Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000 Review

It’s summertime and you are relaxing by the hotel pool, the nearby beach club or you are just at a small cocktail place in town. Musical bass sound flows through your ears and accompanies the setting you find yourself in. A DJ in a dark shirt and really cool sunglasses and DJ headphones sits in the corner and plays all the tracks away on his decks, interchanging music tracks and drum beats, sending good vibrations down your spine. In the absence of mastering a musical instrument, being a DJ seems quite appealing.

Oh, yes, we all want to be a DJ. The task, as I have recently found out is rather treacherous if you don’t have the right equipment to remix sounds. I played my playlist through Spotify, which apart from crossfade doesn’t offer you to master a smooth and harmonic mix to get that ultimate DJ sound quality. You’re basically surrendering your DJ duties solely to Spotify. 

There are thousands of good DJ equipment and tools out there. Some of them control not only the music output through a lcd screen but also control lighting effects. Today, we are looking at one hell of a beast, The Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000. This piece of kit is a digital music player that allows users to launch their music from a handful of sources, such as CDs, USB drives, and SD cards. The player has a large, colour touchscreen display that makes it easy to navigate your music library and control playback. The CDJ-3000 also includes a number of professional-grade features, such as beat matching and looping, that make it ideal for use in a DJ booth or club setting.

Key points

• The Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000 is a digital music player that allows users to play music from a handful of sources, such as CDs, USB drives, and SD cards. 
• The player has a large, color touchscreen display (Pro DJ Link) that makes it easy to navigate your music library and control playback. 
• The CDJ-3000 also includes a number of professional-grade features, such as beat matching and looping, that make it ideal for use in a DJ booth or club setting. 
• The CDJ-3000 was released in October 2020 after much anticipation. 
• The new CDJ-3000 inherits many of the best features from its predecessor, the CDJ-2000NXS2, including Pioneer’s Pro DJ Link, a large 7-inch touchscreen display, and support for FLAC and Apple Lossless audio files. 
• The equipment can play MP3, AAC, WAV, and AIFF audio. It can also play FLAC and Apple Lossless audio. 7.The CDJ-3000 comes with rekordbox DJ and rekordbox DVS.

What is a CDJ?

 A CDJ is a high-tech specialized digital music player expertly constructed for, you guessed right, DJs. It was first actually designed with purpose to solely play music from CD’s (compact discs). This, however, has changed over time as you can now play music stored on SD cards and even USB flash drives. I am sure you’ve seen them in a club or at a pool party in their typical use, where you combine at minimum two CDJs and plug it in between a DJ mixer. 

CDJs have so called “jog wheels” as well as high tech pitch faders that gives you all the old school methods of experimenting with a digital music file similar what you probably did on with your vinyl records on a classic DJ turntable.

Pioneer’s now famous DJ CD players are currently the most commonly found DJing equipment featuring in worldwide dance clubs. It is without a doubt that they are regarded as the prevailing industry standard by many DJs.

When did the Pioneer CDJ 3000 come out?

The Pioneer DJ CDJ 3000 was released in October 2020 after much anticipation. The release did not disappoint. The company announced the evolution of their CDJ range on September 10th, 2020 in a media release. The new tool kit was released with a price tag of $ 2599.

In the statement, Pioneer commented that the CDJ-3000 is the most advanced player they have ever made. Their ambition is clear in that they want to provide the most intuitive path and unrivalled interface for anyone aspiring to be a DJ. 

What are the new features of the Pioneer DJ CDJ 3000?

Although it has now been almost 7 years since the last major update to Pioneer’s CDJ line (the CDJ-2000NXS), the new CDJ-3000 is a significant step forward in terms of features and build quality.

The new CDJ-3000 inherits many of the best features from its predecessor, the CDJ-2000NXS2, including Pioneer’s Pro DJ Link, a large 7-inch touchscreen display, and support for FLAC and Apple Lossless. But the CDJ-3000 also adds a number of key new features that sets it apart from the CDJ-2000NXS2, and any other CDJ on the market. The first and most immediately noticeable difference is the new jog wheel. 

The CDJ-3000’s jog wheel is much larger than the CDJ-2000NXS2’s, and it has a smooth, low-friction surface that is similar to Pioneer’s DDJ controllers. The result is a jog wheel that feels much more responsive and natural to use. Another significant new feature is the 8-beat loop button. This new button allows you to set a loop that is 8 beats long, which is twice as long as the standard 4-beat loop. This new button is a welcome addition, as it gives you more flexibility when looping tracks.

Does the CDJ-3000 play CDs and play audio files?

I guess the name gives it away. Even though CD’s can be regarded as somewhat ancient technology these days the CDJ-3000 is a CD player, and it can play CDs, DVDs, and USB drives. Furthermore, It can also play audio files from your computer via USB.

In terms of audio format, the new kit can play MP3, AAC, WAV, and AIFF files. It can also play FLAC and Apple Lossless.

Is the CDJ-3000 waterproof?

As with any technical equipment like your laptop, or any other powered musical device water or any liquid is not a friend of such equipment. Ever wondered why DJs, quite like their own space and don’t allow people to enter their zone, that’s probably why. 

It should therefore come as no new revelation that the CDJ-3000 is not waterproof. You can however purchase dustproof and waterproof cases to transport and store your precious equipment. 

Is the CDJ-3000 dual layer?

Dual-layer playback combines individual analog/digital outputs to mix two tracks from a single player. CDJs like the 3000 unfortunately never have been dual layer which is surprising as they tend to be the most purchased DJ kit out there.  

The reason Pioneer DJ apparently gave in a live stream was that a survey under CDJ’s biggest artist users showed that there was no need for the dual layer as they would have 3-4 CDJs at a time. So a proper dual layer set-up would involve the costly route of acquiring at least two CDJ-3000s. It’s good business for Pioneer but only as long as they can claim superior status amongst their follower base which is for now still the case. 

Does CDJ-3000 come with rekordbox?

Yes, the CDJ-3000 comes with rekordbox DJ and rekordbox DVS. The addition of rekordbox CloudDirectPlay means that users can easily manage their music online alongside the advanced features of the CDJ-3000. A subscription to the recordbox Creative and Professional plans enables your latest library to sync from different devices.

As a background, Rekordbox DJ is a digital audio music production software that lets you create, play, and share your music with friends and other DJs. Rekordbox DJ is a music production software that lets you create, play, and share your music with friends and other DJs. Rekordbox DVS is a paid upgrade that adds support for scratching and mixing with turntables or CDJs.

When was CDJs released?

In 1992, Pioneer released the CDJ-300, their first CDJ CD player. However, the CDJ-500, released in 1994, is recognized as Pioneer’s first CDJ. The CDJ-500 was the first player to feature a Jog Dial, allowing for cueing of the CD, as well as looping functions. 

Back then, the pitch control was held within a range of only +/- 10%, while the so called Master Tempo allowed for the pitch to be locked despite adjustments to the tempo could be made. All the models of the 500 had an opening for the CD’s to be loaded on top, which is in startling difference too all later models of CDJs which have been adapted to load discs through the front which makes it easier to handle. 

Conclusion

The Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000 is a high-end digital music player that is designed for use in a DJ booth or club setting. The player has a large, colour touchscreen display that makes it easy to navigate your music library and control playback. 

The CDJ-3000 also includes a number of professional-grade features, such as beat matching and looping, that make it ideal for use in a DJ booth or club setting. The CDJ-3000 is a significant step forward from its predecessor, the CDJ-2000NXS2, in terms of features and build quality. 

The CDJ-3000 inherits many of the best features from the CDJ-2000NXS2, including Pioneer’s Pro DJ Link, a large 7-inch touchscreen display, and support for FLAC and Apple Lossless audio files. But the CDJ-3000 also adds a number of key new features that sets it apart from the CDJ-2000NXS2, and any other CDJ on the market.

 The most notable new feature is the 8-beat loop button, which gives you more flexibility when looping tracks. Overall, the Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000 is a top-of-the-line digital music player that is packed with features that will appeal to both beginner and professional DJs. If you’re looking for a high-quality, feature-rich digital music player, the Pioneer CDJ-3000 should be at the top of your list.