Pioneer DJ DDJ-800 2-Deck Rekordbox DJ Controller

Product Information

The capacitive jog wheels respond to touch rather than physical pressure like the mechanical units do. As such they are a solid unit that breaks less easily than the more fragile mechanical units do, which are spring loaded. This seems a logical choice as portability is a great feature of this controller, however it’s a sad one as the mechanical jog wheels on the DDJ 1000 were one of its best features. Completely unique in the market and they really gave the unit that more professional CDJ feel. The Mixer The DDJ-800 includes a USB dongle so users don’t need a licence key to activate rekordbox dj. Once connected to rekordbox dj, performance mode will activate automatically. To use rekordbox dj on your computer without connecting the DDJ-800, activate the rekordbox dj license (license key card included in the box). The DDJ-800 features professional audio connections. Headphones connect to the front of the controller using either a smaller 1/8th TRS connection or the larger 1/4inch. The main speakers connect to either the balanced XLR or unbalanced RCA line-level outputs on the rear, both labelled master.

There are, of course, decent rivals from other brands, but the premium you pay for going down the Pioneer DJ route is partly justified by the fact that it allows you to hone skills which transfer to other products in the brand’s industry-standard range. A very solid option indeed. Do I really need this? u003cliu003eMust connect the controller to rekordbox DJ to engage FXu003c/liu003eu003cliu003eCan only cue 2-out-of-the-4 channels at onceu003c/liu003e Features and Benefits Before connecting the DDJ 800, ensure you have the latest version of Rekordbox installed on your computer, available here . In the center of the looping section is a crucial advantage you’ll want to use: the ‘Quantize’ button. Deliveries will be made subject to the terms and conditions of the courier company. djkit.com will not be held responsible for late deliveries.Dedicated buttons for Key Shift and Key Sync – take direct control of rekordbox dj keyrelated features Although the DDJ-800 can be used as a standalone mixer without being plugged into a laptop, the mixer effects won’t function (presumably because they’re processed in the software rather than the hardware itself). The DDJ-800 jog wheels are smaller than those on the CDJ-1000 but have the same superb technology and features.

You can use the same cue/loop call buttons to select pre-set loops in the rekordbox DJ software. If you are a little OCD when it comes to mixing, then pre-set the loops beforehand. DDJ-800’s mixer features two channels; each channel comes fitted with a 3-band EQ control, a gain control, cue button, and a dedicated Sound Colour FX rotary control. The four Sound Colour FX include a dub echo, pitch, noise oscillator, and a bipolar filter allowing you to perform transitional sweeps and create build-ups/breakdowns. The Beat FX section comes with 14 high-quality effects that include delay, reverb, flanger, phaser, slip roll, and even sawtooth and square oscillators. I’m sure you can find your unique style with an array of Pad FX performance modes. Best Alternatives to the DDJ-800 The pads trigger hot cues, pad FX, Beat Jump, Sampler, Keyboard Mode, Beat Loop, and Key shift. A personal performance mode favorite of mine is the Key Shift.Tap the in-loop button to start a loop or to create an automatic 4-beat. I usually go with the standard 4-beat looping and then use the cue/loop call buttons to shift the loop length as I see fit. You can use the DDJ-800 as a mixer to control the volume of audio input from an external device – even when you’re using it on its own*3 – by adjusting the trims, channel faders and EQs. And, when the controller is connected to rekordbox dj, you can use Sound Color FX and Beat FX too. Without a complete breakdown of the controller’s features, DJs wouldn’t know how the controller might benefit them. Let’s take a closer look at what the DDJ 800 has to offer. Build & Connectivity

The mixer also features 4 colour effects with dub echo, noise, pitch and HP/LP filter all being included. You can change these colour effects in the Rekordbox software and adjust their parameters too, we found this necessary with the Noise as the most recent Rekordbox update has made it unbelievably subtle and far too quiet. The Pioneer DDJ 800 features a whole host of performance features and club style mixer. The LCD on-jog display located in the center of the jog wheels is the main feature. They’re very eye-catching, so a DJ’s gaze doesn’t wander up to the computer to discover performance metrics. Though it feels like our advanced DDJ-1000 DJ controller, the DDJ-800 is 1.3 kg lighter so you can comfortably transport it between events. Jog Displays In what can only be described as a very odd decision, absolutely none of the effects on the DDJ 800 work without Rekordbox plugged in. Rendering the standalone feature of this mixer, extremely basic. Add to that the fact you can’t disable the crossfader in stand alone mode and you might want to look elsewhere if you wanted to use the 800 as a just a mixer at anytime. By offloading the performance features to the computer to process and control, the 800 is rather dumb without it plugged in. Mic effects… Out of the box, it’s immediately apparent that the build quality of the 800 is decent, if understandably not quite up to the standard of Pioneer’s range-topping gear. You can also see where features have been dropped from the DDJ-1000 to make a smaller, more affordable unit.

Key features

Take your performance anywhere: Meet the DDJ-800 controller, designed for rekordbox dj – 2-channel DJ controller with professional performance capabilities in a compact, portable body.

The DDJ 800 has applaudable connectivity options. The DJ controller can function as a stand-alone mixer, operating two external phono/line inputs.Finally, microphones can be connected to the two microphone inputs. Mic one features an XLR/TRS combo balanced input and Mic Two features a single TRS connection. Performing on the DDJ-800 feels like you’re using a professional NXS2 set-up. The controller’s buttons, knobs and faders are arranged in the same way as those on our club-standard CDJ and DJM gear. Audio Mixer Feature The Beat FX section is what shines on the DDJ-800 mixer. A total of 14 Beat FX are available from an adjustable knob with each FX highlighted. Perform with the DDJ-800 as if you’re using our flagship setup. All the buttons, knobs, and faders on the controller are arranged and used in the same way as those on our club-standard CDJ-2000NXS2 and DJM-900NXS2 setup. Take the DDJ-800 wherever you want thanks to its portable design, which is smaller than the DDJ-1000 by 22% in volume and 1.3 kg in weight.