PIONEER DDJ-FLX6

Product Information

If rekordbox is used to manage the music software, there are eight Merge FX pattern presets. If Serato DJ Pro is used, there are only four, and everything can be changed. One Merge FX comprises of four groups: Build FX, Release FX, Build Sample, and Drop Sample. Each of these groups has 41 different effects that can be combined to make more than 9,000 different patterns. Also, the user can save up to eight of their own patterns, which they can access with the FX Select button when needed. New Jog Cutter Feature There are a set of four DJ software channels to choose from, a set of color FX knobs, and a three-band EQ to enjoy. There’s also access to looping controls, eight performance pads, and some basic inputs and outputs. With Rekordbox, your pads will give you access to musical samples in a keyboard fashion, allowing you to merge and trigger multiple experiences at the same time. But the very best jogs are only really important if you are a scratch DJ, and with seemingly much of the budget for the DDJ-FLX6 having gone on the jogs, that other essential part for scratch DJing – the crossfader – is very average on this unit. Sure it works, but the pair of them are a huge mismatch. The jogwheels are excellent – a great feel to them, full sized. So why is the crossfader so ordinary? The DDJ-FLX6 looks to be Pioneer DJ’s solution to this market, providing a midrange controller that focuses on performance features. Instead of a standalone mixer section and a metal-reinforced body (like the SR2), the FLX6 sports four channels and full-sized jog wheels –two very enticing features that are generally only found on higher-end Pioneer DJ gear. Dual software support

According to Pioneer, the DDJ-FLX6 ensures you can “flex” your creative muscles with a host of new features and an easy-to-use interface. Usability/ Ease of Use

The paradigm was this: DJ software came with two effects engines, each with three effects (you also got the choice of just a single effect per effects engine, with much more control). Since the DDJ-FLX6-GT has a built-in sound card, you can start DJing as soon as you connect it to a laptop running compatible software and a USB cable. Jog-wheels and Intuitive Performing Depending how you view this kind of DJing, this is going to be potentially great fun to you, or anathema – an exciting way of adding to your sets, or an “echo-out on steroids” for people without the ability to properly programme music or figure out how to transition between their music. A bit of history is worthwhile here. You see, as of the Pioneer DJ DDJ-1000, Pioneer DJ abandoned the “controller” paradigm when it came to effects. Now, it may just be that people will come up with cool and clever things to do with the DDJ-FLX6 – but anyone getting serious about their DJing will soon miss more obvious things, like proper control of the software effects, external inputs, and a bit more durability. Why not a DDJ-600?

As for the professional market, I believe a Mk2 version is needed with balanced outputs before the FLX can be viable for them. Nonetheless, the FLX6 has found a seemingly untouched niche in the DJ market, and will likely sell very well to lower-budget hobbyist DJs. That said, the FLX-6 is a Rekordbox unit first and foremost, as its Serato DJ integration isn’t nearly as tight – there’s no MIDI mapping and less customization over features like Merge FX. I did, however, find the unit to be more responsive with Serato DJ, but that may just be due to the fact that Serato DJ has traditionally optimized as a lighter program designed for turntablists. I/O connectivity Originally codenamed DDJ-600 internally at Pioneer DJ, the Flex - as it’s now known – has been developed to enable complex transitions between genres for DJs whose musical taste, or that of the dancefloor, is fluid. The DDJ-FLX6 has two really powerful features to help DJs jump from one BPM range to another Merge FX and the Jog Cutter. Merge FX Indeed, with the DDJ-1000, even though the software (Rekordbox) still had effects built in as I just described, the hardware didn’t control them at all. In that unit, they were actually hardware effects. AlphaTheta Corporation has today announced the release of the new DDJ-FLX6-W from its Pioneer DJ brand. This limited-edition version of the popular DJ controller for rekordbox and Serato DJ Pro comes in a high-quality matte white finish, bringing an eye-catching look to any event, livestream, or home setup.

Jog-wheels and Intuitive Performing

The DDJ FLX6 bypasses things like advanced connectivity options and a metal-reinforced chassis to bring you a different set of bonuses, including full-sized jog wheels and four channels. The DJ controller makes a bold statement with a new aesthetic design. The new style includes a familiar layout of controls similar to how you would find them on the club-standard CDJ and DJM setups allowing for intuitive performances. The FLX6, however, features a new high-quality dark grey matte finish and re-designed jog wheels that will be sure to make your DJ setup stand out. DDJ-FLX6 The USB power function means that you might find that you don’t get as much volume as you could get elsewhere, but this isn’t too much of a problem for most hobbyists.

One bonus is that you will be able to choose between whether the mic goes through the Booth outputs or otherwise. I’m intrigued as to why Pioneer DJ didn’t made a “DDJ-600” controller, a well-considered step up from the DDJ-400, but below the professional brace of the DDJ-800 and DDJ-1000 – something we could recommend to our Rekordbox users who are still hobbyists but want four channels, and who one day want to play in pro DJ booths.There are eight Merge FX pattern presets to choose from (four if you use Serato DJ Pro) and you can use your own samples. If you’re DJing with rekordbox, you’ll find everything is customizable. Choose from 41 types of effects within the four categories that make up one Merge FX (Build FX, Build Sample, Release FX, and Drop Sample) and combine them to create more than 9,000 different patterns. You can save eight of your own patterns and use the FX Select button on the unit to call them up whenever you want to perform a unique mix. Prefer for me to show you this? If you’re considering the new DDJ-FLX6-GT, this video details everything you need to know to make the right decision. For Rekordbox, it’s a 3/5 from me, and as this is primarily a Rekordbox controller, that is the score we have used on this review. But for Serato, it’s a 2/5 – I just can’t recommend it, and I’d direct people to the DDJ-FLX4 or Numark NS6II in a heartbeat.