08/04/2023
This is the Pioneer DJM-A9 mixer. The long-awaited successor to the DJM-900NXS2 mixer currently found in almost every club worldwide.
I think it's a thing of beauty but... it will set you back £2,500 ($3,100), and it will be a few years before you find it in most club booths. Not so much because of the price but more because pro DJs learn to use a standard mixer and deck setup due to their techniques relying on muscle memory. The last thing they want is to not be on the ball because a mixer does something unexpected or a control does not behave predictably.
The Bluetooth functionality is not something most professional DJs will use but I think it will be great for front-of-house to be able to play music between DJ acts, without even needing to enter the booth.
If you're thinking of going into club DJing I would seriously suggest learning to use the DJM-900NXS2 mixers currently used in almost every club, along with the CDJ-2000/3000 decks, because bringing in your own controller or other gear is normally highly frowned upon. It makes things difficult for staff and other DJs and it makes you look unprofessional.
This does mean you will need to learn to beat-match by ear because you won't find a sync button on CDJ decks, but that's honestly one of the things that demonstrates a pro DJ. Plus it's a really fun skill to learn along with being able to mix in-key by ear. You're a DJ not a computer operator and as a pro you shouldn't be over-reliant on visuals or one-press effect buttons. You need to be able to do these things manually almost without thinking. And you also need to go with the flow of the set and not be a one-trick pony. Doing the same beat-match style of transition can get boring for listeners very quickly. It's definitely worth learning as many different transition styles as you can.
By the way, if you want a couple of CDJ-3000 decks to go with your £2,500 mixer, they will cost you a little over £1,000 each. And they won't do half the things some DJ controllers can do, but they are very reliable and predictable - and that above all else is what you want in a DJ booth.
Introducing the DJM-A9. The latest industry-standard club mixer from Pioneer DJ.Watch the DJM-A9 Mix: https://youtu.be/0DfwjooUuVURead the full review: https...
