Behind The Beats Episode 1: Tracing The History Of The CDJ

[@Amit.Mahyavanshi]

As history says that cdj was loved by the mobile djs first, I think now its time for controllers to take over cdjs in the clubs.

[@digitaldjtips]

Only time will tell :)

[@ct1296]

Whilst I think controllers are a fantastic thing for the industry - an affordable option to allow almost anybody to start djing in some form of hardware - I don’t think they’ll take over for a few reasons. Firstly, adding a computer to the booth is just introducing one more thing that can crash or go wrong. Modern CDJs are incredibly reliable, yet computers crash far more frequently and relying on them on the dance floor could prove to be very dangerous. Secondly, one of the main appeals of a laptop for a mobile dj is full customisation - with software, folders, playlists etc. There’s currently no “standard” setup for a controller dj and there’s no demand for one to be established - for this reason it will be hard to customise the booth setup for a new DJ each night. Finally (and I’d argue most importantly), putting a screen between the dj and the dance floor creates another barrier and you lose a sense of intimacy. There’s nothing better than playing in an intimate club environment with your audience right in front of your face, and I personally (as well as I presume many other DJs) would never choose to play with a screen that takes that away, no matter how great the controller. I can definitely see xdj-rx style all in one controllers being present in DJ booths in the near future, allowing djs to easily play from a laptop if they choose, but as far as standard controllers go I don’t see there being an overall advantage without some serious innovation from the software companies (Serato, traktor etc).

[@Amit.Mahyavanshi]

Yeah, You are right, though My opinion is differ for "Putting a Screen Between" point. I think it depends on how it is used by dj. Let's wait & watch what's happen in future.

[@Amit.Mahyavanshi]

yeah..

[@johnparker8270]

Here's how I see it panout. The club has a high powered server on site the DJ brings his controller his chosen software is stored in the cloud along with his tunes. Multiple ports on the server allowing for easy changes overs probably handled automatically. The DJ can access his cloud profile and dl a temporary copy to the servers HD thus not having to rely on the Internet and risk connection failures. I think the only thing holding this back these days is the current Internet download speeds #hearditherefirst 😉

[@robjennings7502]

Great video! Still rocking on CDJ 700's to this very day. And IMHO, the 1000 MK3 was (and probably still is) Pioneer's CD version of the Technics 1200. Those units were built like tanks.

[@digitaldjtips]

Yeah still a lot of life in the "old ones"!

[@D_2_da_K87]

The cdj 1000mk3 will always be the daddy to me. Still I sold all my digital gear and went back to decks with a traktor z2. Best of both

[@churchillcoins8519]

Also the history of DJ turntables starting with early styles, Technics and Pioneer would also be interesting.

[@digitaldjtips]

Good suggestions :)

[@franklove]

Cdjs have been the king of the DJ booth since the CDJ MK2. Seems like every Club I worked at had that and a 600 mixer and techniques 1200s.

[@Psychofrakulator]

I remember a MySpace post from Moby around 2005 or 06, about him trying CDJs for the first time. It was basically him saying: "Why did I hesitate to use them for so long? DJing with CDs is awesome!"

[@digitaldjtips]

Haha, love that

[@churchillcoins8519]

Great video, please do more of these. Maybe DJM’s, EFX, etc.

[@digitaldjtips]

DJMs would be a good second episode :)

[@eRazer101]

Digital DJ Tips would love it as well.

[@OfficialDJWolve]

I still to this day, remember that's day in 2014 when the XDJ 1000 came out, I was so sure that was what I was going to buy as a first player, but by the time came around to buying stuff, I bought a controller instead, but I will never forget, getting to try out the XDJ 1000 at a DJ shop I visited in 2015, I loved how high tech they were.

[@stevemcc1842]

Joey that was awesome. The first one I used was the CDJ 700s people would come up to me and ask can you scratch with them. They were great.

[@digitaldjtips]

I started Numark dual tray CD players - I cut my beatmatching teeth on them because they would always play a few milliseconds late after you press play, so had to get good with learning how to use the Pitch Bend buttons and lining up the beats in my headphones XD -Joey

[@stevemcc1842]

Joey, the guy that trained had one like that, but had a couple Denon ones first. The pitch faders were small and no one complained. Pioneer does it with the RB and the SBs and everyone cries.

[@nkemsamuelnnanna]

Love it. Please the history of the Pioneer DJ DJM series like the DJM 850 should be next

[@digitaldjtips]

Good idea! Will keep that in mind :) -Joey

[@darrenoke2155]

Used to ❤ my Pioneer CDJ100s and DJM300 Mixer! Solid PARTY ROCKERS! And the effects used to blow peoples mind back then! AWESOME VID!

[@digitaldjtips]

Thanks Darren!

[@andypunch8946]

I was looking for a video like this a couple months ago, thank you!

[@digitaldjtips]

You're welcome Andy!

[@KoiFabiosa]

WOah!!! Such a great video. Thanks for giving us a History Lesson about the CDJs.

[@digitaldjtips]

Cheers Garry!

[@JanThomasPettersen]

But Batman scratched a CD in 1992!! ;-) :-D

[@digitaldjtips]

XD for those of you wondering, here's the clip Jan's talking about lol kzbin.info/www/bejne/rorEqGh6r72cipY

[@JanThomasPettersen]

Exactly! Batman was ahead of his time.

[@acewolf3005]

Jan Thomas Pettersen Batman Returns

[@ClectaSkiMusic]

Cool stuff thanks for the trip down memory lane....

[@digitaldjtips]

Definitely 😀

[@TEHEPICBROS]

Really enjoyed this, thanks for making it! Would love to see the evolution of other DJ gear as well - mixers, controllers etc etc

[@digitaldjtips]

You're welcome James!

[@JohnWDisco]

I love how the time of the video is 808

[@digitaldjtips]

Haha, worked out perfect :)

[@majorswitch8117]

Yo dude you done well on this vid big up .... i was one of them djs that hated pioneer when they first arrived on scene too lol i lost alot of freinds cos hated them so much lol i still love the 1210 forever lets never forget the foundations lol p.s i now own 2000nxs2 tho as well as the technics

[@Jesse_James_Dj]

Video length is confirmed wavy.

[@digitaldjtips]

:)

[@Silkmaster4200]

I love Pioneer DVJ - 1000 And Pioneer DVJ - X1 Classic lol

[@ReboyGTR]

I think it’s time for Pioneer to ditch the CD part of CDJ and make the XDJ line their flagship models going forward. Just look at the Denon SC5000. And for the 5 people in the world that still spin CD’s they could make something similar to the CDJ 800. Just a basic CD DJ deck with loop functions.

[@digitaldjtips]

I think Pioneer DJ's media player intentions will be made clearer when they release one this or next year :) if it's a flagship model like an "XDJ-2000NXS" or something, you'll know where things are going to be headed!

[@dj_paultuk7052]

From what i noticed last week at Tomorrowland, the SC5000 is king at present. The Denon kit rocks.

[@peachent]

CDs are very handy to use as a backup, and it's nice to still play physical media sometimes too.

[@AvenueCrew]

Nice content, keep it up

[@digitaldjtips]

Thanks!

[@djkoilive]

you should go over the evoloution of djm mixers next! great video!

[@digitaldjtips]

Nkemakolam said the same thing! Will do :)

[@tombyrnerocks]

Loved it. Definitely more of these Joey, thanks very much!

[@digitaldjtips]

Noted :)

[@sean9t9]

Your vids kill, and this one made my day! Many thanks 🙏

[@digitaldjtips]

Awesome to hear, thanks Sean

[@djrichiet]

The CDJ2000 NXS2 is no longer the latest model, now that Denon have taken over with the SC5000 primes, which are becoming ever more popular and working seamlessly with rekordbox, serato and traktor. Whilst pioneer may be 'club standard' they fail to be 'industry standard' because they are not fully class compliant devices. However lets roll back a bit to when pioneer used heavy marketing and promoting with their DJM600/CDJ800 models. These were given away free to big clubs and big named DJs in return for promotion and advertising/endorsements. But there was a big sneaky tactic hidden within this, and it boils down to the RIAA phono preamps in the pioneer mixers, you see these had a horrible boost around 70Hz causing feedback, and a rolloff upwards of 11-12kHz causing vinyl to sound rather muddy. It was this which made people 'think' that digital was the way to go forward, and even the latest pioneer mixers still have this issue (with build quality plummeting more since they were brought out by KKR) - The good thing is vinyl has returned as it offers a better sound quality where digital will always have errors like jitter, ailiasing and non linearity (this is separate from S/N ratio) Just because something is 'popular' it doesnt mean its the best choice. many DJ shops have been told by their pioneer reps to up the sales of pioneer kit or risk losing dealership, so thats one to watch out for when trying out different kit. There are many other technical issues with pioneer, such as many mixers having no mains earth (its important for something to have a mains earth to be pro audio standard build spec) so my advice would be to listen to us engineers, rather than DJ salesmen because things are changing very fast.

[@digitaldjtips]

Vinyl has returned? Really? Not for 95% of DJs.

[@djgartek]

HEY you miss the DVJ-X1. it was the first media player who wants to be a standard for video and audio mixing

[@judyreyjumamoy]

such a high quality production! mabuhay!

[@digitaldjtips]

Thanks Nik!

[@mrmeza78]

I remember when I was on the 1200s. I would look at the CDJs in the booth thinking, "this will never make it." 😳

[@digitaldjtips]

Lol yep that's usually how it starts!

[@TVperson1]

Do these things have a future though? Aren't most DJs just using a laptop and controller as it's cheaper? I mean, I can see a CDJ or XDJ as a backup, but controllers with Rekordbox, Serato, VDJ or Traktor would be a simpler setup with more control. CDJs seem a bit 2003ish, but I guess they're easier for DJs of that time period as the DJs of the original vinyl era were with their 1200s. It seems like Pioneer is investing heavily in Rekordbox DJ because they know CDJs are becoming a bit of a relic of the past.

[@HiFiInsider]

CDJ today without the CD part. lol....

[@argslash]

Awesome content and nice editing too!!

[@digitaldjtips]

Thanks!

[@SharpFitnessLook]

Wow! 1998 I was just buying my first pioneer 500 mixer an 2x technics turntables

[@digitaldjtips]

Good times :)

[@rickquesada925]

Excellent video. Thank you 😎🎧💿

[@digitaldjtips]

Many thanks!!

[@yamaforever]

Liked this a lot, keep it up, thanks from sweden

[@digitaldjtips]

Varsågod :) -Joey

[@hot4futureyears2come]

great video

[@digitaldjtips]

Cheers Jose!

[@Atem_S.]

Great stuff! Waiting for episode 2!

[@digitaldjtips]

Thanks! 🙌

[@akinkunmicook2977]

Great video!

[@digitaldjtips]

Thanks!

[@MattNewt9837]

Looking at the future; no more jog wheels and stems use?

[@digitaldjtips]

Maybe... although Traktor tried this and it seems everyone loves wheels...

[@DavidTramacchi]

Everyone anticipating the next CDJ release from Pioneer?

[@b.gibson8602]

So are we ready to kill off the CDJ for the XDJ??? I can’t see paying $2200 for a CDJ when the XDJ is $1100 and just about all the functionality you need. The build quality is much better on the CDJ but is that worth paying double.

[@digitaldjtips]

Could be the case, would take awhile for the clubs to catch on though, if at all

[@Jtweezy4shez]

This was awesome

[@digitaldjtips]

Thanks!

[@LewsomeTwosome]

Kudos on the video and on the accuracy of the statement that Roger Sanchez was one of the first to really advocate the use of CDJs. In fact, he was the primary reason I even invested in them when I did although my first pair were the smaller CDJ-700s when I was a mobile DJ, one of which I still have and use to this day. Appreciate your channel and the informative videos.

[@digitaldjtips]

Thanks for watching :)

[@streetwaxtv]

i really like this style

[@digitaldjtips]

Thank you, more to come :)

[@RuneSmedstuen]

@3:05 Was CDJ-100s introduced before Pioneer mixers with onboard effects? I kind of remember DJM-500 having effects, and being released "way before" the CDJ-100s. Also, DJM-600 was released a few months before the CDJ-100s, giving Pioneer two mixers with onboard effects before the release of CDJs with frontloading slots. www.djresource.eu/Topics/story/38/The-Pro-DJ-History/

[@dj-peterofficial2753]

You're right. He slipped, but I think he had 2-channel mixers in mind when he said that. Besides that, the CDJ-100 was considered a beginner model and were not made for pro use. The same is true for the CDJ-200/400/350. The most remarkable is that even though they were not of pro standard, the build quality was good enough that a lot of the units are still working perfect today. This has been one of the struggles for Pioneer, and now also Denon it shows. Clubs tend not to buy new gear until the old gear is worn out beyond repair. With easy access to almost any spare part of a CDJ, for cheap(ish), it sometime takes 2 generations or more before new gear is on the shopping list. I had my CDJ-2000NXS for 6 years, brought them to over 400 gigs and still used them at home for practice and recordings, and the only thing I had to service was the cue buttons. I sold them to a friend and they are still going perfect , almost 8 years old. That's why sales didn't take off with the NXS2, and the reason why Denon can't sell their new series to the clubs. ...and probably the reason Pioneer has waited almost 5 years this time to introduce the next gen of players. In October this year I've had my NXS2 setup for 4 years, and it still feels and looks brand new. Still there's people talking about how bad the build quality is of the Pioneer gear compared to other brands...

[@MrLAzlopl]

Totally loved it. Make more stuff like this.

[@digitaldjtips]

Would you be interested in a "history of" for particular types of software? :)

[@MrLAzlopl]

@@digitaldjtips you should do traktor history or talk about mixxx - open source dj software

[@Le_Lys_Eclectique]

Hi! I'd love the history of N.I Traktor and Traktor Kontrol if possible!!!! Cheers man!!!

[@digitaldjtips]

Cool idea, thanks Tony!

[@apexpredator_jku]

Oh how things have changed since this video was initially uploaded. The pandemic flipped the script and redefined the Industry and in turn, the Industry Standard. The term, "bedroom DJ" became somewhat obsolete because now we have the biggest marquee festival headliners streaming from their bedrooms.No longer do DJs complacent with something that "just works" and nothing exemplifies that better than the release of the CDJ3K. The Pioneer faithful saw what Denon was churning out and I think it's safe to say, were disappointed that Pioneer didn't implement some of the same features with the 3K. The Industry is at a turning point, ushering in a new generation of DJs that were raised by tech. Tablets, smartphones, pc's with streaming media and if we're being real about it without bias, Denon's decks are better suited for the aforementioned generation. Will Denon ever be crowned the new industry standard...probably not but it shows that there's enough room for people to take their pick comparable to Apple/Android. Industry Standard is just perception...an illusion. Even if you took Denon out of the equation. Fact of the matter is, half the DJs at all the big festivals weren't even using CDJs. I could go on naming all the headliners using Traktor controllers and launching Ableton clips

[@digitaldjtips]

Will be interesting to see how things look in a year!

[@aconemusic]

Very interesting

[@digitaldjtips]

Cheers!

[@piurtv]

I'd love to see the history of some competitor's players !

[@digitaldjtips]

We'll see what we can do :)

[@jeffbridges1784]

Interesting looking speakers you got there. What are those and the stand they are in/on? cheers.

[@digitaldjtips]

Focal Twin 6 Be's :) -Joey

[@ScentsOverSense]

Love it!! Keep up the amazing work🙌🏻

[@digitaldjtips]

Thanks, will do! 🙌

[@sc0llay]

The guy on the phone sounds like Steve jobs

[@digitaldjtips]

😆

[@NotioNpr]

Wow Love the video!! I remember getting a lot of shit from my boys for buying the CDJ -1000 in 2001!! At the end they all started using my CDJ 🤣 Tnx good video 👊🏻

[@digitaldjtips]

Haha awesome, thanks for watching!

[@koolstup]

Would the CDJ be such a massive success if it wasn't for the failure of the Technics SLDZ 1200??

[@digitaldjtips]

Hard to say, but good question :)

[@DJFusia]

Cool

[@digitaldjtips]

Thanks Jason :)

[@Bimuruu]

Nice!

[@digitaldjtips]

Thanks :)

[@sbeckett91]

I’m still not sure why so many new DJs are enamoured with CDJs. They’re big, clunky, expensive, require lots of wires, and don’t do as much as software. Give me a good controller any day. That being said, great video Joey!!

[@digitaldjtips]

Thanks Shawn! Yeah to each their own :)

[@franklove]

Shawn B is the industry standard when you walk into a club. If you're bringing your own equipment that club sucks.

[@sbeckett91]

frank lovejoy That’s a fair point, though what I was getting at is that is has never made sense to me that some DJs view CD players as the pinnacle of DJ equipment. I’ll use them at the club so I can just bring a USB stick, absolutely. But overall I find them the worst of two worlds-fewer performance features than controllers and nowhere near as fun as using vinyl. Plus, rigid deference to an industry standard can stifle innovation.

[@viezurelepanykt]

CDJ's are considered a pinnacle of DJ equipment for many many reasons, but one of the most important reason is because it has been around the club for as long as we can remember! take it like this, first DJs have started on vinyls and have stayed on them until the era of cds, after that they had time to accommodate to a new style of playing, reducing the size of the bags the dj's carry around for gigs, then with the SD and USB stick coming in the industry reducing it even more... BUT there is one thing that these CDJ's have in common! And that is the powerful mixer they are attached to it! and that is what the club standard is all about! people tend to forget that in a club environment you need a powerful unit to keep the music going, and yes the cdj's are there to play around with, they are common among a lot of people but the mixer is ultimately the unit that delivers the sound and let's face it, controllers suck at that...unfortunately... do't get me wrong i love the fact that controllers are more versatile in terms of what you can do on them...heck there are some "cdj's" or let's call them media players these days that try to copy them, but the fact is that no serious club, venue or festival will replace the "standard" with a controller unit just because they have better performance or they are fun... hell if you like it you can bring it i surly think they won;t mind you playing on it... imagine a world where every club will buy what they think it;s the best controller and then imagine you being the one going to gigs to all this clubs with all those controllers... comfort is number one when playing in a club or whatever... and cdj's offer that comfort to at least let's say 75% of dj's world wide (that number is just my opinion and does not relate to any study :D ) That being said i think cdj's will be a club standard for a very long time, they will get better and better in terms of performance features and they will still be comfortable for a shit ton of people playing at a gig Also this is not a rant or something :D i am not attacking anyone here :D life is beautiful and there is no reason to get upset over some silly opinions

[@annekedebruyn7797]

Reliability. I am far from a DJ nor do I like them. But as it's my job to take care of the setup I have to say that I have only once in almost 15 years have I seen a CDJ fail while controllers with a laptop disconnect or the program crashes almost on a weekly bases with people of whom demand to use their own controller and software. And those are not the cheap ones either. A pimped out MacbookPro with SeratoDJ or VirrtualDJ and the high end Pioneer/Numark controllers. I have seen it all fail. Unless the software/computer devs can fix the issue, it will never be as big. I rather stay with outdated hardware than have something that is new shiny and better with shit reliability.

[@vangoghskye]

And then you have Denon.

[@anonymousmc7727]

denon......

[@pimpanther]

1 only 1

[@Daniel_de_lux]

very professional work 👏👏👏 cdjs are going to die... the controllers are very more fast and cheap than only 1 cdj 1000

[@digitaldjtips]

Thanks!

[@Tiogar60]

Cdj’s are higher quality and better. Also you don’t need a laptop