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 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. Dedicated buttons for Key Shift and Key Sync – take direct control of rekordbox dj keyrelated features

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. 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 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. 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.

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Unlike the older Pioneer controllers, the microphone channels are independent and don’t take over regular channels anymore which is great. The auxiliary input is another independent channel and is controlled by a simple volume control, sadly no EQ or effects here but will do for plugging in a phone or MP3 player. The mixer features a stand alone mode with switchable line/phono inputs on both channels. This also means the DDJ 800 is compatible with Rekordbox DVS but you will need an additional licence to use that feature and as you’ll find out later really doesn’t work very well! Performance Features The DDJ 800 is a massive step up from the previous generation of Pioneer DJ controllers. Compared to its rivals from other brands, Pioneer has played on its strong, almost monopoly-like hold on the professional club market. By diluting the image and layout of the standalone professional players and combing them with the performance features digital DJ’ing has to bring, Pioneer has created a powerful controller that everyone will want to be seen with. The DDJ 800 isn’t perfect however and truth be told, we expected it to be a little cheaper. How much is the DDJ 800?

In this video, founder and tutor Jamie Hartley explains how to get started with Rekordbox DJ. Learn how to get started importing and managing your music library! To learn more about using Rekordbox, read our beginners guide found here!I’m sure you can find your unique style with an array of Pad FX performance modes. Best Alternatives to the DDJ-800 A large Beat FX on/off button indicates when an FX is active by blinking, whilst a level/depth control allows you to shape your sound and set the intensity of the effect. An FX selector will enable you to choose which channel is affected, while beat buttons let you change the speed/tempo of an effect. The mixer can be used as a standalone DJ mixer if needed, and offers RCA/Phono inputs for connecting media players and turntables; however, the effects will only work when using the Rekordbox software. 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. There are 4 selectable color FX: Dub Echo, Pitch, Noise, & Filter – applied independently on each channel with a ‘Color’ knob. The Pioneer DJ DDJ 800 is a brilliant entry-level controller for those wanting to level up their DJ setup to a more professional unit. Compatible with Rekordbox, this controller can be used on a computer on Mac or Windows. In this beginners guide, we are going to show you how to set up the DDJ 800 on both platforms, getting you mixing as soon as possible!