Pioneer DDJ-FLX10 is officially meant to be the direct replacement for the DDJ-1000 series, and today I had the pleasure to compare these two devices in a head to head battle from which only one winner can emerge. Unless? Well, let’s just say that there are many similarities between these two devices, and in many cases this makes the choice between them even harder than it initially seems. If you already own a DDJ-1000, I would only upgrade if the dedicated stem controls, improved jog displays, DMX output or wider software support matter to you. Otherwise, the basic workflow is still very similar. Read on!
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Pioneer DDJ-FLX10 vs. Pioneer DDJ-1000 – full specification comparison
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What’s Actually Changed, And What Stayed The Same
If I was to quickly summarize all the things that changed in the DDJ-FLX10, they would be as follows: dedicated stem separation controls, 2 more Sound Color FX, built-in DMX output, expanded jog displays, a 4-sensor MAGVEL FADER, and official support for Rekordbox, Serato DJ Pro and djay Pro. That’s about it.
When you compare both of these DJ controllers, you will quickly find out that in terms of the very basic controls, input/output pairs and the general feature set there are no large differences here, at least after the very first look.
Both devices are professional 4-channel DJ controllers with full-size mechanical jog wheels and all the features a full industry standard club setup should have, and both of them feel very much similar to use.
The size of the controllers differs by just a bit. The Pioneer DDJ-FLX10, is a little bit larger when it comes to depth and width, however this is a small difference which can at worst make your smaller case unusable if you decide to upgrade.
The dimensions of the FLX10 are around 28.2 x 15.8 x 2.9″ (~716 x 400.3 x 73.4 mm), while the DDJ-1000 is about 27.9 x 14.2 x 2.9″ (~708 x 361.4 x 73.4 mm). Not a large difference at all.
Both devices feature MAGVEL FADER crossfaders, but the FLX10 upgrades the DDJ-1000’s 2-sensor system to a 4-sensor system, allowing it to detect smaller crossfader movements more precisely.
Performance pads on both devices feel exactly the same, although the Pioneer DDJ-1000 makes use of the full-surface RGB LED lighting, while the DDJ-FLX10 goes with the edge lighting approach which I personally don’t like that much.
The Pioneer DDJ-1000 utilizes the USB-B connection standard for the controller-laptop connection, while the DDJ-FLX10 uses newer USB-C connectors.
When it comes to the audio FX, the Pioneer DDJ-FLX10 has a little bit more to offer with 6 Sound Color FX instead of 4 on the DDJ-1000, adding Space and Crush. Its Beat FX section also includes the newer Stretch effect.
The jog wheel changes we’ll cover in a short while, as there are a few notable differences between the two.
Stem Separation Controls on the DDJ-FLX10
The stem separation feature dedicated controls are the thing that makes the Pioneer DDJ-FLX10 stand out, and also, one of quite a few things that actually makes considering an upgrade from the Pioneer DDJ-1000 a valid idea.
You get dedicated buttons for turning on and off drums, vocals and the instrumental of your active track, making instant doubles with selected stems, and moreover, you can use your audio FX on just a selected part of your track which is pretty cool.
This way on the Pioneer DDJ-FLX10 you can for instance, apply reverb just to the track’s vocals, while making an instant double of the drum section for some creative beat juggling. There’s a lot of possibilities when you have all the needed controls right under your fingertips.
And yes, the stem separation quality differs between Serato and Rekordbox, as the separation itself is processed by the software. The FLX10 simply gives you the dedicated controls.
Once again, these dedicated stem separation controls aren’t present on the DDJ-1000, although there are also some tricks to still make use of this feature on older Pioneer DJ controllers such as the DDJ-1000 we’re talking about in this article, or the DDJ-800.
Jog Wheel Updates
First things first, the jog wheels on the Pioneer DDJ-1000 and the DDJ-FLX10 are the exact same size, that is the standard size of the full-scale CDJ-2000/3000 mechanical jog wheels, which is pretty much a standard these days.
You can find jog wheel displays on both controllers, however the displays on the Pioneer DDJ-FLX10 are of slightly higher quality and can display more information than the DDJ-1000 (for instance they are capable of displaying the full 3-band track waveforms and, among other things, the performance pad mode list, unlike the DDJ-1000).
The 206 mm (~8.11 in) jog wheels on both devices are mechanical, like the ones present on the CDJ-2000NXS player series, but they do feature different edge finish designs, with the DDJ-1000 having the classic CDJ finish, while the FLX10 goes with the more recent FLX-series signature finish. This is purely a cosmetic difference.
DDJ-FLX10’s DMX Features
The Pioneer DDJ-FLX10 has an important feature that the DDJ-1000 doesn’t have – a DMX output for controlling compatible lighting through Rekordbox Lighting.
This enables you to connect compatible DMX lighting without needing a separate DMX interface. Pretty cool!
As I’m not a frequent DMX user, I will not elaborate further on this. You can find many tutorials online if you’d like to incorporate light effects into your DJ sets with the aid of the DMX standard.
DJ Software Support
The Pioneer DDJ-FLX10 officially supports Rekordbox, Serato DJ Pro and djay Pro. The Pioneer DDJ-1000 is the Rekordbox-focused version, and it remains a Hardware Unlock device for Rekordbox 7.
The Pioneer DDJ-1000 also had a Serato-specific sibling, the Pioneer DDJ-1000SRT. If you’re shopping for one used, the DDJ-1000 is the Rekordbox version, while the DDJ-1000SRT is the version made for Serato DJ Pro.
Read this to learn more: Pioneer DDJ-1000 vs. DDJ-1000SRT (What Are The Differences?)
Of course, both the Pioneer DDJ-1000 and the DDJ-FLX10 are also compatible with DJ software such as Virtual DJ and Mixxx, which allow you to make use of custom MIDI mappings.
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So, What’s The Conclusion?
If you’re still unsure whether you should go for the now older Pioneer DDJ-1000, or should you head straight for the DDJ-FLX10, think about that in this way.
If you already own the DDJ-1000 or DDJ-1000SRT, you will get access to a few new features such as the stem separation feature controls, 2 additional Sound Color FX, DMX controller and a few design/layout updates. Oh, and the possibility to use your controller with both Serato and Rekordbox.
Beyond that you don’t get much more. The FLX10 is the current model, while the DDJ-1000 is discontinued but still supported as a Rekordbox Hardware Unlock device.
If you don’t own a “professional” DJ controller yet, both the Pioneer DDJ-1000 and the Pioneer DDJ-FLX10 will present a similar workflow and mixing experience. The FLX10 is the current model and has all the extra features we’ve mentioned, while the DDJ-1000 mainly makes sense today if you can find a good deal on one used.
Another great thing is the FLX10’s support for both of the most popular pieces of DJ software (Rekordbox & Serato), which means that you will be able to choose between the two along the way, and not before the purchase like you would have when getting either the DDJ-1000 or the DDJ-1000SRT.
All in all, both of these devices are more than enough for both a beginner and a professional DJ, and with their advanced feature sets they will be able to serve you for long years, regardless of which one you’ll pick in the end.
While for me personally, the DDJ-FLX10 simply does not offer enough notable feature upgrades to make me sell my DDJ-1000, it is a step forward for Pioneer DJ’s 4-channel controller line and the FLX series.