What many people do not realize is that the two famous Pioneer DJ effect modules – RMX-500 and RMX-1000 – come with a VST version of the hardware with the effects of the physical unit. Both of the plugins are still available to download on the Pioneer DJ website, and the corresponding physical RMX station can be connected to your computer and used as a controller for the plugin.
You can either control the plugin using the hardware interface of your RMX station or unplug the device completely and make use of the software implementation of the Pioneer’s FX unit.
This enables you to use all of the famous RMX effects in your music production process, and even to use the plugin directly within the Virtual DJ software and control it using another MIDI device.
It’s worth noting that both RMX units are getting pretty old now. AlphaTheta released the newer RMX-IGNITE in 2026, although the original RMX-500 and RMX-1000 plugins are still available.
Plugin usage:
In your DAW software multiple instances of the VST version of the RMX can be easily controlled from the hardware unit by pressing the “Link On” button – this will switch control of the VST to your physical RMX station and un-link all of the other plugin instances (one plugin instance can be controlled at a time). Then you can use the controls to record FX automation while still being able to edit and modify the automation curves by hand inside of the software. All of the sample-based drum roll functionality is also available although you have to assign an audio channel to the plugin before using it.
All of the processing is software-based which means that the plugin will work after disconnecting the device and when the RMX is connected, it’s your computer which does all the sound processing work and the hardware serves the sole purpose of a MIDI controller.
Official downloads:
Below you can find the links to the official Pioneer DJ website where the plugin can be downloaded. Keep in mind that you need to own the hardware (either the RMX-500 or RMX-1000) for the corresponding plugins to work.
- RMX-500: https://www.pioneerdj.com/en/support/software/effector/rmx-500/
- RMX-1000: https://www.pioneerdj.com/en/support/software/effector/rmx-1000/
Note: RMX-500’s latest Mac plugin is from 2022, while RMX-1000’s is from 2023; the Windows versions are considerably older (from 2016).