ERGO… AERO… and now WeGO. Yep – Pioneer own the high-end, but in a market where media is a legacy format, they need to get a grip of the hearts and credit cards of the biggest part of the new market – entry-level controller craving noobs. Undoubtedly having seen the stellar sales (you have no idea) of units like Numark’s Mixtrack, Pioneer have brought forth their own take on this market – the Virtual DJ driven tutti-fruiti coloured DDJ-WeGO controller. Wot no Bondi version?
As ever, Pioneer have filmed streets of hip young things breaking into private property to satisfy their own selfish partying needs:
Firstly, the official words from the secret underground Pioneer lair:
Pioneer expands its controller line-up with the all-new DDJ-WeGO – the fun and affordable DJ console for beginners
30th August 2012: Mixing music just got easier, and a lot more fun, with the DDJ-WeGO. Anyone with a passion for dance music can play tracks and mix tunes with Pioneer’s compact, easy-to-use DJ console.
Aspiring DJs playing their favourite music through DJ software on their laptops can now use the WeGO’s buttons and knobs to control the sound and get a hands-on DJing experience. The popular DJ software package VirtualDJ LE is included so the controller can be used straight out of the box, and WeGO customers will also be eligible for a free upgrade to VirtualDJ 8 LE[1] upon release. The WeGO will be compatible with a variety of popular DJ software packages to suit any style including Algoriddim’s djay.
Setting up is simple: just plug the WeGo into a laptop and start up the software. And the WeGO’s ergonomic controls and user-friendly interface make it easy for aspiring to learn the ropes. The console’s Pulse Control lights guide beginners through their performances by showing when beats are matched, which effects have been activated, and which decks are in use. So it won’t be long before anyone new to DJing picks up the skills to perform and share their sets with friends.
Once beginners have gained confidence, there’s a range of advanced features inherited from Pioneer’s professional, industry-leading products – such as Beat Sync, sound effects and loops – waiting to be discovered. For the more intrepid DJ, the WeGO even boasts the capacity for four-deck mixing.
With five striking colours to choose from, aspiring DJs can pick a WeGO that really reflects their personality. And they can customise the console’s jog wheel lights for an even more personalised set-up.
Lightweight and compact, the portable console can even be carried in an ordinary rucksack.
The DDJ-WeGO will be available from October 2012 at an SRP of 249 GBP/299 EUR, including VAT.
DDJ-WeGO: Mix it up.
Key features of the DDJ-WeGO
- 1. Pulse Control lights add a visual element to learning to mix
Inherited from Pioneer’s popular DDJ-ERGO controller, the Pulse Control lights add an exciting visual element to DJing. LEDs on the jog wheel show which features have been activated, and how accurate the mixing is, for an even more engaging experience. Plus, music lovers can customise the colour of the LEDs so they can put their personality into every performance.
- LED channel faders
Red LEDs in the WeGO’s channel faders show the beat of the track playing to help aspiring DJs keep time. And the intensity of the light reflects the sound output levels, so they’ll know if they’ve left a track playing after the mix.
- Mix Pulse
Mix Pulse helps beginner DJs quickly master the art of beat matching. Lights around the jog wheel show the beat of all the tracks in play. The lights shine more intensely the closer the match, so novice DJs can easily see how their skills are progressing.
- Launch Pulse
A red light travels from the Load button to the jog wheel when a track has loaded successfully so DJs know when a track is ready to play.
- FX Pulse
LED light patterns around the jog wheel show which effects and filters they’ve engaged. And the lights get brighter as the effects and filters are applied more intensely.
- Jog FX
The WeGO’s effects can be further manipulated by scratching and spinning the jog wheel to add another layer of richness to the sound.
- 2. Hands-on mixing with VirtualDJ LE DJ software
The WeGO makes using DJ software simple and fun. Beginner DJs can use the console’s tactile, ergonomic controls to manipulate the software’s features and functions for a truly interactive experience.
The WeGO comes with VirtualDJ LE, and the console’s interface conveniently mirrors the software’s layout so beginners can easily see which features they’ve engaged. When they press a button, twist a dial or turn the jog wheel on the console, their actions are reflected on-screen. VirtualDJ LE also comes with coloured skins designed specially to match the WeGO.
Aspiring DJs can instantly access four pre-loaded samples. The hot cue function lets them start tracks from pre-selected points. Once DJs master the basic functions they can get to grips with advanced features such as beat sync, sound effects and loops. And the console’s four-deck control allows them to mix up to four tracks at once, with the capability of recording mixes within VirtualDJ LE.
The WeGO is also compatible with other software packages so aspiring DJs can work with the software that suits their style best.
- 3. Five colour options and customisable lights for a personalised controller
Available in black, green, red, violet and white, there’s a WeGO model to suit every personality. And the console’s jog wheel LEDs can be customised, with seven stunning colour options to choose from. Further personalisation of the WeGO is possible as users can blend their own colour combinations on the jog wheel LEDs.
- 4. Portable, compact design for easy transport and simple set up
No bigger than a laptop, the WeGO is compact, lightweight and portable. Its layout and design are modeled on Pioneer’s popular DDJ-ERGO controller, with the added bonus of a user-friendly jog wheel. The console also boasts rubber pots on its dials for a more tactile DJing experience.
Set up is simple too as the WeGO is completely powered by USB. Just one cable connecting the console to a laptop is all that is needed to get going. Plus, the strategically positioned side panel connections allow cables to be hooked up to the sides of the controller rather than the back, so DJs won’t have to worry about cables snaking across their laptop keyboards.
- 5. Other features
- High-quality design for clear sound reproduction
- Built-in sound card
Main specifications – DDJ-WeGO
Bundled software VirtualDJ LE Input terminal Mic × 1 (1/4-inch jack） Output terminal Master out × 1 (RCA) Headphone monitor out × 2 (1/4-inch phone, mini jack） Other terminal USB B terminal × 1 Frequency response 20 Hz ～ 20 kHz Total harmonic distortion Max. 0.006％ S/N ratio 101 dB External dimensions (W x D x H) 380 × 208.5 × 65 mm Weight 1.6 kg System requirements – VirtualDJ LE
Supported OS (Windows) Windows 7/Vista/XP (SP3)Intel® Pentium®4 or AMD Athlon™ XP512 MB RAM or more Supported OS (Mac) Mac OS X v 10.5/10.6/10.7Intel®processor platform1024 MB RAM or more Required disk space 50 MB or more Display resolution 1024 x 768 or more Additional system requirements for video mixing ATI™ or NVIDIA®video chipsetDedicated 256 MB DDR3 RAM video
Find Pioneer DJ online at:
- www.djsounds.com
- www.youtube.com/pioneerdjsounds
- www.facebook.com/pioneerdjglobal
- www.twitter.com/pioneerdjglobal
- www.youtube.com/pioneerdjglobal
[1] Information will be available on http://pioneerdj.com/support from beginning October 2012.
Waving the high-end flag in a market hit by recession is a lonely job, thus Pioneer are after a very large slice of the entry-level market with this move. Looking a little Hercules-esque, it’s essentially a massively scaled down ERGO. The styling is very similar, but the paint job is a clear nod to the lifestyle driven fashion conscious youth market. And here’s a really important factor – with the DDJ-WeGO, they’ll be able to pop this in their rucksack. And being USB powered, they’ll be able to play just about anywhere with it. BOOM – properly portable. I told Pioneer that I thought the ERGO was too big – you couldn’t pop it in a bag, unless that bag was specifically for a controller.
And we all know it’s just a matter of time before this become Serato DJ Intro ready, and most probably algoriddim djay compatible too. This also screams iPad, so make that happen as well.
One thing I’ve seen on there actually annoys me and that’s the C and D buttons. Must we awkwardly drag 4 channels in this tiny unit? And why no gain controls? I know it’s the done thing these days to redline everything, but unless you instil the absolute basics of sound into beginners, then they’ll always crank up the levels and piss off sound guys. Perhaps that’s why all the meter LEDs are Red anyway.
So it’s small, cheap, fashion friendly and wears the right logo to grab attention. As I once read – it’s easy to sell a budget premium brand than it is to sell a premium budget brand, and this falls very much into the former category. Expect to see this on many Christmas lists and with good reason. I still reserve full judgement until I’ve laid hands on it, but it has all the essential ingredients to keep the target market happy.
And pre-empting the almost certain “toy” comments – I draw your attention to the word “beginner” used repeatedly in the PR, so the target market has been made abundantly clear. Don’t even go there – you’ll just sound foolish.
Taste wise, the Black, Red and White options make a lot of sense and look pretty good me. I cannot see any logic in the Green and Violet ones. Aside from being pretty awful colour-wise, unless Pioneer plan to make matching HDJ-500 headphones, there’s nothing to go with the WeGO in their range. This is however about aesthetics and taste, and for all I know the Green and Violet editions could fly off the shelves because they’re this or next season’s on-trend yoof colours.
Price-wise, these will come in at £249/€299/$399 and will be available probably towards the end of September… you know… for the Christmas market. I think we can expect the Pioneer stand at BPM to look like an Apple store. I look forward to some quick and nasty fun with this.
And that Superstar DJs headline that’s in your head – too easy and way too cheesy. Let’s see if anyone else does it.
