Looking to buy a Pioneer DJ Rekordbox controller or standalone DJ unit, but not sure which to go for? In this article, I’ll explain to you what makes Rekordbox software and Rekordbox controllers/standalones different from the pack, and then give you our six best DJ units for Rekordbox in 2024, with both high-end and entry-level choices. Beginner or advanced, there is something for you in what follows.
What’s different about Rekordbox?
Rekordbox started life as a music library program, for preparing music to export to USB and play on Pioneer DJ’s club DJ systems – still the pro standard.
But as soon as Pioneer DJ added the ability for it to work as “real” DJ software with controllers, it instantly became a contender – and now, having reached Rekordbox 6.8 (with Rekordbox 7 in public beta, at the time of writing), it is pretty much neck-and-neck with Serato as the market leader. Rekordbox is nowadays Pioneer DJ’s own software that comes bundled with many of the company’s DJ controllers and standalones.
Read this next: Best Serato DJ Controllers For 2024
Uniquely, any work you do to your music library when using Rekordbox as software with a DJ controller, can also be used when DJing “standalone” with Pioneer DJ all-in-ones (ie exporting your playlists to a drive that you plug in to such gear, away from laptops completely). This is something none of the other software platforms can offer. Therefore, in this roundup, we cover both types of equipment.
If you’re buying a pure Rekordbox DJ controller in 2024, there is not a huge amount of choice, and there are only two controllers we’d recommend. But we have also included our “all-in-one” standalone DJ systems that let you DJ with or without a laptop.
Contents
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX10
- Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX4
- Pioneer DJ Opus Quad
- Pioneer DJ XDJ-RX3
- Pioneer DJ XDJ-XZ
- AlphaTheta Omnis Duo
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6 Best Rekordbox DJ Controllers & Standalones 2024
1. Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX10
The DDJ-FLX10 is a direct replacement in 2024 for the now-discontinued DDJ-1000 (and, actually, the Serato-focused DDJ-1000SRT too), and brings everything the DDJ-1000 had, plus more. You get deep control over Rekordbox’s new Track Separation (aka stems) feature, an on-board DMX interface for easy lighting control via Rekordbox Lighting, and improved sound quality.
It’s also got hardware Beat FX onboard based on those you’ll find on the high-end DJM-A9 mixer and can work as a “real” mixer too, with external inputs for four sources and two mics, meaning the experience of using it is very much like DJing on pro Pioneer DJ club gear.
One for pro DJs who play open-format, and those who want an experience that’s as close to a CDJ / DJM set-up as possible in a controller. As a bonus, it also unlocks Serato DJ Pro, for an alternative software platform.
✅ Best control over Rekordbox software in any DJ controller
❌ You may be paying for a lot of features you may never want or need
Price: $1599 / €1649/ £1469
Our rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Our review: Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX10 review
Find out more: Pioneer DJ website
2. Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX4
To the other end of the price spectrum now, this entry-level two-channel controller takes the CDJ/DJM club set-up as its influence, and distils it into a portable device for home use and maybe bar gigs.
The deck controls and Beat FX layout help new DJs get up to speed with Pioneer DJ’s hardware workflow for easier transition when they start gigging at clubs, but this time they are strictly controlling the software effects – no hardware mixing or onboard effects on this unit, like with the DDJ-FLX10.
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Its predecessor, the DDJ-400, became a much-loved controller even among pro DJs, because it was small, laid out in a familiar way, and sturdy. The DDJ-FLX4 builds on that legacy, and as a first controller it is an ideal choice, not least because this improved model has some cool new tricks to help beginner DJs blend songs together more smoothly.
Buy one, and I suspect you would end up keeping it as a back-up or second device even after upgrading to something bigger down the line.
✅ Proven beginner controller that still feels similar to using club gear
❌ It’s new dark grey, rounded look is a step backwards from the DDJ-400 in some people’s eyes
Price: $299 / £279 / €319
Our rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Our review: Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX4 Review
Find out more: Pioneer DJ website
3. Pioneer DJ Opus Quad
This is Pioneer DJ’s most advanced all-in-one standalone DJ unit. With more modern tech than the XDJ-XZ (also featured in this list), it is aimed at a different type of DJ to that model. The XDJ-XZ is more of a pro all-rounder, with better inputs and outputs. But the Opus Quad has far more modern tech inside, making it smoother to use and more powerful in what it can do.
It has a better screen, cloud library compatibility, and a bold look, which will appeal as much to mobile DJs wanting a stylish system as DJs wanting a head-turning piece of DJ equipment/furniture for their home set-up. And of course, it works both with and without a laptop.
✅ A bold new design for a bold new DJ unit, its power matches its looks
❌ This is definitely not an XDJ-XZ2, which is the unit many pros wanted next from Pioneer in this sector
Price: $3199 / £2899 / €3299
Our rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Our review: Pioneer DJ Opus Quad Review
Find out more: Pioneer DJ website
4. Pioneer DJ XDJ-RX3
This is another unit that can work as both a Rekordbox controller and standalone DJ console. The reason we’ve included it is that if you think you’re going to want to DJ with a laptop sometimes (maybe at home, when using streaming services for example) but you also want to be able to DJ without one (when gigging, for instance), then this may be a good choice.
It’s not best-in-class at anything, being only two channel and lacking the modern DJing features of, say, the DDJ-FLX10, but for not an awful lot more than that unit, you’re getting that standalone capability too (and it also works with Serato).
Not everyone wants all the latest bells and whistles, and if your priorities are a well-built, reliable, professional looking yet relatively portable DJ console that can do a bit of everything, you may decide this ticks enough of your boxes to be a no brainer for you. It’s certainly a very popular unit.
✅ A workhorse – reliable, pro looking, jack of all trades
❌ It does nothing better than any of the other units here; two channels only
Price: $2099 / £1699 / €2049
Our rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Our review: Pioneer DJ XDJ-RX3 Review
Find out more: Pioneer DJ website
5. Pioneer DJ XDJ-XZ
We’re including the XDJ-XZ even though, again, it is a “standalone” DJ unit (ie you can DJ on it with its built-in screen and a USB drive with your playlists exported to it, no laptop in sight). The reason we’re doing so is that we think it is actually best thought of as a DJ controller first, standalone unit second.
The reason for this is that – as a standalone DJ system it kinda sucks – only two of its four channels work when you don’t have a laptop attached, for instance. Plug in your Rekordbox laptop though, and it’s a different story.
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Now you have a full-sized, powerful, pro-build quality DJ controller with all the features you could ask for, including myriad inputs and outputs, great hardware effects, Pioneer DJ’s Pro Link for adding, say, CDJ-3000s – it’s basically the closest you can get to a pro DJ set-up in a single box.
So if you primarily want to DJ with Rekordbox and you don’t want dedicated buttons for the new Track Separation aka stems features (see DDJ-FLX10 above), it remains a tempting if pricey purchase. (Oh, and it unlocks Serato DJ Pro, too.)
✅ Closest you’ll get to the look, feel and features of real pro gear in any controller
❌ Getting a bit long in the tooth now – will an XDJ-XZ2 be along soon?
Price: $2499 / £2049 / €2437
Our rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Our review: Pioneer DJ XDJ-XZ Review
Find out more: Pioneer DJ website
6. AlphaTheta Omnis Duo
This is a new-for-2024 all-in-one standalone DJ unit, which is probably best seen as an answer to the Denon DJ Prime Go. Two channel but still powerful (it runs on the same tech as the Opus Quad), it has a built-in battery meaning it can be used anywhere you can get it to – along with a suitable speaker, of course. It also has a lot of Bluetooth tech built into it, which is unusual for a DJ controller.
Read this next: AlphaTheta Launches All-In-One DJ Controller & Portable Speaker
The company has gone for a bold blue livery for this unit, marking it out from more standard DJ gear in the same way the Opus Quad is marked out from such gear, although achieving a very different look from that unit. But also like the Opus Quad, it can work happily with or without a laptop attached.
✅ A distinctive product, and the first ever unit from Pioneer DJ/AlphaTheta with a built-in battery
❌ Clearly, ahem, influenced by the Denon DJ Prime Go, to which it bears more than a passing resemblance
Price: $1499 / £1369 / €1599
Our rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Our review: AlphaTheta Omnis Duo Review
Find out more: AlphaTheta website
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Phil Morse
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