Just ten years ago, I never could have imagined some of the new tools that DJs would soon have at their disposal. When I saw Pioneer’s advertisement in my inbox, I had to take a closer look at the XDJ-Aero. While I have not tested this product for myself, the concept of DJing tracks from your smartphone or tablet via Wi-Fi is mind blowing, and I always love the high quality build of Pioneer DJ products.
Pioneer touts the XDJ-Aero as an industry first in its Wi-Fi playback feature. Additionally, the unit can be used as an independent two-channel mixer. It has a one-button auto-mixing feature, allowing the user to go wild with the included FX. “Beat Sync” and “Auto Mix” operates with music that has been analyzed by Pioneer’s rekordbox software and “special mobile associations,” which I assume to be some kind of mobile communications format. The website lists it as IEEE 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz band). Read more about the GSM here and here.
The Aero sports a sleek and stylish design and can record directly to any USB storage device. It has a 24 bit A/D, D/A converter for high quality audio. It’s unclear what this unit will cost, but like most Pioneer products, I expect it to have a hefty price tag.
When I look at my bulky record crates and think back to carrying them to clubs, the advancement in DJ technology in recent times is astounding. To think that my entire DJ music collection could be on my phone and ready for club playback at anytime is quite impressive, and this advancement only increases my excitement for things to come.