Head To Head

• So long story short, after deciding I wanted to pick up DJing, I decided to purchase a Pioneer DDJ-RB as a starting unit, mostly to learn on and hopefully use while preparing for gigs.
• The idea was that since you would get a rekordbox license with it I wouldn't have to go through the hassle with spending extra money on software to get a complete experience.
• Now, the issue is that I opted for a B-Stock unit (i.e.
• a unit that somebody had bought, decided for whatever reason that they didn't want to keep and sent back), in order to save some money.
• No big deal I thought, the shop listed it as having all features still there.
• Basically, it was like buying a regular unit that had been shipped home to somebody, packed up, then packed in again and sent back to the shop.
• However, upon receiving my unit, the rekordbox license was already claimed.
• I checked with the shop, and they confirmed that the license key should have been deactivated, even thought it wasn't.
• "That's fine", I thought, and waited for them to resolve the issue, in the meantime activating the 30 day trial, believing that would be enough time for me to get a working license key.
• However, roughly 35 days later, shop has stopped responding to my support inquiries, and pioneer, while promising me a working key if I could prove my purchase and ownership (which I did, by providing pictures of the little card that comes with the license, serial unit of my DDJ-RB as well as the invoice from my purchase from the shop) says they are trying to get in touch with the shop to see 'what went wrong'.

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• Is it possible I was accidentally given a license key for another product?
• There’s no shortage of entry-level controllers for the beginner who wants to step up from his or her “toy” controller onto something with a more professional feature set and look.
• Pioneer DJ has been prolific in the DJ controllers arena, making everything from casual devices (eg the DDJ-WeGO series) to all-out pro kit that rivals what you’d see in club installations.
• In our first Head To Head feature we stack up two of its most popular “serious beginner” controllers: the DDJ-SB2 and the DDJ-RB.
• DDJ-SB2:Serato DJ, Rekordbox DJ, Virtual DJ 8, djay Pro.
• DDJ-RB:Rekordbox DJ, Virtual DJ 8, djay Pro.
• The biggest difference between the two controllers is the software that they work with.
• The DDJ-SB2 was originally meant to work with Serato DJ, but when Pioneer DJ released Rekordbox DJ a few years back, it extended the DDJ-SB2’s compatibility list to include it.
• The DDJ-SB2 also works with Virtual DJ 8, djay Pro and Traktor Pro 2.
• The DDJ-RB, on the other hand, does not work with Serato DJ.
• Pioneer DJ released it to be a Rekordbox DJ-specific controller, and was one of the first controllers that started Pioneer DJ’s shift away from Serato.
• Apart from Rekordbox DJ, it also works with Virtual DJ 8, djay Pro and Traktor Pro 2.
• Takeaway: The DDJ-SB2 has the most software versatility.
• If you want to spin with Serato DJ, go with the DDJ-SB2.
• Pioneer DJ introduced the Filter Fade crossfader effect with the original DDJ-SB: it engages a high-pass filter automatically when you move the crossfader from left to right and vice versa.
• It was somewhat gimmicky and unnecessary (after all, twiddling a filter knob is one of the fun parts of DJing).
• The DDJ-SB2 has the Filter Fade onboard if you’d like to use it (or perhaps map the button to some other more useful control), while the DDJ-RB doesn’t.
• Takeaway: Though the DDJ-RB doesn’t have Filter Fade, the lack or presence of this feature is hardly a deal breaker.
• DDJ-SB2: Four per deck. DDJ-RB: Eight per deck.
• While the DDJ-SB2 looks like it has eight performance pads per deck, they’re actually just four performance pads and four transport control pads.