2 years ago, I pretty much set up the ideal DJ Rig in my studio. 2 XDJ-1000mk2’s, DJM-900NXS2, 2 1200 Technics MK2 in a custom-built DJ booth. I added the PioneerDJ AS-1 and DJS-1000 last year and I pretty much can do anything I want as a DJ with this rig. I dubbed it “The Beast”. I have made several new mixes on this rig and I love DJing on it. It’s just too much fun. So why the need to have a controller?

Well It’s a couple of reasons. First of I am a DJ and I love technology. I love how technology changes things that were once familiar. I have always followed DJ technology. I didn’t tend to always get the latest and greatest throughout my years. In fact, I think in the 30 plus years of DJing I have only owned 5-6 different mixers. I saw my friends and peers move into the time code vinyl and while I appreciated the technology I didn’t want to move into that direction because it looked like so much of a hassle to set up. I just didn’t really want to DJ with a laptop too. I vowed I wouldn’t be one of “those DJ’s”. However, I was not opposed to going digital and I did so in 2006 with CDJ’s and then moved over to USB’s only in 2013. I always wanted to have something I could use in a mobile type situation though.

2 years ago, I DJed at a wedding and took a lot of my gear. I used to do the mobile DJ thing when I was in high school, so I was used to it and since this was a one off, I didn’t really think of getting something more mobile. I did tell myself that if I got more wedding gigs that I would get a controller. Earlier this month I did another wedding and this time I only too my XDJ’s that we plugged into my friends Pioneer DJ controller. This was ideal because we were both able to DJ with the style that best suited us. After this gig though I decided to get a controller for mobile use.

The debate was to go with something like the new PioneerDJ DDJ-1000 or an all in one unit like the XDJ-RX2. I have used the XDJ-RX several times and I liked it, however I was hoping that when PioneerDJ came out with the second version that they would include 4 channels. They did not. Darn. So, when I saw the DDJ-1000 at NAMM this year, I thought this could be what I wanted to use. It was light, super portable, full size jog wheels with new display’s in the center of them and 4 channels. The only thing was I would need a laptop. After debating for a while I decided to go with it. I have a dedicated laptop that I could use with it and it would be perfect to set up in the house, take it along to gatherings, take it to BBQ’s. Etc.

Now that I have had it in the house for a few days, I have to say that I love it. It is so nice to be able to just DJ whenever I want. No need to get into the studio if I want to practice. I can just go into my home office and play a little. I did that this morning in fact before I went into work. I just played some tunes while I had my morning coffee. I can get used to this!

So Why Would I Buy a DJ Controller?