With one-button beatmatching now in pro DJ booths too, is there any need for pitch faders any more? Today we look at four reasons why they’re still relevant.
With Pioneer adding a sync button to its new CDJ2000nexus, the battle is won (or lost, depending what side of the fence you’re on): The “sync” button is now part of DJing. Today’s article isn’t going to debate the pros and cons (it’s been done to death, and continues to be done all over the web seemingly everywhere I look), rather, to discuss a more intriguing, practical matter: What’s the use of the now seemingly redundant pitch faders, if not for manual beatmatching?
The truth is, even if you always use sync and never even attempt to beatmatch manually using them (although you really should; see 5 Reasons Why All DJs Should Learn To Beatmatch By Ear for why), there are actually plenty of things they’re still good for. So today we’ll recap what the pitch fader is really there for, before considering four alternative uses for it in a “sync button age”.
