words: CHARLIE SMALL TECH Gemini CDJ-700
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Gemini’s top of the range deck looks extremely similar to the industry standard CDJ-2000. But is it a cheap rip-off – or a quality deck in a familiar shell?
G
emini’s flagship CDJ aims to be the catch-all product for the modern DJ. The CDJ-700 can play tracks from CDs, USBs, SD Cards and they also have full
MIDI functions for DJs using laptops alongside a hardware interface. It also has the usual essentials such as vinyl emulation, loops and even six built-in effects. In short, this is an incredibly feature-rich deck, especially at just over £500 per unit! We got a pair on the DJ Mag bench for a test run.
We can’t really get into this product without first addressing the elephant in the room. The CDJ-700 looks incredibly similar to the industry standard Pioneer CDJ-2000. Anyone can see that, and I doubt that Gemini’s people would ever suggest that they were not at least ‘inspired’ by the Pioneer deck. This may upset Pioneer, and even Pioneer users: however, the fact is that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Most DJs want the all-singing, all-dancing CDJ- 2000s, but most can’t afford them. This is where the Gemini CDJ-700 comes in. Call it plagiarism
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if you like, but the fact is that it’s the DJs and users that dictate what kind of products get made. And this is hardly the first instance of this copycat mentality. Companies take inspiration from market leaders all the time, and not just DJ manufacturers either. Before the iPhone, mobile phones looked very different to how they do now. The post-iPhone world is one where nearly every handset on the market looks like an iPhone. So that is how things work. If it puts you off then so be it, but we suspect that this unit will shift vast quantities, and if it does the job well – why shouldn’t it?
FORM & FEEL One of the benefits of the layout is that it is instantly familiar. Everything is where the DJ would expect it to be, resulting in a short learning curve. If you’re familiar with Pioneer products and encounter these at a gig then you’ll be right at home. The loop, transport and pitch controls are laid out in a sensible fashion. The only slight issue is that the loop buttons are small and strangely obstructed by an unnecessarily high rotary knob
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that changes the platter stiffness. Not sure why this needed to be positioned alongside the loop buttons or why it is so high, but it’s only a minor niggle. On first inspection the decks feel like a quality item. They are weighty, well built and have an extremely sturdy platter and good quality dials. Their sizing is pretty much the same as the CDJ- 2000s, so fit snugly with most pro mixers. In use, the same high standard is apparent: this is without doubt the best CD deck Gemini have made. The pitch is responsive, the platter works like a dream for mixing, although even at its ‘loosest’ setting it may be a little stiff for scratch DJs to get the most from it.
We tested all of the input methods, and the browser function works perfectly. There is currently no external music management system (such as Pioneer’s Rekordbox or Denon’s Engine) though, so you need to organise your files and folders sensibly, pre-gig, in order to find what you’re looking for. When loading your tracks, there is a slight lag with CDs compared to the
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