CDJ 400s: Easy to transition to 1000/2000 in clubs?

[Happy Trees]

Forgive me if it is a baseline question.

I am a controller guy right now, but am looking at investing in some used CDJ 400s. They seem to get really good reviews, other than complaints on FAT32 and, I think, no .WAV playback via USB. Maybe the .wav thing was Numark, but I digress...

Anwho, the clubs around here basically use the first edition CDJ 1000s and CDJ 1000 MK II/III. Mainly the former in the club I frequent first.

Since most Pioneer CDJs are basically laid out more or less the same from what I can see, how easy would it be for me to step from my workspace to the club and go with the 1000s? Or, lucky stars, the 2000s?

What do you think a fair used price is for two of them?

Thanks in advance.

[The Blackest]

Honestly I feel that if you can use any type of CDJ, you can use any type of CDJ. Thats just me though.

[Liam]

What reason do you want the 400's? Is it a budget thing or the USB feature? If it's a budget thing you may also want to check out the 800mk2 (stay clear of the mk1 as they are very dated).

I used to use 400's and move onto 1000's in the club and to start with i really hated the big jog wheel in comparison and hated the transition but time grew on and i prefered the bigger jog wheel and found it really easy to switch between the two. But in the end i sold my 400's and bought 1000mk3's and never looked back.

The reason i mention the 800's is due to the larger jog wheel will make you feel at home slightly quicker. But all Pioneer CDJ's feel similar apart from the 100/200.

[Happy Trees]

Yeah, it's a definite budget thing. There's an offer on the table for a pair for less than 800 USD. I found some ancient 1000s for the same price.

I found some 800 MKII's for 750 a pair used. However, I was looking at the 400s for the ability to use them w/ USB. Not necessarily a deal breaker, since I use a controller w/ Traktor Pro. But it seemed like a nice thing to have that ability to use them in simple MIDI and USB mode.

In the end, the main thing is to get comfortable using the Pioneer gear, since that is a foreign land for me right now. The 400s seemed to pack a nice punch for the buck, but the jog wheel is smaller.

The 1000 MK3's are awesome, but I cannot find a pair within my budget right now.

If I were to invest in the 400s, I figure I could re-sell them for a half decent rate of return to upgrade to the 1000s once I have some experience and capital.

Thanks for the opinions.

[Liam]

Yeah, it's a definite budget thing. There's an offer on the table for a pair for less than 800 USD. I found some ancient 1000s for the same price.

To be honest i'm not sure if that is a good deal over your way but i bought mines and sold mines on 2 years later only losing £150. But i don't think i would go for any 1000 unless it was the mk3 but that is just me! A lot of people advise people to try get the mk3's or a really good deal on mk2's if you want to go that age..


I found some 800 MKII's for 750 a pair used. However, I was looking at the 400s for the ability to use them w/ USB. Not necessarily a deal breaker, since I use a controller w/ Traktor Pro. But it seemed like a nice thing to have that ability to use them in simple MIDI and USB mode.

This is another thing down to preference. In the end i hardly ever used my USB unless i was just testing a track in my room. But i never used the midi mode either. If you think you will use it it would definitely be better getting the 400's over 1000's since you can't do that with the 1ks.


In the end, the main thing is to get comfortable using the Pioneer gear, since that is a foreign land for me right now. The 400s seemed to pack a nice punch for the buck, but the jog wheel is smaller.

The 1000 MK3's are awesome, but I cannot find a pair within my budget right now.

Once you buy some CDJ's you should be comfortable with basically all Pio's CDJ's pretty quickly, the layout is more or less always the same just the jog wheels which are different but doesn't take long to get used to.

If I were to invest in the 400s, I figure I could re-sell them for a half decent rate of return to upgrade to the 1000s once I have some experience and capital.

Thanks for the opinions.[/QUOTE]

[Happy Trees]

To be honest i'm not sure if that is a good deal over your way but i bought mines and sold mines on 2 years later only losing £150. But i don't think i would go for any 1000 unless it was the mk3 but that is just me! A lot of people advise people to try get the mk3's or a really good deal on mk2's if you want to go that age..



This is another thing down to preference. In the end i hardly ever used my USB unless i was just testing a track in my room. But i never used the midi mode either. If you think you will use it it would definitely be better getting the 400's over 1000's since you can't do that with the 1ks.



Once you buy some CDJ's you should be comfortable with basically all Pio's CDJ's pretty quickly, the layout is more or less always the same just the jog wheels which are different but doesn't take long to get used to.

If I were to invest in the 400s, I figure I could re-sell them for a half decent rate of return to upgrade to the 1000s once I have some experience and capital.

Thanks for the opinions.[/QUOTE]


Thank you, Liam. Very helpful indeed.

[Happy Trees]

Supplemental: I also hear good things about the Denon 3700s, and to a lesser extent, the 1200s. Any thoughts?

[Alex Murphy]

Well if you plan on being cd only, go for 1000 mk3s. Keep in mind the 400 have native serato control in case you plan to use that at some point. Either way they're both good decks, the 400s feeling a bit more plasticky, but having a bit more up to date features. Also, the 400s do play .wav files through USB.



Since most Pioneer CDJs are basically laid out more or less the same from what I can see, how easy would it be for me to step from my workspace to the club and go with the 1000s? Or, lucky stars, the 2000s?

All CDJs are extremely well laid out and easy to use. Do get some a bit of training if you can just to learn the buttons and what they do, such as changing the time display, pitch range, cue, loop and other basic functions...

[Happy Trees]

Well if you plan on being cd only, go for 1000 mk3s. Keep in mind the 400 have native serato control in case you plan to use that at some point. Either way they're both good decks, the 400s feeling a bit more plasticky, but having a bit more up to date features. Also, the 400s do play .wav files through USB.



All CDJs are extremely well laid out and easy to use. Do get some a bit of training if you can just to learn the buttons and what they do, such as changing the time display, pitch range, cue, loop and other basic functions...


Thanks for the clarification on the 400s. I think I read somewhere here that you lose some features/functionality with Serato when using the deck, but I do not remember for certain. That is a nice bonus, however.

The pawn shops and music centers around here suck. They are not really geared towards the DJ. So it is a bit more difficult to go out and play around with gear.

I think a decent pair of decks would not be a bad investment. The 400s sound like the better package if I were going Pio, based on what I'm familiar with and possible needs.

I hear good things about the Denons, and they look pretty similar. I use other Denon gear, and I like what they offer.

It's a tough call. But at least you guys have helped me with how the step from the 400s to 1000s would be, and what the features offer.

Thanks.

[TooHypE]

Well if you plan on being cd only, go for 1000 mk3s. Keep in mind the 400 have native serato control in case you plan to use that at some point. Either way they're both good decks, the 400s feeling a bit more plasticky, but having a bit more up to date features. Also, the 400s do play .wav files through USB.

All CDJs are extremely well laid out and easy to use. Do get some a bit of training if you can just to learn the buttons and what they do, such as changing the time display, pitch range, cue, loop and other basic functions...

Hey Manu, I own the CDJ-400's and unfortunately they don't support .wav files. (http://forums-archive.pioneerdj.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/201103214/m/8560095406)

[TooHypE]

Honestly I feel that if you can use any type of CDJ, you can use any type of CDJ. Thats just me though.

Im wit him as well.... once I gotten my hands on my cdj-400's moving up too the 800/1k didn't seem too bad... of course aside the jog wheel and hot cues/features... etc.. but it's all personal preference at this point.... oh yea as Manu said the CDJ-400's are native supported (HID) in Serato and can be used as a Midi Controller within Serato you have 3 buttons available to you on each controller too use within ScratchLive.

[Alex Murphy]

Hey Manu, I own the CDJ-400's and unfortunately they don't support .wav files. (http://forums-archive.pioneerdj.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/201103214/m/8560095406)


Thought I played some through my usb. Might be mistaken :shrug:

From the link you pointed, Pulse gave a no no so it would prove that you're right. As he is pretty much the guy there, I'll definitely give you that. I thought I played some .wav files, though it might be through a dvs or something.

[TooHypE]

Thought I played some through my usb. Might be mistaken :shrug:

From the link you pointed, Pulse gave a no no so it would prove that you're right. As he is pretty much the guy there, I'll definitely give you that. I thought I played some .wav files, though it might be through a dvs or something.

No worries homie.... prolly DVS like you said... I know I can do so wit Serato... no doubt..

[Finnish_Fox]

Honestly I feel that if you can use any type of CDJ, you can use any type of CDJ. Thats just me though.

I think this only works in 1 direction. Learning on a 2000 and then going to a 200 could present some issues, no?

[Happy Trees]

I think this only works in 1 direction. Learning on a 2000 and then going to a 200 could present some issues, no?

Yikes. That puts a whole new spin on the argument. If only I could be so lucky.

[Happy Trees]

Im wit him as well.... once I gotten my hands on my cdj-400's moving up too the 800/1k didn't seem too bad... of course aside the jog wheel and hot cues/features... etc.. but it's all personal preference at this point.... oh yea as Manu said the CDJ-400's are native supported (HID) in Serato and can be used as a Midi Controller within Serato you have 3 buttons available to you on each controller too use within ScratchLive.

The hot cues are more of a sticking point I think.

I was looking at the Denons as well. The 3700 seems to sort of resemble the 2000s/1000 MKIII in many respects, and much cheaper. Tough call.

[Happy Trees]

Hey Manu, I own the CDJ-400's and unfortunately they don't support .wav files. (http://forums-archive.pioneerdj.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/201103214/m/8560095406)

Thanks for clarification. That sucks. But the Serato thing is a bonus bonus.

[Liam]

I think this only works in 1 direction. Learning on a 2000 and then going to a 200 could present some issues, no?

If you understand the fact that you are going from CDJ2000's with all the fancy features to a budget deck such as the CDJ200 and know not to expect the link feature etc you will be perfectly fine after a few minutes on the small platter..

It works both ways imo. Once you know a Pioneer layout you are fine until they come out with something crazy or your just stupid really. But you might not be comfortable with what your using if you are used to the higher end stuff.

[ampnation]

I've been looking at the S3700 too. I really like the 9" vinyl platter and seems to be very similar to the CDJ400 in other respects, maybe a little better. I don't have to worry about trying to transition to other decks though.

[TooHypE]

I've been looking at the S3700 too. I really like the 9" vinyl platter and seems to be very similar to the CDJ400 in other respects, maybe a little better. I don't have to worry about trying to transition to other decks though.

Truthfully i been on various Denon models em too many too even mention but i do agree feature wise is a plus but my own personal preference its just too busy... the layout... so im not too comfortable... but too each his own... again it falls on personal preferences..

[Happy Trees]

I played around with some 400s today. That appears to be the direction to go in for now. Sucks that they don't do .wav files from USB, though. But really I want to go with CDJs to get the classic feel for CD mixing, since I have a controller to cover the other part.

The Denon was very, very tempting, since I own a Denon hybrid mixer/controller, and thus far like it.

The guy I know doing some local clubs with the 400s said you can basically knock them around a good bit and they stand up to it. And in the end, I feel like I need to get familiar with the Pioneer style layout.