Ok, so I thought I'd give it a while before I wrote about this product, a kind of a 'lets if the dust settles' thought. Maybe the hype will pass? Sales dwindle off? Something bigger and better comes peeking its head on the horizon? No, just NO.... This little beauty is gaining in momentum and stature, as more and more people find out first hand how good it REALLY is.
Why is that though? Well where do I start? Simply put, it ticks all of the boxes for the masses. Yes, there will always be little improvements that some people would like to see, but all in all, this is the all-rounder gives 99.9% of people a reason to buy it (thats a made up, presumptive figure by the way - no survey was undertaken ;) ).
Djing these days seem to be split into catagories, Vinyl, CDJ (cd or usb) or Laptop, none being 'better' than each other as they all have their plus points and gripes. So what does a dj do? Buy all formats and cover all areas? Well in an ideal world yes, but realistically not many would be able to fund doing so. So the general consensus is to purchase something that you will use the most or get the most out of, also something that you hope to be playing on in a club environment, especially for all those aspiring djs. I think any brand would admit that Pioneer have got the 'club standard' title these days, therefore most djs would love to own a CDJ Nexus package... thats where the stumbling block comes, a nice figure that many can only dream about having surplus in their account. This is where a dj may then think "hmmm, I can only afford a controller to use with the laptop that I already own", problem solved. Well yes, but are you buying something as a stop-gap, as when you close your eyes and dream about rocking Pacha or Amnesia, will you be using a controller with your trusted laptop that you do your homework on or stream movies on every night? Probably not...
Enter the Pioneer XDJ-RX.... The all-in-one unit thats not a controller, like some still think, that emulates the Nexus. Granted it does look like a controller and you can use it with a laptop to run REKORDBOX, but it has 2 USB ports in that will power your rekord.. i mean record collection. This 2 channel unit has many of the same functionalities that you'll find on its bigger cousins on the CDJ Nexus', but its been scaled down to the features that you'd use the most, along with its impressive display. The main beauty therefore, is that when you plug your USB into the system in Pacha or Amnesia, its virtually the same as you'll not have to learn anything different than what you've been practicing with on the RX.
The Pioneer XDJ-RX also has the coolest, most handy function that you'll ever find on an all-in-one unit - The ability to record your mix directly onto a USB and even track mark the mix as you go. So all of those times where you wish that someone else heard your mix, you played a killer set or you simply just want to listen back to your music and see what you could change, you can do it with a touch of a button. Also, finding the time to sit down to plan, play and do everything else involved in doing a mix for soundcloud / mixcloud etc is so time consuming, literally you dont have to worry about that now, which is just perfect in todays busy day-and- age. Oh and as you can plug vinyl decks or cdjs into the unit, if you do so whilst recording a mix, it STILL records the external tracks... So you can drop that 'vinyl only' release into the middle of your set, no problem.
Still not convinced? Still think that its easier to navigate using a DVS? Take a look over at Rekordbox.com and see how its changed over the last few years, for the better. The one thing that you'll notice when you first put your USB or external hard-drive into the XDJ-RX is the speed of how fast it reads the information. I personally use a 1TB hard drive when I play out and some of my playlists have 1000 (the maximum that rekordbox allows on any one playlist) and when I say it reads it INSTANTLY, it really does. You can then sort the folder (via the unit) in various ways, whether it be by 'artist name', 'track name', bpm, key or rating to name a few, then the selection knob in the centre of the console allows you to fly up and down your folder at speed, giving you easy access to those thousands of tracks you have on your storage device.
All in all, at £1199 this is the perfect unit for start-up djs, experienced djs, pro djs, bars and studios.... I dont think it will ever replace the Nexus packages in clubs, but it gives more and more people the ability to get the closest thing too it without breaking the bank.
This unit does so much more than what I've touched on, but I guess thats what the spec pages are for on the official websites.... I'd easily give this product a massive 10 out of 10 and welcome anyone to come down to the store to try it out for yourselves.
If you would like more information, here are some links that may be of use -
Pioneer XDJ-RX at Dj Tech Direct
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5beZsD14TegPioneer XDJ-RX Overview on the OFFICIAL Pioneer Website
If you like the idea of the XDJ-RX but still prefer single unit decks and a different mixer, check out the PIONEER XDJ-1000