Hi! Emma Short-E here!
I recently posted a couple of freestyle videos on my socials using the new Pioneer DDJ-REV7 – a Scratch-style 2-channel professional DJ controller for Serato DJ Pro – which I purchased to play around on so I could give you the lowdown. I will share the videos with you first then after you can find my thoughts on what it’s like to scratch on.
In this clip, I am using the sampler to loop a beat and then use hot cues on deck 1 to trigger a piano loop to create this Damu The Fudgemunk (drums sample) x Kiefer (piano sample) on the fly mashup up. They are 2 of my fav artists. I am loving the Serato pitch n time creating possibilities for creating mashups. Then I added some cuts, scratching on deck 2, more of which you can watch here:
Pioneer DDJ-REV7 Overview
An overview from the official Pioneer site:
The DDJ-REV7 is built to help you get the most from the Serato DJ Pro performance software and boasts a brand-new design that includes large, motorized jog wheels with On Jog Display to create a tactile connection between you and your music. The layout of this 2-channel unit emulates a professional DJM-S mixer + PLX turntable setup, and includes specialized features for open-format and scratch DJs.
Thoughts on Scratching on the Pioneer DDJ-REV7
I thought I would share some thoughts on my experience for anyone who is curious about what it is like to scratch on.
I found the DDJ-REV7 super fun, especially for the mixing, pitch n time functionality and live mashup / beat making possibilities. I switched back and forth between my 2 setups (my first being a turntable and the DDJ-S9 mixer) on the day I recorded those clips as a way of letting one inspire the other and to feel out the differences.
There are some things I love more about the DDJ-REV7 such as the things you can do with the pads and the way you can hit sync on the controller, also the scratch banks, silent cue and pitch play. My S9 doesn’t have these functions and the next step up would really be the pioneer S11 (the S7 does have the same functions as the S11 and the upfaders are not as high quality, so I personally wouldn’t go for the S7.)
The DDJ-REV7 platters feel great and I am super impressed. It is very similar to scratching on a 7″ vinyl setup. You can seen in the videos above that I am happily doing all the usual scratches I normally do, without much any issues.
I do still prefer a turntable setup because of the way I use my hand on the whole record when scratching. I use my thumb on the vinyl alot on the surface and space that a 12″ vinyl provides, for control purpose.
Playing with the DDJ-REV7 really inspired me to see what I could do with the S9 and dive into the functions a bit more. Up until now, I mainly used the S9 primarily for scratching and basic mixing. The REV7 helped me to learn more about the S9, inspiring me to see how I could recreate what I was doing on the DDJ-REV7.
My does S9 still feels more solid for cutting on and I love the feel of that mixer.
My current ideal setup would be:
- A turntable for ultimate feel and scratch control, plus the ability to play real vinyl, particularly scratch records.
- A hybrid Pioneer mixer which has all the pad and pitch n time functionality of the S11 but without the screen on top in a smaller mixer around the size of the S9. The S11 is a little big and feature packed for my current usage, that said, I would happily upgrade!
After 22 years of mixing and scratching 12″ vinyl and since Serato came out, DVS, a turntable and mixer setup just feels like home and I feel so comfortable using it and controlling the sound in this way. I never realised just how much of the whole record I use when scratching until playing around with the DDJ-REV7 in this way.
So it seems obvious that the DDJ-REV7 is no replacement for a turntable AND it is so much fun to play on and get ideas as a fun second setup. I am really enjoying it and will continue to play on it and see what I can create. It is really fun to showcase what is possible on it. I love that it is an all in one unit and is easy to move around if I need to.
Happy Scratching! Whatever setup you are using!
– Emma
P.S. If you are interested in learning how to scratch, I created an online School to help you learn and practice the art of scratching. You can sample some of the tutorials to see if my teaching is a good fit for you here: