xdj-1000mk2
As DJ's slowly move away from CD's and more towards laptops and USB's, Pioneer's XDJ-1000 MK2 is a media player with a focus on life after CD's. This will be familiar to DJ's who are used to the NXS2 CDJ set up which is the industry club standard at the moment. So why switch to the XDJ-1000MK2's?

xdj-1000mk2

The benefits of CDJ with added bonuses

So you don't use CD's any more. If you want to get gigs in the best venues you need to be able to use CDJ's right? Ideally you will be familiar with the Pioneer NXS2 set up otherwise it might be slightly tricky getting used to a controller while doing a live set. It can be expensive though for a pair of CDJ-2000NXS2's and so this is where the XDJ-1000 comes in. Not only does it support the usual file types but also supports high resolution FLAC and ALAC audio. At £1,129 it is significantly cheaper than a CDJ2000NXS2 and if you no longer use CD's, its a big saving considering you don't lose much functionality. Pioneer have separated the power supply for the Analogue section completely from the digital board to ensure no interference and less noise. There is a digital output too to ensure you can send audio without it degrading.

xdj-1000mk2

Rekordbox integration

With Rekordbox included and a great 7" touch screen, its easy and fast to browse and search for tracks. You can export your entire Rekordbox playlists, hot cues and all. You really do get all of the functionality with the 7" screen as you would on the CDJ-2000NXS2's.

xdj-1000mk2

The familiar Layout

When you look at an XDJ-1000 it takes a second for you to realise you're not just looking at a CDJ. From the screen to the full size Jog wheel you get the look and feel of a premium Pioneer CDJ. This is potentially the future for Pioneer as CD's become more and more redundant. So when you look at an XDJ-1000MK2 you are looking at Pioneer potentially building a product that will eventually be a flagship or the flagship player in years to come.

xdj-1000mk2

Pro DJ Link

Pioneers industry standard Pro DJ link lets you connect up to 4 XDJ-1000's at once whilst seamlessly sharing track data like tempo and pitch etc. This means you can really sync up your tracks and due to added features like quantize lets you play cue points and loops in time with the beat.

xdj-1000mk2

Conclusion

The XDJ-1000MK2 is Pioneer looking to the future yet giving you the feel of something familiar. More and more DJ's are choosing to go completely digital with their music collection and with wireless internet getting faster and faster its becoming more and more possible to simply stream the music. So with the slow and gradual death of the CD, how long will CDJ's be relevant? Does the XDJ-1000MK2 fit in where the CDJ will leave a gap? Maybe, maybe not. Where some DJ's want the look and feel of a CDJ, some just want something more compact. Gone are the days of lugging around a bunch of flight cases when you can fit your laptop in your bag and a USB controller in one flight case and you're good to go. If you are used to the Rekordbox ecosystem and want to be able to plug in USB's wherever you go then the XDJ-1000MK2 is probably more up your street. The deep integration means you can load up all your previous playlists, hot cues, loops etc straight into the XDJ-1000MK2 and its like you didn't miss a step. The Pioneer XDJ-1000MK2 is available to order online now!