Both are discontinued: Numark lists the Mixtrack Pro 3 as a legacy product, and Pioneer DJ has archived the DDJ-400 and names the DDJ-FLX4 as its next-generation model, so buying new means a DDJ-FLX4 or Numark's Mixtrack Pro FX. Bought used, choose by software: the DDJ-400 for rekordbox, with a club-style layout and Beat FX, or the Mixtrack Pro 3 for Serato DJ Lite, with 100 mm pitch faders for mixing by ear; all fourteen reviews of the two recommend them.
Which one for which DJ
- Buying new: the DDJ-FLX4. It keeps the DDJ-400's layout and footprint and adds Smart Fader and Smart CFX, two USB-C ports, Bluetooth for rekordbox on a phone or tablet, and a mic input sent over USB for streaming. It runs rekordbox and Serato DJ Lite free, plus djay and Traktor Play. All ten reviews in its record recommend it, and it is the first-controller pick in the best DJ controllers.
- Buying new, with Numark and Serato: the Mixtrack Pro FX. Digital DJ Tips calls it the Mixtrack Pro 3's replacement, and Numark still sells it. It has 6-inch jog wheels, FX paddles and a level knob on each channel. Mixtrack Pro FX vs Platinum FX compares it with its four-deck sibling.
- Used, for rekordbox: the DDJ-400. rekordbox still lists it as a Hardware Unlock device, so Performance mode needs no paid plan. Six of its nine reviews praise a layout that copies Pioneer DJ's CDJ players and DJM mixer, which eases the move to club gear. Four find its effects limiting, picked with a button and run one at a time.
- Used, for Serato DJ Lite: the Mixtrack Pro 3. Plugging it in unlocks Serato DJ Lite free. Five sources praise its long pitch faders and five its jog wheels for the price; five call its pads, loops and effects basic. It has no gain knob on each channel, and two of eleven Guitar Center owners report crossfader failures.
- DJing from a phone: the DDJ-FLX4. The DDJ-400 works with djay on iOS; the Mixtrack Pro 3 needs a computer.
Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX4
The default first controller: easy to learn on rekordbox or Serato, with limits you will meet when you start playing...
The Mixtrack Pro 3, DDJ-400 and DDJ-FLX4 compared
| Numark Mixtrack Pro 3 | Pioneer DJ DDJ-400 | Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX4 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | 2015 | June 2018 | November 2022 |
| Status, October 2026 | Discontinued (Numark Legacy) | Discontinued (archived by Pioneer DJ) | Current |
| Software | Serato DJ Lite (unlocked free); Serato DJ Pro paid upgrade | rekordbox (Performance mode via Hardware Unlock); djay and djay Pro | rekordbox, djay, Serato DJ Lite, Traktor Play (free); Serato DJ Pro licence available |
| Channels | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Channel gain (trim) | No | Yes | Yes |
| EQ | 3-band (high, mid, low) plus a filter knob per channel | 3-band plus a filter per channel | 3-band plus a CFX knob per channel |
| Performance pads | 16 (8 per deck), not velocity sensitive; hot cue, manual loop, auto loop and sampler | 8 per deck | 8 back-lit rubber pads per deck |
| Effects | Touch strip controlling Serato's effects | Beat FX and Sound Color FX filter, with curves from the DJM-900NXS2 | Beat FX, Smart CFX |
| Smart Fader | No | No | Yes, in rekordbox |
| Outputs | 1 x RCA stereo pair (master, unbalanced); headphones on 1/4" and 1/8" jacks | RCA master; 3.5 mm headphones | Master (RCA), headphones (3.5 mm stereo mini jack) |
| Mic input | 1 x 1/4" with gain, to the master output only | 1 x 1/4 in TS (unbalanced) | 1 x 1/4" TS mic, also sent over USB |
| Audio | 24-bit / 44.1 kHz, USB class compliant | Built in | Built-in, 16-bit / 24-bit, 44.1 kHz / 48 kHz; S/N 103 dB (USB), THD 0.005 % |
| USB and power | USB bus power | USB bus power, direct to the computer, no hub | 2 x USB Type-C; USB bus power DC 5 V, 500 mA; or USB power adapter DC 9 V, 3 A |
| Phone or tablet | No | djay on iOS | rekordbox on iOS and Android, by USB-C or Bluetooth |
| Size | 21.7 x 9.1 x 1.2 in (55 x 23.2 x 3 cm) | 482 x 59.2 x 272.4 mm (W x H x D) | 482 x 272.8 x 59.2 mm (18.98 x 10.74 x 2.33 in) |
| Weight | 1.9 kg (4.1 lb) | 2.1 kg (4.63 lb) | 2.1 kg (4.6 lb) |
Sources: each controller's product sheet, drawn from Numark's Mixtrack Pro 3 page and user guide, Pioneer DJ's DDJ-400 page and quick start manual, and the DDJ-FLX4 manual; Numark's legacy products page for the Mixtrack Pro 3's status; rekordbox's Hardware Unlock list and Serato's Mixtrack Pro 3 page for the software. The trim, EQ, effects and Smart Fader rows come from the Mixtrack Pro 3 user guide, the DDJ-FLX4 manual and each product page here. Dotted figures link to their source on hover.
The differences that matter
Choosing between them is mostly choosing a program: Serato DJ Lite on the Mixtrack Pro 3, rekordbox on the DDJ-400.
Software
The Mixtrack Pro 3 shipped with Serato DJ Intro; Serato now lists it as unlocking Serato DJ Lite free, with Serato DJ Pro as a paid upgrade that adds recording. VirtualDJ needs a paid licence, and other programs can map it as a MIDI device. The DDJ-400 unlocks rekordbox Performance mode on a Mac or PC; Cloud Library Sync and Edit mode need a paid Creative plan, and it also works with djay on iOS and djay Pro. Neither maker lists the other program. Serato DJ Pro or rekordbox weighs the two, and Serato DJ Lite vs Pro covers what Lite leaves out.
Layout and controls
Pioneer DJ laid out the DDJ-400 like its NXS2 club set-up of CDJ players and a DJM mixer, and its Beat FX and filter use curves from the DJM-900NXS2. Each channel has trim, a three-band EQ and a filter, and rekordbox's Tutorial feature walks through the controller. Its reviewers' complaints are effects picked with a button and run one at a time, and small pads.
The Mixtrack Pro 3's jog wheels are 5 in metal platters, capacitive touch, and its pitch faders are 100 mm long, which its reviewers single out for manual beatmatching; how to beatmatch covers the technique. Its effects run from a touch strip that doubles as track search, which four sources count against it. Its channels have EQ and a filter but no gain knob, per Numark's user guide.
Connections
Both have one unbalanced RCA master output and no booth output, a 1/4-inch mic input and USB bus power. The Mixtrack Pro 3 has 1/4-inch and 1/8-inch headphone jacks; the DDJ-400 has a 3.5 mm jack only, which two of its reviewers count against it. The DDJ-400's USB cable has to go straight into the computer, not through a hub. Numark lists system requirements for the Mixtrack Pro 3 only up to macOS 10.13 and Windows 10, though it is USB class compliant and needs no driver.
What the DDJ-FLX4 changed
The FLX4 keeps the DDJ-400's layout and almost exactly its size and weight. Smart Fader adjusts volume, bass and BPM as you move a fader, and Smart CFX applies a combination of effects from one knob per channel; two of its sources note that Smart Fader and some CFX options work only in rekordbox. It adds USB-C, rekordbox on a phone or tablet over Bluetooth or USB-C, and a mic sent to the computer with the music. Its reviewers' main complaints are one RCA output, a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a plastic shell.
Buying used
Owners' reports are thin. Two of the Mixtrack Pro 3's eleven Guitar Center owners report crossfader failures and two report audio faults, such as static or a dead headphone output, so try the crossfader and both headphone jacks before buying. No owner reviews of the DDJ-400 could be read. Neither comes with speakers, headphones or an RCA cable; the best DJ controllers for beginners lists current alternatives by situation.
How this comparison is made
Specifications come from Numark's and Pioneer DJ's product pages, manuals and user guides, read through each product's sheet and linked above. Reviewers' and owners' views come from the opinion records on each product page, which link every review and retailer page they draw on: five professional reviews and eleven owner reviews for the Mixtrack Pro 3, nine professional reviews for the DDJ-400, and ten professional reviews and 22 owner reviews for the DDJ-FLX4. Digital DJ Tips' Mixtrack Pro FX review is the source for the Mixtrack Pro FX replacing the Pro 3. We haven't tested these controllers for this page. The methodology explains how the site works.
