There is also a button to switch each deck to deck 3 or deck 4, but considering there are only two channels on this mixer using it effectively can be a bit of a challenge. Do keep in mind that this is a limitation when beatmatching manually. The pitch slider is small thus low resolution, but you cannot really expect more in this format/price point. Which gives a dynamic, rhythmic effect that works quite well in a live set. This effect allows to, using the pads, cut the volume of the playing track in time with the beat.

That being said, they do their job well enough, and as long as you don’t expect to perform finger drumming routines, will please most users.Ī novelty on this controller is the pad trans effect (see the video below for a demo). The pads are not velocity responsive either and unlike other controllers in the DDJ line, they are not backlit across the entire surface of the pad. The difference is that instead of 8 pads for hot cues, loops & samples you only have 4 (the top row) while the rest is reserved for play, cue, shift and sync buttons. This has been corrected in the brand new DDJ-RB. The DDJ-SB2 has a slightly different approach to transport buttons compared to its more expensive siblings in the DDJ family. Transport Section Pioneer DJ DDJ-SB2 tranport section

Of course, you can always nudge using the jogs sides, no matter in which mode you are. In vinyl mode, you can scratch, in nudge mode, moving the platter clockwise will speed up the playing track, moving it counterclockwise will slow it down. Included onboard is a vinyl button per deck that toggles the jog wheel between vinyl and “nudge” mode. The stickers make up a little bit for that. They look much like jog wheels in Pioneer’s pro-level DJ gear but lack the typical center display. The jog wheels are of a very decent size, have low latency and have a good feeling overall, whatever your DJ style is. Let’s dive into the detailed functionality. So that makes it a very flexible unit for its price!

The DDJ-SB2 support Serato DJ Intro, Serato DJ and since recently Rekordbox DJ as well.

It’s an all plastic body, but the buttons and knobs feel solid and the jog wheels are made of aluminum and feel very qualitative. The build quality is good, and in line with other entry-level DJ controllers from Pioneer DJ. It is a compact and very basic solution for beginners, at the same time mimicking the feature set and layout of much more expensive Pioneer DJ controllers. The Pioneer DJ DDJ-SB2 was launched last year as the successor of the DDJ-SB and comes with some interesting additions and changes.

Bottomline: Nice entry level controller for Serato DJ and a good upgrade from the DDJ-SB.

Serato ddj sb dj controller