words: MICK WILSON TECH News TECHNEWS
VERDICT BUILD QUALITY
EASE OF USE FEATURES
8.5 8.0 8.5
VALUE FOR MONEY 7.5 SOUND QUALITY
HYPE Sexy new digital effects that
are automatically synchronised to the audio inputs, USB connectivity and switchable EQ /Isolator modes.
GRIPE No CDJ Ethernet connection as
found on the DJM-900 Nexus.
A very well-rounded four-channel mixer with Traktor Scratch support, beat synchronised digital effects and many other killer features.
8.1/10
PRICE $1699.99
CONTACT
pioneerdjusa.com A DigitAl Delight Pioneer’s new DJM-850 mixer is set to keep them on top of the clubbing tree J
ust when you thought it was safe to bring that credit card out of hiding, those cunning brains over at Pioneer have concocted another way of enticing your hard-earned money into their bank accounts. The way Pioneer plan to win your heart and your cash is with their DJM-850 mixer, which has some
extremely tasty new features onboard. So if you are determined to save your wallet from a battering, you might want to stop reading now, because once you start to drool over this killer new DJ tool, there may be no turning back.
What makes the DJM-850 so desirable is the brand-new and oh-so-sexy digital beat analysis function which listens to an input channel to determine the BPM and synchronise the on-board time-based effects. Each channel has a “Beat” button which, when pressed, listens to that channel’s audio. The DJM-850 then works its beat-counting magic to synchronise everything to that channel. Having tightly timed effects at your fingertips opens up a whole new world of possibilities for creative DJs and will no-doubt have a few readers foaming at the mouth.
The name Pioneer has given to their new beat-synchronised effects is Beat Colour Effects, which are similar to the traditional Colour Effects (which are also onboard the DJM-850) found in their mixers in the past. The two types of effects can be selected individually or combined to provide a large choice of options to spice up a DJ set. The Beat effects can also be combined with each other, which means there are up to 100 unique effects that can be deployed at the push of a button, ready to devastate (or if used badly, possibly lose) a dancefloor.
Another feature to be found on the DJM-850 that is most definitely worthy of note is the high-quality 24-bit soundcard that allows USB connectivity to computers, as well as being Traktor Scratch 2 certified. This could see the DJM-850 finding favour with a lot of DJs over Pioneer’s other must-have mixer the DJM-900 Nexus, especially given the difference in price between the two mixers.
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MIC CHECK The unit is a four-channel mixer with an additional mic input channel and a layout that will be instantly familiar to anyone who has ever encountered a Pioneer mixer, especially the previous DJM-800. The controls are nicely spaced and everything is set out in a logical and intuitive way that means DJs can get straight on with mixing and mashing rather than head-scratching.
Each of the four channels has a three-band EQ that can also work as an Isolator. These modes are toggled via a switch on the control surface that will swap all of the knobs found above the channel faders from EQ to Isolator and back again. Each channel can also be assigned to the cross-fader, as well as having its own USB channel input, to give a total of four channels of digital audio.
The build quality is very nice indeed, with a metal case and a hefty weight to the unit. All of the channel faders are high performance, with two metal shafts, and come with P-Lock caps to stop them flying off into the crowd in the middle of a frantic set. Another cool new feature to be found on the latest range of Pioneer’s mixers is the standby mode, where the mixer will go to sleep if it’s not been used for a long while, helping to keep the power bills down.
While the DJM-850 is a replacement for their hugely successful DJM-800, this is much more than an upgrade or a facelift. It’s a serious mixer with a huge amount of features sitting beneath a deceptively clean and uncluttered control surface. Pioneer have managed to get the balance of features, controls and usability just right to end up with a mixer that will delight DJs for many years to come.
8.0
www.djmag.com
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