ensures cue points are set accurately and automatically, correcting and syncing beats during manual looping or a real-time cueing, preventing off beat mistakes.

The Details



•The CDJ-2000 will be available in November 2009 with a suggested retail price of $2,150.
•The CDJ-900 will be available in December 2009 with a suggested retail price of $1,600.

Of course it's misleading, they missed the mark completely .

If you could not use the the SL1/SL3 ect... you would think that Serato would have said something by now. And honestly do you think Serato would let that market share slip away? Unless they are making a crap load on licensing.

Licensing would be the only way Pioneer could do it without getting sued... but to add licensing costs on top of the 2150 USD the player already costs would alienate a large sector of the market... not to mention cannibalise their own SL1/SL3 sales...

Although from a DJ's perspective it would actually be ideal

Check it!

Watchwww.youtube.com

you don't need an NI interface to use traktor. there are traktor approved mixers with built in sound cards. all you do is plug them in to a laptop and your all "G", NI's dvs works with any sound card pretty much. he doesn't say "now you can use scratch live without the interface".

damn all u need is 2 cdjs an external HD and a mixer..no laptop wow!!!!

what happened to just needing two cdjs and a mixer?

^^ cringe..... two turntables and a mixer!

fixed. ;)

It's $2150? It's a good think all us DJs have money to burn these days. I think I'll pick up 4, just to be safe. I'll use the other two as throw pillows on my couch.

So overpriced IMO

Karl from Pioneer said the 2000 will go for 1,699 in stores. $2.150 is the "suggested retail price."

I just hope they keep the CDJ-1000 around and drop the price dramatically. The 2000 is very pretty, but I'm not giving up my Serato. The 2000 is Pioneers attempt to make Serato obsolete. And while it looks pretty awesome, I can't see myself needing to use it's functions in the near future.

True...

The only thing I dig is the quantize function. (2:26)

Would be nice if Serato adds such a feature to SL.

Another step backwards....

2 steps backwards...

I dont care what Pioneer Software they have out claiming to be better than others, as long as Serato which to me has always rock'd the digital dj set, steps up in the game with a software that is reliable, this 1.9.1 just aint going to cutting it. I love my TT57SL,and I aint giving it up just yet. We need stability.

I Been using serato for over 1 1/2 year and i had no problems, crashes with any of the realese's of the software (knock on wood), 1.9.1 is been really good. you should check you computer settings. by the way im using a pc with vista.

A. I would like to see how Pioneer handles software/hardware issues across multiple OS and Hardware platforms, and the repercussions.

B. I want to see how well streaming digital audio files over a consumer LAN hub over to multiple players will work and what the lag is.

That price is high even if it negates the need for you to have to buy a $599 Serato box.

I wonder if our Rane/Serato is having a PowWow to determine what the impact will be on their business. I'm sticking with Serato.

Most newby DJs will shy away from not bringing their lappys along with them... how can one possibly mix w/o the waveforms to guide you... mixing by ear is sooooooo oldskool :-)

here's more info.

gizmodo.com

I'm not sold on this.... I'll keep the 800s and SSL

I have a feeling this product will flop like the Neo Geo and Laser Discs.

latency will be very interesting?

So there's no way Serato will make an exception for these new decks in regards to using another sound card other than the sl1 or sl3?

It will be possible with Traktor... NI will jump on these and certify

Whats up JC I got a macbook pro 2.4 320 gb hd, 4 gb ram all updates are upto date. but mines takes crazy long to load my 1 tb ext hd. and when I throw a new track on, sh_t forget it, waves lock up but song still plays. It wasnt doing it until I installed 1.9.1. I guess i'll wait and hope a new update will quickly fix. Kinda wonder how the new Pioneers hold out to an EXT 1TB? I know Serato will bring some sick new app to grab all that try to look at the Pioneers. Besides the new pioneers dont do anything that much different from denons 3700. Thanks but I'll stay with my MK3's and TT57sl a bit longer.

Whats up Mike Mike!
1 tb ext hd Thats Your Problem Right there. I talk to an IT guy about ext HD and according to him its better to use 320 to 500 gb ext hd vs any TB those HD are for storage purpose and its hard for a computer to search tru. I use lacie 500 gb ext conect with usb 2.0 + i have about 120 gb of music on my internal and it loads fine. maybe try to downgrade to smaller HD. Good luck.

Hey Guys,

Just to confirm:

Scratch Live passes audio through Rane Scratch Live hardware. Devices such as the CDJ2000 can control playback, but the Rane hardware still provides the audio interface.

I notice the same issue when I run my TB drive (it lags) versus my 500 GB.

+10000

I really can't see the average club replacing their trusty cdj's with the 2000's for a veeery long time, if ever. only the superclubs like MOS, Fabric, Space etc., will have these installed.

but if DJ's can't afford them, then they can't practice with them, which means so many of their expensive fucntions will generally go unused.

JC thanks will do.

Thanks for the official word on this Pioneer's video claiming it could be was VERY misleading to say the least. I still wonder how/why the could've released such a claim knowing full well the implications it would have on perspective buyers.

I agree

YES PLEASE SERATO - we need more stability - brand new 09 macpro, no other programs installed other than serato, 4gb ram etc, 2 crashes in 6 months.....just not good enough as much as I love serato

CDJ2000 = still not enough for me to abandon Serato Scratch and my Techs.

I don't understand why people are afraid of installing anything else besides Serato on the MacBook Pro's. Those machines are workhorses and can take the beating.

I have a 3-year old MacBook Pro with everything from Microsoft Office to Photoshop to Firefox running on it and it has NEVER crashed on me with a final release version of Scratch LIVE.

I have everything on mine. Logic, FCS, Adobe Family, etc. etc.

I've had one crash and it was user error ("my fault"). I ejected my external HD while I was rescanning ID3 tags at home. Took it straight to the gig and it took forever to load into a crash. I fixed the problem and it never happened again (meaning: "I never did that again") - Lol

As for the new CDJ 2000. Awesome concept. I agree with overpriced. And I probably won't buy another CD turntable ever until Pioneer comes out with their version of a Numark CDX. I don't like the CDX's (I had them for 2 years) and I've owned 4-5 different sets of CD turntables. Nothing has the feel of 12" wax on a Technic (That's why I bought the CDX's thinking they would feel like a real turntable - wrong). With Pioneers enginuity, they should come up with their awesomely stable version of the CDX type of CD turntable with a 12" platter. And hopefully it would be reasonably priced. But it probably won't be.

SSL/VSL for LIFE nukka! haha

I don't understand how so many people see the cdj200 as something that isn't a huge step. Don't get me wrong, it could flop if club's don't buy into it, but from what I can see, this CDJ is perfect.

Look at it like this:
-The MK3 is the current standard and the 2000 is supposed to be the "NEW" thing to take over.
-Now picture instead of a bunch of MK3s permenantly installed in every club and on every rave stage, you'll have 2000's.

I don't know how many of you on this forum have used the CDJ400's in PC mode with serato, but it's flawless in terms of having a natural feel with Scratch live.
The problem is that all clubs and raves have a set of MK3's supplied which you have to use time codes with. Now they've revamped the MK3 pretty much, with usb support. Any scratch live dj can go to a club and plug 2000's into their computer and have every buttom usable on the CDJ and not need to touch their laptop.

exactly, Now if Serato could just native map the Denon 3700, You can do the same thing at half the price and still have solid decks

sue thier estate, for false claims..

+1

Watchwww.youtube.com

lol at "...eliminate the need of masses of wires". Masses of wires? It's two RCAs for christ's sakes - same amount as a CDJ.

You'll be able to do it with Traktor, sorry to say they're not misleading anybody

How many clubs and raves have a denon in house though? Everywhere has a MK3. The standard is Pioneer. I agree they're overpriced, but I think upgrading the club standard cdj to this is a wicked idea.

what it comes down to is the demand for what the product can actually do over what is already out there and being used in the field. I think the CDJ's are SICK as hell but i am on board with the idea that they need to make them feel like real wax Then comes price i have two MKIII's and one went to shit on me and to fix it is just a hassle to me thats why i run with my Techs. i will eventually get it fixed. anyways the point i am trying to make is that the CDJ2000's are not enough of an upgrade to scrap tech's, CDJ1000's or even the 800's so i don't see the reason to invest. just my opinion

they're too late, the jocks that spin totally digital already have serato/traktor/ableton with a laptop, and the ones that are still playing cd's is because most of them can't afford to get onto the laptop train and so certainly can't afford to buy a pair of cdj-2000's!! this is aimed at the top level djs that don't trust laptops that have money to burn. IMO

besides when SSL v2 & Ableton collab swings round the corner the CDJ-2000 will definitely be relegated to just being a fancy controller.

*AND there's no effects. laptop in the dj booth is definitely here to stay, *sigh*

Pfffft, that video was totally misleading and a complete PR f*ckup. I'm not saying it was intentional, but no doubt misleading considering how many people saw/heard it the way they did.

apparently every dj in the world plans their set 100% before they get to the venue and never ever strays from it.... show me this thing switching songs every 15 seconds or less for 5 mins straight switching all different genres, bpms, year made, however they do their "search" and i'll be impressed... and yes i do switch songs that fast... i do it often actually. and for all you fanboys out there dont even try with that crap of well it comes with this neato software that lets you really organize your music.... does it come with a hot blonde to do all that shit for me? it took for ev ver to get my library straight in ssl ill be damed if i will pay 4 grand to do it all over again. and i hate to burst anyones bubble but ummm there is NO WAY these will become club standard.... if the general dj public as a whole isn't using them due to damn near all of us using a dvs at this point and 98.99999% of us normal working djs are always looking for a deal and not looking for the fastest way to blow 4 grand while not spending a crazy weekend in vegas or buying a used car then why on earth would clubs shell out that kind of cash when we are going to show up with our laptops to play at the venue. the uberstand/mac or pc is going to be in the dj booth for a very very very long time to come. pioneer should have been working on these before serato ever introduced scratch live for the concept to take off...... so by my count they are a few years late and about $800 too expensive....

www.pssl.com

www.pssl.com

Are they coming out that quick?

lol, that's exactly what I was thinking when watching the videos illustrate navigation on these units. But then I got to thinking some more about it realized Pioneer is probably right when it comes to big name DJs - which is who these decks are probably aimed at. Nearly every big name DJ I've ever seen pre-plans their set and repeats it at every event. They get caught doing this all the time because people compare notes on forums from different cities and time after time the reports always go something like "Yeah, DJ so-in-so played the exact same playlist here" lol. Dreadfully boring and stale I know, but most big name DJs are exactly that "dreadfully boring and stale". Give me spontaneity any day, and SL provides the smooth, fast, open environment that allows spontaneity to flourish.

yea and with the 2 hands that were given to us we can count the number of big name touring dj's that the masses actually know about and buy tickets for.... congrats pio you just moved less than 20 units!!! i'm happy for you and imma let you finish but since they are the biggest named dj's out there you more than likely didn't even charge them for em!

+111111.3

Stop, look and listen - the 3700's are the BEST cdj's out there. That what I thought 5 days ago (after I've installed the new firmware update) and that's exactly what I'm thinking today, after all the Pio hype.

Now, once again, let's map the 3700's.

ouch i have a macbook 13 inch with 2 gb of ram and photoshop, lightroom, and many other programs install and it runs smoothly no crash's since march

well its great to see Pioneer now catch up and have the functionality of a CDJ400 to the club masses.

About time I say so now it will be a breeze for us djs who use Serato.

The Cclubs will definitely buy these, they would b stupid not to!!!!!.

I have myself the CDJ400's with my mac and i totally agree with dave there, its absolutely flawless, much easier to control, with the new edition, you can actually select through your crates and stuff via the window without going through the track 2 of the control disc.

Make's our lives easier!!!!!.

Pity bout the pricing!!!!

Can't wait to have a go...

This right here is something I think they really blew out of proportion. I have friends that used to spin D&B. They would bring a handful of records to rock a whole night (playing what they want to play just like big name DJs do). We would bring on average 6 crates to spin a hip hop/top 40 event to fulfill requests and span multiple genres. This isn't revolutionary for the latter type of DJ IMO. It's a step backwards (or sideways depending on how great Pioneer's software is in comparison to SSL and ITCH).

To some of the earlier posts that said pioneer was misleading in their statement about leaving your audio interfaces, midi controller at home, I think your missing the point......I don't think their saying that these are going to be compatible with serato....I think their saying we don't need serato anymore!!!!!! Which I would argue that this may be true for those DJ's that only beat match, but I don't think these cdj's will take away serato's hold on the "scratch" DJ market.....

Just my opinion

Nothing revolutionary here, what I do like is the new 'needle dropping', which is what I miss the most usually when using CDJs instead of turntables. At least they got one point there! OK make it 2 points for the Serato native support! The rest of the stuff is same as using Serato and CDJ-1000s or turntables. Also imagine searching 20,000 tracks on that little LCD hahahaha, no thanks I prefer to bring my laptop and Serato.

I don't see the point of these especially for use with serato.

I don't think serato would ever license anyone to open up the full version of ssl because they wouldn't see any profits.

Software is free, the hardware is what unlocks it.

Needle dropping was done first on the NS7 or something else ITCH, correct?

That's what I'm looking for, map the 3700... please??

NS7, yes.

Yes! For crying out loud Serato, MAP the DN-S3700 platter already.

VirtualDJ mapped the spinning platter successfully in version 6.0.2. Traktor Pro is making progress.

it is mapped right. but it doesnt work right. the cue slip is horrible in VDJ. I think its MIDI at fault. HID is way to go for scratching platters in my opinion.

I'm thinking the same thing, but I don't want to bust anybody's bubble.

The truth is that I've got an EDM DJ friend of mine that I grew up with. He produces songs and all that jazz. He doesn't own Serato, and plays on 2 itty bitty Denon decks.

He claims he doesn't really go by the "Names" of songs, he looks at the physical CD, and knows what tracks to play. Many are studio "Untitled" joints.

If he had the money, I TOTALLY see him going for this....Seriously.

What if Serato came out with a USB stick that acted like a dongle, you got one with your SL1 or SL3 etc?

Well, I won't hate on Pioneer on this one. These are decks that combine some of the best features of all the technology that's available. The only problem is that they are way too expensive because if the industry started selling gear at these prices, DJ's would only be able to get booked in the high profile clubs/venues. Maybe there's a market for them and maybe there's not but, I'd seriously have to have money to throw away to buy them. More importantly, even if I did have them I doubt that I would use half of the features on them because of Serato. I used to have a pair of DN-S5000's and I sold them because I didn't use any of the features on them thanks to ScratchLive. I think even if they CDJ2000 was only a MIDI controller it would still be expensive mostly because of the needle drop function and that LCD screen is what's really driving the price way up.

If my DN-S3700's had the needle drop strip and that screen I'd be happy. Well, only if they added native support to allow me to use them in ScratchLive. Imagine it, all the track title information on the decks with the waveform displayed in there too. Then you could turn off the deck display on the screen and allow only the crates and library to be visible. That would be SOOO nice...

ekwipt thats a very good idea,

that would actually free up all the wires and hooking up

Ableton on the CDJ2000...
Watchwww.youtube.com

ill possibly get the CDJ900 is couple of years. 2000 is overkill especially if using serato.

guys i sold my civic today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To be honest...I am surprised no one has "cracked" this shit yet. I am not saying someone should, but it's funny how you can get a full copy of any software out there, but no ssl with a usb memory stick hack.

I'm not condoning it, i'm just saying

check out this vid of laidback luke using the cdj-2000.

Watchwww.youtube.com

that shit put me to sleep. he made 3 cue points, saved it on a usb flash drive, and took another hour finding it using the search function.

Watchwww.youtube.com one track per cd 1:01 wird

that's wack. he might as well just played a mix. stand there and pretend he was mixing.

WOAH!!! that's some idea!! It would be Rane as Serato only make software, so Rane are you listening??!!

liking that ableton controlling vid

I'll stick to my CDJ400's w/ Serato!

From: forums.pioneerdj.com

The CDJ-2000 features HID control for superior interfacing with certain software. At this point we have been working with Serato, Traktor, Virtual DJ. More to come later.

The CDJ-2000 features HID control for superior interfacing with software. HID stands for Hardware Interface Device and it offers far superior features to MIDI, such as allowing the players to communicate bi-directionally with the computer in order to send control signals (ie. play, fast-forward, scratch, loop, etc). Additionally having Native HID capability allows the players to receive information (track and time data for the display, loop status for the LEDs). The best part of all is you no longer need to use timecode / control discs as the information is built-in to the player. No more having to bring doubles in case you scratch or lose it. No more lag on the hot cues, no more floating cue or weird malfunctions because of the bad time code. For those that use other software that is not yet set up for Pioneer Native mode...not to worry because you can use the midi feature to map out all the functions.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ....... 1000 button presses later, he plays his first tune.

this is whats going to happen the screen is so low and small that its not going to be used for the waveforms, while searching like an ass through ur library with a knob you will hurt ur back and eventually wont use the screen for shit : )

That was a HORRIBLE VID. Not so much from the perspective of him doing what he does, it's moreso his vagueness with certain terms.

Me thinks, if Pioneer wants to sell a professional product, they should have knowledgeable people do the pushing.

lol pioneer def paid for those videos as for advertisement. if you look, there are others djs that each pick their favorite feature on the deck...and all of them have a different one. So it clearly indicates that pioneer wanted to them to go over all possible features from differnt djs.

Watchwww.youtube.com
Watchwww.youtube.com
and more.

where's the youtube man ? I'm interested in seeing anyone do this ?

You are not serious are you?

i'll have my light guy record it... never knew anyone would care to see it...the songs are never mixed just dropped... i go from old to new and everything in between... a lot of it is just the very beginning of a song.... ruff riders anthem, great balls of fire, pretty woman, respect, the twist....all kinds of stuff.... it only works when its a pretty packed crowd with a lot of white girls towards the end of the night...

Let me guess, Is your 1TB hard drive PC formatted? FAT32? If so, that's your problem. It will happen to any size drive, even a USB flash drive when in FAT format. It's a known bug. Reformat your drive in Mac OS Extended and you shouldn't have any issues.

cdj2000=technics 1210mk5g

Like the 1200, the cdj1000 might remain the standard, and like the 1210mk5g, the cdj2000 will have all the bells n whistles. But it will be priced to high for the avg dj to want to go out and upgrade when the deck they currently use works perfectly fine....

I have audio, but not video if you're interested.

Good grief, Pioneer went and DID IT AGAIN! They chose to include and release a video with an attendee being interviewed saying that that you don't need the interface when using Serato SL with the new CDJ2K - which we all learned later on launch day wasn't not true and that you do need it. I realize it's an attendee saying this and not Pioneer, but this is a Pioneer promo video and Pioneer chose to run it. After all the confusion caused by bad information they chose to release during the launch (which they finally admitted to it being misleading) they go and release another video (below) the following week with the same incorrect, misleading info. Unbelievable. lol :facepalm:

www.djsounds.com

01:16

01:30

yup, the 1:30 guy is going to be pissed

lol

I like the painful hunch in all of their backs when they're hovering over that tiny screen.

Bottomline Pioneer lose on this one. Nobody in their right mind will blow 4 grand on those Cdplayers.

It is quite offending how Pioneer officially puts out this kind of comments in their video. Not cool. They are fooling the customers.

The truth is that, you DON'T need the Serato interface...

Just use THEIR setup....and their Software.

I have bought the cdj2000 how do i need to connect it to my macbook?I used the usb cable and set the cdj in link-mode,without succes.

you have to wait for native support from serato or you will have to manually map all the buttons you want, but the platter most likely cant be used until native support is available

Has the Serato Scratchlive staff been testing Native Support for the CDJ-2000's and CDJ-900's? The products will be shipping very shortly as Pioneer has indicated.

People have received them already.

Hi,

A guy from Pioneer told me you can connect your SL3 with CDJ-2000 with 3 USB cables, one on each player and one on your SL3, all of these on your laptop, you'll probably need a hub to use it properly, particularly if you're on Macintosh. RCA cables are useless in inputs but you'll still have to connect RCA in outputs. Scratch Live will ask you to select which player is left deck and right deck. The time coded CD's will be useless, you'll be able to mix without any of these and the Jog Wheel light will be turned into red color. I will try tomorrow and take some pictures still I do not know if any of these informations are true or false.

I tried the Pioneer rekordbox software delivered with the player, you have to enter a serial number to register. It has many of the qualities of Scratch Live but I still prefer the last one.

PS : Sorry about my english, I'm a french guy !

Cheers.

Hi,

Scratch Live does not yet support the CDJ-2000.
We'll have to wait until firmware update.

Cheers.

+1000!

Watch this

Watchwww.youtube.com

It clears things up!

However, Serato, please could you arrange for a USB memory stick to run as a security dongle to be shipped to those who require it as the serato interface does not actually deal with any data - its only activating scratch live.

I love scratch live Video SL plugin and it would be nice to have less kit to take with me to gigs!

If you dont make the move now then I have a strong suspicion that people other than vinyl deck users will move onto new software that dont need a security dongle - surely theres a better way to ensure people have a legit copy of the product!

Thanks
Ibsjunglist

I keep getting the impression from the responses on both sides that it may not happen at all. It's really confusing and makes no sense so I'm seriously thinking about selling my 3700's. One of my sole purposes for buying them was to map them in ScratchLive to use them in midi mode because being limited to the control CD setup isn't cool for what I paid for these things.

I know there are some who will say that I should buy them for what they do, not what they might do. It just feels like you get what you pay for in this situation. If you pay more for the CDJ's, then you get your midi control. If you want to spend less money (in this case) you get less features.

Ignore me ya'll, I'm just venting a little...

I agree... These Pioneers are just another expensive way to play music. They should of invested time and develop a MIDI controller instead. What were they thinking when they came out with these units? As mentioned, too expensive and too late in the game.

That's been exactly my thoughts since they were first announced.

The idea of replacing Scratch Live with any program that requires a serial number/activation is just plain laughable. Anyone who's ever witnessed a "software-activation malfunction" or had to replace a hard drive on short notice will understand why.

I also have to say that after seeing these things in person, I'm all the more underwhelmed. Those products with those features and build quality would make sense at maybe half the price...or maybe at something close to the existing prices IF they played DVD's.

I can only conclude that someone(s) at Pioneer is way too full of their own (insert your choice of expletive here) and/or is way out of touch with the technical and economic realities of 2009-2010.

And no, I wouldn't dream of wasting my time expressing these opinions to anyone at Pioneer, since repeated past experience makes it obvious that doing so is a total waste of time.

^^ yep, totally agree, nice features, but too late and far, far too expensive. there's clubs out there that are still only now getting their cdj 1000's, they certainly won't want to fork out another 3k to get the 2000's.

I keep seeing people bitch about how insanley expensive these are but when i look them up on guitar center i see this CDJ 1000 mk3 $1,499.99, CDJ 2000 $1,495.12.....how is the 2000 ridiculously overpriced again??

Key word *another* If you already have the mk3's why would you fork out *another* 3k. If you ain't got no cdj's by all means buy the 2000's since price difference between the 2 ain't that much.

That one on Guitar center selling for $1,495 is most likely one that I sent back.. OBTW I paid $1,359 for it...SNAP!

I sold my CDJMk3's, saved a little and bought two cdj 2k's

As a 4 year SSL user I'm not sold on the ReKordBox Software.... software DOES allow you to do everything that Pioneer claims; however it not 100% stable for ME. I had to rescan and clean up my files. Obviously it is a little more finicky than SSL when it comes to loading files to the database. I got that cleaned up and figured out how to operate the RB Software enough to load a USB stick with some tracks....no lag time between decks, searching is hella fast, many search parameters,...Its good, real good....but its not SSL....I'm not ready to leave my macbook and ssl at home. To be honest I probably never will, but I'm not going to give up learning or trying something that has the POTENTIAL to work very well.



FYI
Hooked up SSL to the CDJ 2000's...works as it should.

ummmmm no it doesn't, the main feature I wanted is not ready yet, the Pro Link feature is not ready yet, where you can hook up the 2000's to your laptop and pull music directly from RekordBox to the 2000's

I gave RB a go and got some tracks on a couple of usb drives. For the most part it was good except about a dozen songs were now unplayable after being scanned in RB. Also, as fast as the search feature is; it's not as fast as ssl. So dreams of having a laptop out of my booth are gone. For a mainly mobile guy fast track searching is essential. Maybe one day I can box up a set and play out like a superstar and not have to take requests. Doubt it, but maybe. The CDJ2K will gain a lot of points with me when they have native support for ssl. I don't see how pulling tracks from RB with pro link would be anymore beneficial than just using ssl. I thought that was Pioneers whole idea about the players. "Leave your expensive laptop at home and bring your even more expensive players to the club" They are sexy though, I gotta admit.

They needed to add the ability to plug in a keyboard, That would ave been a huge bonus for mobile guys!!

The main advantage of using RB with pro link over SSL is you get to take advantage of the better sound quality the 2000's offer over the SL3

DJ Jonasty, you should complain about the searching on Pio's forum too, Maybe there is something they will do, I have the 2000's also and the biggest complaint I have is the searching being slow

What? Uk prices are 1000's MK3 £1099.00, 2000's £1488.00, a pair is £3000 that's $4792, to me that is ridiculously expensive when you think that you can buy a macbook & serato for <1500 and do far more with it.

the UK prices may be a lot but for what I paid for them in the US, they are worth every penny

BriChi----" Prolink feature"....kinda wondered about that myself but at the same time isn't the point to leave your laptop at home? I kinda get the sense these players have a few firmware updates in the future? Until than I am just waiting for SSL native support.

yeah, there are definitely FW updates coming in the future. The point is toleave the laptop at home but people like myself wanna take advantage of the 2000's sound quality but don't want to lose the fast searching abilities that Serato has, So in this case, you can use RB with the link feature. It will take a long time for me to use this though because right now the search engine in RB is a joke and VERY slow and the software is way to unstable to trust live at this point, Remember, if you use pro link and RB crashes, you lose the audio so until they update RB 5-6 more times, lol, I wont be using it live

The sound quality is the best I've heard from any interface. Well the loudest and clearest anyways. But the SL3 isn't so bad.

The CDJ-2000 has a new high-quality 24bit DAC. However, as I pointed out in the other thread here discussing the CDJ-2000, when used as a USB soundcard, it presents itself to the system as only a 16bit soundcard. So that fancy DAC is not fully utilizable via USB...

The SL3 is still the better choice as a soundcard.

SL3 sounds great... Wish I could use it as a soundcard for other apps. Wasn't that a feature that was supposed to happen? Can't wait for the native support! Keep up the good work.

My guess is there are a fair number of people that have ripped their CDs to lossless file types like AIFF and WAV; if I had to pick a number, I'd go with 10-15% of digital DJs. But that is still a 16-bit audio file. (And the source CD was probably over compressed to hell during the mastering process...) Very, very few probably have 24-bit source audio. (Likely only to be DJs who are also producers.) I would guess only .1% having 24-bit lossless source audio files. However, software-based effects units can easily "expand" lower bit-rate audio to 24 bit, and that is not so uncommon these days. Or even just digital mixing in software like ITCH does...

Of course, you also have to consider what the soundcard is feeding. With an ever increasing number of digital mixers out there now, you're at the mercy or the ADC in the mixer. Having a phenomenal DAC in your CD player isn't going to do you diddly if the input stage on your mixer can't tell the difference... And with old, noisy analog mixers, their noise floor will overwhelm any benefit of 24-bit DACs as well.

To avoid doubt/confusion, so does the SL3: rane.com

If you look at the CDJ-2000 spec it is 24 bit on the DAC outputs and only on the digital output. It's a 16bit sound card and 16bit audio for the CD. So no matter even if it's 24bit, garbage in garbage out.

www.pioneerelectronics.com

And that 'awesome' Wolfson Microelectronics AD/DA DSP chip is in fact the same chip used in your TV to convert the TOS/SPDIF digital audio from your CONSUMER electronics. It's not a Pro DSP. Once again the CDJ-2000 is slapped together with off the shelf consumer parts, not really worth the pro-pricing they are asking. IMHO

So if you use the DJM800 and CDJ-2000's all with the digital connections then you will get 24bit audio DAC and 16bit from the sound card. I'm sure the MP3 you downloaded from the internet (which is compressed audio) will have the crappiness enhanced by the 24bit DSP. And as soon as your run that analog audio connection from the DJM800 into the PA system it runs through those crappy output amps and it's all down converted.

So yea, I'm still not impressed.
Oh one more thing, it clearly stipulates that you can not use a USB HUB for the CDJ-2000.

In fairness, Wolfson makes MANY different DAC chips, from low-end (used in consumer gear) to the high-end (for pro gear). Presumably, the CDJ-2000 is not using the low-end parts...

Anyone know what chipset (not just brand, but model) the SL3 is using?

And with native support, you can use a hub, just like the 400's

Pioneer is a consumer first company, they will in fact use of the shelf parts. It makes sense to be cost effective, look at eh DVj-1000 it uses the same DVD drive as their consumer line.

Denon which also makes consumer electronics uses Sony parts and optics.
Don't kid yourself, R & D is one thing, they will use the components from their electronics stock when they design items. It makes good business sense and easier to service.

Doesn't matter to me what parts are inside at this point. Lol.

They sound great, and work great with ssl. Needed new decks and got these for the same price as the 1000s so no loss for me. I think dragon works for denon. Lol. J/k dragon

When have you heard my pump up Denon gear on here? Umm like never LOL

Lol.

Until somebody post specifics about "off the shelf parts" in the cdj 2k's I'll believe otherwise. They are a great sounding piece of equipment with great response, performance, features and versatility. They are great decks and well worth every penny imo. Can anybody suggest any other CD deck that would compare to these? They don't exist. The Denon 3700's are dope, and a close second but they are not industry standards
I wouldn't mind em' but they would look funny next to the DJM 800 right.

**Still can't wait to use SL3 as a soundcard for other apps. Even as the main audio out for my mac... It's hard to believe people forgot about this. Thanks for still working on it, I'll be patient :)

Ask BriChi to crack his open and list the parts. If he breaks them I will buy him Denon's. Since I work for them LOL

LOL, I cracked them open already :)

I fix CDJ's for friends of mine so I easily rip them a part

I can say though that all the buttons internal are rebuilt and specific to the 2000, the 2000 has a totally separate part list, the only ones that are similar are the reverse switch, platter torque adjust and maybe one or 2 others. The platter is built a lot better too, bearings run a lot smoother and roll better

Well then, next time you have your 2000 open, look for the Wolfson chip with a WMnnnn designation. Their public list of DAC parts is at www.wolfsonmicro.com :)

Ill rip it open today while I am watching football, I'm curious now too

Epic fail on my part. I had a pair of CDJ-2000's that I bought (returned them due to a cracked external casing...and they just did nothing for me) and I never even thought about opening them up to look inside.

Pics BriChi!

I imagine you'll fine pure awesomeness inside

muthafunkin' trance unicorns are inside the CDJ-2000 that make it sound like pure awesomeness!

Here ya go guys, just basic pics ripping the deck apart and the platter also, Couldn't do close up shots of the chips cause the camera wouldn't focus right (POS) but most of the chips were Samsung and the other chips had very faint writing that I couldn't even read :(

dl.dropbox.com
dl.dropbox.com
dl.dropbox.com
dl.dropbox.com
dl.dropbox.com
dl.dropbox.com
dl.dropbox.com
dl.dropbox.com
dl.dropbox.com

Damn Mine had a huge crack right where 2 circuit boards were. So glad I send them back.

And BriChi you are crazy!!

Nice pics.

Is this the 2000 unit?

Thanks for the tear down. I appreciate the effort.

I hope no magic smoke came it when you took it apart.

No problem guys, Yes this is the 2000 unit

LOL,,, No smoke

Whew, that's good. Do you know how hard it is to put the magic smoke back into the unit!?

I wish they would take some of that magic smoke and pack it into the Rekordbox software, LOL

That software is a year away from being reliable.

hahahahaaha just fart in it.

I pissed on it already, I'll try farting too. Lol.

that is the reason Pioneer blows the magic smoke up your ass before you buy the unit DUHHHH

interesting lolol

You just made me spit coffee on my monitor LOL

^^ lol.

shits getting out of control in my eyes. too complex.

how about pioneer sent me a free cdj900 today

huh????? i want a free one

just found this serato.com is this the answer to all the hype

You tear your shit up.

it was an accident...i couldve kept it but karma is a mofo.

HIDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD :(

Now with the Sixty-Eight out. How do you all feel about the CDj-2000? LOL

i never bought the 2000 for the gay rekordbox...i bought it for mid/hid.

Kinda a steep investment for HID. If you knew about the Sixty-Eight would you have waited?

i got them @ cost, and i have had my 1000mk3s for 4 years.

What does the 68 and the 2000 have to do with each other, ones a mixer and ones a player. I would never DJ without players or tt's. And yea the 2000s are worth when u pay A LOT less then the sticker. :)

:)

so the cdj 2000's &2.1rock seem to be stable and work cant say that for all the dj equip i have tried out since 93. i know the pioneer stuff is expensive so was buying crates of records! i have had every version of the cdj 1000 with the 2000 they hit it out of the park! no thru no shutting the music off cause of unplugging a laptop... nice for in the middle of a huge party!

DJ Mike Buck. I'm in heaven with 2.1 w/ CDJ-2000 running HID. I couldn't ask for more!

and I think what pioneer was referring to is IF you can beat match with out a computer then you don't need your laptop lol seems to be a dieing art. also you don't need the inputs hooked up when using the cdjs in hid mode cause there are no time codes in. Plus on the smoke issue from b4 i guess you haven't used cdjs or pioneer equipment b4 cause they are rock solid if they weren't i wouldn't have spent the money on them. have tried other decks made by others and they all seem to fall short. if i have to spend extra money to get decks that last for years so be it. after you have cheap stuff quit in the middle of the night with a packed dance floor you'll see the light (hopefully) also audio quality is important to me which is why i went with the djm 800 it sounds better than most other mixers! a/b them sometime you'll see what i mean

works great no lag kinda mind blowing but pioneer always steps up

agree 10000%, the 2000's were worth every penny for that exact reason, after almost a year of owning them, they have never quit and screwed up my dance floor

Just got rid of my 900's for 2000s. They work amazingly with ssl. The 900s were great but the 2000s are unbeatable in my opinion

The 900's are great decks to and I have used them and like them. For the budget minded dj there is the 350 and the 850. As far as mixers go I use the djm 800 because it sounds better than the 57 put them side by side you can hear the difference. I know there a million other ways to control serato but the cdjs also play CDs sd and USB jump drives all work so if your laptop fails the show can still go on. I fought for a long time to stick with records but there was a time when you couldn't get everything and when you are in clubs it sucked to carry in 7 milk crates of records ... So when the first cdj's came out I jumped on them I never learned how to spin on cd decks(couldn't stand the cueing) I have never looked back. Been at this as a profession since 1993 so I have seen a lot of changes. Hope maybe this helps someone.

guys , i use SL 3 + pioneer CDJ2000 connected via USB (without using the timecode)
everything works but sometimes when i adjust the pitch ctrl touching the jog, the song skip from the position, it's so annoying ! i use the lastes versions of software for both of them.

it's a known issue, being worked on

Been fixed now :)

yes 2.3 :) but the problem it's that i need time to realise that now i can touch every time i want that jog !! :)))

Same issue was apparent for me at a gig last week. Not convinced it's been fixed in 2.3 actually.

I have been using HID for about 5 months and with 2.3 I am still getting the "skip" and sometimes if I try to speed up or slow down using the side of the jog wheel it doesn't work and I have to tap the platter then it will start working... I have got use to it but for someone who isn't use to it I'm sure it could get annoying very fast...

The issues have not been resolved. Tinkered with, but not yet resolved ;)

and what the serato support say about dat bug?

???

I duno ask em

the cdj 2000s aren’t pioneers way of making dvs systems obsolete…. if anything they’re keeping serato afloat. I heard the commercial line “if you HAVE to keep your computer” so I know what you mean, they’re heavily suggesting that you can leave it at home… but so much of their features use rekordbox, almost forcing a computer back into the equation.

they’re hitting on all 8 cylinders.

decks, as in turntables or cdjs are going away. check a pssl catalogue or a musicians friend.
it’s all controllers. barely any mixers or decks any more.

traktor will have a long life, as it already has. it can and does run off anything BESIDES a rane card.

itch, if it gets fixed (why all the bugs with this software no idea) will also if they play it right, but only as a second option to traktor, IMHO.

I’m real tempted to get the cdj 2000s, I have the MK3 1000s…..
but I’m wondering why. more and more performers are just showing up with laptops and crazy cheap midi controllers, and since I have a SL box and a computer, why would I spend 4 gs to get two new cd players just so I don’t have to insert the time code disc ONCE?

and shift midi control is lame. if a button does something, I don’t want to worry in a live situation what ‘state’ the button is in to determine function, so the midi assign is useless as well.
whatever

I own the 2000's and love em but in my opinion, If you are still going to use serato and not take advantage to what the 2000's can do media wise with flash drives, sd cards, rekordbox, etc..., then you might as well keep the 1000's

+1

with the mk3s(even though i use them and like them) it didnt make sense for me to sell my 4 techs to put down money for 2 900s. But with HID support and flash drive support it started to make more sense. they're still basically expensive controllers, but i really cant think of a better midi controller.

it also seems that right now, so many of the midi controllers have big weakness as far as quality of output or layout design problems.

2000s are still too much money for me.

Man, if they were 1000$ they'd be too much.

With tax, 2grand is too much for a player.

The cdj2000s, if you plug each into the computer (two USB cables) you can apparently run Traktor or mix vibes with no other device.
Rane is the only manufacturer other than apple that says use our stuff or die

Mine have worked great for when what ever software I was using crashed. They are addicting though. Some side affects have been that i have trimmed my music library so only stuff worth playing is exported to SD card. THere have been some reliability issues, as they never crash. I've also been connecting with crowds more that a laptop isn't around. They still cost a grip though.

I’m used to gigging with my 1000s now a days.
promoters really need to get their $hit together as far as gear suppled goes, but having to haul two cdj 2000s…. man that’s a little much.
clubs should pick up on this asap so we can all use thumb drives. I own two mk3 1000s and they’re overpriced at $1500( a piece, discontinued I’m sure now ) but they’ve NEVER let me down, and I’ve had water spill on these things…. they didn’t even flinch. wiped up quickly and no harm no foul.

used to only worry about bringing record and headphones…. if you were smart needles…..
but bringing entire set ups to events aren’t yours (as in you’re just performing not promoting and booking) is too much!

post script

I was booked by this promoter in a state over from me, I knew enough to ask to bring my cdjs.
he said yes, well need them, as they didn’t have any of the sort.
so I did.
what he forgot to tell me was there was NO F(^*ING mixer either.

amazingly he didn’t know they needed a mixer.

“FER SEERIOUS)

these kids with controllers don’t know $hit and its killing us as professionals.
sure all controllers aren’t bad, although the only ones id procure if even for a bedroom situation would be the pioneer ddjs…. but the vast majority don’t know ANYTHING about how things should be.

“mixer” and “monitor” should not be foreign words.

just because you talked some dimwit into letting you use the venue doesn’t mean you can throw a party.

it takes months of promotion of all sorts, sound reinforcement, and proper equipment.
you guys know this…. but I’m sure you know someone like the above.

You shouldnt compare apples and oranges.

Traktor works with any (asio/ca) soundcard.

Traktor Scratch only works with certified hardware. You still need your TS soundcard to make it work with the Pio CDJs.

I wasn't really going that deep with it, but since you asked I guess for me is traktor/scratch/mixvibes I'd say are apples where ableton/ Maschine would be oranges.
But whatever no ones here to talk fruit. I hope.
;)
Scrktch is a DVS
Tractor is a DVS
Mixvibes crossover & VDJ also DVS

There are generic USB RCA interfaces that work with traktor, mixvibes or vdj.
They run those timecode disks fine. And they're cheap.
Rane is just as much an apple, you HAVE to make a minimum purchase of 549.99$(sl1new)
I'm not hating, but a direct comparison is the NI audio 10. It's a 10chnl DVS box for 399.99
Sl4 has the same specs with the exception of an added USB port, and the specs just caught up with the audio 8 with the SL3 btw, and it's 899.99. That's insane dude. Just my opinion.

You're not hating but mixing up a few things.
Traktor is NOT a DVS. Traktor scratch is a dvs.
TS does NOT work with any soundcard.
Audio10+TS for 399? Highly doubt than. Again you are comparing different things.

I know the difference, I apologize for leaving the ‘scratch’ out.
I meant “Traktor Scratch’ for those who honestly didn’t get that.
Traktor Scratch does not run timecode through any audio interface, but Traktor, which defaults from Traktor Scratch without an NI interface will run internally on any interface with outs, or no, interface.
Serato won't. It has to be rane in any scenario, period.
That’s a great compairson.
if you disagree, so. lets move on.

no, the audio 10 by itself is 399.99

I think the full program is 200$ with most having deals as of now after looking.

either way that’s a 600$ (Card+software Traktor SCRATCH) system, same channel cards, same digital vinyl connection, with SL 4 with software on the other side, same thing with an extra USB port and 300$ more.
that’s as similar a comparison as I can think of in technology


hope it helps for all the people you said were confused.
thanks

Now your comparison makes more sense, before you were comparing wrong things.

It's not just an extra USB port - it has two soundcards built in.


No, I said what you said, was confusing and wrong ;)

Nik is right, comparing SL4 to the audio 10 is not fair,
as you would need 2 audio 10 cards to do what the SL4 does...

And I'm still confused by what you're saying Will, I don't really know Traktor, but I take it you will need an NI card for running timecode control vinyl/cd's in Traktor?

hey, was wondering if you were gonna answer. I know what you were saying, just announcing that I hoped it helped anyone that you said were confused by my answers.
yes, timecode for traktor is an NI product, but you can use any usb interface with at least a pair of stereo audio outs (one main one monitor)if you’re without tables or something goes wrong with your card. it’s just a feature of the software, you don’t need/ can use any interface to dj with, maybe not with time code, but any controller and any interface, other than rane. haha
It’s not entirely two cards, just the ability to split the channels up, and that’s an amazing feature, especially if you have two computers, one AUX for ableton, 4 decks of serato…. yum.
I ordered the SL 4 today along with hdj 2000s. they cut through a loud monitor situation I was in better than my xone xd-53s.

good times.

Now worries and good times indeed, but I still think you're a little confused...

How is that not "entirely" two cards? I mean, using 2 computers you can "entirely" choose what channels outputs from the SSL computer, and what goes out from the Ableton computer. You can even output to the same channels from both computers simultaneously. There is also 5 inputs. Unless you need more than 5 individual channels, wouldn't it be easier to carry/install 1 box over 2 boxes?

Ok, so its 2 cards in 1 enclosure, but still 2 cards.

Same thing goes for the Sixty Eight (although different channel routing).

By the way, you can hook up SL2,SL3,SL4 or SixtyEight to Traktor and "spin" without timecode vinyl, but where's the fun in that? And as SSL is free to download, it would be a bad decision for Serato to support all kinds of 3rd party (non-profit) hardware. It would introduce a load of bugs and no extra income...

And congrats with your purchases, both items top notch, you wont regret it :)

you compared the audio 10 with the SL 4.

its a software observation

SL 4 −10CHL Soundcard
that you can divide up between two computers.

AUDIO 10-10CHL Soundcard
that can only be on one computer.

exact same functionality other than that.

not quite the same as two sound cards, one has the option to be split up, and as I’ve mentioned is an awesome feature.
but we get each others points.

thanks

I still don't get it. You said:
What would you gain in getting 2 separate soundcards, that you cannot get from the SL4?

Pioneer should be executed in the street for their pricing. Dennon gear often does and has the same build spec/ quality but pioneer just runs shit, with good reason. But still two damn expensive.
1900$ for one player? They should be shot.
No lectures on how important gear is. I purchased the 1000 mk3s at full price, xone 4D (there was no 68 at the time) and they've never failed once.
But this is getting out of hand. Djs must either have good credit (me) or rich parents. Two techs and a vestal mixer was 1600$ when I first started djing over a decade ago.
Yesh.

There must be a misunderstanding. I'm not lobbying for two cards....
the SL 4, if looked at as two cards, can devide the channels between two computers, it's still a 10 chl sound card. Wont double the decks I can use, doesn't double the channels. And I don't have a second computer.
Audio 10 10chl sound card same ins and outs.
not sure why the older SL 3 is also more expensive than the audio 10. The SL 3 has 3 sets of I/o same quality as the audio 10 with it's 5 sets of I/o

Serato is just over priced in comparison. I've had the audio 8, SL 3 and now the S L 4, along with my xone 4D so I'm not just speaking without experience.

I do agree, got a good deal on my 68 (no rich parents...), and had my 1210's since the 90s.
Recently got hold of some used CD1000MK3's for mobile use though, but yeah,
the only thing from pio reasonable priced is either the DJM250 or used gear...

Ok about the cards, I do agree that Rane is more expensive, but the differences aren't that big?

Scratch Duo - £299.00
www.westenddj.co.uk
VS SL2 - £349.00
www.westenddj.co.uk

Scratch Pro Audio 10 - £499.00
www.westenddj.co.uk
VS SL3 - £499.00
www.westenddj.co.uk
VS SL4 - £699.00
www.westenddj.co.uk

My point beeing, if you wanted the same as a SL4 using NI, you would actually need 2 Audio 10 cards, sure you'd only need traktor software for 1 of the computers, but the money adds up fast...

Also the point about playing 4 timecode tracks on the SL4/68 at the same time, that's A LOT of work in SSL, if I wanna go multitrack I prefer Ableton any day...

I agree with everything you've just said. It's an extra USB port providing the only functionality that's different though, and I only have one computer. Maybe when I'm touring worldwide on a g5....
But the only thing NI won't do that the SL4 can is two USBs.

Speaking of what you'd do with the 4 decks, if 4 decks of Serato audio is too much work(or overkill for your performances), what do you use the other channels for, sample bank/bridge separation?

The pricing area has just recently been leveled. I believe it went SL 1, SL 3, then SL 2, then SL 4.
For a bit it was the audio 8 (24/96, 24bit) vs the SL1, (16bit) then the SL 3 came out and finally got to 24.

I love these products but it's the "Mac" approach. Re order tech releases to make the most money.
Honestly why would you make an SL 3 before 2, and why would the first offering against NI be 16bit(sl1).... So they can release a better model to get you to upgrade. The Mac approach.
Can knock the hustle.

Oh and check serato Intro.

WHAT THE HE11 IS THAT ABOUT???

Deck 3 ableton, deck 4 sample player, and I play "tag team" with another DJ all the time, makes life so much easier than the SL1 days... So that makes the 2 usb ports a big deal to me.


SL3 was an update to SL1, featuring usb 2.0, better sound and hotter output.
But most companies does this, ie first release the high end product then lower end follow.
Same thing happened when they first released the 68, then came the SL4. NI recently did the same, first S4, then S2, and Pioneer first released cdj 2000/900, then 850 & 350. It makes sense from a marketing perspective. A lot of car makers does it too...


Just installed it, might get a cheap controller just to take it on travel. Again I think its a smart move from a marketing perspective, lots of bedroom dj's own Numark Mixtrack Pro. This way Serato has covered the lower end of the market. Ie people can now try serato software for a very low entry price, and later go to the club and feel at home on a TTM 57 right away. With the new intro software the complaints about high entry price for serato software are less valid...

Very well put response. There are pretty darn cheap ITCH controllers, why someone would really want to go cheaper...and I don't know anyone with those controllers listed, but oh well.
Just leaves the door open to even worse sounding music bc playback is on a cheapo interface that a 192 mp3 would dwarf and some guy who doesnt know jack about djing in general.

That is a common trend thank you for pointing that out.
Still, they made an SSL box 2 channel 16bit, then a 24 bit 3 channel, then 24 bit two channel, then the SL 4

As you pointed out it's common in this type of gear, doesn't make it right.
I care about us getting good deals not the companies that happily take my money and say it's for my benefit.

I'll keep my 1200`s... Started with a Kontrol S4, graduated to SSL with cdj-800s, working on my PhD in vinyl and i love my 62!