Pioneer DJ Rekordbox 6 now itty Rekordbox cloud library

Pioneer DJ's Rekordbox jumps to a subscription-only version 6, and the iOS version gets a boost. And with it comes a full cloud-based library with syncing.

Pioneer DJ Rekordbox 6 now itty Rekordbox cloud library

There’s music buying and then there’s streaming. These are two diverse approaches to DJing – the first sees you buying and downloading tracks, and transporting them to wherever you’re playing. With streaming however, you technically rent an entire world of music which automagically appears wherever you play (wifi permitting of course). But Pioneer DJ’s new incarnation of rekordbox 6 and rekordbox for iOS take a hybrid approach to this and allows you to access your library wherever you are. So no more social media “oh no I lost my USB” posts. This is the USP, but there is more than just this feature.

So let’s dig in, and then I’ll try to simplify it for you:

CLOUD-CONNECTED: NEW rekordbox introduces cloud library management –

Sync your library on multiple devices

April 14, 2020: Right now, we’re respecting the essential requirement of social distancing.

Like all of our friends in the music community, we look forward to being united once again on the dancefloor. Until then, to help you prepare, practice, and perform from your home, we’d like to announce that rekordbox ver 6.0 and rekordbox for iOS (ver 3.0) are now available. Loaded with a host of major new features, our updated DJ application now enables you to sync your whole music library on multiple devices via cloud-based application Dropbox*1. 

What’s new in rekordbox ver. 6.0?

The way we enjoy music has evolved, with computers and mobile devices becoming the focal point for listening to our favorite sounds and emerging genres. Naturally, the needs of DJs have changed too. So, we’ve rebuilt rekordbox to offer centralized music management that stores your tracks in the cloud so you can play them via multiple devices whenever you like. Three new subscription plans – including a free option – offer different feature sets so you can use the package that best suits your needs. Choose from the Free, Core, and Creative plans.

For the first time, Export mode users can prepare sets in an advanced virtual DJing environment using Performance mode, which is now free of charge*2. Take out the Creative plan within rekordbox ver. 6.0 and you’ll always have cloud access to the latest version of your library – wherever you are. Prep playlists, tracks, and metadata such as cue points on your studio computer then download it all to your laptop. You can even choose playlists and tracks to transfer to and from your iPhone. So, if you’re trying out ideas like setting Hot Cues on a new track, you can update your library from your iPhone and the changes will be reflected on all your devices. And if your computer goes missing or gets damaged, the music and metadata in your DJ library will be up to date and safely stored in the cloud.

Keen to drop the freshest sounds into your mixes? rekordbox for Mac/Windows (ver. 6.0) now integrates with Inflyte, the global music promotion platform. Use rekordbox for Mac/Windows (ver. 6.0) to browse the tracks in your Inflyte Promo Locker and, if you have Dropbox enabled, rekordbox can even automatically import promos for you.

The new rekordbox for iOS (ver. 3.0) also brings a host of new features to enable smoother preparation for performances and support for more file types. Read about all this and more in the Key Features information below.

rekordbox is available now via three subscription plans (see details below). Watch the introduction video or find out more about the updated application.

Rekordbox 6.0 virtual tour

Want to learn more about making the most of the new rekordbox 6.0 features? Join us on the Virtual rekordbox tour we’re doing! For more information on dates and times, register now – www.pioneerdj.com/rekordbox-tour/

rekordbox subscription plans

With the release of rekordbox ver. 6.0, we’re ending the previous licensing system. From now on, you’ll be able to use the application with your choice of a free plan or two monthly subscription plans. This means you can select the plan that best suits your lifestyle, and the way you DJ, and you can easily use advanced features. You can switch between plans whenever you like if you want to try out features included in a higher plan, e.g., Cloud Library Sync. 

Introductory offers

We’re offering a 30-day trial of rekordbox ver. 6.0 subscription plans. This offer is open to everyone, even if you’ve used a rekordbox free trial for a previous version of the application.

Following the free trial, a special introductory offer will be available until July 13, 2020. Anyone who subscribes within the offer period will remain on this introductory price of £6.99 per month (Core plan) and £9.99 per month (Creative plan). These monthly introductory prices will be locked in for all future rekordbox 6 updates. If you cancel your subscription, you’ll need to re-subscribe at the full price. 

Prices will increase from July 13, 2020 to £9.99 (Core plan) and £14.99 (Creative Plan).

Check out the table below to discover what you can do with each plan.

FreeCoreCreative
Free of chargeWhen a Hardware Unlock device is connected (selected Pioneer DJ products) £9.99/month£6.99/month 

(incl VAT)

INTRODUCTORY OFFER

Offer ends 

July 13, 2020

£14.99/month£9.99/month

(incl VAT)

INTRODUCTORY OFFER

Offer ends 

July 13, 2020

Free of charge
Export mode✓✓✓✓
Performance modeControl with a computer✓✓✓✓
Control with DJ equipment✓
Hardware Unlock devices only		✓
All supported devices		✓
All supported devices
Video play✓✓✓✓
Video output✓*3✓*3✓*3✓
Lyric✓*3✓*3✓*3✓
Recording    ✓*3✓✓✓
DVS✓*4✓✓
RMX EFFECTS✓
Saving sampler sequences✓
Cloud Library Sync✓

For a full list of compatible Hardware Unlock Devices, visit the website.

*1 A Dropbox user account is required. A Dropbox Basic free plan includes 2GB of storage. You can earn more space for your Dropbox Basic account or upgrade to a paid subscription with more storage (as of April 14, 2020). 

*2 Performance mode is free when controlled via PC/Mac or a Hardware Unlock device, or when using the Core/Creative plan.

*3 Use of the feature is limited with this plan.   

*4 Selected products only.

Note:

– rekordbox for Mac/Windows (ver. 6.0) can’t be activated with a ver. 5 license key.

– Subscription plans used with ver. 5 (or earlier) can’t be used with ver. 6.0. A subscription plan for ver. 6.0 is required.

For full terms and conditions, visit the website.

For FAQ’s click here. 

Shared key features of rekordbox for Mac/Windows (ver. 6.0) and rekordbox for iOS (ver. 3.0) 

  1. Cloud Library Sync

If you link your Dropbox account with rekordbox, you can upload a part or all of your library to the cloud when you use the Creative subscription plan. Then, when you log in to your Pioneer DJ account on another device, all your tracks, playlists, Hot Cues, etc. are synchronized. You can use this feature to create backups of your library, or to sync the library from your main computer at home or in your studio to your laptop or iOS device. You can also prepare playlists, tracks, and metadata such as cue points on your iPhone.

  1. Mobile Library Sync for use with iPhones

If you don’t take out a subscription plan, you can still transfer music on your computer directly to your iPhone by connecting both devices to the same network. If you edit metadata such as cue points and playlists on your phone, the changes will be seamlessly synced to the library on your computer when you reconnect both devices to a single network.

Key features of rekordbox for Mac/Windows (ver. 6.0) 

  1. Inflyte support

If you use the Inflyte digital promo service, you can check out all the tracks in your Promo Locker without leaving rekordbox, then simply choose which files you want to import to your library. Want to skip a step? Switch on the automatic sync feature and all new files available in your Promo Locker will immediately import to your rekordbox library every time you go online.

  1. Centralized management for various sources of music

Manage all your music in one place with rekordbox ver. 6.0. As well as the files on your hard drive and those in the cloud and your Inflyte Promo Locker, you can access tracks from the Beatport LINK and SoundCloud Go+ streaming services. All your files will be analyzed by the application, enabling you to view waveforms, create Playlists, set Hot Cues, and tag tracks – wherever they come from. Even better, support for the new DJ streaming service Beatsource LINK, which is provided by the DJ music distribution services Beatport and DJcity, will be available via an update to rekordbox late Spring.

  1. 3Band waveform gives a visual representation of frequencies

Understand how a track sounds without even listening to it. 3Band waveform uses different colors to indicate the volume of each frequency band. The three elements are either stacked (full waveform) or layered on top of each other (enlarged waveform) depending on the view you choose, so you can see the composition of the music just by looking at the waveform.

Blue = lows 

Amber = mids 

White = highs

  1. Light option in Skin settings greatly improves screen visibility outdoors

If the sun’s shining on your screen, switch the Skin setting to Light mode and you’ll get a much clearer view of all the information in rekordbox. Whether you’re playing at a festival, pool party, or other outdoor event, browsing tracks becomes easy thanks to the specially designed white background and high-contrast interface. 

  1. Auto Relocate automatically finds missing tracks

Never “lose” a track again thanks to the Auto Relocate feature. If the track you want to play next is missing because you moved it, rekordbox will search all locations within a specific folder chosen by you (e.g., your Pioneer DJ folder) until it finds the track, corrects the path, and plays it from the new location.

  1. Ableton Link support for syncing with various apps and hardware

Synchronize the tempo of the master rekordbox deck with other apps on your device, apps on external devices, and hardware that’s compatible with Ableton Link technology. Go back-to-back with DJs using different performance applications, keep samplers and instruments in time with your tracks, and sync your music with VJ and LJ software that supports Ableton Link.

Key features of rekordbox for iOS (Ver. 3.0)

  1. Mobile Library Sync 

Sync the library on your iPhone by connecting it to the same network as your computer. You can download your entire library or the individual playlists and tracks you need. Any updates you’ve made to playlists or tracks on your phone will be reflected when you connect to 

Wi-Fi.

  1. Support for direct connection to CDJs and XDJs

Find, review, and prepare tracks whenever inspiration strikes and play them directly from your phone on selected CDJs and XDJs. There’s no need to import files to, or export them from, your laptop. So, if you’re sent a hot new track just before your set (or even during it), you can play the analyzed file with Hot Cues, etc.

  1. New GUI and features for smoother preparation

Enjoy a smoother workflow. We created the new design and fresh features to help make it easier to prepare for gigs, even using a small screen. All of the following can be operated one-handed:

  • Playlist Box – for intuitive music management

Reference the playlist/collection you’re browsing and keep an eye on the destination you’re sending tracks to, which appears at the bottom of the screen. With Playlist Box, you’ll always know where you’re moving tracks to and from. 

  • Quick Cue – rapidly call up and set cue points

Flick the Quick Cue button to the left to set your Memory Cues, flick it right to set your Hot Cues, and tap it to set Realtime Memory. There’s no need to switch screens.

  • Realtime Memory – set Memory Cues on the fly

Set a Memory Cue point by tapping the Quick Cue button. You can do this when the track is playing and even during Auto Beat Loop. This saves the process of stopping the music and pressing cue, then Memory, so there’s no need to interrupt the groove. 

  • Dual Control – preview specific points in mixes

Check how a mix will sound further down the line. When you switch on Dual Control, all functions will be linked for both decks. So, with both tracks playing in sync, you can Beat Jump forward or swipe the waveforms and both tracks will advance by the same amount. This enables you to hear how the mix will develop without waiting for the tracks to play to that point.  

  • Independent A/B Decks – easily prepare each deck

When both decks are displayed in Player mode, you can view Deck A or B on its own by swiping left (to see Deck A) or right (to see Deck B). You can then select a new track or adjust any of the cue or grid settings for that deck only. Swipe again and you’ll switch back to viewing both decks.

  1. Expanded features comparable to Export mode experience

Preparing for gigs and DJing with rekordbox for iOS (ver. 3.0) feels similar to using the latest version of rekordbox Export mode (ver. 6.0). Use Beat Jump and Manual Loop, edit track and My Tag information, and find suitable tracks to play next with the Matching feature. You can play more file types too, including WAV, FLAC, and ALAC, as well as MP3 and AAC files. 

rekordbox for Mac/Windows (ver. 6.0) specifications

Compatible OSMacmacOS Catalina 10.15 (updated to the latest version)macOS Mojave 10.14 (updated to the latest version)

macOS High Sierra 10.13 (updated to the latest version)

WindowsWindows® 10, 8.1 (the latest service pack)
CPUIntel® processor Core™ i9, i7, i5, i3
Memory4GB or more of RAM

rekordbox for iOS (ver. 3.0) specifications

Compatible OS (iOS)iOS 13, 12, 11
Compatible modelsiPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, iPod touch(6th generation), iPod touch(7th generation)

More simple subscription?

Forgive me — my head is in other things right now, and my polite declination to sign an NDA meant I didn’t get to see press materials before today. But I find this somewhat confusing as to what you can and can’t do, and just what you’ll need to spend to enjoy the full delight of cloud-based rekordbox play. But here’s my best attempt to simplify it for you:

  • rekordbox is now subscription only with three tiers — free, core (£/$/€ 6.99), and creative (£/$/€ 9.99). These prices rise steeply at the end of July, but early adopters get to keep the reduced rate.
  • In the broadest possible stokes — free is a library manager with some additional but limited playback features (including DVS) but is activated when plugged in some Pioneer DJ hardware. Core gets you full DVS, and Creative is full-fat everything.
  • You need the full Creative subscription for cloud syncing.
  • You’ll also need a dropbox account. A free one might do (2Gb) if you do partial libraries, but some will need a paid Dropbox account.

Any clearer?

WOT NO CDJ?

Something stood out to me, and that’s how the CDJs and XDJs have dropped off the hardware unlock list. In rekordbox 5, CDJs and XDJs unlocked performance mode so that you could use them with a laptop. But now, according to the approved unlocking hardware list, you’ll need to fork out £6.99 a month now. Have I understood that correctly?

So rather than be confused, I fired off an email to Pioneer DJ Europe and got the following response:

“…our lower priced models support hardware unlock as the Hardware unlock costs for these products have been incorporated into the price as they are designed primarily for use with rekordbox performance mode.

For products such as the CDJ-2000NXS2, HID control of performance mode is not mandatory, therefore we have not incorporated the Hardware Unlock costs into the product so users have the option of using a DJ performance software of their choice. We want to avoid having customers pay for software that they may not use. Our CDJ series, such as the professional grade CDJ-2000nxs2 are primary designed for standalone USB playback utilising on-board processing without the need of a computer.”

So basically, a typical CDJ Nexus setup is designed to be used without a laptop. But if you want to use it that way in this new subscription model, you’re going to have to pay. I see the logic, but some will be readying a post at change.org, or sticking with version 5 for as long as they can hold out.

In the style of Montell Jordan – “This is how we cloud sync”

SOME OPINION on Rekordbox Cloud Library

With rekordbox 6, you can now essentially publish your Rekordbox cloud library in whole or in part to Dropbox, and have it available to you anywhere at any time. And being able to make changes on the fly in the iOS app and have them sync back to your centralised library is a great tool too, and more or less essential for this to work. God knows others have tried and failed to make this happen.

I love the idea of a plethora of services, all syncing across devices. It’s absolutely where we should be in these connected times.

But like streaming, I see it as a backup and as a failsafe for when established workflows fail. And by that, I mean existing media being lost, damaged, forgotten, or stolen. I suspect that most users will prefer the security of having prepared a USB device first, and knowing that it’s as simple as plugging and playing, but having an added layer of security knowing that their library is always available via the cloud. Depending on being able to download a huge library when you arrive at your gig is foolhardy.

What will be most telling is how much of an impact the new subscription tiers will have. Rekordbox 6 draws a line under the former heavily layered options, and it seems that there will be winners and losers cost-wise. And you can be damned sure that the losers will be very vocal in comments boxes. They already are.

I cannot help but think that no matter how slick it is, adoption will be slow, especially if an expensive subscription is required to do what they did before. And I’m not sure that a cloud library and 3Band waveforms are enough to get the majority to update, but I’m sure more will come along that will entice people to click the subscribe box. Obviously new hardware will probably be rekordbox 6 only, and will doubtlessly appear on the unlock list too.

But when all is said and done, I’m happy to see their subscription model being streamlined, although a more simple free/paid two-tier solution would be much better. I’m also happy to see the technology being implemented. One day, our discussion piece about being able to log onto other people’s libraries might become a reality.

GALLERY

Tags
Mark Settle
Mark Settle

The old Editor of DJWORX - you can now find Mark at WORXLAB

Articles: 1228

Related Posts

63 Comments

  1. Pioneer just invented programmed software obsolescence :

    I bought a full licence of Rekordbox with all the options for my SX2, from now on it will go unupdated.

    I can’t imagine how angry must be the users who invested on Rekordbox-only hardware (such as some DJMs and CDJ/XDJ decks), not even part of the very limited list of the devices unlocking Rekordbox. Fortunately I’m not one of those.

    And tomorrow Pioneer can decide your DJM-V10 is not longer unlocking Rekordbox 7, so you’ll have to pay 15 bucks to continue using your $3000 mixer.

    Pioneer, sorry, it really wasn’t the right time to start ripping-off DJs.

    • Well thankfully you’re not forced into the update. It’s what they did with 3.3 to 4 where you’ll just get a pop up that you can turn off.

      I’m with you though , even down to the controller and I’m so sick of having to deal subscription models that I’m just going to live on beans and rice or whatever and buy CDJs or some kind of standalone player. That way I don’t ever have to deal with a subscription service for DJing ever again and if I want DJ software I don’t feel is trying to nickel and dime me every update, I’ll use Mixxx.

        • Nah, you do. As I was alluding to though, I think I’m going to use this shift to switch to Thumbdrive and Headphones so that I don’t have to contend with this subscription. Pioneer rules the roost where I live and bringing a laptop & controller is asking to get grief all night. Plus it would be nice to have pretty much everything I need in a headphone case.

  2. I guess throw me in with the lot of detractors of this move. At this point, I’ll use 5 as long as I can while I apparently live on Ramen & veggies so I can change over to a standalone system. I’ve never been a big fan of this streaming everything future because I live in a somewhat small metropolis and my internet is unreliable, so I’ve loved Downloads and physical media such as CDs my entire life. It seems the only way to avoid paying for yet another service that may or may not require a constant internet connection is to buy some kind of standalone system so that I only ever need export mode.

  3. No word on the future of RB5? And no xml support sounds like building walls around your garden. Oh well, back to Serato I guess. Might as well, since they haven’t introduced a DJM S9 successor yet, and the Rane Seventy is out…

    • There is no reasons for them to update RB5 unless there is a security issue with it.

      Similar to what happened with Traktor when they moved to Traktor 2

      • Feels like rekordbox 5 is a line in the sand, like when Serato DJ became Serato DJ Pro. Everything works and will continue to work, but I doubt it’ll get any feature updates at all. They’re legally obliged to support it for a period of time, but I imagine that it’ll only be maintenance updates.

        • The difference being that your cue points, library and everything
          worked side by side in SDJ and SL, but there’s no guarantee that Pioneer
          supports downgrading, or if the databases are at all compatible. Rumors say that
          RB6 database is not at all compatible with RB5 due to encryption…

  4. About RB v6:

    the removed XML export of cues/loop alone is a deal breaker to me. And still no search box on the explorer node.

    On the plus side, it now automatically auto-relocate renamed and moved tracks. It also has shared audio and video playlists.

  5. I have yet to find a positive comment about the update.

    Day mode and Denon style (wtf?!) waveforms.
    Underwhelmed.
    Making people pay to access their own files in the cloud?
    Brilliant business idea, not sure it will attract a lot of people.

    The iOS app looks good, though.

  6. Hey Mark,

    I agree with your finding as usual. But you missed one thing I think is very close to your heart as well:
    The new version of Rekordbox 6 has serious implications for those artists who convert between various DJ software, regardless of the tools they use.

    No longer is the export to XML possible. The XML import function still got the bug that was introduced with the release of version 5.6.1. And that bug even got a 2nd bug added.

    read all details here
    https://www.reddit.com/r/DJs/comments/g11s3l/xml_implicationslimitations_of_the_new_rekordbox/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x

    see what the problem is (and some kind of work around) here
    https://youtu.be/wEYVvC1S7ro

  7. I really hope they eventually support other cloud storage services, Dropbox is among the worst of breed and there’s a lot of people out there with Google, Microsoft or Apple plans with no interest in the extra expense.

    e: the iOS version is phone only, sticking with DJay on my ipad.

    • We’re at a point where a simple secure login to anyone’s collection anywhere should be a thing. Once logged in, the device can look for a library file, load that in with all the metadata/waveforms, and then start streaming the tracks as they’re loaded into decks.

    • I have heard that quite a lot.
      BUT: What if you’d like to use DVS and CDJs at the same time and be able to sync between both?
      Unless the next gen hardware will have Ableton Link built in – you’re out of luck.

    • Except browsing on a CDJ feels like I’m using a Nokia 3310, and control software like a laptop. And song selection is the most important thing for any DJ.

      • Personally I prefer using the Denon Prime screens to having to use a laptop. It’s not entirely about ease of use, and I would never argue that a smaller screen is easier than a bigger one. But leaving the laptop out of my audio chain makes me happy, and I’m willing to compromise on ease of use to do that. But each to their own.

  9. What’s annoyed me is that even though I paid for a RMX Effects license, that is now effectively useless. Money down the drain.

    The only way to get the RMX Effects now is to pay more money, continuously, for a top tier subscription. Even if I don’t need any of the other stuff.

  10. Forced upon subscriptions and even more closed ecosystem, customer-unfriendly corporate crap. How long are DJ’s going to put up with this?

  11. So I just installed RB6 for a little look…

    It tells me that converting the database from 5 to 6 will take around ten hours. WHAT?! OK so skip that part.

    In settings, I tried changing the skin from dark to light and……….crash! Great start. Can’t even change a setting without it falling over.

  12. Didn’t “one of ours” Professor BX just get praised here in December as someone that would right the Pioneer ship? What’s up Gizmo,? do you talk? Is this the direction he wanted to go? or is he now just another corporate shill working for the man?

    • I’ll be sure to give him a piece of my mind for not having changed the roadmap, strategy, and corporate culture while still in his probationary period.

      The good thing to remember is that someone in the biggest DJ company in the world is reading what is said, and actively asking for our opinion. I’m not going to talk about anything that we might discuss, but I can say that what happens here matters. It’ll just take time to filter down, like maybe years — the bigger the company, the bigger the turning circle.

      • Hi! Corporate shill here! Just a few things-
        -I work as a hardware planner in hardware, among other planners in hardware and software. I was never going to “turn things around”, as I joined a group of people who are already insanely smart, creative and who actually listen. All I can do is offer my voice to the already talented pool. Believe me, it is talented.
        2. I would love to speak about everything here, but frankly it’s above my pay grade. I will say that we listen a a lot more than you seem to assume.
        3. Mark and I talk. I hope he keeps talking to me, provided I don’t “sell out” too much.

          • I’ll field this one for Drew because he can’t comment while wearing an official Pioneer DJ hat.

            Obviously Pioneer DJ will have products in the future, but they never comment on unreleased products. It makes absolutely no sense to do so in a small niche industry. You’ll just have to wait like the rest of us.

        • My apologies, I definitely had a different impression of what was going on. Just had a re-read of your spotlight article that appeared not long after the article about a high level Pioneer employee moving to Denon. Pioneer says you’d have a manager role in product development, not be just another guy on the hardware team, the article goes on to prop you up as, an insider, working DJ, with many accomplishments (tone-arm patent etc.) and hints that you would have a true positive influence on the direction of the Pioneer “ship”. Maybe it was just a puff piece about Mark’s buddy getting a new job, I was kinda hoping it was a little more.

          Glad you pay attention here, personally I’m disappointed the restrictive subscription model looks like the future of DJ-ing, but I get it, software-wise DJ-ing is actually behind a lot of other industries when it comes to subscription models.
          I know what it’s like working for a large corp. very few “team members” can truly have influence and most times the progress made comes in small increments. I remember you from Scratchworx and your many informative/relevant/helpful posts

          “One of ours” is accurate and now you work for the big corp. with all that entails. Glad you got the job though, hope you do well and make money.

          • Ok….lot to unpack here. So….
            1. Firstly, thank you for the kind words! I don’t want to overstate or minimize my role in the team, as we have an entire planning team and they all contribute a great deal. You seem to have gone from thinking I’m the main guy in charge to having no influence. It’s neither. We have a global planning team, and we use this to be the voice of the customer for each territory, play style and customer perspective in every stage. I guess I was trying to say that if I’m that important, so is every other member of the team! If you watch “The Flash”, it’s probably most like “The Council of Wells”, lol.
            2. The piece talks about my accomplishments because it’s what I’ve done! Putting it in perspective, I was the lead on a ton of projects at Stanton/Gibson/Gemini (Cortex stuff), and this is stepping up to the big leagues. I’ve wanted this for the last twenty years, quite literally.
            3. The money comment….I don’t know what you meant by that, or if you meant anything, but this is truly a dream job for me, and that is because of what I get to do and being able to be here for the customer. I think you would be surprised at how not alone I am in this.
            Which brings me to….
            4. The subscription thing-I’m here as me, because I really wanted to clarify some things that seem to have gotten lost in translation between the article and this announcement, as far as being in charge of these decisions. I will say that we as a whole do listen and read all of the comments. Speaking your mind however is never a bad thing, and I just wanted to say that you aren’t shouting into the void.

            So….hopefully that clears some things up. I may not comment as much as I used to (as I don’t want to ever have my opinion come off as company opinion) but I literally open up DJWORX the moment I wake up every day to read the comments. That is very unlikely to change. Good, bad or ugly, it’s all valuable.

    • Because a newly hired person will instantly change a corporate strategy, that has probably been developed for some time?
      I wouldn’t blame him unless he got hired as CEO.

  13. Maybe this is why Rick Parkinson jumped ship for Denon DJ last summer?

    He saw the writing on the wall a while ago. Maybe he didn’t like the planned direction?

  14. *3 Use of the feature is limited with this plan.
    “LIMITED” being used for Rekordbox Video means – You payed for RB Video expansion in RB5.0, you CANNOT use RB Video in RB 6.0 AT ALL.
    How much improved compared to RB 5.0? Perhaps 1 % – having audio and video in playlists mixed.
    You pay for DDJ1000 some $1300, with having DVS as an option in mind as the hardware allows that. Next day, they put you in the same basket as DDJ400 where there is no possibility for the DVS (without an additional soundcard purchased).
    AlphaTheta mafia has just opened the door to Serato and Denon.
    Phase gets made, an obvious competitor to Rane Twelve – Serato embraces the competition and makes it an official Serato accesory. There is some business going on, but Serato shows that their interest is having their software everywhere, while protecting their product with licencing and hardware unlocking only back in the day and showing the love for the users. This is all coming from long time Traktor but Serato at first user.
    Would love to see Mr Pedro Estrela now doing the official conversion of DDJ1000 for the Traktor.

  15. LMAO. Cant even log in to purchase a subscription anyway. Getting stuck in the same login loop that plagues their forum. One day, they will have their website fixed, but it is not today.

  16. That waveform is a straight ripoff from Denon. Most of the options here are also rip offs of feature requests from the Denon Forums. I either sense an IP dispute coming or an announcement of a partnership with InMusic brands and Pioneer.

  17. Mark, maybe it’s the right timing for you to post the reviews of all that awesome standalone Denon hardware lineup so as we could more easily forget Rekordbox :)

  18. Surprising move to restrict their cdj’s at a time when they look like old tech compared to Denon players.
    I’m sure new pioneer cdj’s are around the corner to catch up to Denon but it all seems a little backwards and greedy.
    If Denon play their cards right over the next few years, it may be a good time to grab some market share.
    As someone who buys mostly pioneer gear, it feels more and more like giving money to Comcast or the likes.

    • Most club owners I’ve talked to are currently waiting on their orders for the sc5000’s to come in. The few I’ve asked about future Pioneer products have all said the same thing. They will just keep the current units they have on hand in case a DJ will only play on Pioneer. Sounds like Pioneer are going the way of Technics (except Technics turntables have a 34 year operating life and counting)

  20. The cost isn’t a lot, as a working DJ. But, if I was starting, didn’t have steady work, or wasn’t getting paid, I’d look elsewhere. I see this as AlphaBeta doubling down on being the “pro” option. I don’t think that strategy will work out, long term. Back when nobody else was making standalone players, it might have worked. But now, Denon is presenting a mostly viable option, with arguably better media players, and software that’s mostly decent. So why should I stay with Pioneer AlphaBeta? Name recognition?

    Also, why would you launch a new subscription service for an entertainment brand in the midst of a global pandemic? That’s… wise? No, wait, the other one. What’s the word?

  21. Regarding using CDJs with HID mode connected to a laptop, we’re working on reverse engineering the protocol to map them to Mixxx so you don’t need to pay for any proprietary software to use them. Join the discussion on Zulip if you’re interested:

    https://mixxx.zulipchat.com/#narrow/stream/113295-controller-mapping/topic/Pioneer.20CDJ-2000NXS2

    Mixxx 2.3 will also be able to import metadata from Rekordbox USB drives. We already have mappings for a handful of Pioneer controllers, including DDJ-SB, DDJ-SB2, DDJ-SX, DDJ-SX2 (does the SX mapping work with the SX3? Let us know), and soon DDJ-400 and DDJ-SB3.

  23. ““…our lower priced models support hardware unlock as the Hardware unlock costs for these products have been incorporated into the price as they are designed primarily for use with rekordbox performance mode.”

    EH?? So a £299 two channel mixer has the Hardwear unlock cost incorporated in to the price but a £1,959 one doesn’t??? What value do they then equate to unlock cost? It’s the most unlogical argument I’ve ever heard and a complete piss-take.

    “For products such as the CDJ-2000NXS2, HID control of performance mode is not mandatory, therefore we have not incorporated the Hardware Unlock costs into the product”… I see they avoid mentioning the DJM 900 NXS2 as that’s the crux, not the CDJs. All this does is piss off the folk who DO spend big money on their top tier gear when they see the freebies dished out to joe bedroom guy. Fuckin idiots

Leave a Reply