DJM-900NXS vs. Xone 4D

agreed - as a former 900 user - i basically decided it was no longer for me because of pioneers lack of support and/or acknowledgement of some pretty basic things that I guess I felt entitled to after dropping close to $2k on a mixer.
1. Midi sync - I was led to believe at first that djm900 could receive midi clock from external sources. After months of trying crazy workarounds to get it working, Pioneers community moderator finally stated "no, thats not possible". So no midi sync from external sources.
2. Midi sync TO external sources - this works technically. So you can use djm900 midi clock as traktors clock source. But it fluctuates by .2 - .4 bpm when you have DJM set to TAP (which really should hold a steady bpm). You can hear 'fluttering' <if thats a word> at times.
3. DJM BPM Detection - Pursuant to #2 - the djm bpm detection is HORRIBLE. Look at my youtube account kevins212 and check out the examples. So imagine trying to use this as your midi clock source in Traktor.
** So what #1-3 boil down to is that you basically cannot midi clock sync the djm900 to anything (unless you use TAP - but cmon..and even that doesnt sit still).
4. Recording issues - MAC users are going apeshit over some problem where the djm900 will never record internally to traktor. I gave up trying to have external mixers record to traktor internally a long time ago in general but this seems to have MAC users up in arms in particular.
5. Sound quality / latency / etc - It was running pretty well with Traktor for a while but after I upgraded to 2.1.1, I started getting sound issues (cracks/pops/etc).
6. Unit getting hot / shutting down - Another issue that users are up in arms about on the pioneer community . I havent experienced a shut down but ya, it gets hotter than other mixers I've used so not surprising if it would shut down.
7. Midi controls - i believe they did a pretty bad job implementing the midi controls on it. They could have done it SO much smarter if they put some thought into how a user would use it with Traktor, etc.

That said, its basically a djm800 (with worse bpm detection and an added soundcard) so its got all the positives of a pioneer djm800 for the most part. The touchstrip is pretty dam cool - lets u apply efx in a unique quick way. Its scratch certified (i really cant believe this with the whole midi clock thing) but it works well with timecode. The efx are basically djm800 efx with a few extras but if ur familiar with pioneer efx, thats what u get. Not much difference here (except the touchstrip control which again, is cool and useful). DJM series is still industry-standard so if ur looking to prep urself in that respect - thats another pro.

I am not one to ever tell somebody "dont buy X piece of equip" because EVERYTHING has pros and cons. Take the cons I listed and weigh them with the pros and measure that against what your trying to accomplish with ur setup and hopefully u can make an informed decision that ur happy with + that works for u.

I still have my djm900 (I am patiently awaiting them to resolve the bpm detection issue <or confirm thats just the way its supposed to work> before I sell it to a buddy - I dont want to sell him a broken unit of course). So if you have any questions, feel free to ask and Ill look into it for you.

As for the Xone 4D - why not the DB4? The 4D is interesting but I dunno.. I couldnt see any midi-only controller being worth $2k. And the DB4 is basically approaching the same price mark if u shop around. DB4 is a much more comparable unit to the djm900 too.. DB2 is right around the corner too.. Lastly, ive heard nothing but good things about denons 1700 (which really seems like a great djm900 alternative with better layout and less complaints).

Good luck - im sure whatever u wind up with ull be stoked with regardless !!

There is a section in Ableton called DJ Filters that has every DJM900 and DB4 effect on it. Tweak them to build your own tools.

I personally like the DJM900NXS, My set up is:

DJM900NXS
Traktor Srcatch Pro 2 / Ableton
Technics Turntables 1200 MK2 x 2
APC40 as a Controller for Traktor
JBL EON G1 x2

I use my set up at a more advanced level tham most as I use it for DJing and Music production. I route Traktor music into Ableton and use Ableton VST effects, DJM900 effects, Traktor effects. Sometimes I layer tracks and what not. DJM900NXS as a Master does blow so I never use it. Traktor is my Master.

I recently played at a event with my set, The one thing the other DJ's did say about my style was "holy shit you have unlimited tools" as I did go all out and did a live remix and heavy filters. For my set.

Now what I learned from all this and my set up is. Get what you are going to use. If you get a DJM900NXS or DB4 and never use them to it's full potential then get a more budget mixer. If FX is what your looking into incorperate Ableton with Filter Vst's with a buget mixer. There is a section in Ableton called DJ Filters that has every DJM900 and DB4 effect on it. Tweak them to build your own tools.

Price and useability should be what you consider. Sometimes to much mixer can be a problem.

NOTE: I'm not attacking you here, I'm stating why I see the majority of the points you brought up aren't big concerns in my eyes.

1) I'm not sure what made you believe the DJM could receive midi from external sources considering it only has a midi output port, not a midi input port? Maybe you thought it could receive midi via USB?
2-3) Unless you're trying to sync with another computer, you can midi sync in software almost as easily and with fewer cables. And for the Auto BPM - it'll be off by maybe 1-2 BPM with standard 4 to the floor stuff. It doesn't do well with drum and bass or breaks, but it's also not difficulat at all to tap the tempo and you can hold tap and dial in a specific BPM with the timing knob. It's not as automatic as say, Traktor beatgrids, but it's also something that takes approximately 5 seconds to remedy if it's off. You also have the option of using Rekordbox if you're really bothered by it. It could be better, and arguably it should be, but this is more a convenience issue than a serious problem to me.
4) I record in Ableton anyway and I'm not at home to test recording in Traktor, but I haven't had any issues with recording.
5-6) Never had any of these issues with my home setup. Just lucky I guess...? I even used a blanket as a dust cover on the DJM for a bit and it never got hot enough to be a concern. It will shut down if you have the auto-standby option enabled and don't touch it for a certain (substantial) period of time though, so maybe that's what people are talking about?
7) Completely agree on the midi controls. I guess they're functional but aside from maybe adding in mix automation in Ableton while you're recording or something I don't see them as very useful. Certainly you're not going to replace an actual midi controller with the thing especially with the most practical section for midi mapping, fader start, being hardware toggle buttons which don't act like any midi controls I've ever used before. As I recall they only send a midi message when you turn the fader start on and don't send a midi note off signal.

I wish the midi on the 900 was better, but I got it for the sound quality, TSP certified soundcard, effects, and external mixing. Midi wasn't a huge concern since I have an X1 and midi fighter already. When I sync Traktor and Ableton I do so through software anyway, so I didn't see that as a huge problem. Like you said, the 900's not perfect, but it's nowhere near bad enough to say it's not worth buying, or that people should throw down another $900 on a DB4 just to avoid the issues with the Pioneer.

As for the DB4, it's a great mixer but you'll almost never see one in a club install, any other DJs playing on it won't be familiar with the layout unless they're in the like 2% of the DJ community who have played on one, and it costs almost a thousand dollars more than the DJM900. Nevermind the fact that it doesn't have scratch certification and may very well never get it. Great mixer in theory, but those issues are more important to me than the issues with the DJM900 - hence why I made the choice I did.

As for the "pioneers suck" comment by Conall - there's a lot of pioneer hate on this community , and the majority of it is from people who have little experience with decent pioneer mixers (800+). The 900 has great sound quality - it may not be as good as a xone, but it's no slouch either. Certainly it's not bad enough to seriously say it "sucks".

agreed - as a former 900 user - i basically decided it was no longer for me because of pioneers lack of support and/or acknowledgement of some pretty basic things that I guess I felt entitled to after dropping close to $2k on a mixer.
1. Midi sync - I was led to believe at first that djm900 could receive midi clock from external sources. After months of trying crazy workarounds to get it working, Pioneers community moderator finally stated "no, thats not possible". So no midi sync from external sources.
2. Midi sync TO external sources - this works technically. So you can use djm900 midi clock as traktors clock source. But it fluctuates by .2 - .4 bpm when you have DJM set to TAP (which really should hold a steady bpm). You can hear 'fluttering' <if thats a word> at times.
3. DJM BPM Detection - Pursuant to #2 - the djm bpm detection is HORRIBLE. Look at my youtube account kevins212 and check out the examples. So imagine trying to use this as your midi clock source in Traktor.
** So what #1-3 boil down to is that you basically cannot midi clock sync the djm900 to anything (unless you use TAP - but cmon..and even that doesnt sit still).
4. Recording issues - MAC users are going apeshit over some problem where the djm900 will never record internally to traktor. I gave up trying to have external mixers record to traktor internally a long time ago in general but this seems to have MAC users up in arms in particular.
5. Sound quality / latency / etc - It was running pretty well with Traktor for a while but after I upgraded to 2.1.1, I started getting sound issues (cracks/pops/etc).
6. Unit getting hot / shutting down - Another issue that users are up in arms about on the pioneer community . I havent experienced a shut down but ya, it gets hotter than other mixers I've used so not surprising if it would shut down.
7. Midi controls - i believe they did a pretty bad job implementing the midi controls on it. They could have done it SO much smarter if they put some thought into how a user would use it with Traktor, etc.

That said, its basically a djm800 (with worse bpm detection and an added soundcard) so its got all the positives of a pioneer djm800 for the most part. The touchstrip is pretty dam cool - lets u apply efx in a unique quick way. Its scratch certified (i really cant believe this with the whole midi clock thing) but it works well with timecode. The efx are basically djm800 efx with a few extras but if ur familiar with pioneer efx, thats what u get. Not much difference here (except the touchstrip control which again, is cool and useful). DJM series is still industry-standard so if ur looking to prep urself in that respect - thats another pro.

I am not one to ever tell somebody "dont buy X piece of equip" because EVERYTHING has pros and cons. Take the cons I listed and weigh them with the pros and measure that against what your trying to accomplish with ur setup and hopefully u can make an informed decision that ur happy with + that works for u.

I still have my djm900 (I am patiently awaiting them to resolve the bpm detection issue <or confirm thats just the way its supposed to work> before I sell it to a buddy - I dont want to sell him a broken unit of course). So if you have any questions, feel free to ask and Ill look into it for you.

As for the Xone 4D - why not the DB4? The 4D is interesting but I dunno.. I couldnt see any midi-only controller being worth $2k. And the DB4 is basically approaching the same price mark if u shop around. DB4 is a much more comparable unit to the djm900 too.. DB2 is right around the corner too.. Lastly, ive heard nothing but good things about denons 1700 (which really seems like a great djm900 alternative with better layout and less complaints).

Good luck - im sure whatever u wind up with ull be stoked with regardless !!

There is a section in Ableton called DJ Filters that has every DJM900 and DB4 effect on it. Tweak them to build your own tools.

I personally like the DJM900NXS, My set up is:

DJM900NXS
Traktor Srcatch Pro 2 / Ableton
Technics Turntables 1200 MK2 x 2
APC40 as a Controller for Traktor
JBL EON G1 x2

I use my set up at a more advanced level tham most as I use it for DJing and Music production. I route Traktor music into Ableton and use Ableton VST effects, DJM900 effects, Traktor effects. Sometimes I layer tracks and what not. DJM900NXS as a Master does blow so I never use it. Traktor is my Master.

I recently played at a event with my set, The one thing the other DJ's did say about my style was "holy shit you have unlimited tools" as I did go all out and did a live remix and heavy filters. For my set.

Now what I learned from all this and my set up is. Get what you are going to use. If you get a DJM900NXS or DB4 and never use them to it's full potential then get a more budget mixer. If FX is what your looking into incorperate Ableton with Filter Vst's with a buget mixer. There is a section in Ableton called DJ Filters that has every DJM900 and DB4 effect on it. Tweak them to build your own tools.

Price and useability should be what you consider. Sometimes to much mixer can be a problem.

The 4D is not a midi-only controller; it is a fully featured mixer, and on top of it it is TSP certified so there are a lot of advantages to it over say the DX (which is a hybrid midi mixr that requires a computer connected to it). I would definitely do either the Xone 4D or the Denon DNX 1700 over the pioneer, no question.

Be sure to read up on problems with the 900. I'm not well versed on what they are, but I have seen quite a few people complaining about issues with it.