Even so, if you were expecting “a DDJ-1000 with two channels”, you’ll likely be a bit disappointed in this unit, especially as the chances of such a unit appearing now are presumably zero. However, in many key areas, there are differences that if you don’t understand them, may mean you make a mistake choosing between the two. The DDJ-1000 is bigger, heavier, pricer, and more fully featured – but might it be overkill for you, now that the DDJ-800 is in town? So to the mixer section. First, the crossfader. On the DDJ-1000, it’s a Magvel (high quality, magnetic) crossfader, whereas it appears to be a generic (read: cheaper) crossfader on the DDJ-800. Not an issue unless you’re a serious scratch DJ or heavy user – but the ease of replacement and overall higher quality of the Magvel would give the DDJ-1000 the edge if you are. The mixer also features 4 colour effects with dub echo, noise, pitch and HP/LP filter all being included. You can change these colour effects in the Rekordbox software and adjust their parameters too, we found this necessary with the Noise as the most recent Rekordbox update has made it unbelievably subtle and far too quiet. The Pioneer DDJ 800 features a whole host of performance features and club style mixer. The Beat FX section is what shines on the DDJ-800 mixer. A total of 14 Beat FX are available from an adjustable knob with each FX highlighted.

The DDJ 800 is a massive step up from the previous generation of Pioneer DJ controllers. Compared to its rivals from other brands, Pioneer has played on its strong, almost monopoly-like hold on the professional club market. By diluting the image and layout of the standalone professional players and combing them with the performance features digital DJ’ing has to bring, Pioneer has created a powerful controller that everyone will want to be seen with. The DDJ 800 isn’t perfect however and truth be told, we expected it to be a little cheaper. How much is the DDJ 800? There are 4 selectable color FX: Dub Echo, Pitch, Noise, & Filter – applied independently on each channel with a ‘Color’ knob. The DDJ-800 can be used as a mixer to control the volume of audio input from an external device. The external input can be adjusted by using the trims, channel faders and EQs, and when the controller is connected to rekordbox dj, you can use also Sound Color FX and Beat FX. In this in-depth article, you’ll get all the info you need to make up your mind. The DDJ-800 has the pro look and feel of the DDJ-1000, but without the price tag – and some of the features. But will it get the balance right for you? Read on to decide… What they share They both have the “new style” layout that Pioneer has brought to its controllers, that drops the more traditional controller layout and brings a more standard club layoutu003cliu003eMust connect the controller to rekordbox DJ to engage FXu003c/liu003eu003cliu003eCan only cue 2-out-of-the-4 channels at onceu003c/liu003e Features and Benefits If engaged, rekordbox DJ will time-adjust loops to fit with the tempo and proper beat placement. I’d recommend keeping the quantize button on while making your loops. Performance Pads

Dedicated buttons for Key Shift and Key Sync – take direct control of rekordbox dj key-related features Thanks to new innovations in material design and hardware efficiency, Pioneer have developed one of the more lightweight controllers without losing any integral features. It's 22 lighter than other popular mixers and weighs in at only 1.3kg. Jog wheel displays Out of the box, it’s immediately apparent that the build quality of the 800 is decent, if understandably not quite up to the standard of Pioneer’s range-topping gear. You can also see where features have been dropped from the DDJ-1000 to make a smaller, more affordable unit. I’m sure you can find your unique style with an array of Pad FX performance modes. Best Alternatives to the DDJ-800x Color FX, 16 x Beat FX; Echo, Multi-tap Delay, Spiral, Reverb, Flanger, Phaser, Pitch, Slip Roll, Roll, Filter, Noise Also, you can’t assign the Beat FX to the microphone inputs on the DDJ-800 as you can on the DDJ-1000 – maybe an issue if you have a vocalist who wants effects on their mic, for instance. Inputs and outputs