Having just announced some new headphones, it’s clear that Pioneer DJ has a little more up its sleeves, and has possibly just teased it in their new video. You see that DJ in the video? What is he using? A DDJ-SZ? Is it really?
Well it probably is, but it is different, and most likely the DDJ-SZ update that has been rumoured for a little while now. How can we tell? Firstly, that’s not Serato DJ running on the laptop. And despite my years of Photoshop forensic attempts, even I can’t sharpen that screen into anything meaningful, other than seeing that it’s waveforms, decks, and library in that order. The decks appear to have the 6 slots as seen in the image shown at DJ Expo.
And to the controller — I can see it’s new because you can make out that the logo at the top of the unit has changed to Pioneer DJ, signifying some sort of update. Control-wise, I can see no layout differences, but the button colours are definitely different, changing from Serato’s customary red to blue.
The one thing I can’t be certain of is if this is a Serato DJ or rekordbox unit. There’s definitely a logo where the Serato logo should be, but it’s too blurry to make out what it is. I’ve laid the Serato and rekordbox logos over the top and done some blurring, and while the rekordbox logo fits better, it’s too close to call.
So, two scenarios exist:
- DDJ-SZ2 — this has been rumoured, and this looks like it could be it. But it is unusual in that it would run rekordbox and Serato DJ, something that I believe hasn’t been done before.
- XDJ-RZ — if it’s pure rekordbox, then the Serato DDJ designation is redundant, and the established XDJ nomenclature comes into play. Given that rekordbox (4?) is out in beta (surprisingly leak free too), and is clearly designed for controller use, I tend to favour this scenario.
As a hidden in plain site thing, I’m guessing that we won’t have to wait long to find out. In fact, I’d lay good money on my breakfast being delayed tomorrow too. I’ll find out when you do — that’s how Pioneer DJ rolls these days.