Pioneer DJ DDJ-REV7 Serato Controller Review

Video Review

First Impressions / Setting up

The DDJ-REV7 is a fairly large controller, although it is still possible to carry it under one arm, just. I’d say it’s the “large end” of medium-sized, but nowhere near as deep, wide or bulky as, say, the XDJ-XZ. It’s relatively shallow, with low-profile rubber pads underneath instead of feet.

It’s quite heavy, due in no small part to the motors built-in to rotate the platters, and feels well built. It has metal-plated top surfaces, and plastic sides and bottom, as is the way Pioneer DJ tends to construct its pro gear. It’s all-black, with a mixture of silver, black, white and grey knobs, buttons, faders and pads.

The decks

The two identical deck sections are dominated by 7” motorised platters, that look like turntables, with tapered, strobe-dotted edges, and “real vinyl” surfaces. The “vinyl”, complete with window to look through to the built-in screens, lifts off, and underneath are plastic discs (“slip sheets”) that do the job of slipmats, allowing the vinyl top surface to behave like real vinyl would on a record deck. These are easily replaceable, and I can see custom sheets (and, indeed, vinyl) coming very soon, either from Pioneer DJ or third parties, for the DDJ-REV7.

It’s a clever design, because it means that – unlike the more traditional-feeling “turntables” on the unit’s biggest competitor, the Rane One – these have no central spindle or locking mechanism, meaning there’s more “hand space”, and of course, room for the built-in screens. They feel highly convincing, too – a must, of course.

Read this next: Platters vs Jogwheels – Which Is Best For DJing?

The other big news here is that Pioneer DJ has gone for “battle” layout – as if you’d turned two turntables 90 degrees, as scratch DJs usually do. (Fun fact: Scratch DJs do this to move the tone arm mechanism into a safer position for scratching.)

Doing so on a real turntable would put the start/stop button on the lower right and the pitch control horizontally at the top, which is exactly where those controls are found on the DDJ-REV7.

Also at the top of each deck section are a library encoder and buttons, auto loop, slip/censor/key controls, tempo range and tempo reset buttons, and a set of four buttons aligned to a new “Instant Scratch” function, although as we’ll see, they do a lot more than that (more on these later). The decks themselves have inconspicuous pitch bend/waveform zoom buttons, display mode buttons, and stop/start time knobs.

The mixer

Just as the deck sections take their inspiration from turntables set up for scratching, the mixer section takes its inspiration from Pioneer DJ’s iconic two-channel Serato scratch/controller mixers, specifically the current DJM-S7 and its hugely popular predecessor, the DJM-S9.

So you get the classic scratch layout: The lower third of the mixer given over to the high quality Magvel Pro crossfader and upfaders, plus just a few other controls tucked out of the way (headphone cue faders/knobs, Smooth Echo – yes, that’s made it across! – and sampler volume).

Learn to scratch with us: Scratching for Controller DJs

The “central” section of the mixer, then, is for the performance pads, which are the same excellent size and quality as found on the DJM-S7. This is also where you’ll find Silent Cue buttons – a nice addition.

The top section of the mixer again copies the S-series mixers, with effects paddles, control over both built-in hardware effects and Serato’s software effects, and all of the standard volume, EQ and filter knobs, including booth and master knobs. Here you’ll also find the channel switches, letting you choose between up to two laptops running Serato, and phono/line sources (the mixer is also “standalone”, and can work with analogue sources, too.)

The front panel

Along the front of the controller, you’ll find the microphone controls, extra mixer controls, the headphones sockets, and Aux input controls.

For the mixer, there are reverse switches (for both the crossfader and the upfaders), curve adjustment knobs for all three faders, and a mechanical “feeling adjust” knob to tighten or loosen the crossfader.

There are level controls for two mics, plus EQ and echo controls (ganged for both mics), plus a mic on/off/talkover switch. You get both 1/4” and 1/8” headphones sockets, and the Aux controls feature a volume knob, and a three-way switch for off/line/portable (to adjust the input gain depending on what type of auxiliary device you have plugged in).

The back panel

From left to right, there are master balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA outputs, booth balanced TRS outputs, the two USB sockets for laptops, then the analogue inputs: Two pairs of RCAs with line/phono switches for the main channels, and a pair of RCAs for the Aux input. There’s no 1/8” jack input for the Aux, despite what the “portable” setting on the front switch might lead you to believe.

Moving to the far right, there are two mic inputs, one an XLR/TRS “omni” input, one a balanced 1/4” TRS-only both with attenuator knobs for balancing the mic levels, depending on the type of mics attached.

The power input is, disappointingly, 24V DC with a supplied power brick. This should have been an IEC socket with the transformer built-in to the unit, as that arrangement is more convenient for the pro user, and would eliminate the potential issue of sourcing a spare power brick if there happened to be any issues with the supplied one when on the road, etc.

There’s also a Kensington lock socket at the back.

Setting Up the DDJ-REV7

The DDJ-REV7 unlocks Serato DJ Pro, so you register for a Serato account on their website, download the software, and you’re ready to go. There’s an Expansion Pack voucher for Serato’s Pitch ’n Time musical key features in the box, and the voucher can’t be reissued, so be sure not to lose it, as you’ll need it to fully activate that software.

It is always worth checking the Pioneer DJ support pages to make sure you are running the latest firmware and updating that on the REV7 if not, and it is also important to update to the latest version of Serato DJ Pro if you are already a user, as the DDJ-REV7 will not be recognised by previous versions of the software. There are audio drivers needed for Windows, and both Windows and Mac need a Setting Utility installed.

If you want to plug in external decks, you can do so, and you can even use DVS turntables with this if you wish – although for most DJs, the two built-in platters will be a big part of why they buy this in the first place. Good to know it’s there, though.

Then it’s just a case of attaching any mics you want to use, plugging in your powered monitors or into the club’s mixer, and plugging in your laptop – there’s a supplied cable, although if you want to plug in a second laptop you’ll need a second cable too.

Make sure the channel selector switches are set to the correct laptop input, and you’re good to go.

Worth also pointing out that Pioneer DJ provides a set of stickers that you can use as markers on the control vinyl if you wish to do so – it does have a built in “marker” that displays on the screen, but some DJs may prefer a (guaranteed zero latency) physical sticker!

Watch the live Q&A

Conclusion

So, Pioneer DJ has launched a motorised platter controller! And it’s a hands-down winner. The layout makes perfect sense (battle mode decks, DJM-S9/7 mixer layout), and the decks are both technologically clever, and work really well.

Making this for Serato makes perfect sense, both for DJs (most DJs who scratch use Serato) and for Pioneer DJ’s product range (its own software Rekordbox for club kit, Serato software for scratch/performance kit).

Learn to scratch on ANY system: Scratching For Controller DJs

But because of all the extra features, many of which are highly controller DJ-friendly, the DDJ-REV7 is probably best seen as an all-round party, open-format, scratch, battle, and performance DJ’s controller – equally at home at parties and events, as well as DJ battles.

Pioneer DJ DDJ-REV7 vs Rane One

The DDJ-REV7’s main competitor is the Rane One. That is a smaller, slightly more portable controller, and has a more traditional deck layout that some DJs may prefer (although not many, we feel – the jog displays on the REV7 are cool, and the REV7’s battle mode makes perfect sense).

The Rane One also has a cramped mixer layout in comparison to the REV7, meaning DJs used to using full-sized gear have a bigger learning curve with the Rane One. And, it has fewer features overall than the REV7. The REV7 costs a bit more, but you’re getting more for that extra cash.

Read this next: What DJ Gear Is Worth Spending Extra Money On?

Drawbacks

There are a few things we didn’t like, although they’re small. The biggest one is supplying a power brick instead of building the transformer into the unit. This looks cheap. Apart from that, the Instant Scratch sounds aren’t the ones we suspect most scratch DJs would ideally want, and we question the positioning of the loop controls.

But against that, there’s so much to like here, that we think the DDJ-REV7 will do very well indeed. It’s hugely fun to play on, it looks brilliant, it sounds great, and it has lots of innovation built in. As a first “go” at a motorised controller for Pioneer DJ, it’s a stunning success, and we think it’ll do really well.

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Watch the demo

In this Digital DJ Tips exclusive, our tutor DJ Jazzy Jeff puts the brand-new Pioneer DJ DDJ-REV7 through its paces.