Correction: recently (2/8/2024) found out the CDJ-500 actually came out in June of 1994, not October based on when units started shipping. So the 30th birthday is June 2024! Confusion from my previous source could have been from the fact that the CDJ-500 II and CDJ-500S were both released in October in 1996 and 1997 respectively. Resources: Pioneer DJ official website pioneerdj.com DJ Resource website djresource.eu “Evolution of the CDJ” ruclips.net/video/CgTdAdynUYo/видео.html SPONSOR LINK Direct Music Service www.directmusicservice.com 30% off first month, use promo code PJMONTHLY 10% off first year, use promo code PJYEARLY
Thanks for this type of content! More please! I had the CDJ 500 (2). It was great though it would skip in some clubs with heavy bass. But master tempo was amazing then as was the easy to use loop. I miss those days
CDJ was the logical evolution from those crazy rack mount units. But the cool thing was back then.. most didn't actually 'beat match' mix with those rack mount CD players.. but if you did demonstrate that at a gig with guys who only used those rack mounters..their Jaw would drop LOL - yeah buddy that's why there's a pitch control on there. haha. The CDJ also properly (finally) took the original Technics flat table design to the proper direction.
I remember it clearly as I was just going into first year college 1994..and was geeking out of course with DJ trade publications (paper magazines) I was using an early one with a mobile DJ service but never owned a CDJ. Still prefer the Vinyl / Serato approach. My hands are just too big for CD's it really gets clumsy with them.
I was stationed in Okinawa Japan in 89-90 and remember seeing either the 300-500 model in a club over there. I couldn’t believe it because we had just started seeing cd’s during that time here in the U.S. tapes were still #1. All I remember was turntables and a mixer in the 80s. This was mind blowing when I saw it. Wonder if it was a prototype or early release in Japan for testing. In any case can’t believe that’s old tech now. Time fly’s!
Great video, thanks! Still have a pair of CDJ-500IIs and they sound sweet. Back in the day the 300s were priced in line with the SL-1200s - probably the only way Pioneer could build a following. Probably wasn’t until close to year 2000 when CD-Rom burners got cheap that CDJs really took off - DJs discovered they could produce a track, burn it to CD, and immediately play it live. At least that is how I recall it happening.
Thank you for the story of the CDJ-300. I've been using Pioneer DJ gear since the very first CDJ-500 back in 1994. A few years ago I started to look for all those models i have owned and played on in so many clubs. Pure nostalgia! I now have most of the models up until the CDJ-1000Mk3. Only missing the CMX-5000, DPM-555, CDJ-1000Mk2 and the CDJ-400. Important to me is that they are fully working. The mixer section is even more complete with only the DJM-400 and DJM-3000 missing all the way up to the DJM-800. I'm not interested in scratch models or controllers as that never has been part of my DJing. Now and then I post a video with me using these old models using them at least for an hour mixing the latest house music. I'm currently working as a full time DJ and have the NXS2 setup in my studio and as my daily driver I use my mobile setup, the XDJ-700's and a DJM-450, which is quite enough for most gigs where I need to bring my own gear. If I can afford it, I'll keep those setups when upgrading to kickstart the USB/RB era of my collection. Most of my gear, including my 2 recent setups, are and have been used for many years in pro environments, and the longevity and reliability of those models are truly amazing. I see no reason why my current setups wouldn't last me for another 3 years or more and if I'm still at it as a DJ by then, I might go for a final setup of whatever is top of the line by then. Need to have something to do when I'm officially retired from touring. Streaming, even if it's just for fun, require a home studio of class i think :) , and the walls will have the pioneer DJ gear history in the background on shelves lit up by some nice LED's. Future project of mine.
A few notes: - Pioneer seem to be confused about the beginning of their product line, if they don't even list the 300 and 500 on their page. - In the image of the 500II on the Pioneer website, and in the image of the 500 you showed, the top of the device says "CDJ-50II" and "CDJ-50" respectively. I wonder if they retroactively renamed them to 500, when they released the 300. - CD-R drives and blanks were extremely expensive in the mid 1990s. I suppose for anyone who could afford a record studio they would have been another pricey tool.
This was awesome! You did serious research work here Pri yon Joni and appreciate you sharing with us! Thanks for the site of all DJ gear too, I'm going to geek out on the classic DJ gear I used to drool over seen in back of magazines late 90's early 2k.
Thank you Pri for a great respin about the first CDJ's history please do another one ,i seen the original Pioneer CDJ History series and also really enjoyed them.
@ Pri yon Joni, you should a deep dive on vinyl timecode. Not sure if you are familiar with Intimidation Dj mixers, but there is an interesting story behind it. Not even taking into account RZA's claim with the "Replicator", the story takes a lot of turns.
I bought 2CDJ500 decks in '95. They were really bad. The jog dials didn't have dust membranes and dust, from carrying them vertically in flight cases, would build up and dirt would make jogging the dial scrape loudly. They had worst suspension than a denon 2000f and the cue 1sec sampler sometimes stictched with a noise to the rest of the track. The deck opened to load cd's causing time problems . It was too expensive and nobody used it. The cdj100s was the first widely used transition from vinyl.
Correction: recently (2/8/2024) found out the CDJ-500 actually came out in June of 1994, not October based on when units started shipping. So the 30th birthday is June 2024! Confusion from my previous source could have been from the fact that the CDJ-500 II and CDJ-500S were both released in October in 1996 and 1997 respectively.
Resources:
Pioneer DJ official website pioneerdj.com
DJ Resource website djresource.eu
“Evolution of the CDJ” ruclips.net/video/CgTdAdynUYo/видео.html
SPONSOR LINK Direct Music Service www.directmusicservice.com
30% off first month, use promo code PJMONTHLY
10% off first year, use promo code PJYEARLY
How about a history of DJ Software?
i started on CDJ350 in my home country Slovenia. This year for nostalgia i bought CDJ400. It's a great feeling seeing those 8 bit screens work haha
Thanks for this type of content! More please! I had the CDJ 500 (2). It was great though it would skip in some clubs with heavy bass. But master tempo was amazing then as was the easy to use loop. I miss those days
CDJ was the logical evolution from those crazy rack mount units. But the cool thing was back then.. most didn't actually 'beat match' mix with those rack mount CD players.. but if you did demonstrate that at a gig with guys who only used those rack mounters..their Jaw would drop LOL - yeah buddy that's why there's a pitch control on there. haha. The CDJ also properly (finally) took the original Technics flat table design to the proper direction.
I remember it clearly as I was just going into first year college 1994..and was geeking out of course with DJ trade publications (paper magazines) I was using an early one with a mobile DJ service but never owned a CDJ. Still prefer the Vinyl / Serato approach. My hands are just too big for CD's it really gets clumsy with them.
We used the first set in NZ in 1995 in Dunedin.
Mixer demo! Mixer demo!
I was stationed in Okinawa Japan in 89-90 and remember seeing either the 300-500 model in a club over there. I couldn’t believe it because we had just started seeing cd’s during that time here in the U.S. tapes were still #1. All I remember was turntables and a mixer in the 80s. This was mind blowing when I saw it. Wonder if it was a prototype or early release in Japan for testing. In any case can’t believe that’s old tech now. Time fly’s!
Great video, thanks! Still have a pair of CDJ-500IIs and they sound sweet. Back in the day the 300s were priced in line with the SL-1200s - probably the only way Pioneer could build a following. Probably wasn’t until close to year 2000 when CD-Rom burners got cheap that CDJs really took off - DJs discovered they could produce a track, burn it to CD, and immediately play it live. At least that is how I recall it happening.
Thank you for the story of the CDJ-300. I've been using Pioneer DJ gear since the very first CDJ-500 back in 1994. A few years ago I started to look for all those models i have owned and played on in so many clubs. Pure nostalgia! I now have most of the models up until the CDJ-1000Mk3. Only missing the CMX-5000, DPM-555, CDJ-1000Mk2 and the CDJ-400. Important to me is that they are fully working. The mixer section is even more complete with only the DJM-400 and DJM-3000 missing all the way up to the DJM-800. I'm not interested in scratch models or controllers as that never has been part of my DJing. Now and then I post a video with me using these old models using them at least for an hour mixing the latest house music.
I'm currently working as a full time DJ and have the NXS2 setup in my studio and as my daily driver I use my mobile setup, the XDJ-700's and a DJM-450, which is quite enough for most gigs where I need to bring my own gear. If I can afford it, I'll keep those setups when upgrading to kickstart the USB/RB era of my collection. Most of my gear, including my 2 recent setups, are and have been used for many years in pro environments, and the longevity and reliability of those models are truly amazing. I see no reason why my current setups wouldn't last me for another 3 years or more and if I'm still at it as a DJ by then, I might go for a final setup of whatever is top of the line by then. Need to have something to do when I'm officially retired from touring. Streaming, even if it's just for fun, require a home studio of class i think :) , and the walls will have the pioneer DJ gear history in the background on shelves lit up by some nice LED's. Future project of mine.
Great video. Would love to see more.
A few notes:
- Pioneer seem to be confused about the beginning of their product line, if they don't even list the 300 and 500 on their page.
- In the image of the 500II on the Pioneer website, and in the image of the 500 you showed, the top of the device says "CDJ-50II" and "CDJ-50" respectively. I wonder if they retroactively renamed them to 500, when they released the 300.
- CD-R drives and blanks were extremely expensive in the mid 1990s. I suppose for anyone who could afford a record studio they would have been another pricey tool.
NEED ANOTHER VIDEO WITH THIS TOPIC
Pleasedo more of these and a demonstration of modern mix on retro cdJ 500s 🙏🏾
This was awesome! You did serious research work here Pri yon Joni and appreciate you sharing with us! Thanks for the site of all DJ gear too, I'm going to geek out on the classic DJ gear I used to drool over seen in back of magazines late 90's early 2k.
Thank you Pri for a great respin about the first CDJ's history please do another one ,i seen the original Pioneer CDJ History series and also really enjoyed them.
Excellent historical video for DJs 😎🎧
I'd love to see that MA 62 at work! that handle just made me laugh and reminded of my first "boombox" back in the day!
Thank you for the interesting history lesson! I hope we will see more series about cdj's next generations 🙏
Always, always interested in more! Thank you 💿
Cool.
Wow this was really interesting, it felt like a history class hahaha, but very well done PJ!!! I just love this type of knowledge teaching! Thank you!
More on history and reviews of older models
Awesome video. More pls
Amazing and unique clarification video as usual !
Oh yes ,like this a lot please make more.🔥🔥
Great video! Thanks!
More videos like this!
Cool video & information
Awesome. Loved it.
Question,does the pioneer cdj 800,850mk2, have scratch mode?Can you scratch wit them?
@ Pri yon Joni, you should a deep dive on vinyl timecode. Not sure if you are familiar with Intimidation Dj mixers, but there is an interesting story behind it. Not even taking into account RZA's claim with the "Replicator", the story takes a lot of turns.
Great video
I bought 2CDJ500 decks in '95. They were really bad. The jog dials didn't have dust membranes and dust, from carrying them vertically in flight cases, would build up and dirt would make jogging the dial scrape loudly. They had worst suspension than a denon 2000f and the cue 1sec sampler sometimes stictched with a noise to the rest of the track. The deck opened to load cd's causing time problems . It was too expensive and nobody used it. The cdj100s was the first widely used transition from vinyl.
So when yr did the Pioneer cd100s and 200s came out??
CDJ-100S came out in 1998. CDJ-200 came out in 2004 and was the last CDJ jogwheel without the vinyl emulation.
@@priyonjoni Thanks for the info. I still have my Pioneer Cdj-200s
I owned them all 2001 cdj 1000 made in Japan Best ever made in my opinion
This always bugged me but if some one from America did it it still doesn't make sense as in the American market the CDJ-500S was the CDJ-700S
comment for the algorithm