The DJ, rather than dealing with something good but not quite there, gets to use a fixture similar to Pioneer’s DJM series. What’s particularly different is that the DDJ-SZ comes with a built-in high-quality mixer with a good number of controls and effects, like the Sound Color Filter for dynamic arrangements. You’ll also get Magvel faders, designed with a contact-free magnetic system that’s better for long-term usage. The DDJ-SZ, too, comes with dual USB ports, offering the DJ the option of connecting two laptops or other music sources for effortless transitioning. The backlit performance pads, for instance, give the user a clear visual reference to the mode you’re in and correspond with cue points in Serato DJ, with an option for customization. You perform with whatever makes sense and suits you.Īside from this, the DDJ-SZ and DDJ-SX2 are both very visual devices. It’s kind of a downer to settle for a certain tension – something every DJ has had to do with a controller – but this aspect lets you customize the resistance anywhere from light to heavy. The DJ gets all the standards – illuminated cue point markers, the playback status, position, and countdown features, for starters – but what makes this a must for professionals is the adjustability. These full-size, 8.1-inch wide illuminated wheels are some of the most responsive and smooth out there. The jog wheels pretty much surpass anything you’ll find. First off, the controller is 35-percent bigger than the DDJ-SX, and Pioneer took that opportunity to incorporate more and expand upon existing features. Although this aspect alone isn’t enough to outrank the competition, what Pioneer does within that framework is. Pioneer has said it intends to match the CDJ-2000NXS in design and capabilities to provide something that’s both intuitive for mixing and beyond sufficient for scratch performance.Īs a result, the DDJ-SZ is larger.
What puts these two models in an entirely new class? The Design However, because of the construction, capabilities, and quality, the DDJ-SZ could give controllers the legitimate status they deserve. True DJs, they say, use vinyl or a CDJ – some physical form of music.
Essentially, what Pioneer has created could be something that’s as lasting as the CDJ.ĭespite the number of models on the market, controllers continue to have a reputation as the “lesser” DJing medium, as software and a computer are involved. Then, the DDJ-SZ evolved everything forward with a bigger design that doesn’t skimp on functions – not the mixer, not the jog wheels, and not the effects. First, there was the DDJ-SX2, which added Serato Flip functionality to the DDJ-SX design. Over the past year, that’s started to change.
Not long after, the brand introduced its DDJ-SX model, but from that point, other gear has, frankly, been on par or eclipsed it. Well, the downside of latency is that latency gives a delay between a control being pushed (moved/rotated/twiddled etc) and the computer noticing that action happening.When we attended the Winter Music Conference two years ago, we spoke with Pioneer, who promised something completely new and game changing. So… why not just set the latency to 1000ms and leave it there? There’ll never be an answer to “What latency setting should I use?” as everyones computer, background programs, foreground programs and attached hardware will be different. When it’s said that a latency is too low, an example could be where the latency figure has been set to 5ms, but really needs to be 20ms or 30ms or 40ms. So, once your computer has got a couple of hours into the party, it might not be as able to process data as quickly as it did at the start of the night - requiring the latency setting to be increased. Remember too that a hot computer can “throttle back” or “throttle down” its CPU cores as a way of cooling the cores. Similarly, hooking up a MIDI device with 100 encoders and 200 LEDs may take more of a toll on laptop processing than a MIDI device with 20 encoders etc. Crackles, pops, drop outs, skipping etc are all things that happen when the number of things that the computer has to think about (dozens of times per second) are too much for the computer specification eg: signs that the latency setting is too low.Įvery program or subroutine that’s running on the computer and everything thats connected to the computer will give the computer more and more to think about.