Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX10 in review

The Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX10 is the new benchmark for professional DJ controllers. This means it is destined to be the controller by which all others will be measured over the next half-decade, just as the DDJ-1000 and the DDJ-1000SRT were over the last five years.

However, you have to keep in mind that it has been better optimised for rekordbox than for Serato DJ and that some of its features might be overkill for you - plus, it costs significantly more than the two controllers it replaces. But more on that in our review.

Setup and first impressions

The Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX10 is the flagship among premium performance DJ controllers and is aimed at professional DJs. The club design has proven itself, and it is extensively equipped yet still portable.

Following the DDJ-FLX4 and the DDJ-FLX6 GT, it is the third controller in the FLX series (FLX stands for "flexible", meaning it works with various software programs and is suitable for playing all kinds of music), and it is a direct replacement for the DDJ-1000 (rekordbox) and the DDJ-1000SRT (Serato).

What's new?

The DDJ-FLX10 is the first controller to utilise the new real-time Stems feature from Pioneer DJ (or in their words "Track Separation"), which was added with rekordbox 6.7.0, for live mashups and remixes. Innovative Stems features include Part Instant Doubles, switching EQs to control Stems (first seen on the Traktor Kontrol S8 in an archaic, failed earlier incarnation of the Stems idea), and something called FX Part Select, which allows you to apply effects only to the Stems of your choice within a track.

There is also a new feature called Mix Point Link, which allows you to assemble DJ mixes semi-automatically (rekordbox only). Furthermore, this is the first DJ controller we know of with a DMX socket on the back, to which lighting can be connected directly and then controlled via rekordbox Lighting, making one-man DJ shows with lighting possible.

The DDJ-FLX10 features significantly improved on-jog displays, and the jog wheels themselves now have multi-coloured rings so you can better see what you are currently controlling - particularly useful for the new features. There is also a new Beat FX (Stretch) and a new function called Sync Rate (long press of Beat Sync) available, which allows you to adjust half/double BPMs, as well as many other small improvements.

With improved sound quality, including - according to Pioneer DJ - improved phono preamps (a nuisance on previous controllers for people who also like to play actual vinyl), and all the popular features of the DDJ-1000 controller, such as club layout and feel, full-size jog wheels, four channels, standalone mixer capability, two USB-C ports for easy switching between DJs, club-standard hardware Sound Color and Beat FX, DVS with rekordbox "out of the box" (and Serato with a Serato DJ Suite upgrade) as well as an even better Magvel crossfader - there is a lot to discover here!

We will focus primarily on rekordbox, as this is first and foremost a rekordbox controller, which also supports Serato DJ (Pioneer DJ has the DDJ-REV7 exclusively for Serato in their range, but Serato users have other options that we will introduce towards the end of the review) - but we will also take a look at the controller's Serato features.

Initial setup

As mentioned, the DDJ-FLX10 works with both rekordbox (it fully unlocks rekordbox Core) and Serato DJ Pro, and it comes with a voucher code for Serato Pitch 'n Time, an essential expansion pack that - at this point in time - should really be part of Serato DJ Pro by default.

After you have installed the software for both platforms using the provided instructions, you should check and update the firmware of your device. This is easy to do by downloading the latest firmware from the Pioneer DJ website. You should also install the configuration programme, especially if you are using software other than rekordbox. You will also need the audio driver - there is a guide for this as well.

The unit has two USB-C sockets, not the older USB-B sockets previously found on most controllers. Simply connect the provided USB cable to one of the ports and plug it into your PC/Mac or laptop.

And that's it - add music (personal, local music or log into a streaming service in rekordbox or Serato) and you're ready to go.

Club layout and feel

Overall, the controller feels like the DDJ-1000 or the DDJ-1000SRT, depending on whether you are using it with rekordbox or Serato - meaning it follows the standard "club" layout with a few deviations and extras. While you will find full-size jog wheels with proper manual tension adjustment, underneath them are controller-style pads, in two rows of four, and not a single row with eight hot cue buttons above them like on club CDJs (and the current Opus Quad).

Pioneer DJ has improved the on-jog displays so that they can show parallel waveforms, which is very nice - and they now also feature multi-coloured jog wheel rings, which are useful for indicating which Stems you are playing, as they are colour-matched to the selected Stem(s).

Track Separation Feature (Stems)

Speaking of Stems: as already mentioned, this is the first controller with hardware control for the implementation of real-time Stems in rekordbox 6.7.0 and higher - or Track Separation, as Pioneer DJ calls it. The integration is not just a gimmick; Pioneer is really serious about this:

• Separate buttons for the three available Stems - Drums, Vocals, and Instruments are available, which is at least one less than Stems in other software (which tend to divide instruments into melody and bass)
• Instant Doubles for Stems parts - These work on the opposite deck or on the layering deck on the same side; this can be changed in the settings
• Part ISO (or "Stems on EQs") - By holding the Shift button and tapping the Cue button for a channel, the Low/Mid/High EQs are turned off for the three Stems, allowing you to better control the balance between them
• FX Part Select - With this function, you can determine whether the Beat and Sound Color FX you have chosen should be applied to the entire audio material or only to the selected Stem(s). For example, you can filter the drums and music while keeping the vocals intact, or add a transformation or reverb to the vocals while the instrumental continues to play unimpeded.

The Stems audio quality is quite good, albeit not perfect, and the Pioneer DJ engineers tell us that they have deliberately made a compromise here between compatibility with the widest possible range of laptops and audio quality.

Of course, the audio quality for this type of feature is largely a matter of software and laptop, not the controller, and the DDJ-FLX10 has its own great Stems control functions that are easy to learn and fun - although it would be good if FX Part Select worked with the Sound Color and/or Beat FX of your choice, and not always with both.

Finally, a note: if you do not like the sound of rekordbox stems, you can also use all of the above features with Serato.

Mix Point Link

This function allows you to select a cue point on the track you intend to play next as the "Mix-In" point - i.e., the point where the track should start.

Then you set a cue point on the currently playing track as the point from which the next track should start - with the Mix Point Link buttons you can switch between these cue points, and your selection is highlighted on the screen (and in the in-jog display if you are in parallel waveform mode).

Once you have made a selection, press "Link" and wait. As soon as the playing track reaches the cue point you have chosen, the new track will play from there automatically. You can then devote yourself to other things (e.g., playing with Stems, keeping both hands on the mixer, or interacting with the audience).

The operation still feels a bit strange, mainly because you select the cue point on the currently playing track using the Mix Point Link controls on the other deck - but you will likely commit this feature to memory quickly if you choose to use it. In any case, it is definitely useful.

DMX lighting control

There is a DMX output socket on the back of the FLX10. The device features the old (now discontinued) RB-DMX1 lighting interface built into the unit. This makes the DDJ-FLX10 currently the only way to use rekordbox Lighting - the lighting automation function integrated into the software - within the Pioneer DJ ecosystem.

Instead of using a USB cable to connect a DMX box to the laptop, another to connect a DMX controller, and then a DMX cable to connect the lighting, you can now simply run a single DMX cable from the DDJ-FLX10 to the first light, from which the lamps can be daisy-chained as usual.

Thanks to the lighting automation functions built into rekordbox Lighting and a special light pad mode for manual control, the DDJ-FLX10 offers you at least basic control over a DMX lighting setup directly from the DDJ-FLX10. It seems to be a good compromise between real, full lighting control and no control at all. Nice to have.

Sound quality

The technical specifications look good, and more importantly, the phono preamps are - we have been assured - better than the weak ones in the DDJ-1000. In general, the unit sounds great - we tested everything through our studio speakers and were convinced by the sound quality. The effects sound as good as ever, especially the new Stretch Beat effect, which is fun to play with.

As already mentioned, the audio quality of the Stems is not perfect, but that is currently the case with every DJ software. It is only a matter of time before the sound quality is improved with updates. (Serato DJ is still slightly ahead in terms of quality here.)

Usage with Serato

Speaking of Serato: let's take a look at the implementation. This is primarily a rekordbox controller - Serato users can, for example, fall back on the DDJ-REV7 from the Pioneer range, not to mention controllers like the Rane Four, which offer deep, dedicated integration into the platform.

The Serato implementation is nevertheless good. You can 100% use Serato Stems with the rekordbox features described above - rekordbox simply links the bass and melody Serato Stems into one Inst(ruments) stem. Furthermore, Serato's pad stems and FX can be switched on instead of Loop Roll or Sampler if you wish.

The Mix Point Link feature is missing (instead, there is manual button control, which is strangely absent for rekordbox users), and the pads are incorrectly labelled for Serato, so you have to learn them by heart (although the heads-up displays on the in-jog screens still work, which is cool).

In addition, only one on-jog display option is available in Serato. Overall, everything is much better realised than the Serato implementation of previous Pioneer controller models.

The DDJ-FLX10 fully unlocks Serato DJ Pro, and as already mentioned, you also get Pitch 'n Time included, which is essential for use with Serato, so all is good.

Our conclusion

The DDJ-FLX10 is just right for anyone looking for a future-proof, professional DJ controller from Pioneer. It builds on the extremely successful DDJ-1000 and DDJ-1000SRT controllers and is the logical upgrade from one of these controllers or the DDJ-400, DDJ-FLX4, DDJ-800, or DDJ-FLX6. It is a refined, high-performance tool for accomplished open-format DJing and will appeal to serious hobbyists, mobile DJs, and professionals alike.

However, it is not a bargain - at a little over 1,600 Euros, it is about €500 more expensive than a DDJ-1000 - but it also offers more.

Nevertheless, there is much positive to report. We find the Stems implementation very exciting, even if it is (in the case of rekordbox) certainly still a first version that can be improved. The Serato mapping is also good, which means that the two controllers that the DDJ-FLX10 replaces have been successfully melted into one controller that should please both camps, even if it ultimately fits better with rekordbox.

Feel free to take a look at the tables in our Pioneer controller guide to compare all the details. Serato users should consider the Rane Four or Rev7 as a competitor benchmark and make a decision based on these two models.

Ultimately, however, the Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX10 is the new benchmark rekordbox performance controller, doing a very good job in almost all areas.

It builds on the DDJ-1000 units and continues to work very well with Serato, making it the best all-round professional controller currently on the market.