Like many on here I’ll trust Phil’s expert opinion on the subject and there is a good review on this unit.
Looks like the main difference between this and a real controller is that while the players are midi, the mixer isn’t. In which case it REALLY mimmicks a club set up. With the media player decks being pretty much (at least physically if not in features) direct copies of their Pioneer CDJ1000 counterparts, I would think it is a very cost effective way to a) get used to the CDJ layout of buttons and sliders, most of it’s functions and the feel of it’s jogwheels and b) have a relatively easy and quick to set up way of toting your gear around (which I imagine will happen a lot if you guys buy it between the three of you).
Obviously at about a 1000 dollars, it won’t be the exact same quality and features as the real deal. But then again, the real deal comes in at a very different price tag. Always keep your goal in mind, which you said is to get a feeling for CDJ mixing and whether it is for you. I would think the unit is pretty well suited for that.
Greetinx,
C.
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