505 hands down I think it will come out with a way better sound card then the SR cause were talking about Roland here

I preordered the SR2 already. Got it for $100 off. I'll let you know how it is. Originally wanted the Mixars Primo but their own staff has no eta. Really wanted the full pitch faders and led jogwheel but I can't wait forever on the Primo...oh well

yer Im think of purchasing the SR2 as well cause it comes with a optional power plug hence better sound quality cause its powered separately and it has a few new features too:)

I'm sure the SR2 will have better sound quality I don't see why it wouldn't. It should be hear the end of this month.

Here*

The specs say it's a 24 bit soundcard also the SR2 has master xlr now so I think the audio quality will sound great regardless.

If you care about sound quality go with the 505...every good thing you heard about the 808 sound quality is true, I always tell people my 808 sounds just as good or even better than my rane62...none of the pioneer controller sound good on big systems even the top of the line sz controller don't sound nowhere as good as the 808

Isn't that the same soundcard as the dj sx2?

I own both the bigger brothers of these units, SX2 & 808.

I can say that the 808 is 30% better in sound quality and features than the SX2.

So I will go with the 505.

just had this same conversation with a dj friend today. he does a lot of destination mobile gigs and needed something smaller than his SX2

His SX2 has served him well but he knows it doesn't sound as great as it should

He is also experiencing fader bleeds, though I told him that should be fixable if he choose to.

I advised that if the 505 had the same sound card as the 808 I recommend he should get that.

The Denon MC 7000 is not an option as he wanted something light. I suggested that too. (😱 ikr despite my not too good experience with the 8000)

Sometimes it's the little things that make a great difference, the 808 has a side recess to facilitate easy pick up. That alone to me is worth something.

And yeah it's the best sounding controller I've ever owned.

Tightest jog wheel on any controller and the microphone is great. Hell it has microphone sensitivity knob aside from the mic gain.

In terms of reliability, only time will tell. But if I 3 years from it without issues then I can't complain.

PS
It came with a 3 year warranty too.

id say 50% better on the 96hz setting...i too use to own the sx

Thanks all.

I was already leaning towards the 505. I think I'll wait until it's released and see what the early reviews are saying before making the final decision.

good call there will always be bugs in new products

Anyone get the 505 yet? I so want to pull the trigger but those short pitch faders are stopping me.

lol yer I hate those short faders best workaround is hit sync then sync off only when your in a hurry to mix instead of trying to match the numbers up

You’ll be okay in the +8 range but +16 you’ll have to make finer adjustments. Kinda sucks but that’s how it is with a non full pitch fader.

true dat :)

My SR2 is that way as well as the SB2. However the Mixars Primo will have a full pitch fader so might wanna think about that. I think it’s set to release dec 2017/Jan 2018. No real info from them yet.

Just purchased the dj-505 in the uk but does anyone know where I can get my hands on the official Roland carry bag for this unit or one that will fit?

It’s an unusually square unit due to the drum machine and I’m struggling to find a suitable solution to carry it in...

Did you check the Magma or UDG bags line.

I did mate and couldn't see anything that would be suitable... :(

I've also tried looking on all the Roland UK distributors but none seem to stock the associated bag for this controller (www.roland.com). I've also tried contacting Roland direct to see if they can help.

Lots of retailers seem to be stocking in the US but no options for shipping to the UK.

Anyone else got one using another manufacturer's bag?

udg does one www.udggear.com

Where did you get it from? I've been waiting for my pre-order since October!

Cheers buddy!

Got mine via DiscDJ Store. Arrived a couple of days ago so they must be in the UK via Roland now. I was originally expecting mid-november but they got delayed to mid-December but should be any day now - check with your retailer...

How are you finding the unit? Thinking of trading in my Denon MC6000MKII for it. Sizewize how does it compare to the SR and the SX?

Ive not had chance to give it a test run yet. Gigging this weekend so will be giving it its first airing.

Ive effectively swapped my Pioneer DDJ-SX2 for this and already have a Vestax VCI-400 as well of which i used both depending on what venue/size booth i was playing in. It's obviously smaller than the SX2 but slightly larger than the VCI-400 in width but considerably in depth due to the sequencer at the top (Hence having trouble finding a suitable carry bag...). Personally I didn't use the SX2 as much as the VCI-400 so this ticked all the boxes of the DJ-808 in a more mobile unit so ticks all the boxes on paper.

On 1st impressions it's much, much lighter than i was expecting. It looks modern and minimal with nice feeling EQ's and pads. The layout seems intuitive with everything where i like it - in terms of where things are on the unit it's a nice mix between what I've been used to with the SX2 and VCI-400 in terms of headphone cue and triggers etc. The only negative I can see is with the short tempo sliders but as i'm used to the VCI-400 it shouldn't be too much of a change and i'm not ranging more than +/-8 so don't envisage this causing me headaches.

All the available demo videos and reviews say nothing but good things about the unit in terms of sound quality and very much looking forward to getting to grips with the drum programming and sequencing of which is the main reason for swapping out my SX2 of which i could only do with samples, not forgetting this unit drove me mad with the well known issues with the super hot sound levels...

That's where I ordered from. They told me they are expecting stock mid-late December.

Well they’ve had a few in so give them a nudge to make sure they put you top of the list when shipping them back out (I did chase them a few times...)

I can see it's in stock elsewhere so I'll just cancel my order if they don't get a move on.

Call them up and ask for Richard, he’s been really good with me and kept me updated throughout. They’ve likely had more orders than units recieved so are playing catch up by shipping to a few people at a time each week...

Good luck.

Managed to get one from PMT and it's arriving tomorrow.

Did you find a case that works with the 505?

There are a couple that will work but they are too big.

Official carry bag for the 505 available in UK/Europe from Feb by all accounts.

I made the mistake of ordering the UDG bag. The size is fine but there’s not enough padding to secure the 505 inside so it rattles about. I’m sending it back tomorrow and I guess I’ll wait for the official case. Is it a magma case?

It's a Roland product: www.roland.com

Tried purchasing via various US retailers but doesn't give you an option to ship to the UK.

Post NAMM18 release I reckon...

So to anyone with the 505, how exactly does this thing connect and work with turntables??

Can I use 4 decks (2 with tables and 2 on the 505) like the DDJ-SR2?

If it's the same as the 808 in that regard then yes you can. You could have all 4 on the platters, or 2 platters + 2 Turntables/CDJ's.

Hahaa, that’s what I’d like to know.

I can’t find any videos or info on that part of the 505. The manual tells me how to connect everything but that’s about it.

This may help. Fader doesn’t sound tight enough unless he didn’t set it up right
youtu.be

Awesome!! Thanks for that!

I'm now loving the 505, except for 1 gripe - you can't control the volume of the sampler when using the TR-S.

This ( Watchwww.youtube.com ) is a workaround somebody has created by mapping the sampler volume to the cue/master control. However, I often use the master volume through the headphones to practice so does anybody know of or can think of any other options for being able to control the sampler volume?

Thanks

Apparently, this can be midi mapped to the sampler volumes in Serato

KORG NanoKontrol

Check it out! I will be getting one for sure to use with my DJ-808.

To the 505 owners - can you remap the controls on the 505? I just got an SR2 and it's not quite doing it for me and was thinking of returning it for the 505, but the one thing I notice is missing is key shifting controls. Thinking I could map them to the parameter buttons...

Could you explain why the SR2 is not doing it for you? Just wondering coz I'm looking to upgrade my VCI 400 and thinking about the 505 or the SR2..

I wrote a review here:

facebook.com

The main issues for me was the sound quality, size, and lack of position indicators on the platters.

That said, when I returned it, i was still waiting for the Mixars Primo to be released. Now that it's looking more and more like the primo may never come out and that Mixars might even be done as a company (at least there are rumors floating around), and now that I've gotten extensive time on the dj 505, I might change my tune a little.

Great and very helpful review, thanks a lot.

I was also looking at the Primo but I’ve also read the rumors.

Having a different mixing style - not so much scratching - and therefor maybe other priorities, the short pitch fader is definitely a concern for me as well (I have a VCI400).

ps - The official Roland carry bag for the 505 is now available to official UK distributors and is now being detailed on the Roland UK website. It's still unlikely they will have units available in stock but they can at least order one in for you, likely be delivered 2-3 weeks after placing any orders.

Had mine since Dec last year and been unable to use out in the wild due to not having a suitable carry case...

Yea, the build on the 505 is iffy at best and a case probably good idea.

I think it would fit in a case designed for the traktor s8 as they are relatively similar in dimensions.

I like a lot of things about the 505, but there's also a lot I don't like about it. The sound quality is top notch imo (which is subjective to a degree), and the drum machine is really cool although I don't know if I would use it all that much in live settings and would probably use it more in the studio for production.

But a lot of my complaints about the sr2 also exists for the 505 - mainly size and lack of jog wheel indicators. And you basically have to choose between build quality and sound quality when looking at the two units.

I think I'm going to go with sound quality and get the 505 to replace my vci 380 unless Serato dj pro helps with the sound quality of the pioneer controllers.