Frankly the whole “learn for a Nexus set” thing is a hype. They are nothing more than (according to some) highly overpaid media-players. RekordBox allows you to make USB-sticks. On the screens you can then do very rudimentary searches and such. It pays to be as prepared as possible, i.e. maximum use of playlists and minimum number of tracks on the stick.
Searching for tracks is a pain as all you have is a single rotary knob which you push for “enter”.
While they are nice in their own right as (I guess) the end of the line for the traditional, in essence analogue, media player, they are absolutely nothing special and “learning” for them is not necessary. At the end of the day all it has apart from the screens (which again only gives limited info and searching options) is control buttons (play/cue) and things like hot cue (only three), loop control, jogwheel and pitch fader. Nothing you won’t recognize from any DJ CD player or controller.
Anybody who knows his way around a decent controller will be off and away on CDJs in about 5 minutes and by the end of the first gig will wonder what the hoohaa was all about.
I sometimes wonder who keeps that “ohhhhhh Pioneer club gear is the holy grail of DJ-ing” myth in the air.
So far my CDJ rant 😀
If you do all your track/playlist management in iTunes (as recommended here at Digital DJ Tips Forums as well as in the DDJT courses), it’s very easy with the new RekordBox software (version 4) to transfer the necessary playlist and tracks straight from iTunes to a USB stick in preparation for a gig. All you need to do is set some cue points if you like and perhaps check beatgrids.
The true difference in using a controller versus a CDJ/DJM setup is in the use of FX. On a controller you will use the FX in the DJ software. On a club setup you will use the FX on the mixer. Not only are (some of) the FX different, the way you control them are also different. The XDJ-RX has just about the same FX section as the DJM800/900, minus the screen. So you can learn how to use FX on the XDJ-RX, something you can’t on the DDJ-RX. But, if you focus on using the RX in-built FX and not the FX in the DJ Software, the question is why would you consider DJ software in the first place.
Most people on here (this is DIGITAL DJ Tips Forums after all LOL) will agree with me that the laptop/DJ software/controller combination offers more creative power than a club setup.
To answer your question in it’s most basic form: yes, the XDJ is more like a club setup, but I would not buy it if DJ-ing with software was my first priority. The DDJ is more suitable to use with DJ-software and can’t be used standalone with RekordBox.
So it all depends on the decision if you want your workflow to be club setup like (and I really wonder how much the standard club setup will still be the club setup in 5 years) or if you want to fully harvest the potential of DJ-software.
If your workflow is served best by RekordBox DJ (the full software) then the DDJ-RX is probably your best bet currently. If it’s other DJ Software (primarily Serato, Virtual DJ, Mixvibes Cross, etx.) then the DDJ-SX2 would be my choice. If your workflow primarily revolves around working with other than your own gear (i.e. CDJ/DJM setups) with simple USB sticks, then the XDJ-RX will fit best.
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