Pioneer DJ DJS 1000 Review: A Sampling Revolution

Pioneer stands out as one of the most renowned DJ technology innovators in the world. Known for their amazing attention to detail, cutting-edge technology, and fantastic durability, Pioneer products stand the test of time.

Lately, the Pioneer DJ team has been working harder than ever to bring more models into the market to suit a wide range of needs. 

The Pioneer DJ DJS 1000 follows on from the previous standalone DJ system, the Toraiz SP-16.

The SP-16 and the new Pioneer DJS-1000 share many similar features, and they target the same market too. However, the DJS-1000 also comes with a specific range of benefits worth exploring. 

The Pioneer DJS-1000 promises to help DJs create more unique sounds and experiences in their sets by bridging the gap between producers and DJs. This all-in-one sampler unit will even fit neatly alongside other products from the Pioneer DJM and CDJ Nexus ranges.

Is the DJS-1000 any good? (in short)

Essentially, it’s a CDJ machine with sampling, sequencing, and midi control capabilities built in. This unique DJ tech offering, created to fit the needs and expectations of modern DJs, makes the concept of live production gear much less daunting to DJs willing to experiment.

Overview

The Pioneer DJS-1000 is one of the more recent introductions from the Pioneer team. Essentially, it’s a CDJ solution with sampling, sequencing, and midi control capabilities built in.

The tech looks and feels quite similar to other technology from Pioneer, minus the common presence of jog wheels. Instead of your wheels, you’ll have 16 beat pads you can use to trigger individual sounds, play notes, and scale whatever music you like. 

Compact and touchpad-focused, the Pioneer DJS-1000 might seem like an unusual piece of equipment for some DJs. Some will struggle to imagine how they can even create music without the presence of a jog wheel for mixing.

However, it’s important to remember that this isn’t just another CDJ from the Pioneer team – it’s a brand-new sampler experience. 

Similar to the MPC units, which have been around for quite some time in the DJ marketplace, units like this can stand alone and perform without access to a laptop.

The 16 velocity-sensitive pads with RGB built-in can launch one-shot clips, from snares and kicks to loops.

The hardware has also been designed to create music and recordings live within a DJ set.

Specs include:

Weight	5.4g
Frequency range	20-20,000Hz
Depth	421.6mm
Inputs	Stereo Left and Right 1/4-inch TS Jack
MIDI	MIDI IN 5P DIN, MIDI OUT/ 5P DIN
Output	1 Thru/ output ¼ inch TS jack, RCA, 2 headphone monitors

Features

For a lot of music producers and professionals, the Pioneer DJS-1000 will seem like a continuation of the SP-16 which came before it. Before the SP-16, Pioneer DJ was best known as a company that produces gear specifically for the DJ booth.

The SP-16 was an interesting swivel into the studio world, with a design closer to the classic MPCs than Pioneer’s usual tech.

The SP-16 was an impressive tool from the Pioneer team, though it lacked a few features at launch, which were later addressed by firmware updates.

The DJS-1000 builds on this technology’s existing success and ensures it can appeal more to a wider audience, thanks to a shape similar to the CDJ. 

If you’re already comfortable with the CDJ-2000NXS2, you should feel right at home with the basic features of this unit, including the start/stop, pitch, menu selector system, and more. 

The 16 RGB pads control the samples you’ll load into the device through your touchscreen control system.

You can also set different modes on your pads to control your samples, like slicing to break an individual sample into individual sections.

There’s also a handy scale mode that allows you to pitch a sample across multiple pads. 

Underneath your 16 pads are the beat-step sequencer and the associated scene buttons included with the device. This technology will allow DJs to seamlessly cycle through different pad layouts and sequences.

To the left of the buttons, you’ll also find a touch strip that gives you a deeper live-performance solution for controlling the samples. 

Atop the touch strip, Pioneer DJ has also added a new FX section, controlled by on/off buttons, and depth knobs. Once again, this will feel familiar with using a standard DJM-style mixer.

There’s also a new button to help you visit the effects list instantly, and you can change the effect parameters here with the screen to guide you. The function of your parameter knobs will change based on the screen you’re currently on.

This means that you can change the delay, and attack elements when editing samples.

The sync button and two nudge buttons sit alongside the pitch slider on the bottom of the device. Let’s take a closer look at some of the features. 

Modes

There are multiple modes available on the Pioneer DJS-1000 to help you with mixing and transforming your samples. Options include:

• Mute: Mute mode allows you to easily turn any of your samples on and off. 
• Hot Slice mode: This allows users to chop up any sample or live recording session quickly and easily across the 16 pads. When you hit the pads, it continues to play the sample from the previous point. If you’re familiar with hot cues on CDJs, this will feel familiar.
• Slice mode: The slice mode function triggers different parts of a live recording or sampling without continuing the play as you’d get in hot slice mode. This functionality is great for creating a choppy effect with vocals and drum parts in a recorded loop. 
• Scale mode: This allows the DJ to play any sample up and down a scale to create melodies in a live mix. One of the best features is the ability to choose from a list of popular scales which helps the ear to stay in key while you perform. 

The Touch Screen

The touch screen is a valuable feature on the DJS-1000 from Pioneer DJ, as it helps you to control new sounds and phrases before or during your set.

The interface is built especially for DJs, so you’ll feel comfortable skipping between sections. The 7-inch full-color screen will ensure you can instantly access one of three screens, starting with the home screen for an overview of samples, and a sequence screen to view currently playing patterns.

There’s a mixer screen to adjust the volume too. 

Step Sequencer

Probably the most popular feature for most professionals, the Pioneer DJ DJS 1000 step sequencer allows you to easily create new musical grooves by tapping your multi-colored step input keys. The changing colors on the keys make it easier to keep an eye on sequence information in your track.

This ensures that you can easily recreate and experiment with your sounds. 

The Touch Strip

The touch strip is a fantastic piece of highly responsive technology in the Pioneer DJ DJS 1000. This sensational strip works at the touch of a finger.

You can simply change the pitch while using the pitch bend feature, or access drum rolls by hitting the repeat button to recreate a note.

Customize parameters for a range of creative possibilities. 

Pitch mode slides the pitch of your sample up or down easily, while the repeat mode comes with a host of ways to change your drum roll sound, including adding a drum function at 1 beat, half a beat, and more. 

Syncing Functionality

Syncing is a must-have for any Pioneer enthusiast. If you’re looking to add new functionality to your existing system, then syncing is a must-have.

You can sync your DJS-1000 to a CDJ setup using the beat-sync function, tempo slider, and nudge buttons. It’s quick and easy to change your beat and tempo, similar to how you might use the turntable on your standard CDJ. 

Similar to a standard CDJ, the Pioneer DJS-1000 is excellent for adjusting tempo and other elements on the move. If you link your player to a Pro DJ LINK, you can easily keep your music in time with your existing DJ set. 

Live Sampling

At its core, the DJS 1000 is a sampling machine.

You can use this tool to sample input sounds and use them instantly as individual tracks easily and quickly. Your sampled sounds automatically sync within the current sequence, and you can even play them in a loop to add them directly to your existing live performance. 

The ¼ input on the back of the machine means it’s quick and simple to plug in your mixer and record live samples from your DJ set. You can plug-in synthesizers and live instruments to record and re-sample your solution too.

You can even apply effects, edit, and chop recorded samples. 

FX

The FX knob on the DJS-1000 is similar to the DJM mixer series. Within the unit, you’ll find a range of valuable effects to choose from, including Lo-Fi, pitch echo, LPF, and HPF.

All of these solutions can easily be applied to individual samples, a whole loop, or you can get really creative and attach the effect to a certain color code. 

Mixer Mode

As mentioned above, the mixer mode is one of the touchscreen options you’ll find when you’re browsing through your controls.

The mixing mode is fantastic for editing and adjusting your samples. You can balance the levels within each sample while still being able to pitch and pan them according to your needs. Everything is wonderfully tactile and responsive. 

For editing, the Pioneer DJS-1000 is an excellent product, capable of adapting to suit the needs of your musical creations.

You can edit each sample by changing the starting and stop times or the release settings. You can also add effects to specific samples within the editing screen. 

Other Elements to Be Aware of

The Pioneer DJ DJS-1000 sampler is a unique solution from Pioneer, designed to help you experiment with your music like never before. Unlike other tools with similar functionality, Pioneer has gone above and beyond with this device to create something specifically for the DJ booth.

You’ll have no problem fitting this device alongside your existing Pioneer setup. 

To make life easier for DJs on the go, Pioneer has introduced USB support so that you can manage your samples and projects quickly, with plug-and-play functionality. You can easily browse through tracks at a glance with the touchscreen interface and choose how you want to arrange your samples in a matter of seconds.

Thanks to Loopmaster collaboration, the DJS-1000 also comes with a series of onboard samples already included. 

You can start performing with the device straightway by using the pre-existing samples to enhance and enrich your tracks. There’s also support for DJSK-TSP Project Creator, which means that DJs and musical professionals alike can create scenes and projects on a Mac or PC using their preferred software.

Another handy software option is the Toriaz SP-16 software support, so you can play creations from your Toriaz system too. 

The DJS1000 also integrates with the extensive sample library available from Splice, so you can prepare and manage complete sound libraries in the cloud and have them ready on your sampling system by the time you play next. 

Who Needs the Pioneer DJS-1000?

So, what kind of musical professional or DJ is most likely to benefit from a product like the DJS1000? In general, you’re likely to love this technology if you’re a pioneer fan looking for additional technology to enhance your mixes. 

If you witnessed the introduction and launch of the Toraiz SP-16 that came before this device, you might have noticed that there wasn’t an obvious audience in mind.

The people who wanted to use the technology were usually techno or house DJs.

Specific genres made more sense when it came to the receptive layering available from the Toriaz system. 

The SP-16 was something you could use to add to an existing song or playing track. However, the DJS -1000 might not follow the same structure. This solution can really give you a lot more freedom when it comes to sampling sounds and phrases.

There’s a lot of potentials here for DJs who want to add depth to their mixes by breaking original productions down into segments and remixing them on the move. 

The fact that the device also works a lot more like a standard CDJ makes it more attractive too.

You don’t have to have a lot of producer knowledge to dive into using this device. As Pioneer states themselves, this is a product built for the DJ booth. 

We’d recommend the Pioneer DJ DJS-1000 for experimental music creators and beatmakers alike.

If you generally use a lot of MPC systems, you’re going to feel right at home with the technology that Pioneer offers here. Unlike similar solutions from Ableton and Native Instruments, there’s no need to link your system to a laptop or computer.

You can allow your ideas to flow freely with standalone tech. 

You can use a couple of devices like this standalone to help with performing your entire set, or you can just add the solution to your existing setup. Just remember that you will have a limit of 32-seconds to deal with. 

Pioneer DJ DJS-1000: The Verdict

The DJS1000 from Pioneer probably seemed like an odd choice for a company like Pioneer to introduce at this point in its development.

Although the company did start experimenting with producer tools recently with the Toriaz SP-16 previously, the DJS-1000 feels like an entirely new beast. 

There are tons of wonderful functionality aspects added to the tech to help you stream your ideas into life as quickly as possible. 

Just remember that you’re going to need to take time to experiment with how this technology works. The DJS-1000 will reward any innovator willing to put in the hours to make a project more impressive.

Spend some time with your device and learn how all of the distinct features work in tandem if you really want to create something amazing.

Once you know how to use your DJS 1000 correctly, you can then look into connecting it with the other technology in your setup.