Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX6-GT: 7 Things To Know Before Buying

Pioneer DJ has just launched an update to its DDJ-FLX6 mid-range DJ controller, which now works offically with Virtual DJ and, interestingly, Traktor, as well as Rekordbox and Serato DJ Pro as before.

Here are seven things you need to know about the controller before you buy one:

Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX6-GT: 7 Things To Know Before Buying

1. It’s the first new Traktor-compatible controller to be announced for three years – This is in itself worth noting, because while we’re still waiting for Native Instruments, the owners of Traktor, to announce new “official” gear for the platform, it shows that the team is active and working on integrations for the software
2. It’s the first ever Traktor-compatible controller with full-sized jogwheels and a club layout – the DDJ-FLX6-GT has a club-style mixer layout, and CDJ-sized jogwheels, which mean it feels similar to using club gear (like the ever-popular DDJ-1000 controllers). Traktor owners jealous of users of other software with access to these units now have a unit they can use themselves with these features
3. It’s not a perfect Traktor mapping, or the easiest to get working – It isn’t plug and play with Traktor (you’ll need to install a TSI file to get it to work), and once it is up and working, some of the advanced features of the controller, such as the Merge FX and the in-jog displays, won’t work (plus, we suspect the jogwheel Midi will be laggy, as it always has ben in the past with third party Traktor controllers)
4. It has also been announced as working with Virtual DJ – This is good news, but then, it always did work with Virtual DJ in its previous DDJ-FLX6 incarnation. Maybe this is just exactly the same mapping made official and announced by Pioneer DJ, or maybe there are improvements (we’ll no doubt find out soon enough)
5. It unlocks Serato DJ Pro – This is worth pointing out again, because the recent Numark NS4FX, which is a comparable mid-market Serato DJ four-channel controller, doesn’t, and Serato is pricey software. Not only does the DDJ-FLX6-GT unlock it, but it comes with vouchers for two desirable add-ons too, Pitch’nTime and FX, making it much better value than the Numark unit or any other at this price point
6. It still works best with Rekordbox – Despite all the talk about “flexibility”, this is still primarily a Rekordbox DJ controller, and some of the features – Merge FX, Jog Cutter, Sample Scratch – don’t work as well or at all with other platforms
7. It doesn’t have the mobile-friendly features of the new DDJ-FLX4 – While we suspect that when the Rekordbox for iOS & Android DJ app is launched in early 2023, there will be a way to get it working with the FLX6, but it won’t be as easy as with the DDJ-FLX4 that’s just been announced. That’s because the FLX-4 has USB-C connectivity and a USB-C charging port, neither of which are on the DDJ-FLX6-GT, sadly
8. BONUS: Existing DDJ-FLX6 users can get all the new functionality too – I thought it was worth adding an eighth “bonus” point for those who own the original DDJ-FLX6, just to make it crystal clear: Aside from the paint job, the hardware hasn’t changed at all, which is great news for existing users, as they can get all the functionality with a simple firmware upgrade

Finally…

This has never been our favourite Pioneer DJ controller, as it feels underpowered to us at this level with small, single-colour pads, limited inputs and outputs (no aux input at all, no balanced outputs) and some ill-advised gimmicks. At €649/£569/$649, though, it is good value if you want to use it with Serato.

It is also undeniably popular, if nothing else for its excellent jogs – plus we do applaud Pioneer’s direction towards making the DDJ-FLX6 work with all software. We look forward to more controllers that “work with everything” moving forward, so how about officially announcing the DDJ-FLX4 for Traktor, Pioneer DJ?

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Got questions about this unit? Want to share your thoughts? Please do so in the comments below.