words: MICK WILSON / MONSTA TECH Pioneer DJM2000nexus
A MONSTA MASH-UP!
Pioneer’s flagship mixer the DJM2000nexus is a true beast in all senses of the word. We asked feted dubstep-soul outfit Monsta to take a closer look...
A
t first glance, this mixer appears like something out of a sci-fi movie, with its central touch-screen
display, faders and myriad of knobs and buttons. Whilst this may all seem a little daunting, this beast isn’t so wild, and with a bit of quality time getting to know it well, it soon becomes clear that this isn’t an ordinary DJ mixer. DJ Mag USA called up Rufio from fast-rising dubstep-soul band Monsta to give us the lowdown on the DJM2000nexus, as the outfit recently showed it off in fine style on an entertaining Pioneer YouTube video…
What do you like about the DJM2000? Rufio: “It is the first mixer we’ve used that feels like a creative and compositional tool as well as being a mixer. It allows you to improvise and reinvent songs as you perform by extending and editing sections to give them a different energy and feel. We use it as a tool to rework live performances, and to extend and add interest to sections of our songs. So for example, we’ll re-sample a section our singer performs and
082
djmag.com
then loop that, and start editing his vocals and building a remix of sorts in real time. This is an enjoyable way to mix, as it adds more spontaneity to a performance and can completely change the dynamic of a section of song.”
Did it take you a long time to master the functions of the DJM2000? “No, it is very intuitive, we got to play on the mixer about six hours before the performance for Pioneer — it’s very user-friendly, and visually, it’s very comprehensive. We had used the DJM900nexus a fair bit, and it felt like a comfortable transition to the 2000nexus. Using the beat slicer and resampling capabilities were very self-explanatory, and as we are producers, it instantly made us want to start chopping up and rearranging bits of our pre-existing tracks for live performances.”
Can you explain some of the techniques that you employed in the video using the mixer? “The most interesting feature for us, that we used during the performance of ‘Messiah’, was the DJM2000nexus’ ability to resample audio that is being
received from any of its channels. After capturing a section of audio we then had the ability to chop up, re- arrange, slice and repeat certain beat divisions. In this way DJs are able to create intricate grooves and rhythmic patterns on-the-fly in parallel to a track that is already playing. So, for example, at first we used it to sample a pre-recorded acapella, and then started manipulating and altering that, whilst on the other channel, we cued various beats and drum hits. Then what we did, was sample our singer’s performance and applied the same techniques. It would be just as simple to sample a beat, percussion loop or synth line, though, and start editing that. We wanted to essentially remix our singer live and make his voice do things that sounded pre-produced, but were actually happening in real time.”
So was it fun to mix on the DJM2000nexus? “It’s very exciting, as the new features open up many different possibilities. It maintains Pioneer’s classic and familiar mixer design, but also does so much more. Instantaneously, we found we could
VERDICT BUILD QUALITY
EASE OF USE FEATURES
8.5 8.5 8.5
VALUE FOR MONEY 8.5 SOUND QUALITY
8.5
HYPE Absolutely brilliant mixer. The
ability to resample audio makes the DJM2000nexus an exciting prospect for DJs who like to add a little more to their sets.
GRIPE At this price it is solely in the
domain of the professionals.
Pioneer’s flagship mixer is more than the sum of its parts. When used to its full potential, the DJM2000nexus can easily be considered an instrument in its own right. Amazing stuff.
8.5/10
PRICE $2499
CONTACT
pioneerdjusa.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92