Pioneer DJ continues their stronghold on professional DJ players with the release of the CDJ-3000: A New Dimension. Boasting their first ever MPU (micro-processing unit) Pioneer DJ has reimagined the CDJ-range to fit the future of dance music. It’s a good thing too, being as the last addition to their 2000 range was back in 2016. An important aspect of the new CPU that drives the CDJ-3000 is that its OS software will be at the ready for future updates. Essentially, Pioneer DJ is already in preparation for the next decade of feature additions, ensuring a reliable and creative future.
While many artists aren’t currently performing due to COVID-19, it’s a given that most clubs and festivals will make the upgrade to the CDJ-3000. Unless you have the disposable income of Skrillex or David Guetta, it’s a pricey home setup. As with greater enhancements come greater costs, and as of now the CDJ-3000 is priced at $2,299.00.
Pioneer DJ raises the degree of efficiency
At first glance, the most noticeable upgrade is the new nine-inch full color HD LCD touchscreen display that’s bigger and clearer than ever before. While DJ booths and touchscreens aren’t always the best mix, the CDJ-3000 720p resolution screen has new streamlined additions.
Now DJs can customize preferences, swipe to navigate and utilize shortcuts and useful button features like Playlist and Search. Beneath this workflow-oriented screen is the new home of eight colored cue buttons, four more than before. All set into a new aluminum faceplate giving the CDJ-3000 a sleek, sturdy feel that weighs in around 12 pounds.
Photo Credit: Pioneer DJ
With a focus on performance, the all new hardware on the CDJ-3000 gives DJs better control of popular features. Pioneer DJ has put a large focus on all-in-one units lately, and have added some items from every DJ’s wish list. New additions like dedicated beat jump buttons help skip through tracks with ease, between 1/2,1,2,4,8,16,32, or 64 beats. There’s a dedicated 8 beat loop button, as well as the ability to activate odd value loops to create polyrhythmic patterns.
Hands down the most exciting new features of the CDJ-3000 are the new Key Sync and Key Shift buttons. No longer will DJs scramble to manually match the key of incoming tracks as Key Sync will automatically adjust, ensuring a smooth and harmonic mix.
A quick search of the touchscreen will find the Key Shift feature, allowing DJs to manually shift the key of a track up or down. For scratching enthusiasts Pioneer DJ has designed the “smoothest-ever” jog wheel with a reduced touch latency. They’ve also improved overall aesthetics by adding a LCD screen at the center which displays the artwork of loaded tracks.
Alongside an abundance of redesigned controls and performance upgrades there’s a few extra surprises. One worth mentioning is the Pro DJ Link Lighting feature, giving DJs the ability to sync sounds with lights. The CDJ-3000 sends phrase analysis information to rekordbox, allowing it to control lighting effects via the RB-DMX1 (available separately). No matter the venue, DJs will be able to sync lighting with ease, taking their show to the next level.
What’s missing on the CDJ-3000?
As a highly anticipated reveal the CDJ-3000 is definitely Pioneer DJ’s response to the DN-SC6000. It’s no secret that Pioneer DJ tends to overlook streaming capabilities within their CDJ range, and this is no exception. For now the CDJ-3000 are unable to stream from Beatport LINK, SoundCloud, TiDAL or even Pioneer DJ’s own rekordbox library to Dropbox. Surely set to arrive as software updates in the following months, but it seems strange to not arrive on rollout.
For now the only playable options are to use rekordbox-analyzed music from USB drives via Export mode. Laptops are connected via a USB-HID control to use Link Export or Performance mode for free. One fun new feature is the ability to connect your iPhone to the CDJ-3000 with a Lightning to USB3 Camera Adapter and mix from rekordbox for iOS. That’s right, you’ll never miss out on a mix sesh again due to a lack of music.
Overall many of the CDJ-3000’s updates are key improvements in already standard features with an emphasis on functionality. In a sense Pioneer has locked down the basics of the ultimate all-in-one unit, dropping the CD drive and opting for a CDJ fit for the future. For the full overview and list new features head over to Pioneer DJ’s website now!
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