Pioneer DJ's four-channel DDJ-FLX6 controller boasts a bunch of new features
Time away from nightclubs doesn’t mean the DJ experience can’t continue at home and for that to happen is the need for a top-class home setup. Pioneer DJ‘s dedication to ensuring you’re equipped with the gear necessary for this continues with the DDJ-FLX6 DJ controller.
Compatible with rekordbox and Serato DJ Pro, Pioneer DJ’s DDJ-FLX6 arrives boasting a brand-new feature focussed towards the DJs not afraid to mix up genres in their sets. MergeFX opens the opportunity to drop in effects when switching from one genre to another, taking away those worries of tempo or key. Jog Cutter is another new function, bringing a bank of scratch effects to work into your set. This focus on scratching is also present in Sample Scratch mode in rekordbox.
Made up of four channels, a first for a Pioneer DJ controller, the unit rolls in at £539. Below we outline why the DDJ-FLX6 is an essential addition to your home setup.
Genre-hopping’s made easy on the DDJ-FLX6 thanks to the MergeFX function. So if you fancy yourself as a selector living, breathing and dancing eclecticism, all it takes is a twiddle and press of a knob to build up and unleash a drop from one style of sound to another. Whether it’s Chicago house into headsy hip hop instrumentals or Amapiano into footwork, MergeFX will make that mix a little bit simpler. This can be done at any point in the tune; all you have to do is press play on the other deck to bring in the next track, banishing all your change in BPM woes if there ever were any.
Merge FX is equipped with eight pattern presets (four for Serato DJ Pro users), while each of the four categories – Build FX, Build Sample, Release FX and Drop Sample – contain a total of 41 effects. As you can imagine, this function is prime to be used in a house party setting for maximum impact.
The new Jog Cutter feature on the DDJ-FLX opens up a means for scratching, even for total beginners with no experience in it whatsoever. All you need to do is move the jog wheel – when Jog Cutter is turned on – and a scratch effect will be added to the previous Hot Cue or playback position. With 10 different scratch patterns available, they can be alternated by moving the playhead position which appears on the jog wheel’s display. You just need to point towards the scratch you want to bring in and, once your hand is lifted, whatever tune you’re playing will run from the Hot Cue point.
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The art of scratching isn’t something that should be viewed upon with lustful eyes of nostalgia. Even though it certainly was a thing in the late ’80s and ’90s, and you had wizards like A-Trak mastering it in the ’00s, it’s still well and truly rolling thanks to the DMC World Championships and DJs like Jerome Hill doing magic like this. Pioneer DJ’s ensuring the scratch party goes on with Sample Scratch in rekordbox, as well as the previously mentioned Jog Cutter function. The pad mode allows you to load sample sounds onto the decks, opening up the opportunity to create a whole new take on a tune or simply chop up the mix as you go. If Serato DJ Pro’s your go-to, then Scratch Bank lets you trigger samples using the performance pads. Win-win.
Nobody likes clunky and ugly DJ gear. The DDJ-FLX6 is far from that, arriving with a smart, crisp aesthetic that’ll have your mates envious of your home setup. The key visual difference is a dark grey matte finish – the first time a Pioneer DJ unit has appeared in this – and redesigned jog wheels. Apart from that, the controls or more or less the same as a standard CDJ and DJM setup, so you won’t have to think too much about where everything is. We’re sure you agree the controller looks fancy and slick and deserves a spot in your very own DJ booth.
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Access to the DJ performance functions in both rekordbox and Serato DJ Pro are made incredibly easy on the DDJ-FLX6 thanks to the controllers built-in sound card and a USB input. Just plug your USB cable into that and your laptop and you’re off. What’s better is that no subscription is needed for either application and Serato DJ Pro license keys for the FX Pack and Pitch ‘n Time Expansion Pack are included.
Head here more for information and find out where to buy the Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX6
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