The Lowdown
The Pioneer CDJ-350 feels like a consumer device rather than a serious piece of DJ gear, which for the price means we’re not big fans of it. You’re better off saving up for something like the XDJ-700 or XDJ-1000MK2 instead.
First Impressions / Setting up
The Pioneer CDJ350 is a digital turntable that can play from USB thumb drives and CDs and can also be used as a MIDI controller along with your DJ program of choice.
The screen and buttons on the CDJ350 are bright which is great for low-light situations. Scrolling through tracks from a USB is easy and intuitive with all the necessary details all on the screen such as BPM and tempo grid on there. It also has a tempo adjuster and Master Tempo button that changes the pitch of the song when disengaged.
Other functions include a playlist button, options for manual and automatic loops and a vinyl mode for scratching.
In Use
Creating loops is easy on the CDJ350s and you have the option to cut them to 1/2, 1/4, 1/8. The jogwheel and faders feel smooth and has a decent nice weight to them.
Using the 350s as a Midi controller is simple and is compatible with Rekordbox DJ. The package does not come with the cable to connect it to a laptop.
An Amazon reviewer mentioned that the jogwheel feels very similar to the 350’s older brother the CDJ-400, and it may be a bit small for some people who prefer larger jogwheels, especially for those who like using big jogs.
Lastly, the price is a bit steep for the features that the CDJ-350 has especially since you can get a lot more in the same price range.
Conclusion
Targeted toward beginner to intermediate DJs, the Pioneer CDJ-350 has some extra bells and whistles and name pedigree but has a couple of missteps and questionable features that it is hard to recommend it especially in its price range.
