Pioneer Premiers CDJ-2000 & CDJ-900 Multiformat DJ Decks
Pioneer has launched two new DJ decks, the CDJ-2000 and the CDJ-900. The Japanese company declares that the new 2000 “is the ultimate technologically advanced multi-format player in the world. No matter what your media preference is, the CDJ-2000 can handle them all with great performance, reliability, and confidence.”
The 2000’s multiformat action enables it to playback MP3, AAC, WAV and AIFF audio files on CD, DVD-ROM, SD card and USB memory devices. You can also assign various buttons of the CDJ-2000 to trigger other devices, such as DJ effectors and software with MIDI mapping capability. With Pioneer’s new “Pro DJ Link” you can connect up to four CDJ-2000’s and share a single music source from just one player. For displaying song titles, jacket art as well as detailed track information, the CDJ-2000 has a unique 6.1” Full Color LCD panel andGraphic User Interface so DJs can find information needed to select a song easily at a glance. Both the CDJ-2000 and CDJ-900 turntables include rekordbox for Mac and PC, Pioneer’s proprietary music management software that organizes and catalogs a DJ’s entire music library. When music files are imported to rekordbox, thesoftware analyzes each file and prepares them for use specifically with the new CDJ turntables.
The CDJ-2000’s rekordbox, based on Pioneer’s ‘Prepare & Perform’ concept, works like the leading music database management software, but is more creative and more DJ-friendly. Rekordbox allows DJs to prepare more before their performance and opens a door to tools such as Hot Cue Banks and Quantize, for perfectly synced loops every time. DJs can then export data to a USB or SD device to access vast libraries of music files and perform live – without the need for extra equipment or any inconvenient rewiring in the club. No need to burn CDs, simply take your USB device to the club, plug in to the CDJ and play.
Through the industry-first Pro DJ Link, music files and database data on one single USB or SD device can be shared simultaneously by up to four players connected via LAN (local area network) cable. Plus, the data history of each DJ set is automatically saved and can be made into a playlist that can be loaded back into rekordbox. Another key facet of the CDJ-2000 is its advanced HID (human interface device) and MIDI capabilities for native control of DVS (digital vinyl systems) via USB. What’s more, it achieves Pioneer’s highest sound quality to date through an improved audio output circuit, a new audiophile-pleasing Wolfson DAC processor, and a built-in 24-bit/48 kHz sound card.
Naturally, the CDJ-2000’s layout is related to its predecessor, the CDJ-1000MK3. However, although it fits easily into the MK3’s footprint, it ramps up performance with the largest (6.1-inch) clearest full-color screen in the business. Below the screen is an industry-first waveform Needle Search/Needle Drop ribbon, so that all the convenience of direct file browsing can now be found in an intuitive hardware format. Add to these features a highly evolved illuminated Jog wheel, and an overall enhanced design, complete with carry handles and Kensington lock, and you have the ideal digital innovation for total performance and seamless synchronization.
Features:
» Multi Format Playback – The CDJ-2000 enables playback of MP3, AAC, WAV and AIFF audio files on CD,DVD-ROM, SD card and USB memory devices.
» New Jog Wheel Technology
» Pro DJ Link – New Pioneer Pro DJ Link that enables up to four CDJ-2000/900s to beconnected and share a single music source.
» 6.1” Full Color LCD panel and Graphic User Interface – For displaying song titles, jacket art as well as detailed track information and wave form display of each song so DJs can find informatio nneeded to select a song at a glance.
» Needle Search – Helps DJs instantaneously get to a specific part of a song with a simple touch of the Needle Search pad.
» MIDI – Users can assign various buttons of the CDJ-2000 to trigger other devices, such as DJ effecters and software with MIDI mapping capability.
» Free Rekordbox Music Management Software Included – 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 thenew CDJ turntables.
The rekordbox database management software for DJs introduces the ‘Prepare & Perform’ concept. Put simply, rekordbox offers an alternative to taking a laptop to the club. Not only does it function like a database for DJs (and is compatible with the leading music database management software through a bridge feature) but it also offers many more creative opportunities. DJs can prepare cue points, loops and Hot Cues in advance of their show. They can manage music files by editing tag information and artwork, while rekordbox analyzes such track information as BPM and wave data. DJs can also edit beatgrids, which utilise the CDJ-2000’s new Quantize performance features, so, as an option, all cue points and loops can be set perfectly on-beat every time. In addition, users can create, edit and manage playlists in rekordbox and the CDJ-2000 creates a history playlist on your storage device of every track played for review when you next sync with rekordbox.
A bright, elevated 6.1-inch LCD enables DJs to acquire all information at a glance in the dark. And it’s not just about browsing directly though text, because artwork can also be displayed. Thanks to a combination of the GUI (graphical user interface) and a rotary selector, track browsing/selection is made super-quick and easy. Plus, for on-the-fly programming, tag lists can be created using the dedicated Tag button. Meanwhile, that all-important wave data is displayed with improved precision, so that high/low amplitude components can be grasped in the greatest detail to date.
Needle Search/Needle Drop reproduces digitally the action of needle dropping on vinyl. Needle Search lets you instantaneously preview music at any chosen point with pinpoint accuracy. Simply slide a finger along the Needle Drop pad while listening to the stuttered preview and checking the wave display to locate peaks and troughs. This tactile ribbon controller can also be used to conduct keyword searches.
Industry-first Pro DJ Link permits multi-play from a single source and file sharing among four players
For the very first time, DJs can connect up to four CDJ-2000s and rekordbox by LAN connection and instantly share music and data between the players. That’s one LAN hub, one USB storage device or SD memory card, and countless creative possibilities – multi-directionally reinforced.
A high-performance Wolfson DAC processor allows audio to be reproduced with a lush analogue feel. Great news for audiophiles is the better signal-to-noise ratio, giving a massive improvement on the CDJ-1000MK3 processor, and a new hybrid operation amplifier circuitry that also minimizes noise. The result is a clear, transparent sound that is faithful to the original.
The CDJ-2000 has a built-in sound card so no extra interface or unnecessary rewiring is required and connection is possible by using only one USB cable. Information can be output as MIDI to software and other MIDI devices via USB. The player can also be used as a MIDI controller. But HID control offers superior interfacing with software, beating MIDI with speed, audio/visual streaming and two-way information on displays. Consequently, the player can easily, precisely and natively control such DVS systems as Serato’s Scratch Live 2 and Native Instrument’s Traktor 3 series – without any need for time-coded discs.
After music files have been analyzed with rekordbox™, the Quantize function automatically corrects and syncs the beat during a manual loop or real-time cue in. This even works if the in/out point is off beat. There is also a convenient auto one-touch four-beat loop onboard, if required. And thanks to a new 0.5 frame step, there’s twice the resolution for setting even more precise cue and loop points.
Aside from the three Hot Cue buttons on the CDJ-2000 player itself, there are also three Hot Cue Banks to be found in the rekordbox playlist. This provides users with an abundance of Hot Cues to further extend the editing opportunities.
The all-new club conscious Jog dial is illuminated in four different places. It’s also much quieter and smoother in operation, and has a far wider tension range when compared to the CDJ-1000MK3.
Pioneer’s CDJ-2000 will reportedly street at €1799 and the CDJ-900 will weigh in at €1299. More information on the Pioneer CDJ-2000.
