Along with the added features within Serato DJ 1.6.1, Serato DJ now supports the Pioneer CDJ-850 natively, when used in conjunction with a supported Serato DJ device.
To put it simply, this means you can leave your Control CDs at home and connect directly to your computer through USB to control the software in Internal mode alongside your Serato DJ DVS device or controller. We have worked hard to ensure that the CDJ-850 has really tight integration with Serato DJ and accurate control.
For more information on using HID mode with the Pioneer CDJ-850, check out the connection guide below, and the Pioneer CDJ-850 Quickstart Guide for further information about mapping and functionality with Serato DJ.
Connection Guide
Before you start, make sure you have the latest version of Serato DJ installed on your laptop. The CDJ-850 is only supported in conjunction with supported Serato DJ devices and not stand-alone. You will also need to update the firmware of your CDJ-850.
The Pioneer CDJ-850 is a class compliant USB plug-and-play device for Mac, however requires drivers for Windows. You will find these on the installation CD that is provided with your CDJ, or as a download from the Pioneer website.
To use a pair of CDJs with Serato DJ, you will need at least 3 available USB ports. If you don’t have 3 ports available you may be able to connect your CDJs to a powered USB hub. It is however, important to always connect your Serato DJ hardware directly to your computer.
- Connect your Serato DJ device as per normal into an available USB port on your computer.
- Connect the CDJ to your computer via USB cable or USB hub.
- Open Serato DJ.
- Press the PC button on the CDJ-850.
- Press the Scroll Knob to connect to the computer.
- Use the Scroll Knob to choose which virtual deck you wish the CDJ to control.
- Set the virtual deck in Serato DJ to Internal mode (INT). If you are using a controller, this step is not necessary.
Once your CDJ-850 is connected you will be able to scroll through the Serato music library using the dedicated hardware controls and the track information will appear after the track is loaded.
Your CDJ-850 can also be used to play regular CDs. To do this just connect the CDJs audio outs (RCA) to your Serato DJ devices hardware inputs (if available) as you would your regular CD players.