Friday is a day when nothing happens in the world of press releases. And for some reason, my body decided to stay in bed until the ungodly hour 08.50am this morning. So you can imagine my surprise when I opened my email, and through my bleary eyes saw the most humongous lump of hardware staring back at me. After a period of eye-rubbing and reading, the email garnered a couple of expletives, words that essential meant “golly — there’s a turn up for the books”. Pioneer DJ just announced the video ready DDJ-RZX mothership, and in turn dropped a rather large mic in front of the whole industry.
Here’s the DDJ-RZX press release:
Capture, control, create: Meet the DDJ-RZX audio and video performance controller – Native control over the new rekordbox™ video Plus Pack for rekordbox dj
1st July 2016: We’re releasing our new flagship controller, the DDJ-RZX. Designed to make the most of the new rekordbox™ video Plus Pack for rekordbox dj, it builds on our heritage of making video DJ equipment like the DVJ-1000 and SVM-1000. The DDJ-RZX is a 4-channel professional controller for mobile DJs and anyone who wants to bring videos into their performances.
The DDJ-RZX features three touch screens for viewing track information and applied pad effects. Video previewing and monitoring is sharp on the 7-inch screens and they give access to all the key features in both rekordbox dj and the new rekordbox video Plus Pack. You only need to use your laptop to browse your rekordbox library and select tracks. Two XLR combo input jacks give distortion-free Mic output and the 3-band Mic EQ and Mic FX let you tune each voice. Plus, the extensive FX unit includes Combo FX, Sampler Repeat and Release FX, as well as the studio-quality Sound Colour FX from the DJM-900NXS2 mixer. It inherits traits from the CDJ-2000NXS2 multiplayer and DJM mixer series including large jog wheels, multicoloured Performance Pads and high-quality sound.
The DDJ-RZX is available from July at an SRP of €2,999 including VAT. The controller comes bundled with licence keys for rekordbox dj, rekordbox dvs and rekordbox video (worth a total of €409 including VAT).
rekordbox video is a Plus Pack for rekordbox dj that adds video performance features to our rekordbox dj performance software. Its key features include:
- Native control of videos – scratch and add FX to videos as if they were audio tracks
- Transition FX – use the crossfader to mix two video sources with a choice of 20 in-built FX. Add up to five effects to your favourites and recall them
- Touch FX – trace on the display’s x and y axes to add FX and adjust parameters
- Slideshow – create slideshows of still images in advance or on the fly
- Camera FX – show the live feed from a digital camera connected to your computerTo buy the rekordbox video Plus Pack for rekordbox dj, follow these steps:
- Install the rekordbox music management application (version 4.2 onwards). Download it here for free (available from 1st July 2016).
- Buy a rekordbox dj Plus Pack licence key here for €139 (if you don’t own one already) and install the Plus Pack.
- Buy a rekordbox video Plus Pack licence key here for €159.
If you’re a rekordbox dj monthly subscription user, you can use the video features without buying a licence key. Find out more about the rekordbox family.
Watch our introduction video for the DDJ-RZX or find out more here.
KEY FEATURES OF THE DDJ-RZX
- Layout mirrors a CDJ set-up
Mix audio and videos instinctively with features inherited from the CDJ and DJM series including large jog wheels and multicoloured tactile Performance Pads. The 4-channel controller has an independent sampler section for intuitive control of Beat Sync, Quantize and Trim on the sampler.
- High-quality sound
Hear the true sound of your tracks thanks to AC inlets for reduced cable contact resistance and a high performance 96 kHz/32-bit D/A converter made by Asahi Kasei. Plus, low jitter clock IC and the 96 kHz/24-bit USB sound card ensure powerful, high-quality sound.
- Three touch screens for complete control
Take your performances to the next level by using the three 7-inch touch screens to preview/monitor video and image files, and to trigger Beat FX and Release FX. Plus, Touch FX lets you add FX and adjust parameters by tracing on the x and y axes on the display. Use deck display mode to check track information such as titles, BPM and key. And use mixer display mode to see enlarged waveforms for each track, as well as loop and Hot Cue information. Create instant doubles by simply touching the display.
- Professional Mic section
Hear voices loud and clear thanks to two XLR combo input jacks for Mics. Control the output with the 3- band Mic EQ and use the four Mic FX – Echo, Reverb, Pitch and V Tune – to add texture and to tune each voice.
- Extensive FX unit
Add the following FX to your tracks from rekordbox dj or external players and sound sources.
- Combo FX – control Sound Colour FX and Beat FX at the same time using the touch screens
- Sampler Repeat – change the length of a loop just by touching the display and apply Sound Colour FX when using the rekordbox dj sampler
- Sound Colour FX with sub parameter control – use the studio-quality Sound Colour FX from the DJM-900NXS2 mixer including Sweep, Filter, Crush, Dub Echo, Noise and Space, and fine- tune them using sub parameter control
- Release FX – exit complex FX patterns by selecting Vinyl Brake, Echo or Back Spin and twisting the dial
- Other features
- Active Censor – intuitively control the new Active Censor feature in rekordbox dj. Set in and out points and apply Reverse Roll, Trans, Echo or Vinyl Brake FX to disguise explicit words in tracks. The FX will then be heard whenever the track is played from rekordbox dj
- Three bundled licence keys – comes with licence keys for rekordbox dj, rekordbox dvs and rekordbox video
- Newly developed crossfader – highly durable and capable of over 10 million movements
- OSC sampler – four oscillator sounds
- Dual USB port – for smooth transitions between DJs
- Brushed aluminium faceplate – high quality and professional design
- P-Lock fader cap – locks fader knobs to prevent dropping
A protective case for the DDJ-RZX will be available. Made from lightweight, durable materials, it has a robust, black metal frame to keep your controller safe during transit. It also features built-in carry handles and wheels for easy transportation (to be sold separately).
DDJ-RZX specifications
Software：rekordbox dj
Input ports：CD/Line x 4 (RCA), Phono x 2 (RCA), Mic x 2 (XLR & 1/4-inch TRS jack)
Output ports：Master Out x 2 (XLR x 1, RCA x 1), Booth Out x 1(1/4-inch TRS jack), Headphone Monitor Out x 2 (1/4-inch stereo jack x 1, 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack x 1)
Other ports：USB x 2 (Type B x 2)
Frequency response：20 Hz ～ 20 kHz (USB, CD/Line, Mic1, Mic2)
Total Harmonic Distortion ratio：0.002% (USB), 0.003% (CD/Line)
S/N ratio：116 dB (USB), 101 dB (CD/Line), 91 dB (Phono)
Power requirements：AC 110 V to 240 V, 50 Hz/60 Hz
Power consumption：48 W
Maximum dimensions (W×H×D)：945 mm × 119.7 mm × 547 mm
Unit weight：15.9 kgrekordbox video SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
< OS>
Windows: Windows 10, 8.1, 7 (The latest service pack)
Mac: Mac OS X 10.11, 10.10, 10.9 (Updated to the latest version）
<Minimum system requirements>
CPU: 2.5GHz dual-core IntelⓇ CoreTM i5 or above
Memory: 8GB or more of RAM
Hard Drive: 250MB or more of free space (not including space for storing music files, etc.)
Display resolution: At least 1280 x 768<Recommended system requirements>
CPU: 2.2GHz quad-core IntelⓇ CoreTM i7 or above
Memory: 16GB or more of RAM
Hard Drive: 250MB or more of free space (not including space for storing music files , etc.)
Display resolution: At least 1280 x 768
DDJ-RZX — BACK IN THE VIDEO GAME
Having got over the shock of such a thing (Pioneer DJ had a gap in their market that we hadn’t thought of), especially on a Friday, my mind turned to the product itself. And Pioneer DJ is showing itself to be brave and clearly after DJ world domination by dropping the biggest boldest lump of video capable hardware in the DJ scene. Video is an area that sits on the fringes of regular DJing, and has yet to really find its feet. Pioneer of old invested heavily into the scene at the very high-end as well, but it never really took off in a big way.
But what we have here is a massive controller, essentially a DDJ-RZ with touch screens. It’s the shrunk down touring system for the rest of us… well the rest of us with deep pockets anyway. But it does video as well, rather than being primarily a video controller. So it will absolutely sell to a number of people based entirely on being the biggest controller in the market, but has the added value of being an all in one video ready controller.
But it’s good to see that the video Plus pack isn’t limited to the DDJ-RZX. Obviously you don’t get the built in video features in all the other units, which leads us neatly to…
LAPTOP STILL REQUIRED
Sorry people — the DDJ-RZX, even with three x touch screens still requires a laptop running rekordbox with all the plus packs installed. The hardware lacks any AV outputs, making the laptop the link to your video screens and your music library. There’s no USB ports on the faceplate either which does rather indicate that this will never be a standalone unit.
I’m not in any way surprised — we’re still waiting for a full four channel standalone unit from… well anyone really. It’ll get there of course, just not yet. But bar standalone, this is the most complete rekordbox experience that you can get. It’s a full mixer, and as such is rekordbox DVS ready too. I don’t see DVS being standalone inside anything for a while, if only because you need some serious internal grunt, as well as screens.
SUMMING UP
The DDJ-RZX will cost €2999/$2999/£2369, complete with rekordbox, rekordbox DJ, and all the Plus Packs, and will be available in July. Pioneer DJ just needs to start making mics so they can at least drop their own for a change. ;)
GALLERY
