+ Sturdy, neat DJ controller with plentiful functionality
+ Bluetooth and USB connectivity
+ WeDJ and Rekordbox make for a great start into DJ software
+ Affordable
- Lacks basic volume controls
- 3.5mm aux connections mean limited speaker compatibility
- WeDJ doesn’t support music streaming on Android
Worth considering for total beginners and those looking to learn in a home environment or at small parties
Step into any DJ booth from Pacha to Parklife, Lollapalooza to your local boozer, and you’re practically guaranteed to find yourself behind a set of Pioneer decks. As the industry standard, the brand’s gear is reliable, durable and versatile. So why not bring something to the table for beginners?
The DDJ-200 is a compact smart controller that hooks up to your phone or computer via Bluetooth or USB. You can grab music from streaming-compatible mobile DJ apps or load your own music onto your phone or laptop and get mixing offline.
The controller comes with a headphone splitter that starts from your phone or laptop and splits to your headphones and speaker, both using 3.5mm outs. You can’t, therefore, connect to a pair of speakers without a mixer, or a 3.5mm to RCA cable.
Hopefully, you already have an aux-equipped speaker, into which you can plug a 3.5mm jack (AKA an aux cable). There are no gain controls on the DDJ-200 – gain is handled through software, so make sure you set this first otherwise you might accidentally expose yourself to ear-splitting volume.
The controller itself is sturdy. Everything is plastic apart from the rims of the jogwheels, which are rubber. It may have been nice if the 16 performance pads and Play/Cue buttons were rubber too, to lend the DDJ-200 a more premium air, but nothing here feels like it’s about to fall apart; the faders are firm and smooth to ride and the EQ pots and jogwheels are strong and a pleasure to operate. The device is powered via USB, either to a laptop or plug socket.
