It’s finally here, your first look at the Pioneer CDJ 3000!
It’s been four long years since Pioneer DJ updated their flagship CDJ. The range has dominated the professional DJ market for over a decade, found in almost every DJ booth around the world. That said, the market place has changed since the CDJ 2000 Nexus 2 was released. And DJ’s have eagerly awaited Pioneers response to its rivals, in particular Denon DJ’s SC5000 & SC6000 models. With these two rival players on the market and an eager industry awaiting what Pioneer DJ drop, have they done enough with the new CDJ-3000 to make it worth the wait? Let’s find out!
What’s New On The Pioneer CDJ 3000?
All New Multi-Processor Unit
Pioneer DJ claim the new processor at the heart of the CDJ 3000 is the most powerful of any player currently on the market. This enables many of the 3000’s new features and advanced audio processing. The processor also means Pioneer DJ can also bring new features to the device via updates.
Better Sound Quality
Pioneer DJ has carefully tested each part of their audio circuitry and redesigned its components to achieve the best sound possible. With a new DAC (digital-to-analogue converter) onboard, the new CDJ-3000 processes audio at 96 kHz/32-bit floating across every file format. This basically upscales the sound quality of any audio file you play on this player to provide the best listening experience!
The new processor at the heart of the CDJ-3000 also enables advanced audio processing. Features such as the all-new key sync and key shift heavily rely upon the powerful onboard technology.
Simply put, this is the best sounding deck Pioneer DJ has ever produced! And it is capable of manipulating audio in more creative ways than ever before.
New Performance Features
- 8 Hot Cues
- Dedicated Beat Jump Buttons
- Polyrhythmic Looping
- Dedicated 8 Beat Loop Button
- Key Sync
- Key Shift
The new CDJ-3000 is built around performance and as such feature new hardware controls for popular performance features. Most notably, the eight new hot cue buttons are now placed horizontally below the display.
Dedicated beat jump buttons now allow the DJ to skip through the track perfectly in time with the ability to jump between 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64 beats. The CDJ-3000 now includes an 8-Beat Loop button. Odd value loops can also be activated via the display to create polyrhythmic patterns.
Finally, a new Key Sync button will shift the key of a track to match that of the master deck harmonically. The onscreen key shift buttons also allow for manual key shifting, a first for the CDJ range!
9″ Touch Screen Display
- 9-inch touch display (swipeable, but not multi-touch)
- Shortcuts to beat loop, key shift & beat jump controls
- Stacked Waveforms
- Touch Cue
- Touch Preview
- New Shortcut buttons ‘Play List & Search’
- Customisable columns
- 3-Band EQ Waveforms
Dominating the new CDJ-3000, the new 9-inch touch screen is bigger, brighter and clearer than any screen fitted to a CDJ before. Perfect for day time events, the new screen is 150% brighter than the older Nexus 2 model. The increased size has also allowed Pioneer DJ to display more information to the DJ and provide shortcuts to loops, beat jump and key shift.
The layout of the new CDJ 3000 will feel instantly familiar to CDJ users with the added benefit of being able to customise the browse window to suit individual needs. Swipe through large playlists and even preview tracks directly from the browse window by touching on the waveform.
The waveforms on this new display are now larger with full support for the new three-band waveforms first seen in Rekordbox 6. We found the resolution of the new waveforms a little disappointing given the size of the new display. That said, the new stacked waveform view is a welcome addition.
Finally, DJ’s now have the ability to preview the currently playing track in their headphones without the crowd hearing anything. Called touch cue, the system allows DJ’s to touch the overview waveform of a playing track and preview that section in their headphones. Perfect for back to back DJ sets or listening for when a vocal drops! This currently works with mixers featuring a link cue option.
Improved Build Quality
- Aluminium Faceplate
- Redesigned Cue, Play and Hot Cue Buttons
- New Jog Wheels With Centre LCD Display
With a new aluminium faceplate, the CDJ 3000 features redesigned Play and Cue buttons that are stronger than previous models. The jog wheels now feature a high-resolution central display, a new bearing system for smooth operation and the reduced latency for the tightest of scratching. Possibly the smoothest and lightest jog wheels we have ever used, they feel very close to the capacitive models found in modern controllers.
The overall build quality comes as no surprise with a familiar ‘Pioneer feel’ throughout. The CDJ 3000 even retains the notch on the top plate where the CD drive would usually be found, an odd design choice given the lack of an optical drive in the new players.
Connectivity
The new Gigabit Ethernet connection gives the CDJ-3000 internet access for Beatport Streaming and Rekordbox Cloud Sync and enables higher data transfer speeds between Pro-Link devices. The new port enables playback and sharing of audio files from USB devices and SD cards on up to six CDJ-3000 units with rapid performance. Thanks to this and the new MPU inside the players tracks with all 8 hot cues set and multiple memory points now instantly load upon selection. No more waiting around for each hot cue to load!
There is now a lockable power cable to stop any unwanted disconnections, plus a digital output and RCA output on the back alongside a USB 3 for connecting to a laptop.
Rekordbox DJ
The Pioneer CDJ-3000 can be connected to Rekordbox DJ on your laptop via the USB 3 port on the back of the player. Being a ‘hardware unlock’ device, you won’t need a subscription to access the software.
Serato DJ Pro
You can connect to Serato DJ Pro using HID mode on the CDJ-3000’s.
Virtual DJ
The CDJ-3000’s connect to Virtual DJ using HID mode.
Algoriddim DJAY Pro
Pioneer CDJ-3000’s also connect to algoriddim DJAY pro using HID mode.
Rekordbox iOS App
The Rekordbox iOS app on mobile can be directly connected to the CDJ-3000’s. This allows DJs to play music directly form their mobile.
Pro DJ Link
Pro DJ Link still works with Rekordbox in export mode, for any users currently using a LAN setup.
How much is the Pioneer CDJ-3000?
Pioneer CDJ 3000 price: $2299 / £2169 / €2399
Streaming on the CDJ-3000
Streaming music to the CDJ 3000s is done via the ethernet connection. Currently, the only third-party streaming provider is Beatport, but you can also access your Rekordbox library remotely via Dropbox using Rekordbox Cloud Sync. More third-party streaming providers may be coming in the near future.
Do the CDJ 3000s have dual-layer mode?
Naturally, everyone in the DJ industry was waiting to see if Pioneer DJ were going to match Denon DJ by adding dual layers. Meaning a DJ can play and control two songs from one deck. Unfortunately, it looks like Pioneer DJ have stuck with just one layer per deck.
How does the CDJ3000 compare to the Denon SC6000?
The most anticipated question upon the CDJ-3000’s release is how does it compare to the flagship offering from rival, Denon DJ. Both players are built for the next generation with multi-core processors and large touch screens. However, there are striking differences in regard to performance features and online capability. To learn all the differences between the two flagship players, read our dedicated guide here.
Our Thoughts
The CDJ 3000 is a very welcome update to the range. An update long-time users will be happy to play on. Built to address the older units’ flaws, the new build quality oozes quality. Sure, it’s not the technological marvel that truly rivals the Denon SC6000 players, but it never really could be.
Pioneer DJ has to put its existing clients first, as a radical departure from what’s familiar to artists worldwide wouldn’t be appropriate.
Overall, this is a cold and calculated move by Pioneer DJ. The new processor and the promised firmware updates give potential buyers hope for better things to come.
Given the time Pioneer DJ has had to develop the CDJ, we were slightly underwhelmed by the lack of innovation at first. However, as long time CDJ users we are happy with the updates made and are looking forward to future updates promised by Pioneer DJ.
This player isn’t for everybody; it’s clearly aimed at the highest level of DJ and the people responsible for equipping the best DJ booths in the world. And for those users, this is a worthwhile upgrade and one we personally look forward to playing on in the future. If you’re looking for a home setup to match these new CDJs but at a much more suitable price point then we recommend looking at the Pioneer XDJ XZ.
Video Review & Guide
Pioneer CDJ 3000 DJ Performance
Check out our DJ mix on the new CDJ-3000 here…
Getting Ready To Gig!
Most DJ’s end goal is to play in bars, clubs, or festival stages. The one thing all these places have in common is Pioneer DJ Equipment. Nearly all clubs and venues will have a set of CDJs and knowing your way around them is essential to becoming a confident club DJ.
If you’re used to playing with a controller in your bedroom, moving on to a set of CDJs and a mixer can feel daunting. The buttons are in different places, they connect differently, and you may want to choose between using USB sticks or a laptop to DJ. All these things bring challenges; however, inside this course, we will arm you with the tools and techniques for stepping up to a pro DJ setup and playing quickly.
This course is for any DJ who wants to feel confident using a CDJ set-up. Perfect for those DJs making their first steps into the booth and starting their career or for seasoned DJs who think they don’t know the club equipment inside out yet.
10 hours 31 lessons Intermediate
Pioneer CDJ Masterclass
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