[youtube id=”MnjG9Xdz0XI”]
Pioneer’s rekordbox marches onwards, upwards, and off on its own path, one that seems to be heading towards being a little more than just a music manager. rekordbox 3.0 adds dual decks with sync, better searching, advanced tagging, and improved syncing across all devices. Yes, it’s just a lot better.
The complete breakdown from Pioneer:
Pioneer DJ launches rekordboxTM 3.0: with new features
including My Tag and in-software mixing2nd July 2014: The next generation of set preparation software has arrived, as Pioneer DJ releases its biggest update yet to the popular rekordboxTM. Incorporating five years of feedback from DJs, rekordbox 3.0 has a slick new GUI and has been built from the ground up to make it even easier to manage and edit playlists, search for and select the best tracks to mix, and sync track information across multiple devices and software.
Since its launch in September 2009, rekordbox has been used by DJs to manage their music, prepare sets and review played sets. rekordbox analyses BPM, beat position and key information, and lets DJs add cues, loops and beat countdowns. DJs can then perform on Pioneer players, like the CDJ-2000NXS, with instant access to waveforms, quantise functionality and the ability to edit playlists on the fly.
The latest update combines all the original features with exciting additions such as 2-Player mode, which lets DJs crossfade between two tracks to intuitively audition mixes from within the software. Great mixes can be marked as a Match for quick and easy retrieval in the future, while Related Track lets DJs call up all tracks that meet certain tags, e.g. BPM, genre or key. Plus, My Tag gives DJs the option to add their own tags to suit their individual style.
Improvements include faster import and export of files and enhanced syncing with other media, including iTunes, across devices. So DJs can take rekordbox 3.0 with them, wherever they go, with confidence.
Download rekordbox 3.0 free of charge, from 2nd July 2014, at: http://rekordbox.com/
NB: earlier versions of rekordbox will not be supported after the release of v3.0
Check out the new rekordbox 3.0 at http://youtu.be/MnjG9Xdz0XINEW FEATURES IN DETAIL
2-Player mode for instant auditioning of tracks for the mix
DJs can use the on-screen crossfader to check the compatibility of two tracks, without needing to export them to the CDJs and mixer.Enhanced search and select features
rekordbox 3.0 makes tagging, search for and selecting tracks even easier through:
- My Tag: DJs simply click to add preset tags to tracks – e.g. Synth, Vocal and Piano – or create their own – e.g. 909 snares, deep vocal.
- Preview: DJs can see a waveform view of tracks directly from the playlist and play from a point of their choosing.
- Match: DJs can click Match to link two tracks that are playing in Preview, and rekordbox will automatically suggest one of the tracks when the other is played in future.
- Related Tracks: with a track loaded, rekordbox will suggest tracks to mix depending on what rules the DJ chooses, e.g. key, BPM, genre.
- Shortcut: DJs can bookmark playlists and playlist folders to load them quickly and easily.
Intuitive controls for navigating tracks
In addition to a full colour waveform display, rekordbox 3.0 features:
- Cue point customisation: DJs can add comments to and colour-code their cues.
- Beat Jump: enables DJs to move the track on by a specified number of beats or bars.
- One-click access: to Play/Stop and Cue/Point.
Playlist Palette for effortless playlist editing
DJs can view up to five playlists simultaneously to move tracks between them more intuitively.Sync Manager for one-click syncing across all devices
Sync Manager displays playlists from multiple devices and software, e.g. rekordbox, iTunes and USB storage devices, so DJs can sync to the latest one instantly.
Improved software performance
- Tighter beat grid accuracy: new beat position analysis ensures greater precision.
- Faster import and export: through multi-core processing. Plus DJs can continue to work in rekordbox while data is exporting.
- Improved HDD support: faster export to HDD, plus the ability to import from HDD.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Compatible Operating Systems (Windows) Windows® 8/Windows® 8.1/Windows® 8 Pro/Windows® 8.1 Pro Windows® 7 Home Premium/Professional/Ultimate/2 GHz or greater Intel® Pentium® 4 (or compatible) processor 2GB or more RAM Compatible Operating Systems (Mac) Mac OS X (v10.9,10.8, 10.7 or 10.6) 2 GHz or greater Intel® Pentium® 4 (or compatible) processor 2GB or more RAM Hard disk 250MB of free HD space (excluding space necessary for storing music files) Sound Audio output to speakers, headphones, etc. (built-in or external audio device) USB port USB port for connection of the USB storage device is required to transfer music files to a USB device (flash memory, hard disk, etc.) LAN port An Ethernet LAN adapter (RJ45 port) for communicating with the DJ player is required to transfer music files to a Pioneer DJ player (i.e. CDJ-2000NXS, CDJ-900NXS). For details, check the operating instructions of the Pioneer product, etc. Playable music file MP3, AAC, WAV, AIFF Display resolution 1280 x 720 and higher resolution Internet connection SSL (i.e. Safari 2.0 and above, Internet Explorer® 8.0 and above) * Full functionality is not guaranteed with all computers even when the above operating environment conditions are fulfilled
* The software may not provide full functionality and performance due to lack of memory. In this case, take the necessary measures to ensure sufficient free memory. We recommend adding extra memory to achieve stable performance
* Use an external AC power source to ensure highest possible performance while using rekordbox
* rekordbox may not function properly when combined with other software programs installed on your computer
rekordbox 3.0 — more than just a library?
This is obviously a big leap forward on just about every area. But what really does leap out at me is how rekordbox seems to be evolving into a more rounded DJ software. It’s someway off the Traktors and Seratos of the DJ world, but on top of bolstering the music management element, the addition of two decks will most probably lead to four decks and then being a complete DJ package.
Complete? No effects? Well complete for working with Pioneer CDJs and DJMs that is. It has everything bar effects which in Pioneerland are usually hardware based. This means that rekordbox is lean and mean and ready to rock two decks, but I cannot help but think that this will translate to four decks in due course. But that’s just be theorising as I do.
rekordbox 3.0 is an overhaul, and a worthy landmark release. I’ve downloaded it, played for five minutes, and find myself immediately impressed. The real test will be using it with a full Pioneer setup, something that we don’t have. So I’m looking for some feedback from you Pioneer owners who use rekordbox.
Summing up, rekordbox 3.0 is out now and is a free upgrade.