Pioneer DJ’s DDJ-FLX6 makes genre-mixing and scratching a breeze

Sporting a fresh look with full-sized jog wheels, the controller seems primed for live streams

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Pioneer DDJ FLX6

The new DDJ-FLX6 from Pioneer DJ is a four-channel DJ controller for Rekordbox DJ and Serato. Its jog wheels are the same size as the flagship CDJ-3000, but the main USP with this controller is its feature set, which simplifies scratching and mixing between genres.

While some DJs and purists may cringe at the concept of making DJ’ing easy, casual spinners could find the DDJ-FLX6 a useful and enjoyable tool. Plus, the hardware unlocks Serato DJ Pro, which might make it a desirable step up from more basic controllers.

The controller’s most noteworthy feature is the Merge FX knob. With one knob situated in the top right of each deck, users can deploy up to four different effects simultaneously to their tracks. The combined effects help create dramatic build-ups with 41 effects to choose from.

Once you’ve heightened the tension, press the Merge FX knob for a few bars of silence before your next track drops in. Pioneer DJ touts this as one of the features that can make for a smooth transition between genres.

Pioneer DDJ FLX6

DDJ-FLX6’s Jog Cutter feature lets you create scratch sounds in a flash by moving the jog wheel back and forth. Pioneer DJ claims you can scratch tracks “without knowledge of how to scratch and touching the crossfader” – although it does still seem like you’ll need a bit of practice to truly perfect this feature.

Sample Scratch is a new feature included in Rekordbox, and lets DJs load a sample to the deck to scratch and manipulate with Jog Cutter. As the DDJ-FLX6 boats four channels, you can play tracks on decks 1 and 2 whilst scratching and jamming on decks 3 and 4.

Pioneer DJ’s latest offering has a sleek, dark grey matte finish; the first of any Pioneer DJ unit. The jog wheels have a unique design to complement the new look, along with a display in the centre that can be found on the CDJ-2000.

Pioneer DDJ FLX6

The controller is bus-powered by your computer, which is handy. But, the DDJ-FLX6 only has one input for a mic, so can’t be used as a mixer for external gear, and only has RCA outputs. This makes it an unlikely option for venue setups – which is probably apt during a period of lockdowns and live streams.

Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX6 is available now at a price of £539. Find out more at pioneerdj.com

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