Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX4 2-deck Rekordbox and Serato DJ Controller - Graphite

Perfect for the starter DJ, or the DJ wanting something that packs a lot of punch in a very small package. This thing has all the main features you need plus some. Easy to use, build quality is nice, buttons feel great, knobs feel solid and quality. Sound quality is perfect. Is it a high-end $3000 controller? No. Is it a under $400 fully featured controller? YES! It's light weight, and easy to carry. Or get a ProX road case for it, it'll do everything you need. The only thing i wish it had was balanced XRL outputs. But I have RCA going into Direct box anyway so it's not a deal killer, just wish it had them so I didn't need an RCA to TRS cable. Highly recommended! But hey, you plan to be a professional one day? Got the extra money? Get a DDJ-FLX10 in white ( https://amzn.to/4ndZ4Gi ) or black > ( https://amzn.to/45YStsd ) Best controller for the money.

My first controller was a DDJ 200 and I felt that I was ready to upgrade. Wanna share anything I can that may help someone that was in my situation that may not know. As my budget was pretty tight, it came down to either this, or the REV-1. So here are my thoughts on a few different aspects. Software compatibility: The thing is, even though this controller is labeled as a Serato controller, its really much more primarily a Rekordbox controller.(I knew this and got it for Rekordbox but wanted to try Serato anyway to see what it was like.) No matter what I tried after several hours of troubleshooting, I was not able to get it to work correctly. It only worked one time, but that was it. There was also some latency with my inputs, like changing the volume fader or scratching etc. (could have been my USB cable. It also only worked with the lite edition, and not pro. Never did anything at all on pro, and pretty soon, never did anything on Lite either. Opened Rekordbox, as soon as I resolved an issue (will talk about in a minute) it worked great. Get Rekordbox if you want to use this controller. Or if you are using another controller that also used rekordbox like a ddj 200 400 etc. Especially since most of Rekordbox is usable without paying extra with this controller. Unlike serato lite, which limits the cue points, you cannot make playlists, you cant change key, and are limited to certain FX. etc. For that, you would need to pay 10$ a month for or a 250$ one time payment (sometimes its on sale for less) If Serato is something you're more familiar with/prefer and are willing to pay a subscription, get the Numark Mixtrack Platinum FX or the DDJ REV-1 as those are dedicated serato controllers and would work better if you prefer serato DJ lite or pro. Otherwise, Use this controller on Rekordbox and everything works as intended and is much less of a headache. Controller Itself: The controller itself is a huge upgrade from the DDJ 200, and I can see why it replaced the 400 as the golden standard of DJ controllers. It has a club style layout. Suited to playing EDM and Dance music. Though of course this can be done with any layout. The jog wheels are bigger as well, with a matte finish. They feel nice. not much complaint there. One thing I have a gripe about this controller with is the to engage FX, which is toggling a switch to either deck 1 or deck 2, and then hitting the FX button. Not too big a deal, but I really prefer having the FX paddles like on the REV-1 or on the Numark. As then you dont have to remember to toggle it back and forth between decks and shut it off by pressing the button again, but then rather you just flick the switch on the left side or right side for however long you want the FX on. Easier workflow if you ask me but its no big deal and I can get used to it. It has loop buttons on the top which allow you to instantly make loops to hype up the next song which is cool. The build quality feels decent too. Pressing the performance pads and moving/scratching the jog wheels feels satisfying. The volume faders and the cross faders feel decent too. It also has 2 unique buttons that are an "upgrade" over the DDJ 400. The smart fader and the smart cfx. I say "upgrade" in quotes because these buttons can be pretty polarizing topics. The smart CFX from what I can tell is really cool. Its basically a combination of multiple effects into one of the CFX knobs. You can also change the type of smart CFX by pressing "Shift" Together with the "Smart CFX" Button. They sound pretty cool and can spice up your transitions or music! I still think the original FX are better to use, but using these as a surprise to the audience once in a while could be cool! The... other addition unique to this controller is the smart fader... This... can be up for debate. Essentially, it automatically beat matches two songs and will automatically apply FX as you are transitioning from one song to the next. The good thing about it is that it can seemingly transition two wildly different genres and BPMS somewhat smoothly. The bad thing is that it sort of feels like a gimmick to me. As something like this will never replace good song selection, preparation, and mixing skills. Especially since its the only controller that I know of to have this feature. If you upgraded to a different one and you rely on this feature, youre on your own. My issue I had I dont think anyone will experience the same issue, i was an idiot on this one, but in case, I will share. Rekordbox essentially told me that this controller could only be used if I had a paid plan. Was the first I heard of it. So I went ahead and got the paid plan. Thinking that would fix it, but it didnt. It unlocked Rekordbox, but it had no function whatsoever. No playing, no volume faders, loading songs, no nothing. The thing is though, that this unit is on the hardware unlock list, meaning that it SHOULD be free to perform with. But Rekordbox detected it as being the FLX4, so I had no idea what was going on... Until I realized that my Rekordbox was out of date... after I updated, everything worked perfectly. And I was able to cancel the paid plan. Moral of the story, update Rekordbox when you get this unit. If youre installing it for the first time, youre probably good. (Screenshots are of the issue I had and the hardware unlock list) Conclusion: As far as actually using the FLX4, I love it! Its loads of fun to DJ with. And I'd highly recommend this unit. I would recommend this controller over the REV-1 and the Numark if you are not willing to pay a subscription for serato dj pro. Especially since other then the FLX6, its the only Rekordbox controller available on amazon at the time of writing this, aka, the only controllers you wont be coaxed into paying monthly for. This controller is a blast to use and could totally see my self getting a club dancing with this! I would recommend the REV-1 and the Numark over this controller, if you prefer serato and are willing to pay monthly, or the REV-1 specifically if you value scratching and turntablism as its jog wheels are bigger, it has paddle FX, and its geared more towards scratching vs getting a club dancing. though it can actually do the exact same things, just laid out differently.

As a budding mobile DJ, this is likely one of the best decks you could invest in. While you could argue that other controllers that work without a computer are better, they've got a learning curve. This one is full featured, while easily connecting to whatever software you prefer. Rekordbox works for free through the hardware unlock, but if you are already invested in Serato or prefer djay pro, or if you're on ARM and use virtual dj (licence required) this deck works perfectly. Lightweight but still solidly built, it travels quite well. I've flown many times with it in my suitcase and never had a problem (of course, I use aluminum luggage and pack it between clothing for padding) but it's also very compatible with major road case manufacturers so you can easily get a custom case for it if that's your preferred setup. Overall, highly recommended decks.

This is hands down the best DJ controller in terms of value. It has all the essentials you need to get started without much compromise. The setup was very easy, you just need to install the latest version of Serato or Rekordbox and plug it in. Everything worked immediately after without any driver installs. I tested both Rekordbox and Serato. For Rekordbox, I got the full version of the software without having to pay any extra. However, for Serato, you'll have to use their free lite version or pay for a license for the pro version. This controller does NOT unlock Serato for free, only Rekordbox. It does work great with Serato, especially if you pay for a pro license. As for the sound quality, it sounds just fine at home on my set of bookshelf speakers, but the quality degrades at louder volumes, so I wouldn't recommend hooking up a big PA system to this controller. You're much better off getting a USB DAC and having the audio come out of that instead of the controller itself if you plan on using large speakers or loud volumes. I also really like the look of this controller, it's quite elegant looking and a lot cleaner and simpler than the DDJ-400 that came before it. Unfortunately the performance pads are only one color: orange. You cannot change the color of the pads at all, they're either on or off. Additionally, the lights don't get all too bright so it may be difficult to tell if a pad is on, especially in bright lighting. At this price point, you'd find it quite difficult to find any controller that has RGB pads, so it's no surprise this controller omits them. For Serato users specifically, the Smart Fader button only applies a bit of echo when moving the volume down or the crossfader, which is a far cry from the BPM matching that Rekordbox will perform when this button is activated. Additionally, the Smart CFX button activates some quite lackluster sounding effects on the filter nob, especially compared to some of the cool effects found in Rekordbox for this controller. Other than that, all of the buttons are labelled correctly and work as any other Serato controller would. Finally, I think the size of this controller is in a sweet spot. Smaller controllers like the FLX2, although more portable, lack a song select knob and a dedicated Beat FX strip. Bigger controllers like the GRV6 are a bit too heavy to move around, even these controllers do have 4 channels. For a 2 channel DJ controller, I think this is the most portable one you can get without compromising on important controls.

I love my DDJ-FLX4! I’ve DJ’d a bunch of local events with it, and it’s been perfect every time. Great for learning, easy to use, and very reliable — I really have no complaints at all. Highly recommend for anyone starting out or looking for a solid 2-deck controller!

Look.. 'I am NOT a DJ', Though I act like I am. I don't take requests. I play what I want when I want. 14 months later and I still don't know what those buttons and lights are for above each platter. Ask me if I care. I don't. I have headphones, really professional-looking studio ones...I don't use them. I know how to Beat Match, whatever that is. Earlier last Fall. I placed the controller, 3 cellphones, 2 tripods, . a laptop, and a JBL Bluetooth Speaker in the soft carrying case of the controller...went to an empty parking lot of a Family Dollar. It wasn't empty for long. Also, there are a lot of people from NYC living here. 45-minute set... I forgot to hit record AND Stream on OBS Studio to my YouTube Channel. Oh well. This Controller is my stereo system. I can place a gazillion songs in a playlist, and walk away. But today I am doing two things. One setting the monitors up 12 feet behind me, and that Akai MPD218 . I'm going to try and connect it to and work with it. I was told I could, but it's complicated..remapping. What, huh? I'm ready to step up to the FLX10. If you LOVE music, you will LOVE The Pioneer DDJ-FLX4 I like how it feels coming out the box. It's looks handsome, makes me feel like I know what I'm doing. Oh, I don't know nada about DJing. I mean nothing. I do know I like listening to music, Breakbeat and Medolic Progressive House. Easy hook up. Though the usb C threw me a curve. My laptop doesn't have a USB C port and I was stuck. I knew I know the work around, but right then and there I couldn't figure it out. An hour later..just get a USB C from your junk draw and use that one. The one in the box has USB C on both ends and if your laptop doesn't have a port if USB C, just grab a power cord from the many you have laying around Then there was the sound. It wasn't coming out of the speakers. Just go into settings, sound and make sure your laptop is giving access to the microphone. Oh,and make sure that you rigjt click on something else to make it default also. It's your laptop that the mean guy. Other than that and not being able to hook up a hard drive taken from a laptop to your laptop as an external drive. Record Box diwnt like a formatted hard drive that isn't and doesn't fall under their strick conditions. Serato DJ Lite 3.0 could care less. I have a Numark DJ2GO2 Touch and I was just taking a whack at trying to DJ. Nope, I rather listen. Can't wait until 9 am, it 3 am now. I want to hear about how those monitors speakers sound. March 23rd 2023 It's been less than 30 days since I have opened the box on this controller. I have to remind you, that I know nothing about DJing or working this piece of equipment...and I'm 62 years old. I was wondering what each switch and thingy does on it. There is a manual that tells you, that comes in the software within it. What would be really nice if there was an actual hands on video along with a track that you can guide yourself along with and to. ...because at the very top of the platters and a whole another thing going on. I looked around in the internet and there are videos you can practice with and to for every function on this controller which I think is really really nice. With that being said, let me tell you and try to explain what I'm experiencing. Basically you can only do so much with a song that you can grab from any one of the many record pools that are out there. Most are subscription based with a decent price in many of the genres of music. But what if you're looking for that or those 2 genres that go together. That is where I am at now. Though this is a very nice and affordable piece of equipment for the beginner...I am finding out that what I want to do with it, it can't be done with this Beginners Controller...and I haven't even really began to do anything. This Controller makes you think ahead, well it does for me. A more advanced controller, with ass in equipment like a MPC...which means a more robust laptop that can handle it all, Alienware. And...a podcast set up all ran through the laptop or the controller. Oh, I forgot...Drones. Those too, all ran from the laptop. So...broadcasting, streaming live with music and video from the comforts of home. A complete entertainment workstation. That is what The DDJ-FLX4 makes me want to DO. Can it handle it all as is, I'm finding out right now.

Great entry level controller. Works with multiple software and streaming services. This has many great features including the use of stems. This controller is fairly durable but as a mobile dj i wish it would have been made a bit sturdier althought it is lightweight. Thats not a dealbreaker. Its a smaller to mid size controller which makes it just right for learning, smaller gigs, a 1st controller or if you wanted a backup. Well rounded piece of eqhipment.

What I liked: Works seamlessly with both Rekordbox and Serato – very versatile. Compact design but still feels solid and professional. Smooth jog wheels and responsive pads make mixing easy and fun. Plenty of features for beginners while still satisfying more advanced users. What could be better: Lacks some advanced features of higher-end controllers, but great for the price. USB cable is a bit short; consider getting a longer one if needed. Overall experience: This controller is perfect for anyone starting out in DJing or looking for a compact, reliable option. Solid build, easy setup, and fun to use. ⭐ Rating: 5/5