Review: Pioneer DDJ 400

Looks and Display 4/5

Unwrapping the DDJ-400 is a thrilling experience and at first glance I can see that they have divided the controller into 3 section to give the feel of 2 CDJ’s with a mixer in the middle.

The DDJ-400 is a 2-channel DJ controller for Rekordbox DJ and has a very similar layout that can be found on the bigger separate Pioneer DJ gear. This will likely make it easier for someone who uses the DDJ-400 to be able to transfer their skills over to a professional gear setup.

The controller comes with three-band EQs, trim pots, filters volume faders and a cross fader in the mixer section, along with the requisite browse and track load buttons with shared elements like dedicated cue buttons, Beat FX, CDJ-style looping controls and more

The rear has a RCA Master output jacks, a 1/4” mic input with level knob and a USB jack. The front of the unit has a 1/8” output jack for your headphones.

In Use 3/5

The jog wheels on the DDJ-400 are touch responsive and I liked how they felt and responded. The rubber rim on the jog wheels are similar to the ones found on the CDJ’s and give a better feeling when you jog the track forward or backwards.

The controller’s buttons and knobs are arranged in the same way as those on the professional NXS2 set-up. The FX controls for both decks on the DDJ-400 are consolidated in the Beat FX section, right beside the mixer.

You’ve got an FX select button, which lets you cycle down the list of available FX (or cycle up if you hold Shift). Applying the professional FX that match the tempo of the track that’s currently playing by using the Beat FX feature will help you craft unique sets even if you’re just starting out.

The tempo faders on the DDJ-400 are longer than the ones found on other similar controllers and allows you make more precise BPM adjustments when tempo matching two tracks.

With a built-in sound card, simply connect the controller to your computer using the provided USB cable to power up and begin playing.

Features

Specifications

Performance Control

Fader

Terminals

Overall 7/10

If you are starting out and want to get a bedroom controller to practice with but also has the capabilities of using it for a gig I can highly recommend the DDJ-400.

You also get rekordbox DJ software for free upon purchasing the controller which is an awesome bundle provided by Pioneer DJ and you can literally just plug in and start having fun!

Review done by:

Juan Olivier

sales@nsemusic.co.za