Last year we saw the DJ Wireless Tech Tour land at the DJ Tech Direct store in Birmingham. The tour showcased their the XDJ-R1 and XDJ-Aero players and how they integrate with iOS devices including iPhones and iPads for extra control over FX and music management. After the great turnout we had last year, Pioneer are set to embark on another tour, this time spreading the word of how to utilise the many different ways of storing and playing your music – Pioneer The Digital Choice DJ Tour is at DJ Tech Direct, Birmingham on 29th Jan 7:30pm – 9:00pm.

For modern DJs we seem to be at a cross-over point as far as what formats are used. CDs are still very much a part of our lives, yet Pioneers CD Decks with built-in USB slots (including the CDJ850, CDJ900 Nexus and CDJ2000 Nexus to name a few) have been around for enough time for them to become a standard installation at your local nightclub. At the same time, these CD Decks and accompanying mixers often have additional USB, Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection that can be used to access music from other players, laptops and other devices.

DJ Controllers & Laptops in Clubs

An important factor in the use of DJ technology is also that people seem to be coming round to the use of DJ controllers as a professional tool for Djing - It seems like the use of DJ controllers has raised the bar of creativity and the fans want more! Although this is the case, the foundations of Djing still apply – knowing your tunes and being organised is ultimately a very large factor in how your set is going to pan out, so using all you can in the form of playlists, storing hot-cues and more is essential homework, all of which will be revealed on the open evening.

Rekordbox

Rekordbox is Pioneer’s dedicated software for organising your music files. Within the software you can create playlists, add hot-cue and loop data and export this to USB stick. For those using the CDJ2000 Nexus and CDJ900 Nexus you can also connect directly to the computer via Ethernet cable. For more information on Rekordbox click here - if you’re already using such equipment but without Rekordbox you really are missing out! We’ll also be covering the other popular DJ software packages compatible with Pioneer DJ controllers such as Serato, Traktor and Virtual DJ.

MP3 vs Wav

One of the many tips you’ll be given the low down on at the Digital Choice DJ tour will be which file format to use. In a nutshell WAV and AIFF files are uncompressed files at their highest quality, the same as a CD or a studio master, whereas MP3s are compressed, where you might notice a lesser sound quality. As you will probably already know – MP3s are great for a quick download and an essential file type for sharing your music if you’re a budding producer too to get your promos out there. It’s always a heated debate of whether to use MP3 or Wav, but we’d suggest if you are using MP3 to use the 320kb/s format (available on most DJ download sites) this will be a ‘best of both’ as it’s the highest MP3 bit rate, yet still doesn’t take up too much space. If you really want to set yourself apart and you have quality control in place for every element of your DJ set right down to the file quality it’s definitely worth the investment of an external hard drive and a completely lossless wav music collection. We’ve merely touched the surface of the best practices for digital Djing and storing your music. For an evening of digital Djing and a chance to ask Rob Anderson any other Pioneer DJ related questions, make sure you don’t miss out. PIONEER WILL ALSO BE GIVING YOU A CHANCE TO WIN A PAIR OF HDJ500 DJ HEADPHONES EXCLUSIVELY AT THE EVENT!

GET YOUR FREE TICKET AND REGISTER YOUR ATTENDANCE HERE

Our stores are located in the world famous Custard Factory in the centre of Birmingham. There’s ample off-street parking nearby and great on-site facilities. DJ Choice Pioneer Tour: 29th Jan 7:30pm – 9:00pm DJ Tech Direct Units 8 & 10 Zellig Custard Factory Birmingham B9 4AA