Similar to learning music in general, planning to be a DJ will require you to have the most important machine that will be your companion during the whole ride. Different musicians may prefer different controllers but for a beginner, the choice can be very confusing. For those who recently kick-started their lesson, DDJ 400 Vs DDJ SB3 will be a great choice with plenty of features we will grow up with. Go check which of them will be your most ideal controller below.
In this article we are going to give you information about:
- How to Choose a DJ Controller
- What are DDJ 400 and DDJ SB3
- What DDJ 400 and DDJ SB3 Look Like
- How Much are the Software for DDJ 400 and DDJ SB3
- How Good are the Software of DDJ 400 and DDJ SB3
- How are the Functions in DDJ 400 and DDJ SB3
- DDJ 400 Vs DDJ SB3
Contents
DJ Controller for Beginner
Shopping for a new gear can be the most enjoyable or the most frustrating stage in your early journey. There are so many options out there and they look great or equally useful for your application whether it is just for playing inside the bedroom or live in front of a mass. They are not cheap and spending something that won’t sit well in your setup will be a nightmare. However, if you are willing to spare some time, we are sure the most ideal options will surface. Read also: Numark NV Vs DDJ SX2
For those who are running DJ software or apps in a laptop or Mac, controllers are the heart of the system because they offer a bunch of hands-on control that our small and narrow keyboard layout won’t provide which is going to serve ergonomic workflow to make sure you can be at the top of the game. Here are few factors to think about before deciding to get a certain controller for your system.
Choose between Modular DJ rigs or All-in-One Controllers
Modular DJ rigs are pretty classic, it is rarely being used anymore today and if you wonder how they look like, this is the set consisting of turntables and CD or media players, analog mixer, and sometimes a sound card to allow you to operate it with DJ software. This is great for beginners because it is simpler and lets you focus more on what matters before readying for a more capable or professional performance as well as beat building. Overall, you only need a turntable connected to a mixer to kick start.
On the other hand, All-in-one controllers will combine all media players, a mixing section as well with computer or iOS interfaces in a single unit. You will get lots of physical knobs, buttons, and sliders here, very similar to those in a mixer tool but they will be connected to the computer and function the same. Having these physical controls is great, they are convenient and work smoothly.
Software of Preference
This is the most important part to consider because most people tend to pick all-in-one controllers from the start. Software, as you can expect, will be different in the ecosystem depending on which makes you feel at home the most and for running DJ, you will find few of the most popular being Serato, Rekordbox, Traktor Pro, and Ableton Live. The two first are often compared head to head as they carry lots of compatibility yet, the choice is always what fits your personal taste the most.
DDJ 400 | DDJ SB3 1 | |
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Best Offer | click here | click here |
Shipping Weight | 0.16 ounces | 4.63 pounds |
About DDJ 400 and DDJ SB3
It is difficult to compare which software you feel most comfortable with but you can always try it for free as they usually are free to download but to unearth the potential we will need to buy a subscription or license. If you already set a budget range and are prepared to find the best controller for your application now, it is the time to see what the market has to offer. Deciding the budget first is great to save time and selection.
For a beginner who wants to keep the shopping quick and simple, deciding to shop from a certain brand will be useful and when it is about a DJ controller, we are sure most people will agree that Pioneer is one of the best players out there. This company established its system with their own software called Rekordbox which is the current rival or Serato that has been around the longest. Many users love them for the quality and overall workflow but also for their amazing software.
If you will be spending less than $300 or currently in the beginning step of the hobby, Pioneer DDJ 400 and DDJ SB3 will be such a great choice to consider. They are also ideal for those with more experience including for live performances and we specifically recommend these for new users because both models will offer capabilities to grow up and become accustomed to, which means we can stay using them for longer compared to very basic or cheaper models.
What’s a bit confusing is that these controllers are very similar or almost identical to each other which makes it a bit confusing to choose, moreover with the same price tag, it makes you wonder which will fit you the most or if there is actually a difference between the two. The answer is, there will be a different, very basic but also the most important part that distinguishes one controller to the latter and cutting short, it is the software because SB3 works with Serato and DDJ 400 uses Rekordbox.
DDJ 400 and DDJ SB3 Design
As you can see from the sample picture above, Pioneer DDJ 400 and DDJ SB3 are almost identical, they have the same plastic material, and similar layout but not exactly the copy of each other because you will notice how they place the middle controller and fader placement for each track differently. The DDJ 400 put all sliders in the bottom part of the layout while the SB3 put the tempo slider at the top. However, the build quality and buttons or knob response are the same.
Stacking them together you will see how alike these controllers are measuring at the same size and they will occupy a space of 18.9-inch wide, 10.7-inch deep, with a thickness of 2.3-inch. they are equally 2 channels, using two pairs of deck controls, as well as having the same collections of buttons but some of them have different shapes or labeling and placement.
DDJ 400 and DDJ SB3 Software Compatibility
Moving further, let’s talk about the most important difference between these controllers which is their software because as it has been mentioned above that the SB3 is working with Serato, means if you are familiar with this software then you will feel right at home with how the controller work while DDJ 400 is a cheaper offering by Pioneer to their professional product such as CDJ-2000NXS2 and this machine is working with their own Rekordbox which license will also packed with the product.
Note that if you are choosing the DDJ SB3, you will also have to buy the Serato license separately if you don’t have one already and the subscription cost may change over time depending on the company; as of now, their Pro subscription is at $9.99 per month. For Rekordbox DJ Premium, you will need to spend $14.9 per month or the same as Serato for the basic plan if you have to purchase it.
DDJ 400 and DDJ SB3 Software Features
Besides the software package that comes or suitable with the controller, digging deeper the software itself is also different. They however, cover all the important parts from managing a huge music library, add cue points and loops to tracks, create a playlist for organizing your tracks, have built-in effects that can be used with the turntables, CD players as well as controllers. The best thing about Serato and the reason why many people love it is for the hardware compatibility.
Pioneer despite having its own software, they also made controllers suitable with the software and there are tons of other brands out there using Serato, making this a great option if you will be using various gears such as mixers, controllers, DVS interface, etc. On the other hand Rekordbox is made for Pioneer hardware only so you are limited in terms or flexibility and versatility but, if your system is made up of products from this brand, then there should be no problem.
For the software functionalities, one area they are very different is when it’s about file organizing because while Serato DJ Pro will let you have details tags for artist, genres, or even window to prepare tracks for playing later, the next has much more to the level it is too detailed for some of us. This software lets you add tags to tracks for better organization based on situation, set time, or any custom tag we can make. It even offers a window to find related tracks based on BPM, key, genre, etc.
DDJ 400 and DDJ SB3 Mechanism
The last point we want to mention is how the controllers work and while they are similarly paired with the software to get the best experience, one thing we notice here is that the BPM slider in DDJ 400 is slightly longer which means more accurate adjustment in an easier or faster way. On the other side, this controller doesn’t have access to 3rd and 4th controller decks like SB3 so if you will use more decks in the future, it is a very useful feature to get used to.
Another difference on how they work is with the FX banks and in SB3 we get 5-6 different effects which can be assigned to different buttons along the top of the deck. DDJ 400 has a dedicated channel in the middle with switch to which deck to assign the FX to but, since it works similarly to those mixers, it means we can’t combine different FXs. The answer to this problem is pad FX in the performance pad that opens more effects in Rekordbox software.
DDJ 400 vs DDJ SB3
These controllers are a great choice or beginner and they are equally nice but also different. Not only on the suitable software, they are also different when it comes to some certain functionalities such as how the SB3 offers access to 3rd and 4th decks and how DDJ400 has a longer BPM slider to get an easier BPM adjustment. They also have different mechanisms when it is about putting FX into the deck which are coming from their software.
DDJ 400 | DDJ SB3 | |
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Best Deal* | Save Money Please click here | Save Money Please click here |
Brand | Pioneer DJ | Pioneer DJ |
Key features | - Club Style layout similar to that of the CDJ-2000NXS2 and DJM-900NXS2 - Built in sound card with plug and play connectivity via USB cable - Includes Rekordbox DJ license key - New Features of Rekordbox Ver 5.3 – Tutorial feature to help learn how to DJ | - Intuitive layout, all of the features were designed to be where you need them, when you need them - Add scratch effects to cued and currently playing songs without a turntable thanks to Pad Scratch - Mixing is Seamless with the FX Fade feature. 5 inch durable aluminium jog wheel. Weight-4.6 pounds - Constructed from premium materials and audio circuitry |
Price | ||
Customer Ratings* | 4.5 out of 5 stars | 4.5 out of 5 stars |
Conclusion
You can go with any of these controllers and our recommendation is choosing the software first because personally, we do like how powerful Rekordbox is and it is free coming with the controller so we don’t have to spend more.
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