Pioneer DDJ-1000 - New rekordbox Controller from Pioneer

February 6, 2018 Product presentations

Pioneer announced the DDJ-1000, a brand-new controller for the Rekordbox DJ software. Featuring new On-Jog displays, CDJ-sized jogwheels, and new effects, the DDJ-1000 is clearly designed as a controller that closely reflects what one would expect from a professional and complete Pioneer Club setup.

The DDJ-R line was Pioneer DJ's first line of dedicated controllers specifically for their own DJ software, Rekordbox DJ. However, the design and features were nearly identical to the highly popular DDJ-S line, designed for use with Serato DJ.

With the announcement of a new controller, the DDJ-1000, Pioneer DJ is finally taking its own controller line in a unique direction. No, it's not a standalone device, but it's brand new and has a few unique features that could also hint at other future Pioneer DJ products.

Features of the Pioneer DDJ-1000

Full Size Jogwheels and CDJ Layout

One of the biggest drawbacks of some DDJ controllers (and the XDJ-RX) is that the jogwheels don't feel as premium in build compared to the "real deal" on CDJs. Even with these large jogwheels, the device still weighs only 6 kg, just like the DDJ-SX2/RX. The jogwheels also feature a "Feeling Adjust" button, just like on CDJs, meaning you can adjust the resistance of rotation.

Overall, this controller seems very much geared towards reflecting a CDJ rather than a DDJ. For example, the dual-browse rotary knobs - one on each deck.

This allows DJs to reach up and to the right to load a track. In older DDJs, the browse control was in the middle of the mixer section, which could lead to uncomfortable contortions during performance.

Display on Jogwheels with Waveform Display

Pioneer has placed full-color LCD screens in the center of the jogwheels. These display a variety of information, including waveform, cue and loop points, and BPM number. You can customize the information shown here individually. Pioneer seems to want to establish this as a standard for its controllers. More and more products are getting On-Jog displays.

It's hard to say whether these new displays will really be useful compared to using a computer screen (which anyway needs to be nearby for library browsing). The waveforms seem to be a bit small for some applications.

Beat FX (with 4 new additions)

The DDJ-1000 adopts 10 Beat FX from the DJM mixer series, but also includes four new additions.

Enigma Jet, Mobius Saw, Mobius Triangle - Rising and Falling effects
Low Cut Echo - Echo effect that cuts the low frequencies of the echo

Dual USB Ports

Any controller that might be used in a B2B situation should have two USB ports. Pioneer first introduced them on the DDJ-SZ, and it's great to see that the DDJ-1000 is equipped with two USB ports. Each channel of this new controller is switchable between USB A, USB B, and Line/Phono.

Other Features

There are a few other noteworthy things from the official press release that aren't immediately obvious:

Magvel Fader: There is a magnetic crossfader on the DDJ-1000 based on the Magvel Fader Pro installed on the DJM-S9 battle mixer. This is evidently a "light" version of this fader but is still designed for millions of movements.
Scratching Latency Focus: According to Pioneer, they say: "We have refined the software processing for Jogwheel and crossfader operation to significantly reduce latency" - So the DDJ-1000 seems to be able to shine with an even further improved latency.
Four-Deck Control: Like with the DDJ-SX2/RX, you can switch each deck to a second layer and thus control four decks. This is coupled with a display on the jog screen, so you can see which deck you're on.
Slip Reverse: As first seen in the NXS2 generation of CDJs, "Slip Reverse" is the standard behavior of the DDJ-1000, meaning slip mode is automatically activated when you tap the Reverse button. Once you release Reverse, the track picks up exactly where it would have been and maintains phrasing.
Rekordbox DVS ready: There are phono inputs on the device, but apparently, you need to purchase the Rekordbox DJ DVS plus Pack and a control vinyl to use them.

Unfortunately, the DDJ-1000 is no longer available.

Check out the enhanced successor Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX10 in the shop.