Pioneer CDJ-350  Pioneer's new entry level digital deck

Submitted by Lead   on 22-03-2010 19:03
This content is © 2010-2024 The DJResourceVote :   

Also in the Gearbase: Pioneer DJ - Player Tabletop Overview

Gearbase product details : Pioneer DJ CDJ-350

In perfect harmony with the Pioneer DJM-350, the Pioneer CDJ-350 CD Player also brings some of the specialties of the Club Standard products to the entry level DJ. The Cue-ing and Looping works on the CDJ-350 identical as on a CDJ2000 or CDJ-900.

CDJ-350 is available in 3 colors: CDJ-350-K (Black), CDJ-350-W (White) and later also CDJ-350-S (Silver).

The CDJ-350 is fully compatible with the exports and the Beatgrid from Rekordbox Music Management Software (included), in fact the BPM Lock relies on it. As the Beatgrid of your tracks is recognized by the CDJ-350, you're loops will be tighter than before. Your preparing your set on CDJ-350's the same way as it would have been for CDJ2000's, no need to decide on forehand as your exported files will work on all CDJs that support Rekordbox. You can browse your tracks easily by artist, title, genre etc.

Build-in the CDJ-350 is a high quality sound card and MIDI controller, making it a universal deck that can be used in several ways: stand alone CD or Media player or Sound card and controller for computer software. Nearly all normal music file types (MP3, AAC, WAV and AIFF) are supported when inserted on media or disc. Off course regular audio CDs are played as well.

---

Easy track selection

There is a very easy Rotary dial control next to the display that helps you search and select the tracks that you would like to play. Rotating the dial changes the track, pressing it selects and loads the track. You can go back with the little Back button just above the Selection Rotary.

The dot matrix screen provides all information like: progress bar, pitch setting, BPM, track info etc.

You can select the source of the music you are playing (Disc or USB) with a dedicated button for each input.

Computer Connectivity

You could also set the CDJ-350 in PC/MIDI mode to control the software of your choice as nearly all controls on the CDJ have a dedicated MIDI channel. These channels can be mapped in the computer to control software that supports this. When connected to a computer the CDJ-350 activates it's build in sound card that outputs sounds on the regular RCA/cinch outputs so no need to struggle with cables.

Rekordbox Compatible

The CDJ-350 is compatible with Pioneer's Rekordbox Music Management software (included) so all exported files on USB media can be played. Another advantage of the use of REkordbox is the easy browsing by Tag so you find your tracks faster than looking in a folder listing, this is what happens when you just put some tracks via file transfer to a USB media.

Looping

The Loop works very simple, press Loop In at the In Point of your loop, press the Loop Out button at the end point. The CDJ will then directly repeat the loop and keep doing that until you press the Reloop/Exit button. When a Loop is exited it is still in the memory of the CDJ, you can see this as the Reloop/Exit is illuminated. When the Reloop/Exit is lit and is pressed during playback, the loop in memory will start instantly and keep on looping.

When your track is exported with Rekordbox the Beatgrid is recognized by the CDJ-350 and the Loop features will all work Quantized with the Beatgrid. So make sure in Rekordbox that your Beatgrids are accurately placed.

When during playback of a Loop the Loop In/Cue button is pressed the Loop is restarted from the beginning, this is the Hot Loop. The Loop In/Cue button can be pressed as fast as you can, the CDJ will keep up triggering a start of the loop in sync with your actions.

Auto Beat Loop

When any of the Auto Beat Loop buttons is pressed, a 4-beat loop is set in the memory, started from the nearest beat when you pressed the button. When an Auto Loop is playing and you press the - button, the Loop restarts and the length is devided by 2. You can keep deviding until the Loop is 1 frame (minimum length of a Loop). When the + button is pressed, the loop is expanded (doubled) in length.

The Loop Devider also works on your handmade loops.

Playlist

If the Playlist button is pressed when a track is playing that track is added to a playlist, stored on your USB medium. These playlists can be imported into Rekordbox for re-use later.

Each time a new USB medium is inserted a new Playlist will be started.

BPM Lock

This locks the pitch of the track automatically so that the track plays in sync with the master BPM that can be set in the CDJ. If your Beatgrids are correct, the CDJ-350 syncs the tracks accordingly so it makes your life a bit easier. Off course a real DJ would never perform using this feature, it is nice when practicing though.

Touch Sensitive Jog Dial

On the CDJ-350 there is a decent touch sensitive Jog Dial. This jog Dial is similar in size to that of t he CDJ-400.

The outer upstanding ring of the Jog Dial is used to make pitch corrections or pitch bends. Just gently rotate the jog without pressing the top part of the dial. When rotate clockwise you pitch up the track and when you are rotating anti clockwise this will result in a pitch decrease or slowing down of the track.

When Vinyl Mode is selected you gain all benefits of the Jog Dial and the top is the Touch Sensitive part. By pressing anywhere on it you can pause playing and start scratching the tracks.

---

And there are also the obvious Pioneer CDJ Features :

Auto Cue Continue When you hold the Cue button after a Cue Point is set the playback starts until you release the button. Playback can be continued if PLAY is pressed when the Cue button is also pressed. Auto Resume When a disc is accidentally ejected and reinserted again, playback will continue from the point where EJECT was pressed. The CDJ will remember the disc until a different one is inserted. Master Tempo This world-famous function locks the pitch of a track, even when its speed is changed. DJs can speed up or slow down the beat, without any difference to the sound of the vocals and instruments. The pitch-bends that you do while cueing up your record will be unnoticeable for the audience. This function also makes it possible to mix-in an accapella tracks to a beat, you can pitch-bend the accapella without notice. Tempo Control This 100 mm linear high-precision slider is connected to a adjustment indicator on the display panel to give DJs total control and ensure that tempo adjustment is easy and accurate. The accuracy declines when a higher pitch scale is selected +/- 6% : 0.02% +/- 10%: 0.05% +/- 16%: 0.05% +/- WIDE : 0.5% (only audio CD) "Wide" Pitch Control The pitch control function has an incredible range of +100/- 100% for audio CD's and -100% / +70% for MP3 Cd's. This means that you can use new sound effects from opposite ends of the sound spectrum and also match the BPM of their played track with virtually any other music. When combined with the Master Tempo functionality of the CDJ the digital effect can be used to uplift your performance even more. BPM Counter Indicates BPM for the current track. The BPM counter also reads and displays the BPM when the player is in Pause. Without an headphone you can use it to cue up the tracks with an accuracy of 1 BPM, the rest is done with your headphone on your head.

Pitch Bend Move the Jog Dial (in CDJ mode) forwards or backwards to either speed up or slow down the tempo of a track. When the player is in Vinyl mode only the outer ring of the jog gives you this feature. Jog Mode The CDJ-350 can be set in either Vinyl or CDJ mode. In CDJ mode, the Jog Dial still functions, but without the touch sensitivity so only for Pitch Bend. Auto Cue This is the fastest way for DJs to find the first beat of a track, although it can be turned off for manual cueing. Also new is that the level where the Auto-Cue sets its point can be adjusted in a wide range of positions. Reverse Use this function to playback in reverse, without a loss of tempo or pitch and without stopping or starting the track. Reverse can also be used with the Hot Cue and the Loop Sampler functions to create endless combinations and effects. Legato Link Conversion Pioneer’s wide range Legato Link Conversion technology delivers high quality audio by reproducing sound frequencies above 20 kHz, which are lost during normal CD-format playback. This not only delivers excellent audio reproduction, but also sounds closer to the original recording. Anti-Vibration + Shock Proof Memory An oil-dampened floating suspension system prevents sound skipping, even when the player is subjected to impact during use or to vibrations generated by high volume of low frequencies. Multi-speed reading and a Shock Proof Memory will prevent skipping in most situations. Fader Start / Back Cue Start A track on the CDJ-350 can be started by sliding the cross fader, if the deck is connected to any Pioneer mixer. Sliding the fader back will return the track to the cue point previously selected on the unit. Relay Playback of 2 players Connect the players with the Control Cable. Then switch on Auto Cue. When playback of a track ends, the other player will start from the Auto Cue point onwards, the first players is Cue-ed at the next track, waiting for an 'END' signal.

There are 28 Comments