The new wave of DJ Equipment - DJ CD Players
DJ CD Players have been around for a long time, but only over the last few years have they developed in leaps and bounds, becoming more DJ friendly.
The aim of this section is to give you information on DJ CD players and what features to look out for when choosing a DJ CD Player to buy. We’ve also taken the time to look for the best products on the market and give you a few recommendations along the way.
A good DJ CD Player nowadays is able to emulate everything that can be done on a vinyl turntable. DJ CD Players also have extra features and benefits that you won’t get on a traditional vinyl DJ Turntable.
There are two types of CD Players for DJs. Table-Top and RackMount.
 Pioneer CDJ-100S Professional CD Player |
Table-Top CD Turntables are similar to normal vinyl DJ turntables, in that they are placed flat on a table. Pioneer is the leader in the table-top CD Turntable market. Some of their top models are the Pioneer CDJ series of CD Turntables. The entry level player is the
Pioneer CDJ-100S Professional CD Player
|
 Numark CDN-25+G Dual Karaoke Professional CD Player |
The second type of DJ CD Players are known as RackMount, which are built so that they are able to fit into a rack. These types of CD Players are more popular among mobile DJs, who play out at weddings and similar types of event. However, the higher end models do include all features that a pro DJ would need. Some examples of good qulaity rackmount DJ CD Players are the
Stanton C.501 Dual Rackmount CD Player with MP3
|
Below are some of the features you should consider when choosing which DJ CD player to buy:
- Pitch Control is a must. Like vinyl turntables the pitch control lets you speed up or slow down the music being played.
- Do you want a jog dial or a platter? If you want to have the same look and feel of a vinyl turntable, then a table top CD player with a platter, like the Pioneer CDJ series, would suit you best. Rackmount CD players like the Denon, usually come with a small jog dial.
- Want to Scratch using CDs? If you want to be able to scratch, the unit should have the facility to do this
- You have MP3s? Some CD players allow you to play MP3 format music as well as CDs. The advantage of this is that you can carry around a larger music library.
- Sampler and Effects. Some CD Players have a facility to record/sample and store sounds. This allows you to incorporate these sampled sounds into your mix giving it added dimension.
- Cue Points. Being able to set up and store cue points for your CDs should also be considered.
- Digital outputs should also be considered. With everything moving towards becoming digital nowadays, this is a good feature to have.
DJ CD Players - Recommendations
The DJ CD Players below are some of the best available on the market today from Pioneer and Denon. They range from the entry level
Pioneer CDJ-200S
and
Denon DN-S1000
to the mid-range
Pioneer CDJ-800MK2
and
Denon DN-S3500
, to the top-end models,
Pioneer CDJ-1000MK3
and the
Denon DN-S5000
. More recommendations to be added soon. Watch this space.
Click here for more DJ CD Players |
We recommend that you buy a DJ CD player to complement a set up that already consists of a pair of vinyl turntables. If you plan on taking your DJing seriously, (especially in a club environment) you will need to be able to use both types of turntable. However, if you only have a CD collection, and don’t intend to start buying vinyl records, then buying a pair of DJ CD Players is an option for you, however you will be limiting yourself to what DJing is all about. There is nothing quite like the feel of DJing with Vinyl, but that is just my opinion.
