Excelente matéria publicada pelo site DJ TechTools, que reproduzo integralmente aqui.
Fala sobre o possível futuro da tecnologia MIDI, cujos sinais da indústria parecem mostrar o que a prática já dizia: menos é mais (no que tange a gadgets pra se colocar numa cabine de dj exígua).
Segue o texto (em inglês) na íntegra:
Pioneer’s XDJ-RX: End Of The DJ Controller Era?
Posted by
Dan White on
August 19, 2015
Earlier this month, we
wrote about Pioneer’s upcoming Rekordbox DJ software
– but the truth is, we’ve already seen what DJ software from Pioneer
will look like. The XDJ-RX has a complete DJ software right inside of
its 8″ high-resolution screen, allowing browsing, cues, loops, rolls,
FX, and more. In this article we break down how the XDJ-RX is poised to
become the digital DJ hardware of the future – and what obstacles
Pioneer still faces.
Pioneer has built an incredible unit with this “standalone DJ
system”, which easily wins the prize of best non-controller for
all-in-one DJ products yet. The DJ world has seen a number of
half-baked attempts at complete digital DJ systems – from the Stanton’s
SCS.4DJ, to the Pacemaker hardware, to even Pioneer’s own
XDJ-R1 in 2013. The truth is none of them succeeded at changing the game because they were
usable but not
well-polished.
The “also-ran” products of the standalone digital DJ world
But Pioneer has been building a best-in-class digital DJ workflow on the
CDJ-2000Nexus and
XDJ-1000
units. It’s simple and intuitive for anyone from any DJ background – so
when they decided to build new standalone all-in-one, adopting that
exact workflow made sense.
So will the XDJ-RX replace traditional DJ controllers like the
Kontrol S4 or Mixtrack Pro? Here’s what Pioneer is doing right on this
unit that makes it such a powerful competitor:
XDJ-RX Is A Club DJ Setup For Bedroom DJs
Immediately clear just from looking at the XDJ-RX is how much it
mirrors the layout of two CDJs and a two-channel version of a DJM-900.
This standardized layout means that there’s a “cross-compatibility” of
sorts when it comes to DJ skills:
- beginners learning on the XDJ-RX will be able to quickly adapt to a club setup
- experienced club DJs will be able to quickly use most of their same skills and techniques on an RX unit
We’re pretty sure Pioneer very carefully thought about this concept
(skills that translate from bedroom to club) a lot when making this
piece of gear – because the truth is that bedroom DJs are where most
sales of DJ controllers come from. By and large, professional DJs (a
much smaller market) are either using a modular setup or some kind of
CDJ/mixer combo.
Solid Setup For Mobile DJs
At a mobile gig – the less stuff to connect (while still looking pro) – the better! (photo via DJ)
The second big market for DJ controllers? Mobile DJs. Tons of gear is
sold every year to DJs that are playing mobile gigs for decent cash –
weddings, birthdays, corporate parties, etc. These DJs are constantly
looking for their ultimate piece of gear which usually entails:
- quick + minimal setup required
- microphone input
- limited cords
- looks professional
The RX hits each of these solidly, and has the added bonus of
removing the laptop from the equation. There’s one less thing to worry
about – and no chance you’ll have anyone wondering why you’re not a
“real DJ” or that you “
look like you’re checking your email.”
The big drawback here for mobile DJs is portability – the RX isn’t
quite as thin as traditional controllers, and weighs in at 8 pounds – a
bit heavier than most. You also have no backup systems besides the unit
itself, but if for some reason your USB sticks aren’t loading correctly,
the unit can run as a standalone DJ mixer.
Get Advanced: Pioneer Color / Beat FX
It feels like Pioneer played “Survivor” with their FX and only let the best ones stay on the RX island.
Even though the XDJ-RX is great for beginners, it also has enough
advanced features that you can practice more challenging techniques. The
FX are especially nice – it feels like Pioneer has slimmed down the
Beat and Color FX to the most useful options on any of the DJM mixers.
Adoption of Best Industry Features
Record a set directly to your USB drive
Here’s the case for why Pioneer’s XDJ-RX is not just a good product, but a sign of the direction of the future of DJ gear: they are stealing great ideas from other DJ gear.
So many companies in the DJ industry seem afraid/hesitant to
incorporate great ideas that they didn’t come up with. In the RX,
Pioneer has added:
- Parallel waveforms: even the other DJ gear that has
screens on them seems to be keeping the waveforms separated (we’re
looking at you, Kontrol S8) – and Pioneer has never really had two
waveforms side-by-side except for in the Rekordbox software. Virtual DJ
and Serato DJ owners often rave about their waveform layouts that allow
quick visual mixing if they need it, so it’s no surprise that Pioneer
added this.
- Recording on the USB stick: this might be an industry first, but having dual
USB ports and the ability to record your set on the one in the second
port (yes, you can load tracks from it at the same time) is a major win.
We want to see this on other Pioneer DJ gear ASAP, please.
The familiar bottom-of-deck controls from the DDJ line…
- DDJ-SX style buttons at the bottom of each deck:
Pioneer has put a lot of work into building a memorable set of controls
at the bottom of each controller. They’re at home on the RX, and we
suspect it might be a sign that we’ll soon see a new CDJ/XDJ controller that has those same buttons on it below the platter..
What Still Needs Work On The RX
Despite being conceptually a DJ product that could take out
all-in-one style controllers, there’s a few areas where the XDJ-RX needs
a lot of work to make it able to compete:
- Jog wheels aren’t platinum status: One of the
biggest sells for the high-end CDJ-900/2000/XDJ-1000 lines are the
quality of the jogwheels. They’re pleasantly hefty mixing tools that
feel great. The XDJ-RX’s jogs are about what you get on the DDJ-SR/SX,
not especially heavy but “good enough”. It’s particularly hard to do a
long backspin on these with just a flick of the hand; they seem to have a
limited range just from a single touch. Minor quibble, but enough to
notice and consider going for a higher end product instead.
Cue/slice buttons should feel great – not ok.
- Plastic cue/loop/slice buttons: We’re not very big
fans of plastic buttons – and while the buttons at the bottom of each
deck on this gear are responsive, they’re not really fun to use or easy
to juggle with. Many all-in-one controllers do a lot better.
- Beatmatching: Lining up tracks on the RX is
different from all Pioneer gear – it’s way more “elastic” feeling. My
experience was that unless you had Sync enabled, using the waveforms to
mix was difficult as two beatmatched tracks only seemed lined up at the
playhead – not ahead or behind it. As always, trust your ears before
anything else – but this still felt weird.
XDJ-RX to scale next to CDJ-900Nexus, PLX-1000 turntable
- Portability / Club-Readiness: This gear is really
ideal for house parties, home studios, and maybe a mobile gig – but
there’s no way you’re going to be able to clear almost 2.5 feet of width
in most DJ booths for your gear. This is why small modular DJ gear will
always win in a club setting – you can fit your gear in the booth!
Who’s Next?
Looking toward the future, we suspect that both NI and Serato must have their eyes on their own brands of standalone DJ gear:
