The Lowdown
VST capabilities and the ability to use it as a Midi controller notwithstanding, the Pioneer DJ RMX-1000 is primarily a hardware FX device for use with a CDJ/DJM set-up, so it has limited appeal for controller / laptop DJs. That said, it’s great fun to to use at the club.
First Impressions / Setting up
The Pioneer DJ RMX-1000 is an effects unit/mixer with several stereo effects and sampling capabilities including roll, crush and filters.
The RMX-1000 has an input and output knob as well as a three-band EQ for the X-Pad effects. Another knob controls the build-up effects such as reverbs and noise.
You can load in samples and use kicks, snares and claps along with an overdub feature.
An automatic beat detection and quantize feature makes the RMX-1000 very beginner-friendly as they identify and lock in the BPM regardless of source.
In Use
The large EQ knobs for the effects and build up section are quite large and very easy to use. They are very responsive when manipulating effects.
The buttons all feel great to push along with the smaller knobs which affect the levels of different features. The X-Pad is bigger on this device than the other ones Pioneer has which is great since they are usually cramped. With that said, the buttons for the drum pad are a bit small.
The effects on this unit are all useable. Our favorites are the slice and isolation and the crush echo for breakdowns. A wet/dry knob can be used to tame some of the louder effects.
An Amazon reviewer raved about how easy it was to remix thanks to the touch-sensitive stop switch and the drum pad. Though another reviewer did say that the unit is a bit overpriced for what it does.
Conclusion
Despite a relatively steep price tag, an intuitive layout and small form-factor make the Pioneer RMX-1000 a great addition to your set-up if you want access to some additional high-quality effects for your set.
