Stylish unit offers ultimate performance and multiple functions for DJs.

Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. offers “bedroom” DJs the opportunity to mix and scratch CDs with professional quality using its newest CDJ-200 entry-level CD turntable. The number of consumers who have taken up the art of spinning digital music continues to grow at a rapid pace, increasing the market for Pioneer’s digital CD decks. The CDJ-200 creates a new standard for entry-level/mid-range units, combining the key elements of Pioneer’s professional digital CD decks with a host of innovative features including: full-function .mp3 playback, Hot Loop, Beat Loop and the unique one button Loop Cutter, for creating loops within loops until the beat has been cut to infinity.

This technical excellence is complemented by a design that’s both visually stunning and supremely practical – the unit is robust, compact and portable – and a truly affordable price, making it the ideal choice for serious home DJs, bars and other installations where space (and budget) is limited.

Since the CDJ-200 is .mp3 compatible, aspiring DJs can now include the very latest downloaded tracks in their sets, without having to convert the audio from other formats. The .mp3 functionality also allows DJs to locate tracks more quickly (via Folder Search) and to see the name of the disc, artist and song on the unit’s bright dot-matrix display window. This screen also has a bar graph showing the elapsed and remaining playing time of a track, plus an Auto BPM Counter, giving DJs the real-time information they need to create better mixes more quickly. The unit has a tempo read-out as well as a separate Master Tempo button with three settings for locking the pitch of a track as it’s sped up or slowed down.

Lights, Action
The unit uses an electric-blue light at strategic locations to give the DJ constant feedback about the status of the CD and the effects in use. The light above the CD-slot, for example, shows that there’s no disc on board and also guides the DJ to the user-friendly quick-load slot. With the disc inserted, that light goes off and a blue illuminated ring appears around the edge of the Jog Wheel - indicating that a CD is loaded and ready for playback.

An established highlight of Pioneer’s Pro DJ CDJ players, the jog wheel can be used to speed up or slow down the music; to fine-tune cue points manually; or to control the mix with the help of another proven feature, the digital jog break. This has three effect buttons (Jet, Zip, Wah) for creating original sounds as the DJ manipulates the jog wheel. When the digital jog break is on, the blue ring flashes quickly. Once the HOLD/RESET button is used, the flashing slows down. With the effects off, the continuous blue light returns.

The CDJ-200 also has a unique Resume function that takes effect if a CD is ejected accidentally. Once the DJ re-inserts the disc, it automatically starts playing from exactly the point where it stopped. The unit has a digital out socket so that all of the digital features available in DJ Mode can be carried over to a connected digital environment. The headphone jack with volume control allows the DJ to monitor a CD without connecting the CDJ-200 to a mixer or external amplifier.

CDJ-200 Key Features:

• Jog Wheel: The large 100mm jog wheel lets DJs speed up or slow down tracks and fine-tune loop points. DJs also can stop/cue up tracks with amazing precision (1/75 sec) and quickly search through a track by simply using the jog wheel or, in super fast mode, by holding down the manual search button at the same time.
• Cue/Loop Memory: Cue or loop points can be saved to the deck’s internal memory, giving DJs the chance to instantly return to the cue point or loop at any time whilst the CD is playing.
• Real Time Seamless Loop: The real time seamless loop allows DJs to set a loop on the fly, and adjust it using the jog wheel. It can then be looped continuously until the re-loop/exit button is used. Upon release, the track continues without pause.
• Real Time Cue: DJs can press the In/Real Time Cue button to instantly save a cue point to the internal memory.
• AutoCue: This automatically finds the first beat of a track, but can be turned off for manual cueing.
• Manual Cue: Cue points can be set anywhere on a track by making adjustments with the jog wheel or manual search buttons. The cue point is stored in the deck’s internal memory until overwritten by a new cue point.
• Pitch Bend: This is used to either speed up or slow down the tempo of a track for perfect beat mixing, by moving the jog wheel either forwards or backwards.
• The CDJ-200 will be available in spring 2005 for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $499.