Best DJ Controllers to Groove

The Pioneer DDJSB3 DJ Controller combines the best, most popular features so that you can learn how to DJ without facing considerable challenges. To start with, the board has an intuitive layout, with the features designed and put where you need them, when you need them.

These features include the FX Fade dial so that you can easily transition between tracks and, with the Pad Scratch feature, explore the scratch effects without employing turntables. Using performance pads, this feature lets you add scratching with but one touch. You'll be able to include scratch effects onto cued songs as well as the songs that are playing at the moment, reproducing and creating new patterns. With the speed automatically matching the BPM, the board lets you DJ without worrying about breaking the rhythm. Inheriting elements from the company's DDJ-S series that also includes jog wheels, play and cue buttons, separate automatic loop buttons, performance pads, and every knob and fader easily accessible, this model mimics professional equipment without mimicking the price.

But, going back to the FX Fade feature, the board also enables seamless mixing, letting you reduce the tracks' volume and apply FX simultaneously. With this feature, you can even blend tracks from clashing genres without making the transition seem choppy and unnatural. Between the high and low pass filters, loop playback, and backspin, you're offered eight combinations, so there's more than enough creative wiggle room here.

The Pioneer DDJ200 DJ Controller is not the beast that we have reviewed above but also not the small-time toy that most controllers are at this size and price range. No, between the 2 channels, 2 deck controls, faders, pad FX, transition FX, hot cues, and the manual loop, its features are ample. But the biggest difference here is the pro-style layout that keeps these features within reach and shortens the transition time from newbie controllers to professional equipment.

Now, circling back towards the features, the transition FX is the one that complete beginners will appreciate the most, matching phrases and keeping the transition between songs smooth. You can select from 11 effect styles and, sliding the crossfader, switching tunes without making the audience feel cheated. Plus, the people using this board with the WeDJ app will also be working with the Phrase Sync feature automatically analyzing and aligning the 2 tracks' positions, but we're not quite there yet.

Before talking about compatible apps, what's great about this board is that you can split the output. While the audience is hearing the main sound coming from the speakers, you're listening and cueing the next tracks on the headphones.

The Numark Party Mix DJ Controller is not about teaching beginners, it is about getting the party started anywhere this device is. What sets this board apart from its contemporaries is the 3 room-filling LED light arrays, automatically synching to the mix and flashing right from the board, illuminating an already bright performance. With these LED lights, you can make even the most initially boring party unforgettable. Of course, these are subjective statements. There's nothing subjective about the 2 deck controls adopting a crossfader and decent jog wheels though, giving you the necessary tools to enable seamless mixing.

Add pitch blenders and the board will ensure the smoothest blending, proving almost as important as the Pad Modes controlling the cue points and letting you switch between automatic and manual looping. The same pads enable sample playback, offering performance controls that are typically reserved for larger controllers. There's nothing large about this device though.

On the contrary, measuring 12.8 x 7.8 x 2 inches, this is one portable unit, especially considering that its weight peaks at 1.75 pounds. We like its appearance more than we like its lightweight construction though, with the sleek low-profile design and radiant backlit controls grabbing attention and making the board looks much more expensive than its ~$100 price tag would suggest.

But, turning 180 degrees and catching up with cue points, this mixer lets you toggle through the Pad Modes, choosing between pre-loaded samples/drums or adding your own. Controlling the EQ, you can increase and reduce treble, bass, channel gain, and master gain, so the sound customization options are practically endless (by budget DJ controllers' standards).

The Hercules AMS-DJCONTROL-STAR makes an almost Herculean effort considering the product's price and everything that the board is offering in return. To name one, the model adopts RGB backlighting that incorporates unique strobe effects, which makes learning the board easy and fun. Naturally, at the same time, the backlighting also ensures that the controls are visible even when the ambient lighting is nonexistent.

Before discussing these controls though, we need to highlight the controller's size. When you know that the whole thing measures just 13.4 x 3.9 x 1.9 inches, the controls that are available here become more than adequate. Sure, things get a little hairy with the layout, since keeping the spacing between 20+ controls and buttons generous when the board is this petite is an impossible task.

Now, onto the controls. Using the EQ knob, you can switch between controlling the bass output and filtering the EQ, creating various transitions and sound effects. Meanwhile, the pressure-sensitive jog wheels will let you control the playback and, with a decent scratch response, prevent the tracks from getting stale and repetitive. Again, keeping the size in mind, this is one comprehensive system, adding hot cues, FX fade, pre-loaded samples, and looping (both automatic and manual) to an already impressive mix. But what we appreciate even more is the above-average integrated sound card with a 24-bit/44.1 kHz response and frequency, adding transience and rumble to the tracks and making the music feel more impactful.

The Numark DJ2GO2 is tiny, to say the least. While even the most compact DJ controllers are usually measuring somewhere around 15 x 8 x 2 inches, this one does not go above 12.4 x 3.4 x 0.6 inches, meaning that even the smallest backpacks can easily fit this deck from Numark. What's even more impressive or at least interesting is that the board weighs 0.75 pounds. In other words, since this device does not even weigh 1 pound, you can bring the board with you without feeling inconvenienced at all.

But, as you can imagine, commanding the smallest footprint (and also coming at the most affordable price), this model has its limitations. For starters, there are no EQ buttons/dials, which is unfortunate. Also, the layout is not necessarily ergonomic but, relative to its size, the board offers pretty generous spacing between its controls.

In fact, you ought to look at everything that this model's offering through its size lens. When you do that (and you should do that), this product becomes quite remarkable. Keeping the modest footprint in mind, the controls are quite ample, including 2 channels, 2 deck controls, a pitch control, crossfader, hot cues, automatic loop, and a manual loop. To add more, the board adopts 2 small but accurate touch-capacitive jog wheels. Using these wheels, you'll be cutting, chirping, and flaring with above-average precision, nudging the wheels' sides and keeping the mix on-point.