My Thoughts on the Pioneer DDJ-1000 SRT #ddj1000srt

Sun, Sept 8 2019

So I was able to play with the unit this past Friday and Saturday during full gigs. The unit was solid and I was able to mix nicely with it. My scratch ins and mix drops felt very close to a TT. I didn’t have to do much adjustments on my scratch drop mixes. One thing I needed to adjust for was the pressure I needed to apply to the platter. On TTs, stopping the record or CV cuts your sound regardless of the pressure you apply as long as there is no movement. But on these platters, pressure is needed to tell the unit to stop the signal. Like I mentioned before, I never owned a CDJ so this technology that the SRT has is new to me. I had a couple of instances that the track slipped as I wasn’t putting too much pressure and I missed my cue point drop. The cued up track also slipped a couple of times while I was adjusting the effects channel knob.

Speaking of effects, I’m not a fan of selecting the channel to trigger. I prefer the S9 with their own effects trigger for each channel. I had a couple of transitions where I applied the effects to the wrong channel. I did notice after a while that you can see what channel is being selected on the LED but it was just too small for me. I ended up just looking at the angle of the knob and its notch.

Like I mentioned before also, the up / down faders (channels 1 and 4) just get in the way of performance. I ended up removing the faders / knobs from channels 1 and 4 to gain some extra space. I wish Pioneer would make a controller with the SRT platters and an S9-type of mixer in the middle — that would be super dope IMO.

All in all, I was satisfied with the SRT. I would def take this to any small gig where I need a single haul. It keeps the vinyl feel and quality of the sound is good. I like the XLR mic input too. For bigger gigs that I need to haul more gear back and forth, I still prefer the Rane 12s.

Tue, Aug 27 2019

It’s been a couple of days since I got the unit. So far, it’s been solid. I had to download the drivers from Serato and the installation was quick and easy. The unit I got came with the suite but I don’t think I’ll be needing it at this time as I don’t plan to hook up any turntables to it. I got this unit to replace my SR. I wanted a rig that I can take in one trip without using a dolly. I heard that the 1000SRT uses the same platter feature as a CDJ. I’ve never owned a CDJ before so I thought I would try it out.

Comments after an hour of testing. More to come as I use it for an actual gig.

• The platter seems solid when scratching. It’s pretty accurate especially with the LED indicator line that mimics the turntable. It allows you to see where your position is on the record. I did notice that you need to put some force to stop the track. It’s slightly different from a turntable as you don’t need much force to stop the record since you’re controlling the vinyl movement — the resistance is the actual record. On the 1000SRT, the stopping of the record is mechanical so I can see how you need a bit more down force to trigger the action.
• Love the size and the weight of the unit and also got a Pro-X case with wheels to keep it safe. 27″ wide without the case and 30.5″ wide with the case.
• Love the sound quality of it so far — still need to test the levels at an actual gig.
• I’m not a fan of the effects flow where you need to turn the knob to the specific channel you want. I prefer the effects triggers on the DJM-S9 where each channel has its own trigger.
• I’m not a fan of the push button cues (much like the Rane mixers). I prefer the cue sliders present on the DJM-S9 and the Vestax legacy mixers.
• I’m not a fan of the 4-channel layout. I feel it gets in the way of performance.

So far, the 1000SRT will the rig I’ll be taking for small events. For weddings, clubs and other bigger mobile events, my weapons of choice are 2 Rane Twelves and the Pioneer DJM-S9. For all my studio and labwork (pre-recorded shows and mixes), my weapons of choice are 2 Reloop RP-8000 and the Pioneer DJM-S9.

More details to follow as I get more familiar with the unit.