BPM 2015: Pioneer DJ Rekordbox 4.0 & Rekordbox DJ Plus Pack

Ahead of this weekend’s BPM Show, Pioneer DJ has announced Rekordbox 4.0, the latest version of its DJ library management and preparation desktop software, and the Rekordbox DJ Plus Pack, which turns Rekordbox into Rekordbox DJ: A fully fledged DJ performance software package, compatible with not only the company’s just-announced Pioneer DDJ-RZ and DDJ-RX controllers, but also backwards compatible with most of the rest of the company’s DJ controllers.

Rekordbox 4.0 is free, and is the latest iteration of the program used by many DJs to prepare music to use on Pioneer DJ’s pro gear in DJ booths, usually by exporting to USB. But by buying either the DDJ-SZ or DDJ-SX controllers (which come free with it), or upgrading the free Rekordbox 4.0 to Rekordbox DJ through buying a Plus Pack inside the software, DJs can upgrade to Rekordbox DJ – the full performance version of the software.

This version is also compatible with many older Pioneer DJ controllers, namely the DDJ-SB, DDJ-SR, DDJ-SX, DDJ-SX2, DDJ-SZ, CDJ-2000/CDJ-2000NXS, CDJ-900/CDJ-900NXS, CDJ-850, CDJ-350, XDJ-1000, and DDJ-WeGO3. That means users of those controllers who have previously used other software such as Serato DJ with them now have the option of using their hardware with Pioneer’s new software.

The software will be available as of 1 October 2015 at €139, or from 1 December 2015 as a subscription option for €10.90 a month (much is the same way Virtual DJ 8 is also avaliable for a subscription, rather than outright purchase), and there is also a 30-day free trial available, again from within the software as an upgrade.

What this means for the DJ industry

As you know, Rekordbox DJ was announced quite recently: We’ve seen the software, and it’s very similar to the other platforms out there – no surprise really, as DJ software as a whole has been around for a long while now and it all performs pretty much the same job no matter which brand you go for. That said, Rekordbox DJ bears particular resemblance to Serato DJ. But the interesting thing for the DJs is that this fourth big platform (Traktor, Serato DJ and Virtual DJ being the other three) has the potential to quickly become the number one.

The reason for this is that Pioneer has the best range of hardware out there, from the smallest consumer models right up to the exact equipment found in practically all DJ booths worldwide – and now the company offers users of all of this hardware software to suit their workflow.

It will be interesting to see how good the software really is (we noticed a few frayed edges when we had a short preview), and how effectively Pioneer develops it from here. It will also be interesting to see what happens when the company launches smaller, cheaper controllers for Rekordbox DJ: Will it release a free, bundled “Intro” version of the software, like Serato does? You’d expect this to happen, meaning a fully Pioneer sub-$300 controller including Pioneer software won’t be far away.

We’re at the BPM Show this weekend and we’ll definitely report back to you on our first experiences using the software properly (as of course we fully expect it to be demoed there), but meanwhile, here’s the company’s promo video:

Promo video

What do you think of the software? Is it going to shake up the DJ industry, or is it more of the same? Would it tempt you tro jump from Serato DJ, Traktor or Virtual DJ? does the idea of using the same software from the cheapest beginner controller up to the biggest DJ booths seem like a good one to you? Please share your thoughts in the comments.