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Virtual DJ plays nice with DDJ-SZ
Via DJWORX.com
Yes, it’s that VirtualDJ name again, and this time coming from a source that I didn’t expect. Pioneer DJ has just announced that its uberbeast of a controller, the DDJ-SZ, is now playing very nicely indeed with Virtual DJ 8 Pro as well as Serato DJ. It’s officially supported by both Pioneer and Atomix, so it’s going to be a really tight match.
To make this deal happen, every DDJ-SZ shipped mid December onwards will include a key code card, complete with a serial number that will give you a free download of the complete VDJ8 Pro. For existing DDJ-SZ owners, this link gives you everything you need to get your free copy, but only up until February 28th 2015.
DVS?
Oh yes. I’m told that you can use VirtualDJ 8 Pro’s new DVS engine with the DDJ-SZ without an external audio interface. So you can hook up a pair of turntables or CDJs and rock VDJ8 timecode, and because of the SZ’s architecture and VDJ routing flexibility, you can also record your whole set internally.
UPDATE: Serato DJ DVS is free on the SZ anyway but a paid update on other controllers. But choice is good, especially when it’s free.
Serato’s gonna be pissed
Well… maybe, but probably not, because they’re still going to be making the same money that they always did. But what it does do is give SZ owners a free taste of the forbidden fruit. It also shows that VDJ8 is being taken seriously by the industry again. Given the closed nature of Serato DJ and Traktor, having a viable alternative in the shape of VDJ8 is great for manufacturers, especially if deals can be struck to have VDJ as the native software for new controllers. VDJ just needs to win the hearts of Traktor and Serato users before the DJ scene can move from a two-party to three-party system.
It’s clear that Atomix is doing its damnedest to leave behind the VDJ of old, and pitch itself into the more professional sphere, which makes this move significant. Having VDJ8 as a standard fixture on the world’s largest and most expensive controller is a puff out your chest move, and shows that if perhaps the biggest player in the DJ business is willing to put its name to VDJ8, then perhaps you DDJ-SZ owners should really take a look. We don’t own one so we can’t. We’re depending on you to give some feedback, especially with the DVS element.
