Pioneer DJ just announced its DJS-1000 standalone performance sampler and sequencer. It lets you trigger sounds and loops using the performance pads, allowing you to layer beats and melodies while you DJ, and it also lets you record and “sample” audio coming from your DJ media player for on-the-fly remixing and producing.
It’s got 16 velocity-sensitive performance pads, 16 buttons for the step sequencer, a touchstrip, and a 7″ touchscreen display. You load sounds onto it by using a thumb drive, or you can load songs from your laptop via the USB jack. There’s a pitch fader onboard, as well as tempo nudge buttons for manual beatmatching. It’s even got a Pro DJ Link Ethernet jack, allowing you to sync it to a networked CDJ/DJM NXS set-up for tight performances.
For connectivity, the DJS-1000 has a pair of 1/4″ audio inputs for connecting line level devices like CDJs, a pair of 1/4″ and a pair of RCA outputs, Midi In and Midi Out, and 1/4″ and 1/8″ headphone jacks with a volume knob.
The controls look similar to what you’d find on the TORAIZ SP-16 sampler released last year: the performance pads let you playback sounds, and you can also use them to record notes for the DJS-1000’s step sequencer. A step sequencer lets you assign sounds “step by step” (there are 16 steps in all), which makes creating four to the floor beats and melodies easy, especially for those of us who are less rhythmically inclined.
What makes it different to the TORAIZ SP-16, though, is its form factor. This is the same size and orientation as the CDJ-2000NXS2, which means that it’s a lot easier to drop this in any club or festival DJ booth. Two CDJ-2000NXS2s not enough for you? Add a DJS-1000 to spice things up. Don’t need four CDJ-2000NXS2s? Swap two of them out with a pair of DJS-1000s for expanded creative possibilities.
We loved the Toraiz SP-16, and found it to be an excellent studio tool for creating beats away from a laptop screen. However, its shape and landscape orientation mean finding space in a cramped DJ booth is challenging, especially without a stand. The new DJS-1000 addresses this design issue, and Pioneer DJ does so in a simple way: Take a form factor that’s already used in DJ booths across the globe (ie CDJ-2000NXS2), and stick the controls and functionality of the Toraiz SP-16 in to make it familiar and easy to set up. What you get is a performance-oriented sampler and sequencer that looks and feels “at home” in any DJ box.
Check out the promo video and photo gallery below.
Promo Video
Photo Gallery
• The Pioneer DJ DJS-1000 will be available mid-October 2017 for $1199. Check the Pioneer DJ site for more details.
Joey Santos
