Pioneer DJ DJM-V10 in the product review

In 2020, after much speculation, Pioneer DJ launched the V10 mixer. It wasn't a great time for the launch, as the pandemic was raging, but at the same time, the abundance of livestreams gave the product a great opportunity to promote itself. From Carl Cox to Charlotte de Witte, most legendary DJs had it in their setups, and made some fun livestream sessions.

The robust build quality you've come to expect from Pioneer DJ is present here, with a touch of quality in everything. With its 6 channels and plenty of connectivity options, it opens up the room for creativity. Weighing nearly 12kg, it doesn't prioritise portability, but rather a confident club setup.

So why 6 channels? Do we actually need that?

Many people have criticised the mixer, saying that 6 channels are unnecessary, but anyone who has mixed in a club, knows that extra channels are always useful.

DJM V10 Banner

Switching and varying setups is a real problem in clubs, in many photos and videos you can see a desk with 8-10 players, 2 different mixers and on top of that everyone has their own equipment (laptops, effects pedals, etc.)

DJM V10 Lifestyle SetupThis is solved by 6 channels and the abundance of inputs. You can take over from the previous DJ in the most subtle way possible, whatever your setup is.

Essentially, it's not necessarily designed for a DJ to play with 6 separate players, but for more convenient switching, B2B sessions, and effects channels.

Ein Hauptmerkmal des DJM V10 ist, dass er eine bedeutende Innovation in die digitale Klangverarbeitung gebracht hat.

A key feature of the DJM V10 is that it has brought significant innovation to digital sound processing. The V10 promises a sound that competes with the best in class analogue mixers and after a few tests, we have to say that the magic truly works!

Thanks to the best sound card ever to be put into a Pioneer mixer, the sound is superior to the DJM 900 NXS2 and we guarantee that any human ear will have a hard time telling that it's not an analogue mixer.

The designers have done what they do best, they've put almost all the DJ technology that exists into the mixer, but they've still kept the user-friendly layout. If you walk over from any other DJM mixer to a DJM V10, you'll feel just as confident.

 

There are 5 inputs to choose from:

  • LAPTOP A: Direct USB connection to laptop
  • LAPTOP B: Direct USB connection to a secondary laptop
  • DIGITAL: The mixer can receive digital signals (e.g. from CDJ)
  • LINE: Traditional input for any player
  • MULTI E/A: Send/Return channel; you can basically send the sound from an effects pedal or RMX 1000 to an existing channel; works in conjunction with the CH Select button on the right, or can be combined with on-board effects
  • EXT 1: external effect
  • EXT 2: external effect

A new feature is the Compressor, which tends to bring the sound of older recordings up to a level that can be mixed more smoothly with fresh tracks. The compressor basically matches the levels of parts of the track, damping the louder parts and boosting the quieter ones, so the mix is more balanced.

Isolators are mostly found on vintage rotary mixers. As these are in their renaissance, the V10 also offers at least the option of an isolator. Its role is simply to add colour to the sound of the Master Mix. You can boost or filter out certain frequency ranges. This isn't entirely new, as we've also seen isolators on the DJM 1000 mixer, which also has 6 channels.

The 4-band EQ is a premiere on a Pioneer DJ mixer. Xone:92 mixer fans mostly swear by this, because they can mix more expressively and precisely if the midrange of the frequencies is separated, but it won't be completely alien to those who are used to 3-band mixers.

In terms of connectivity, the biggest new features are the MULTI I/O channel, 2 extra LINE channels, AES/EBU output for large sound systems.

DJs will love the DUAL CUE system, which allows them to listen to different channels individually. Special mention to the fact that they also made sure that the 2 headphones don't get tangled up in each other, but conveniently have one input on the left and the other on the right for more convenient back 2 back sessions.

The BEAT FX section is similar to the DJM 900 NXS2 system, but is much easier to use and cleaner thanks to the large clear touchscreen display. Effects can be sent to the Low/Mid/Hi frequencies in the same way, and you can now set parameters even more precisely from the touch screen.

To make things even more interesting, the SEND FX knob lets you send a signal from one channel to another, which you can then send back to any effects pedal or effects unit. For example, on channel 2, the music is playing in its original form, and this is also where you turn off the SEND FX. The signal is altered via an effects pedal and the new altered signal can be brought back to another channel. SEND FX can be used in the same way with the mixer's built-in effects.

All in all we see the V10 as a mixer that combines everything DJs have come to love over the last decades. Some people swear by the isolators of rotary mixers, some by the 4-band EQ, some by the DJM 900 NXS2-style built-in effects, some by the fact that they can't leave home without 2 or 3 external effects pedals.

The DJM V10 makes sure that whoever ends up at the clubs’ DJ booth, will be able to use the mixer without missing anything. On top of that, the 6 channels give you the convenience to make switching easy or B2B sessions even more comfortable.