Pioneer launched its first Pioneer CDJ towards the end of 1994. This compact CD player would revolutionise the way that DJs played music in clubs and discos around the globe, and was the first real threat to the dominance of turntables. The CDJ has also proved it is capable of evolving, with each new version providing new functions in an attractive and user-friendly package.
The first model to be launched was the Pioneer CDJ 500, which was designed to appeal to DJs used to using vinyl turntables. An over-sized sensitive jog dial could be used to search music frame by frame and to select cue points. Details like this, and the top-mounted controls, made switching to these machines easier for vinyl DJs.
Although certain features allowed a trouble-free transition, others would transform the way DJs mixed music. Music could be slowed down or vice-versa without changing either the vocal or instrumental tone thanks to the master tempo control. Loop functions allowed samples to be looped continuously, while seamlessly resuming the music when the loop was released.
Using CDs instead of vinyl presented DJs with the possibility of preparing and burning CDs before a set. Heavy, bulky and fragile vinyl collections could be dispensed with and turntables replaced with the compact CD player.
Fast forward to the present day, and the Pioneer CDJ currently in production is the CDJ 2000. The latest model includes Pioneer's own music management software, which allows DJs to analyse BPM, tag tracks, set cues and loops, and carry their music to a gig on a USB key... The CDJ 2000 reads audio files on a variety of sources, from CDs to SDs and USBs.
Developments in technology allow CDJs to provide ever-more complex functions, allowing a DJ complete control over the mix he or she is creating. Larger screens and LEDs mean the CDJ is visible even in the darkest DJ booth, and demonstrate that while the machine provides more features than ever before, the emphasis is also on user-friendliness.
The first model to be launched was the Pioneer CDJ 500, which was designed to appeal to DJs used to using vinyl turntables. An over-sized sensitive jog dial could be used to search music frame by frame and to select cue points. Details like this, and the top-mounted controls, made switching to these machines easier for vinyl DJs.
Although certain features allowed a trouble-free transition, others would transform the way DJs mixed music. Music could be slowed down or vice-versa without changing either the vocal or instrumental tone thanks to the master tempo control. Loop functions allowed samples to be looped continuously, while seamlessly resuming the music when the loop was released.
Using CDs instead of vinyl presented DJs with the possibility of preparing and burning CDs before a set. Heavy, bulky and fragile vinyl collections could be dispensed with and turntables replaced with the compact CD player.
Fast forward to the present day, and the Pioneer CDJ currently in production is the CDJ 2000. The latest model includes Pioneer's own music management software, which allows DJs to analyse BPM, tag tracks, set cues and loops, and carry their music to a gig on a USB key... The CDJ 2000 reads audio files on a variety of sources, from CDs to SDs and USBs.
Developments in technology allow CDJs to provide ever-more complex functions, allowing a DJ complete control over the mix he or she is creating. Larger screens and LEDs mean the CDJ is visible even in the darkest DJ booth, and demonstrate that while the machine provides more features than ever before, the emphasis is also on user-friendliness.
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