AlphaTheta DDJ-GRV6 Review & Walkthrough

The GRV6 is AlphaTheta’s (previously Pioneer DJ) new controller that aims to help DJs get in the groove with some innovative new tools to let you remix tracks on the fly. With built-in support for both Serato and Rekordbox, the GRV6’s standout features—the Groove Circuit and Stems FX—allow you to effortlessly swap out drum parts and manipulate track elements on the fly.

It also promises to bring the feel and features of the industry-standard CDJ-3000 and DJM-A9 mixers found in most DJ booths into an affordable four-channel controller. Watch our video review below and read on to learn all about its special features and our opinion as to whether it lives up to the hype. 

Key Features

Groove circuit: freely manipulate drum parts and create new remixes

Swap out the drums in your track for different loops and mix them up with rolls and trans. 

Layout based on the latest club-standard DJ gear

Large jog wheels and effects and pad layouts inherited from the CDJ-3000 and DJM-A9 setups found in countless clubs. 

Smart Rotary Selector and Discover function

AI assistance in Rekordbox and a new selector make finding your next track easier than ever.

Stems FX in Serato Pro

Isolate the different elements of your track and apply four different effects to them individually.

Multi-device compatibility

Works with both Serato Pro and Rekordbox across computer and mobile devices. 

Build and design

In terms of design, the GRV6 isn’t a complete departure from the FLX6 it replaces, but it differs in a few key ways. Firstly, the build quality is a significant step up from its predecessor. The FLX6 was pretty plasticky and cheap and, despite its mid-tier price, felt more like an entry-level controller like a FLX-4 or DDJ-200 in terms of construction. The GRV6, however, is much better and everything feels sturdy and solid. The pads and faders too feel like they could withstand years of rigorous mixing as well.  

The layout of this controller is designed to move closer to the club-standard CDJ-3000 and DJM-A9 mixer setup. Things like the performance pads being above the jogwheels and the layout of the mixer effects make the switchover to pro gear feel much more seamless.  

The GRV6 follows AlphaTheta’s recent trend toward a more sleek look on their new gear. The unit is finished in matte black, and the markings are as minimal as they need to be, giving it an overall clearer and more refined aesthetic.

Connectivity

The GRV6 is designed to work with both Rekordbox and Serato Pro and when connected to a computer, it will unlock rekordbox Performance mode and Serato Pro without needing a subscription. It also works with the Rekordbox app for iOS and Android mobile devices, although this can only make use of two decks. If you’re not sure whether rekordbox or Serato is best for you, check out our complete comparison.

On the back, you’ll find both RCA and balanced ¼ inch line outputs. This is a big upgrade on the FLX6 and brings it more in line with what you’d expect from pro gear for performing on club sound systems. There’s also a USB C connection for your computer as well as a USB C power supply for if you’re using with a mobile device. You also get a balanced input for a mic, with it’s own attenuation knob. 

Decks

The jogwheels are the same size as the ones found on the CDJ-3000s, but they’re touch capacitive, instead of mechanical, which is to be expected on gear at this price, although they do feel quality. In the middle, you’ll find a basic display which just shows a virtual needle moving around. It would have been nice for AlphaTheta to have included some more info here, even if it just shows the BPM as well.

The pitch fader to adjust the tempo is shorter than on some models, but it doesn’t cause any issues when used.

There’s a dedicated button to toggle between decks 1 and 3 or 2 and 4. This switches the whole deck to that layer, and all of the functions switch over to control that deck, allowing you to manipulate and mix up to four decks at once. 

The performance pads are now found above the jogwheels, like on the CDJ-3000s, and they feel and respond in just the same way. The pad modes are Hot Cue, Stems, Beat Jump and Sampler. Pressing shift lets you access the Keyboard, Pad FX, Beat Loop and Key Shift pad functions. These pad modes also map out in just the same way in Serato DJ as they do in Rekordbox. One slight gripe is that they only light up blue, no matter what mode you’re in. 

Mixer

On the mixer, you get four channels with the standard 3-band EQs, trim and up-faders, as you’d expect. The crossfader at the bottom doesn’t have any controls for its settings so you have to edit this in the software.

There’s also sound colour FX knob to apply a range of effects. These can be turned on and off with the button next to them, which can also switch between 9 different effects if you hold shift.

For Beat FX, you can choose between 14 different effects, which are carried over from club-standard gear like the DJM-A9. You can also select the beat fraction for the effects as well as apply a release effect when turning them off. These effects actually work the same in Serato as they do in Rekordbox and don’t change what’s going on inside Serato’s software. Some may see this as a pro as it keeps the mixer function straightforward and these effects sound great, but it depends on how attached you are to Serato’s built-in effects. 

The mixer also has a ‘Stem ISO’ feature. When turned on, this lets you isolate the vocals, instrumentals, and drums, using the EQ controls to adjust their levels.

Navigation Made Easy!

The browser section of the GRV6 has been updated with a couple of new features to make it easier than ever to find your next track. At the centre is a new joystick, which you can move in all four directions. This is handy for moving in and out of playlists, and it lets you jump through 10 tracks at a time, which is super useful when searching through big libraries. 

The Discover function is also new and will automatically suggest some tracks to play next based on what’s currently playing. It uses AI to work out what songs would work, either from your collection or whatever streaming service you’ve got set up. 

How Does the Groove Circuit Work?

The all-new Groove Circuit is the standout feature of this controller – so much so it even inspired its name. This only works with Rekordbox, as Serato has its own new feature called Stems FX, which we’ll get to later. 

The Groove Circuit gives you the power to strip the drums out of your track and replace them with some different drum loops. This can be either from their selection of factory presets, or you can load up your own loops. When your track is playing, you can just press one of the buttons on the left of the groove circuit to pick out a loop to replace the drums. This feature typically works better on electronic music, but trying it out with other styles like R&B or Hip-hop can also create some fun results. 

The drums that you add to your track function independently from everything else. That means that if you loop a section of your track, or do some scratching, they won’t be affected. This feels like a slightly strange choice as, ideally, you’d want it to function more like you’d loaded up a different remix that you can play around with.

Capture mode

There’s also the Capture feature, which lets you extract the drums from an already-loaded song instead of using a loop. Pressing the capture button brings up a marker, which can be adjusted to 4, 8, 16, or 32 beats. When the capture button is pressed, the isolated drum section is copied into the groove circuit sampler. This basically means you can extract the drums from any song stored on your computer and remix them into new songs.

Drum Roll

The Drum Roll effects loop the drums in 1 beat, ½, ¼ and ⅛ intervals. This is great for playing in extra fills or build-ups before drops to give a track extra excitement or interest. There’s also a Drum Trans effect which chops up the drums for more of a stuttering sound. The Drum Release allows you to apply one of three effects – backspin, vinyl brake and echo – just to the drums. The toggle means you can either lock these on or just apply a momentary effect.  

Downfalls

The number one issue with this Groove Circuit feature is Rekordbox’s stem isolation. At the moment, the sound quality is just not up to par with some of its competitors like Serato or Virtual DJ. When you remove the drums from your track, the resulting sound isn’t fantastic so layering new high-quality drums over it gives a slightly off sound. It’s certainly not terrible, and we think it’s perfectly usable in its current form, especially for a bit of fun, but it’s worth considering. We’d expect Rekordbox to want to improve the quality of stems separation to keep up with the rest of the market, but this will need another update down the line. 

If you want to learn all about how to use the Groove Circuit to its full potential and transform your mixes, we’ve got some creative tutorials in our Rekordbox Intermediate course.

Stems FX: What You Need To Know!

When you’re using Serato, the Groove Circuit section controls Stems FX. The GRV6 comes with a stick-on overlay to show how the controls change to adapt to this different mode. 

Serato already has Stems FX built in, but there are a few differences here to look out for. One thing to consider is that this actually doesn’t affect what’s going on inside Serato’s software. Instead, it’s operating on the hardware itself and doesn’t display visually in the same way it would if you use the stems isolation on the pads, for example. 

Stems FX gives you the ability to pick one of four track elements – vocals, melody, bass or drums – and apply effects to them individually. There are four effects built in, with options for echo out, roll out, braker and delay. These are switched on and off with the switch, which allows you to either lock them on or momentarily toggle them.

The Stems Roll works in a very similar way to the Drums Roll feature. Pressing down on one of the pads will loop the selected stem and the Stems Trans will chop them, according to what beat division you’ve selected.

Is The GRV6 Worth It?

The GRV6 retails for £719, €849, or $829. This puts it somewhere in the middle of Pioneer DJ/AlphaTheta’s controller lineup, and it represents pretty decent value at this point in the market  

Compared to the previous generation FLX6, this feels like a serious upgrade, but given the nearly £200 price increase, you’d expect it to. The build quality feels much better, and the Groove Circuit and Stems FX features feel like actually useful additions compared to the gimmicky Merge FX and Jog Cutter. Check out our full comparison article for more info.

Much of the talk around this unit will focus on the Groove Circuit and Stems FX. While these are certainly a lot of fun, they might not be something you’ll end up using all the time. Some DJs will love the power these give you to create remixes on the fly, while some will play around with them a few times and not actually use them in a set. How much value you get out of these features depends on the sort of mixing you do. 

What we’ve found more remarkable than these additions is that this is just a great four-channel controller in its own right. Having the layout and feel of a proper CDJ-3000 setup in an affordable controller is what really makes this special to stand out as one of the best controllers out there at this mid-range price point.

Want to see the GRV6 in action? Check out this mix where pro DJ and Crossfader tutor Jamie puts it through its paces:

Rekordbox DJ Course

5

(3798)

7.5 hours

49 lessons

Intermediate

USD $145

If you want to learn how to get the most out of the GRV-6, including its unique Groove Circuit features, our intermediate rekordbox has you covered. You’ll learn more exciting and creative mixing techniques that can be applied across a range of gear, along with some must-know tips and tricks to take your DJing to another level.

DDJ-GRV6 Technical Specifications