When longtime DJs think about companies that have shaped the DJ market, Pioneer is a name that consistently comes to mind. Many of us here at Sweetwater remember the way the first CDJ models changed everything, suddenly allowing us to break free of our vinyl collections. In the years that followed, their DJ mixers steadily rose to the top of the market, while new innovations carved out territory in the budding field of DJ controller systems and other cutting-edge developments. Today, Pioneer DJ is among the most popular DJ technology companies in the world, and countless professional DJs trust their performances to their gear. Sweetwater is proud to offer you a full range of Pioneer DJ products.
Pioneer broke into the DJ market in 1994, and within a year, they'd introduced two of their first major contributions to the market: the CDJ-500 CD player and the DJM-500 4-channel mixer. The CDJ-500 was the world's first flat-top DJ CD player, and it gave DJs the ability to spin CDs just like traditional turntables, with familiar controls including tempo control for beat matching. It was the perfect match for the 4-channel DJM-500, which provided enough inputs to make adding CDJs to traditional vinyl setups easy. This powerful mixer also introduced Pioneer's first beat-sync'd effects.
Following the success of these initial releases, Pioneer Pro's DJ division continuously released more and more innovative products, until achieving independence under the Pioneer DJ brand launched in 2014. In that time, they'd dramatically developed and increased their original lines. Around 2001, the CDJ-1000 introduced real-time scratching to digital DJing, and by the end of the decade, they released their rekordbox software to revolutionize the way DJs organized their music.
At the same time, the prominence of Pioneer DJ products inspired them to build new waves of gear intended for heavy-use club systems. That led to developments such as the DJM-900NXS mixer and the CDJ-2000NXS digital media player. As software DJ platforms became solid enough for professional performance, Pioneer introduced the DDJ controller line, and to meet the growing demand for digital vinyl system-ready (DVS) analog turntables, they also created new, cutting-edge PLX series turntables. Now the landscape of Pioneer DJ gear is broader and deeper than ever, and you'll find all the highlights here at Sweetwater.
The CDJ line reached peak popularity around 2010, when DJ software systems still weren't stable enough for many professional DJs. That era introduced models including the club-grade Nexus series. These media players, which are still in production, are still popular with DJs who prefer the bulletproof reliability of hardware but demand the flexibility of software. They combine multiple playback sources, including CD, USB drive, and even Wi-Fi with rekordbox track organization, detailed color touchscreens, killer effects, and (of course) tons of hands-on controls. The CDJ line also gave birth to the XDJ line, which offers many of the same features as CDJ models, but without the CD drive.
Since their introduction in the mid-'90s, Pioneer DJM mixers have continuously grown more flexible, adapting to the needs of contemporary DJs. From the beginning, DJM mixers offered ample inputs to accommodate elaborate setups, including four or more decks and both onboard and external effects. The current crop of DJM mixers offers high-end analog and digital connectivity, dual USB sound card integration, contact-free Magvel faders, ProDJ Link networking capabilities, and tons of amazing effects. Whether you're spinning classic vinyl, using modern digital DJ gear, or running a hybrid DVS system, DJM mixers have a lot to offer.
As the digital DJ revolution spread, Pioneer DJ stayed on the forefront with their DDJ series controllers. These DJ controllers come in a variety of configurations, some with 2-channel layouts, and others with 4-channel mixer sections; some with built-in sound cards, and some without; some designed for Serato DJ, while others are designed for Pioneer's own rekordbox dj software. Whether you need something lightweight and portable, full-featured and comprehensive, or tough enough for club use, you'll find it in the DDJ digital DJ controller series.
Pioneer DJ didn't just ride the wave of the digital DJ trend, they stepped to the forefront by creating their own DJ software. It began with Pioneer's original rekordbox application, which was a companion to their CDJ media players. Initially, this software lets you organize your tracks and prep them for performance. In time, rekordbox developed into a basic digital DJ platform, offering many of the essential features of other DJ applications. This paved the way for rekordbox dj, a fully developed software DJ system that's second to none when it comes to performance capabilities. With the addition of Plus Packs and next-gen controller hardware, it's easy to expand rekordbox dj with DVS, video, effects, and lyrics options.
At the same time that Pioneer DJ turned their attention to the software domain, they also started developing cool new performance hardware. Two standouts include samplers, production workstations, and real-time effects engines. With models such as the DJS-1000 and Toraiz SP-16 leading the charge , Pioneer DJ now offers live remix artists and creative electronic musicians powerful tools to trigger, loop, and produce samples on the fly. Similarly, Pioneer DJ effects units provide everyone from traditional DJs to studio producers with amazing ways to manipulate audio.
It's safe to say that Pioneer DJ has had a major impact on DJs around the world, and their product line extends far beyond what we've covered here. They offer high-tech turntables for serious scratch artists, quality monitors for booth and studio use, and a broad range of essential accessories every DJ needs. One thing all this gear has in common is that it's solidly built, providing years of reliable, high-end performance. Based on our own experience with their equipment, Sweetwater is proud to offer Pioneer DJ products.
