Pioneer DDJ-800 Review - What to Expect from the New rekordbox Controller
The Pioneer DDJ-800 is a brand-new two-channel controller for rekordbox DJ. It meets all the requirements that a modern midrange controller should: it features On-Jog displays, a high level of functionality familiar to digital DJs, and high portability, without compromising on quality and functionality.
The 800 is the spiritual successor to the DDJ-SR and DDJ-RR, and at this price, it could be the controller that heralds the new era of Pioneer DJ controllers, increasingly mimicking the club-standard CDJ/DJM layout and ironically surpassing them in their capabilities. If you're in the market for a new DJ controller (and assuming you want to stay within the Pioneer DJ ecosystem), then you're in the right place.
First Impressions / Setup and Installation
The DDJ-800 is Pioneer DJ's latest entry into its current controller lineup for rekordbox DJ, which uses a club layout similar to that of a CDJ-2000NXS2 and DJM-900NXS2 setup. This primarily means that the loop controls are now based on the loop area of a CDJ/XDJ media player (e.g., two orange Loop-In and Loop-Out buttons), and the effects are now accessible via a Beat FX strip next to the mixer, regardless of the Sound Color FX.
While the layout doesn't represent a radical departure from previous DDJ models, it signifies a shift in how Pioneer DJ presents its rekordbox DJ controllers, which historically were "watered-down" versions of the CDJ/DJM standard. With the DDJ-800 (and the DDJ-1000 and DDJ-400 before it), Pioneer DJ aims to facilitate the transition between a club setup and a home/bedroom setup.
Brief Overview of the Controller
The DDJ-800 is a two-channel controller: the mixer section features a three-band EQ, a Sound Color FX knob, and channel volume controls and a crossfader. You can route a phono or line signal to the two mixer channels, and you can switch between the phono/line inputs or the four software inputs (Decks 1-4 in rekordbox DJ) via the switch matrix on top of each channel.
Each deck of the Pioneer DDJ-800 features a jogwheel with integrated display for displaying track data and waveforms, a Jog Adjust dial (also known as Feeling Adjust) for adjusting the tension of the jogwheel, eight performance pads with eight performance pad modes, a long throw pitch fader, transport and looping controls.
Effect Section
The effects come in the form of Sound Color FX (Dub Echo, Pitch, Noise, and Filter) to the left of the mixer and the Beat FX area above it on the right. It features 14 Beat FX (more on that later), various controls for adjusting Beat FX parameters, and an OLED display for displaying the Beat FX status.
It's worth noting that while the DDJ-800 does have a mixer that works standalone, meaning you can route audio from turntables or media players through it, you cannot use the Sound Color FX or the Beat FX unless the controller is connected to your laptop with rekordbox DJ.
The Rear
On the rear, the DDJ-800 features XLR and RCA master outputs, 6.3mm booth outputs, switchable phono/line inputs for both channels, two microphone inputs (one combined, one 6.3mm), a RCA aux input, a USB port for connecting to your laptop, and a power socket and switch. On the front side, there are 6.3mm and 3.5mm headphone outputs.
The DDJ-800 is rekordbox DVS-ready, meaning you can connect turntables and work with timecode vinyl with rekordbox DVS - purchasing rekordbox DVS is necessary for this. Thanks to the new "Plug and Play" feature just implemented for this device, the DDJ-800 will work immediately with rekordbox DJ without a license - the controller itself is the license.
Jogwheel Displays
The main feature of the DDJ-800 is the integrated jogwheel displays. They are located in the centers of both jogs and display track waveforms, album art, needle position, a cue scope for showing upcoming hot cues, key and BPM data, and more. The idea is that with all this information on your controller, you spend less time staring at your laptop.
While indeed spending less time on the screen and more on the controller, I still found it impossible to completely detach from it, because a laptop screen displays a greater amount of data on a larger display.
So, although the jogwheel displays are not perfect or essential, they are a nice feature that I've appreciated in recent months, as I've transitioned to the DDJ-1000. I consider it a "summary" of the track I'm playing, although I still find it unnecessary when there's a complete display with all the information on the laptop right next to me.
A possible variation for Pioneer DJ (perhaps DDJ-2000?) would be a built-in display in the center of the controller, showing waveforms and the library, similar to the Rane Seventy-Two mixer or the XDJ-RX2.
Performance Pads
The performance pads of the DDJ-800 are made of thick rubber and not plastic like in other controllers. I prefer pads like these instead of those "click buttons" as they offer a faster response time. They are the same size as those on the DDJ-1000, so they are slightly smaller than the pads on full-size controllers like the DDJ-RZ, but that's perfectly fine.
There are eight pad modes on the DDJ-800:
- Hot Cue
- Pad FX 1
- Beat Jump
- Sampler
- Keyboard
- Pad FX 2
- Beat Loop
- Key Shift
Beat FX
The Beat FX stripe on the DDJ-800 allows the user to apply time-based effects to each of the channels, the sampler, the microphone inputs, or anything coming out of the master output. There are a total of 14 Beat FX:
- Low Cut Echo
- Echo
- MT Delay
- Spiral
- Reverb
- Transformer
- Enigma Jet
- Flanger
- Phaser
- Pitch
- Slip Roll
- Roll
- Mobius Triangle
- Mobius Saw
The OLED display above the Beat FX section shows which effect is currently selected, along with the tempo and current beat length, which can be changed using the Beat Links and Beat Rechts buttons below it.
Loop Control
Looping on the DDJ-800 works via the loop controls at the top of both decks: There are Loop-In and Loop-Out buttons available to set manual loops, and to set a four-beat auto loop, simply hold down the Loop-In button for a few seconds.
Once a loop is activated, you can double or halve the loop length by pressing the Cue Loop/Call buttons. To exit the program, simply press the Reloop/Exit button. You can also edit the entry and exit points of your loop by pressing the Loop In or Loop Out button and adjusting the point with the Jogwheel.
This is comparable to looping on a CDJ/XDJ media player, so it's useful to get accustomed to this workflow if you plan on DJing in clubs and bars that have a CDJ/DJM setup.
Conclusion
The Pioneer DDJ-800 fulfills all the requirements of a modern midrange controller: It offers integrated screens on the Jogwheels, a wide range of features, and greater portability than the DDJ-1000, without compromising on build quality and functionality.
It's the spiritual successor to the DDJ-SR (one of my favorite controllers overall) and the DDJ-RR, and at this price point, it could be the controller that heralds the dawn of a new era of Pioneer DJ controllers, increasingly simulating the club-standard CDJ/DJM layout and ironically surpassing them in terms of capabilities.
If you're looking for a portable controller for the rekordbox universe without compromising on functionality and build quality, then this controller is the one for you.
The Pioneer DDJ-800 is now available in the SHOP.