After sharing a cryptic teaser video, Pioneer DJ has released their CDJ-3000 media player. The latest edition of their flagship product and famed industry standard ushers in a new era of DJ equipment.
For starters, the CDJ-3000 comes with a tougher aluminum build with an upgraded full-color display in the center of the jogwheel showcasing file artwork, titles and BPMs. It’s a big step forward from the hallowed “vinyl” mode graphic that brings the device up to date with the aesthetics of Pioneer’s other controllers. They notably upgraded the components where the most damage occurs on previous models by making the play and cue buttons more durable.
A new built-in micro-processing unit (MPU) allows faster load times as well as new features in its later firmware updates, and support for all playable audio formats in a high-quality encoding environment is now available. A Gigabit Ethernet upgrade to their Pro DJ Link software gives connectivity up to six CDJ-3000s when paired with compatible gear, such as their new DJM-V10 6-channel performance mixer.
The CDJ’s nine-inch LCD touch screen (with full search functionality) showcases the new Rekordbox 3Band waveform display that color-codes each track based on their frequencies from high to low. Dual waveforms also show smaller tracks being cued up rather than colored lights and simple lines for easier and more creative beat matching capabilities.
New additions to the performance and looping side of the CDJ-3000 include eight hot cues, four buttons added to the fold and placed below the LCD screen, an eight-bar loop button, beat jump buttons that adjust the looping into different quantized beats (1/2, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64 beats respectively) and a “key sync” and “key shift” function that matches the incoming track’s key to the one playing by changing its overall pitch.
The CDJ-3000 also continues smartphone connectivity. Users of the iOS version of rekordbox can DJ with the mobile software, connecting iPhones to the CDJ-3000 with a lightning to USB3 Camera Adapter Cable. Stage lighting integration is also available with the CDJ-3000 via the separately-sold RB-DMX1 interface, and light editing options are available in the rekordbox software.
A New Dimension
The new and long-awaited upgrades are a result of some serious restructuring in the Pioneer universe – now a company named AlphaTheta that still holds the Pioneer DJ name. The brand has remained a staple in the DJ equipment industry since entering the market in 1994 with the introduction of the CDJ-500, the first flat-top CD player with pitch control for DJs.
Pioneer DJ came to prominence again in 2001 and dominated the market with its groundbreaking CDJ-1000 that emulated the feel of playing vinyl in a digital format. A decade later, they delivered the CDJ-2000 and CDJ-2000NXS line of media players that boasted smartphone capability and introduced their one-of-a-kind Rekordbox digital media and hardware software solutions made for DJs and live performers.
In March 2015, the corporation sold its Pioneer DJ Equipment division to KKR &Co, Inc., creating a separate entity of its synonymous parent company. KKR then sold it to Noritsu Koki Co., Ltd. (who owns the AlphaTheta Corporation) in March of 2020.
The CDJ-3000 is available for preorder at $2,299. More information is available on the Pioneer DJ website.
