Pioneer Product Tutorial Videos

Hey guys,

As some of you may not be aware, Chris is one of our interns in our new London studio pumping out some very helpful videos about all our different equipment. Send all your suggestions to him and they'll make videos on the most common requests / issues.

@Chris > I've made this a sticky ;)

Thanks Gavin :)

WOW this is great. Thanks for doing these video's. What I would like to know is how to use my midi pages with Traktor for drops and other things. But i'm still using Rekord box as my main source of playing tunes. I am horrible at mapping Traktor. setting up the mixers sound card on a MAC for Traktor. Thanks and please keep the video's coming. They are great.

oh one more thing... Figure out WHY the RMX-1000 dont have post fader when the channels are selected?? Meaning if you have 1,2,3,or 4 selected there will be no post fader. If you have Master or A/B selected there is post fader... I would really be nice if this could be fixed. Every other mixer I have used the RMX with has Channel post fader. IE: DN-X1700, Rane 68, Zone 92. Thanks.

Hi Pete, Thanks for the reply. 

These are things i can certainly look in to for you. Just to be sure, do you mean to map the MIDI pages to the remix decks for sample launch? Perhaps with the video we can create a TSi file for users to download which will be pre mapped for Traktor :) 

We have put out a HID video for the CDJ-2000nexus which does cover routing the soundcards in Traktor to a mixer. But again this is something we will go over in more detail in the upcoming videos.

With regards to the RMX i will find out and come back with an answer for you. 

Yes that is exactly what im talking about. I want to use Rekordbox, but use the midi pages as a launch pad for drops etc. I have seen the HID video for Traktor and the cdj's. I did it and it was easy. But I don't like it so im sticking to RB. But i would like to use Traktor and my djm midi pages. TY for looking into the RMX issue as well. Very Much appreciated.

would love to see the rmx1000 software covered in a lot more detail - mainly to do with sample bank and the x-pad..

and some real close up camera work on the rmx in use.. as most of the promo vids with 'super star djs' in them really gloss over what they are doing

Nice idea Matt

Hi there. Firstly, thanks for all the hard work. Might be opening myself up to some banter here, but I'd really appreciate taking things down to basics with regard to MIDI and using Ableton etc. I find the whole thing quite daunting when I'm sure it's not that bad once you get going. Often, things seem pitched towards experts, and that certainly isn't me!

Guys I really need some help. I posted twice about it but no one has replied. The videos (Part 1, Part 2 etc... for RB is from 1. something back when you could right click and adjust beat grid option. I dont see that with 2.0.3 but no big deal.

My issue is with Hardstyle. I really would like to see a video but I'll take words for now so I can get going.

At the begining of a track my BPM is 150. At the middle of the track the bpm can speed up, slow down or the song goes silent. This throws off the down beat (The Red line). So when the beat a few seconds later goes back to normal (150bpm) and that first down beat kicks in in the middle of the track my redline is a beat or more off and a blue line is the down beat now in this case.

If I adjust, mark the down beat in the middle of the track buy clicking the (Set the first beat icon) it throws off the down beat at the begining of the track.

I'm lost on how to go about setting the down beat when coming out of a fast BPM or Slow BPM that happenens in the middle of a song and throws off the red downbeat line

Pete, I've been told that due to the way the channels have been designed, they would not be able to be changed to make the S&R post fader. Unfortunately it is not something that a firmware update could fix.  It is potentially something that will be looked at on future mixers.

Matt, We are planning some RMX videos soon. Are you having issues with loading custom samples in to it? Until the videos are available, feel free to contact me if you need any questions answered.

Boofont, We will be covering everything MIDI related to do with the DJM-850, DJM-900nexus & DJM-2000nexus. This includes MIDI control of other software and syncing "MIDI Beat Clocks" etc.

It is a large topic but we will cover it in great depth.

We will also offer Ableton project files and Traktor TSi files with pre-mapped soundcard routings and MIDI controlled effects. 

Hi Justin, When in rekordbox go in to preferences. Under "Track Analysis" set it to Dynamic. This is for Tracks which have changes in BPM or for tracks that have live drumming and are not computer programmed at a BPM.

Let me know if this solves your problem

Yes and no lol.

It helped, instead of 2 1/2 beats off it was about a beat off. What I did to get it perfect was, Clicked on: Make and adjustment from current postion. Instead of selecting the first beat in the middle of the track and letting RB auto adjust, I selected closer to the red line and walked it to the down beat. In the past, when I lined up on that beat, whatever bar (Red or Blue) was closest would auto move to it.

I now have about a 2 beat gap in the song but at least my red down beat bar hits correctly lol. With that beat ticker sound that helps make sure the beat is matched, it skips a beat... Not sure yet if this will be an issue for the CDJ?

I have not tried to see if normal analzing works this was as well...

Walking the beat works with Normal.

BTW: Glad to see more videos are on the way. Thanks Pioneer

Looks like you've resolved your own issue :) 

With your help! Thanks Chris, if you didn't point that out I would have never stumbled on it. Will having a 2 or 3 beat gap be an issue with CDJ or only if I try to mix at the spot in the track?

Hi Chris!

I would like to see a in depth Pro DJ Link setup video with DJM-900 and CDJ-2000/CDJ-2000NXS connected to a switch.

With in depth I mean:

• Recommended switches

• In wich order should the equipment  it be turned on/off

• Software to turn off, like a firewall

• Etc.

• Videos for both Mac and Windows with different Operating Systems like WinXP, Win7 and Win8, OS X Snow Leopard, OS X Mountain Lion.

I'm using the DJM-2000 with a built in switch and I've never had a problem setting up Pro DJ Link but when I read this forum I see a lot of posts from users with problems related to Pro DJ Link (rekordbox crashes, CDJ-2000NXS freeze, not able to load tracks etc.).

I think this should be very useful for a lot of users.

Cheers!

Thanks for the feedback, Roland.

Hi Chris:

I would really love to see a top-to-bottom tutorial covering rekordbox 2.x from an advanced, technical perspective—i.e., not a marketing video highlighting the features of rekordbox—but something directed towards Pioneer's professional, tech-savvy, user base.  I am speaking specifically of DJs who, like myself, are heavily invested in Pioneer's hardware and know it with our eyes closed, yet consistently fall victim to software issues which negatively affect the entire experience of DJ'ing.

If you are willing and able to pursue something like this, I'd like to suggest that you find a way to interface with the rekordbox development team if possible—for two reasons: 1) as an obvious resource for technical information, and 2) as a way to jointly review the current state of the application, and hopefully develop some effective priorities for future development.

I will leave my specific criticisms for another post, and simply say that rekordbox has been a thorn in the side of many a DJ for a long time (including some affiliated with Pioneer)—and without question, it continues to degrade many of our (Pioneer DJs') experiences, as well as your (Pioneer's) otherwise-excellent brand.  After 4+ years of being outmatched by everyone else—Native Instruments, Serato, iTunes, etc.—it is especially disheartening to see that mixvibes (rekordbox's own developer) has managed to create their own, seemingly-polished piece of proprietary software.  If Pioneer is accepting of such lackluster development in support of its entire professional user-base—the least it can do is give us a proper guide for it.  (The "online user manual" is terrible, not user-friendly, and marketing-centric, rather than support-centric).

Here is my suggestion at how to break this tutorial down.

1. Library Management:

• Fundamentals of the rekordbox Library

• music files and underlying file structure

• how does rekordbox interact with these files

• does it move them?  copy them?  reference them in place?

• Importing Tracks directly from the File System (Windows / OSX)

• Importing Tracks from iTunes via Bridge interface

• Duplication

• importing tracks already in the rekordbox library

• does it result in duplicates?

• does rekordbox warn about / skip those tracks when importing / re-importing?

• importing playlists already in the rekordbox library?

• are playlists duplicated?

• are the tracks within playlists duplicated in the collection?

• is there a way to find, purge or merge duplicates automatically?

• Missing Files / Broken Links

• how it happens / how to avoid it 

• how to fix it

• Overview of ID3 Tags / Understanding Metadata and Track Information:

• what data is stored in the track's own ID3 Tag—& what data is stored separately in the rekordbox library?

• reading metadata—retrieving and reloading ID3 tag information

• writing metadata—editing ID3 tags

• what files are affected?

• are other applications affected (e.g., iTunes)?

• non-ID3 metadata—what track-specific metadata does rekordbox manage independently of the ID3 tag?

• color, hot cue, play count…

• beat grid, cue points…

• Editing Track / Tag Information:

• within rekordbox

• in the library browser itself / via the info pane

• for mutiple tracks at once—including tips & tricks for various situations

• reloading tag information in iTunes—after editing in rekordbox to reflect changes

• in another application (iTunes / Mixed in Key)

• reloading tag information in rekordbox—after editing in iTunes to reflect changes

• what information is cross-compatible, and what isn't?

• issues that can arise when iTunes is set to manage the underlying file structure

• on the CDJ decks themselves

• updating the rekordbox library to reflect changes made on the device (/CDJ)

• updating the device (disk / drive /CDJ) to reflect changes made in the rekordbox library

• Preparing Tracks for Performance

• Analyzation / Re-Analyzation

• Beat-Grid

• updating grid information (for tracks analyzed with past versions)

• adjusting grid information

• best practices / efficient methods

• tweaking tracks with BPMs ending in .01 or .99

• Cue Points / Loops

• manually-adding the first Cue point via rekordbox so it loads automatically on the CDJ

• adding an active-loop or "emergency-loop" for each track, and ensuring it loads automatically on the CDJ

• Can the first Cue point and the active-loop both load automatically?

• Preparing for Export

• USB stick / drive

• FAT32 or Mac OS Extended Journaled

• "Master Boot Record" Option

• SD cards

• what types work / don't work (e.g., SDHC, XDHC, etc.)

• FAT32 only, in order to work in SD slot

• Mac OS Extended Journaled—works if SD card is inserted into USB card-reader and treated as USB device

• "Master Boot Record"

• Device / Export settings

• default vs. custom settings

• background color

• category / sort fields

• best practices / creative uses

• Exporting

• upon exporting, what files are transferred?—and what information is transferred? 

• are transfer speeds affected by device or file system type (FAT32 v. Mac OS Extended Journaled)?

• Underlying files

• The Computer:

• which files comprise the rekordbox library on the computer?

• license, preference(s), library database, playlist info, beat grid, artwork, etc.

• where are they located?

• what can / can't be done to them manually (i.e., from within the files system?)

• The Device:

• which files comprise the rekordbox library on the device?

• where are they located? (hidden folders, etc.)

• what is likely to happen if you fiddle with them?

• backing up:

• library / playlists

• restoring:

• library / playlists

To put together a tutorial covering this would certainly take a major effort—but if done properly, Pioneer's users would be happier, more knowledgeble, less in need of help from moderators, and more willing/able to act as brand-ambassadors for Pioneer.  The process might also help illuminate the shortcomings of the rekordbox application to the folks in charge of its development—including how easily many things could be fixed with a little attention to detail.

I'd be happy to share my thoughts/notes with you if it would be helpful.  I've been quiet on the forums for a while, but I've been using CDJ-2000s for 4 years—along with the DJM-2000, a DJM-900 nexus, and now, a pair of CDJ-2000 nexus players.  I've also introduced a lot of DJs to the CDJ / rekordbox system, and know it inside and out, fwiw.

Regarding the nitty-gritty technical info:

• this information—i.e., underlying files (not code or anything)—can be shared without encouraging bad practices
• Pioneer users are tech savvy professionals—many of whom have invested a small fortune with Pioneer
• empowering professional users w/ this type of technical info is expected (e.g., Ableton, Apple, Adobe…) 
• rekordbox is barely at version 2.x after FOUR YEARS—and remains quirky, buggy and unreliable

• Pioneer owes it to its user-base

• deliver a rock-solid professional product, and if not

• at least treat us as professionals and adults by empowering us with an overview of how things work under the hood.

Thanks,

-Warth

@ warth. very nice post and idea. +1

Oakstream - Thanks for the reply. The Pro DJ Link is something we will be covering soon.

Warth - Thanks for the reply. We have a rekordbox video out at the moment, but it has changed so much recently so a new video is something we have coming up. We have been working on the ordering of videos and how to break it up etc so we will consider your recommendations when we do them.

Hi. I have just bought DJM 2000 nexus. My setup will be only the DJM 2000 nexus linked with traktor on macbook. My money has gone and CDJ 2000 are out of plans. With this setup is possible to use Quantize and Grid informations? I have noticed that beat slicer is out of time with the original track. I don't wanna use the manual BPM on the mixer. Is possible that traktor sync BPM, GRID and QTZ?Tell me the possibilities with this setup.Tanks and sorry for my poor english.

@Rafael > No, they don't "share" the information.

hi all i want to know is the rmx1000 compatible with the ns6?

Absolutely nothing to do with the actual thread lol but it looks like you will only be able to use the rmx on the master as it has no send and return,

Please start your own threads for unrelated questions :)

@Victor > If you have a question please post in the relevant part of the forum and we'll be able to address it there.

Ive done a few on spanish because here in mexico pioneer doesnt do anything beside a few prom videos ...

Serious Pioneer is missing something big here they dont care at all about mexico and there alot of new guys inquiring on the dj wolrd and brand

And last but not least the Pioneer "Ambassador" fro mexico "Dj pelos"  check out his facebok page he has no info no  tutorials nothing just show off pictures  of him  and no go about the Pioneer brand ........lame SERIOUSLY 

Hi D.J. Cosmic Sunrise, apologies for the late reply. This is something i will look in to.

YouTube does have subtitles on all videos. These are all automatic and not always that accurate, we are however beginning to update all of the videos with our own subtitles so they are accurate with the translations.