The mothership has landed — Pioneer DJ Tour system

Back at NAMM 2016, we spotted a behemoth of a Pioneer DJ setup. I’m not sure if it was behind glass to protect it, or to protect us from it becoming self aware and takin over the world. But the Pioneer DJ TOUR System (the CDJ-TOUR1 and DJM-TOUR1) has moved from concept to reality.

Hefty PR follows:

Headline act: introducing the festival-ready TOUR system CDJ-TOUR1 and DJM-TOUR1

– designed to perform at the highest level

24th May 2016: Meet the Tour system CDJ-TOUR1 and DJM-TOUR1: the festival-ready set- up with arena-grade sound components for a huge, reliable sound – plus 13-inch touch screens that give you instinctive, confident control when it matters most.

The CDJ-TOUR1 multiplayer and DJM-TOUR1 mixer take the professional sound quality of the NXS2 set-up and add the components needed to deliver that performance in large venues such as festivals and arenas. Both models have an ESS Technology 32-bit D/A converter to eliminate low noise and distortion and give a clear, crisp sound at scale. The DJM-TOUR1 is the first mixer to have a pro audio grade AES/EBU digital output, so you can connect directly to front of house – even over long distances – with no loss of sound quality.

The 13-inch, full-colour touch screens with built-in CPU give you effortless control: you can browse faster, grasp waveforms more easily, and do it all while keeping the crowd in your line of sight. And back-to-back DJing is a breeze, thanks to the DJM-TOUR1’s two independent headphone sections that let you monitor and cue tracks separately.

The TOUR1 set-up is as sturdy as the name suggests, with reinforced sides, lockable NEUTRIK etherCON® LAN ports and gold-plated RCAs – making it a stable set-up you can count on in any large-scale environment.

The CDJ-TOUR1 and DJM-TOUR1 will be available from July 2016 at SRPs of €4,999 and €5,999 respectively, including VAT.

Watch the introduction video for the TOUR1 system or find out more here.

KEY FEATURES OF THE CDJ-TOUR1

  1. Advanced sound quality for large-scale venues
    The CDJ-TOUR1 features an ES9018 32-bit D/A converter, made by ESS Technology, to deliver incredibly low noise and distortion even at the super-high volumes needed for large-scale events. It can reproduce 96 kHz/24-bit high resolution sound and send it to the DJM-TOUR1 or DJM-900NXS2 through the SPD I/F digital out. FLAC and ALAC formats are supported and the power supply is separated from the main circuit board to further reduce unwanted noise.
  2. 13-inch fold-out touch screen for enhanced browsing and control
    Use either the standard built-in 7-inch or the fold-out 13-inch LCD full-colour touch screen. The larger screen shows more information to help you browse and select tracks faster. Plus, with its own built-in CPU, the screen offers the potential for other features in the future. Both screens feature the same information as the CDJ-2000NXS2, including:

    • Track Filter mode: use the touch screen to filter tracks by rekordbox information such as BPM, key or My Tags.
    • Keyword search: bring up the Qwerty keyboard to search for tracks by name.
    • Multicoloured Wave Zoom and Multi-wave view: see detailed waveforms or opt to see waveforms from up to four CDJs at the same time.
  3. Lockable LAN port for secure connection
    The CDJ-TOUR1’s LAN port has a NEUTRIK etherCON® connector featuring a latch lock, so compatible cables will stay in place whatever vibrations and knocks are thrown at them.
  4. Isolator feet, tilt screen and display shade adjust for any environment
    Adjust the isolator feet to ensure a stable set-up on any surface and tilt the 13-inch screen to suit your preference or the lighting. Attach the display shade to protect from the sun’s glare when you’re playing outside.
  5. Familiar layout and features inherited from the CDJ-2000NXS2
    The CDJ-TOUR1 has the same layout and performance features as the CDJ-2000NXS2 to help you feel at home. Prepare your tracks in rekordbox as usual, adding Hot Cues, loops, tags, etc. – then load them to the CDJ-TOUR1 and trigger features including Beat Sync, Slip Mode and Hot Cue Auto Load.
  6. Pro DJ Link enables even more features
    Pro DJ Link lets you share one source across up to four players and unlocks a host of information and features such as Beat Sync and Beat Countdown.

KEY FEATURES OF THE DJM-TOUR1

  1. High quality sound components for a warm sound, in any large-scale environment
    The DJM-TOUR1 is the world’s first DJ mixer to have an AES/EBU digital output, meaning you can connect directly to front of house, even over long distances, with no loss of sound quality.It’s also the first DJ mixer to include a high-res word clock input, ensuring a high grade digital audio signal to front of house for precise synchronisation and the best possible sound quality. And the power supply has its own dedicated circuit to further reduce unwanted noise, while power factor correction (PFC) reduces distortion across the frequencies.Like the CDJ-TOUR1, the mixer features an ES9018 32-bit D/A converter for low distortion and a dynamic range of up to 129 dB. It also shares high quality sound components with its NXS2 counterpart, including a 96 kHz/24-bit sound card with a direct digital connection via SPD I/F port and USB port, 64-bit floating point mixing processing, enhanced dithering technology and a low-jitter clock – which combine to deliver an accurate, natural sound.
  2. New fold-out 13-inch touch screen shows information from up to four players
    Browse playlists and use the touch screen to select tracks for up to four CDJs connected via Pro DJ Link. You can also choose between horizontal or vertical multi-wave view – and the vertical view includes an RMS meter to help you monitor and control the volume for each channel.
  3. Lockable LAN port for secure connection and 5-port LAN hub
    The DJM-TOUR1’s LAN port has a NEUTRIK etherCON® XLR connector featuring a latch lock to keep compatible cables secure. Plus, a five-port LAN hub means you can connect up to five players or laptops to the mixer.
  4. Two independent headphone inputs for easy back-to-back cueing
    Two independent headphone sections mean you and another DJ can cue tracks at the same time without hearing each other’s input. Each headphone input has its own volume control.
  5. Aux input supports a range of sources
    The Aux input is an XLR/TRS combination port, giving you the flexibility to connect your choice of external devices including drum machines, effectors, synths and samplers.
  6. Tilting screen and display shade adjust for any environment
    Tilt the 13-inch screen to suit your preference or the lighting. And attach the display shade to protect from the sun’s glare when you’re playing outside.
  7. Familiar layout and features mirror the DJM-900NXS2
    The DJM-TOUR1 will feel instantly familiar as it shares its layout and robustness with other pro-DJ mixers including the DJM-900NXS2. Like its NXS2 counterpart, it features improved channel fader/EQ curves, high quality Sound Colour FX, quantized Beat FX and an Independent Send/Return.
  8. Built-in KUVO Gateway lets you broadcast set information to your fans
    The DJM-TOUR1 is our first mixer to have a KUVO Gateway on board so you can easily connect to KUVO: our social platform that lets you broadcast information about what tracks you’re playing, in real time, to fans around the world.

MAIN SPECIFICATIONS

CDJ- TOUR1 S PECI FI CATI ONS

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REKORDBOX DJ S YS TEM REQUI REMENTS

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DJM- TOUR1 S PECI FI CATI ONS

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The mothership has landed — Pioneer DJ Tour system

THE BASICS

The nutshell version — broadly speaking the CDJ-TOUR1 is a CDJ-2000NXS2 and DJM-900NXS with some extras wrapped in metal cases with huge rekordbox touch screens. For the vast majority out there, these aren’t for you, so I’m not going to spend a lot of time on these.

These are squarely aimed at rental companies and festival organisers who routinely move Pioneer DJ gear between events where they’ll receive the maximum level of abuse that can be metered out by DJs and performers who pretty much couldn’t give a crap about the stuff in front of them because it’s not theirs. These also feature pro level audio connections too.

The target audience is clear — businesses with deep pockets that fulfil the riders of the rich and famous, especially with a complete setup as shown costing €26K. I guess you could cherry pick to get a big screen unit for your regular setup though.

I am however totally perplexed at the concept of the big screens — not so much the principle of having way more rekordbox info right in front of you and all accessible by touch, but the physical barrier it puts between the DJ and the audience. Perhaps the thinking is that cameras at festivals will beam the action to the crowd rather than having see the VIP performer directly. It just seems like an odd choice.

Side note — whenever a new product comes out with a number in the name, it generally indicates a series. So if these are TOUR1, I wonder what a TOUR2 might be? And given the popularity of vinyl, will we see a PLX-TOUR1 too? Some HDJs built like ear defenders?

SUMMING UP

That’s as much time as I’m spending on this. I doubt we’ll ever get to review them, nor do I expect more than a few of you to actually buy them. The CDJ-TOUR1 will cost €4999/£3849, and the DJM-TOUR1 will cost €5999/£4649.

GALLERY

HARDWARE

SCREENS