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DJ Tech Reviews

Tiesto The Next Beat by Tiësto

A beginner controller that drives djay on iPhone and iPad over Bluetooth; the hardware feels cheap.

The Next Beat by Tiësto LX1 controller at an angle

Photos: The Next Beat

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2 of 4 reviews recommend it

See reviews
Best for
First-time DJs with an iPhone, iPad or Mac who want djay.
Skip it if
You need Serato or rekordbox support, or solid hardware to scratch on.

The Internet’s Opinion

From 4 professional reviews: a fair amount of evidence.

Evidence is limited to four professional reviews and no owner reviews. They agree it is an easy first controller with a clever Bluetooth link to djay on iPhone and iPad and a short beginner course; the faults are in the hardware, with cheap knobs, awkward pitch faders and jog wheel problems each raised twice, and the full feature set depends on djay on Apple devices.

2 recommend2 mixed0 avoid

What people praise

  • Controls djay on an iPhone or iPad, with MIDI over Bluetooth and audio by cable
  • Simple, spacious layout that a first-timer can pick up quickly
  • Short video course included, enough to get a beginner started
Show 2 more
  • Bright RGB pads and lit jog wheels
  • Built-in sound card with extra inputs for a phone or tablet

What to know first

  • Knobs and build feel cheap for the price
  • Pitch faders sit in an awkward spot beside the jog wheels
  • Jog wheels criticised: loose scrubbing in djay at launch, platters that scrape when pressed hard
Show 5 more
  • The browser-based Beatport DJ app is the weakest way to use it
  • djay runs only on Mac, iPhone and iPad with it; Windows users get VirtualDJ or the web app
  • Some djay features, such as extra effects, sampler and stems, cost extra
  • Training is basic and presented by Mike Williams, not Tiësto
  • No printed manual in the boxFixed
See the 4 reviews behind this

4 professional reviews (2 recommend, 2 mixed, 0 avoid); 0 owner reviews read: Thomann no longer lists it and Guitar Center does not stock itCompiled 2026-10-11How this is compiled

Prices

Before you buy

Released
December 2021
Status
Current

Works with

  • Algoriddim djayLicensed on connection

    Runs on Mac and on iPhone or iPad, where the controller connects over Bluetooth; the maker's FAQ says djay is licensed automatically once the controller is connected. djay is not supported with it on Windows The Next Beat, checked 2026-10-11

  • VirtualDJ LEFree, included

    A VirtualDJ LE edition for Windows and Mac is included free, and the controller is configured automatically Manufacturer spec sheet (The Next Beat), checked 2026-10-11

  • Beatport DJFree web app

    Runs in Chrome or Edge on a PC or Mac with nothing to install; signing up on The Next Beat site needs the voucher code that comes with the controller The Next Beat, checked 2026-10-11

  • Beatport and Beatsource streaming30-day trial, then paid

    A free 30-day trial is included; after that a monthly subscription is needed to keep streaming The Next Beat, checked 2026-10-11

  • Windows 10 and laterDriver, no djay

    A Windows driver is available for Windows 10 and later; on Windows the controller works with VirtualDJ and Beatport DJ, not djay. Mac needs no driver The Next Beat, checked 2026-10-11

You’ll also need

  • Powered speakersNot in the box

    The master output is a stereo RCA pair; the box holds the controller, a USB power adapter, a USB cable, an RCA cable and printed matter The Next Beat, checked 2026-10-11

  • Headphones3.5 or 6.3 mm jack

    The front has both a 3.5 mm and a 6.3 mm headphone socket The Next Beat, checked 2026-10-11

  • Headphone adapter for a phone or tabletNot in the box

    With an iPhone or iPad, audio runs from the device's headphone output into the controller over the supplied cable; a device without a headphone jack needs an adapter bought separately The Next Beat, checked 2026-10-11

Our take

Tony AllenWritten from the sources on this page, not from a loan unit.

Only four professional reviews exist and no owner reviews could be read, so this is a thin record. Two recommend it and two are mixed. All four credit its link to djay on an iPhone or iPad, and three find the layout easy for a first-timer. Two each fault cheap knobs, awkward pitch faders and the jog wheels. Buy it for a beginner with Apple devices; anyone set on Serato or rekordbox should look elsewhere.

What it is

Status, October 2026: current. The Next Beat still sells the controller as the LX1.

What it is

The Next Beat by Tiësto is a two-deck DJ controller for beginners, launched in December 2021 as a project between Tiësto and Beatport (The Next Beat product page). Eldohm B.V., a company in Amersfoort in the Netherlands, makes it under the model name LX1, and the range sits beside a second controller, the SX1, and a kids' mixer. It comes with online lessons supervised by Tiësto.

It works with three apps. Algoriddim djay runs on a Mac or on an iPhone or iPad, which connects over Bluetooth for control while its audio runs into the controller by cable; djay is not supported on Windows. VirtualDJ LE for Windows and Mac is included free, and Beatport DJ runs in Chrome or Edge with a voucher code from the box. A 30-day trial of Beatport and Beatsource streaming is included, after which streaming needs a subscription.

Each deck has a touch-sensitive light-up jog wheel, a pitch fader with key lock, sync, three effect buttons with level and parameter knobs, and eight performance pads for hot cues, auto loops, manual loops and samples. The mixer has gain, three-band EQ and a filter per channel, channel faders and a crossfader.

On the back are a USB port for a computer and power, a USB/Bluetooth switch, a 6.3 mm mic input with its own level, a stereo RCA master output, and master and cue inputs for a tablet. The front has 3.5 mm and 6.3 mm headphone sockets. It runs on 5 V USB power, measures 570 x 50 x 260 mm and weighs 2.04 kg. The box holds the controller, a USB power adapter, a USB cable, an RCA cable and printed guides.

Corrections to this page

All corrections

  • · The Next Beat by Tiësto (LX1)

    djay works only on iPhone and iPad and requires a subscription → Runs on iPhone, iPad and Mac (not Windows); the maker says djay is licensed automatically when the controller is connected; Beatport streaming is a 30-day trial, then paid. The Next Beat product support page.

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