Whatever genre of music you prefer, whatever style of performer you are, and whatever technology format you favour, in the DJ industry you will be familiar with the company Pioneer DJ. For a while now the brand has been at the forefront of DJ technology and, despite the critics whining about price and rival manufacturers arguing that the brand unfairly controls the market, the quality of its equipment is never questioned. Having an ear to the ground and shrugging off any negativity has allowed Pioneer DJ to hold the DJ technology throne for over a decade and, through various partnerships, their most recent offerings to the market continue to ooze that unmistakable Pioneer DJ pedigree we have learnt to trust.

With all the recent hype around Pioneer DJ’s own in-house rekordbox DJ software and the versatility it offers throughout the Nexus (and most of the new DDJ) range, I must admit I was initially a little surprised to learn of the new DDJ-SZ2 dedicated Serato controller. However, given a little time to digest the idea, I realised it makes perfect sense. Many DJs who have honed their skills with the powerful Serato DJ software will no-doubt want to continue their ‘software loyalty’, therefore Pioneer DJ’s decision to re-vamp, evolve, and modernize its DDJ-SZ controller is clearly a bold move to assert it as ‘THE ONLY’ choice for serious Serato users.

At first glance, the new DDJ-SZ2 appears very similar to the original DDJ-SZ, and that’s because it is. On the surface, a change from black to silver fader knobs is the only cosmetic enhancement. However, in terms of functionality, it has evolved in many neat and nerdy ways which will have Serato enthusiasts dribbling when they get to grips with what it has to offer.

Firstly, let’s examine what comes out of the box. Ladies and gents, this is not a toy! The DDJ-SZ2 is a serious, professional machine. It weighs a solid 11kg and is the size of a yoga mat! Because of this size, there is space for a familiar DJM-Nexus-sized 4-channel mixer which is set out exactly as you would expected and in-line with the rest of the current crop of flagship Pioneer DJ equipment which makes switching between the brand’s hardware so simple.

Each individual deck comes with a full-size 202mm CDJ-style aluminium jog wheel and all the same bells and whistles as its SZ predecessor. There are eight multi-purpose performance pads per deck, backlit with RGB LEDs to give a visual indication of their mode, which can be used to trigger Hot Cues, Roll, Slicer, Sampler, Cue Loop, and Pitch Play (I’ll get on to that new feature shortly). Each deck also has a needle drop search ribbon, a large smooth tempo slider, and a variety of dedicated FX controls.

Round the back you’ll find two USB slots to allow the simultaneous connection of a pair of laptops. This is intended for a club environment, allowing DJs to switch over, moving from one laptop to another seamlessly without any interruption. However, from a mobile DJ perspective it means that both a primary and backup laptop can be connected at the same time, which means that if your laptop crashes just before the first dance at a wedding, you can save the day by playing the track from your second computer without the need to swap a single cable!

In addition to these digital connections, there are also a whole host of analogue audio inputs and outputs. Of course there is a stereo pair of balanced XLR Master outputs, alongside a pair of ¼” TRS jack Booth outputs and a pair of RCA Phono secondary Master outputs. There are also two Mic inputs – one via a ¼” jack and the other through a combination ¼” jack / XLR socket – as well as four stereo RCA line-level and two phono-level inputs. Put simply, the DDJ-SZ2 has everything you would expect a flagship controller to have, in all the right places.

So far, so good, but nothing of note to set this new model apart. However, if we dig a little deeper into the technical nitty gritty of the unit’s attributes the DDJ-SZ2’s true character starts to come out. Firstly, it has been developed to natively control Serato’s Pitch ‘n Time, which is a super-high-quality audio processing plugin for Serato that comes bundled with the controller. It allows you to effortlessly change the key of any track without changing its speed. While this has been possible before, it’s incredibly easy now, with dedicated Key up and down, Sync, and Reset buttons on the controller. The plugin also uses advanced processing techniques to avoid audio degradation even at both high and low key change extremes. Those who already mix in key will understand the benefit of this, but if you are new to the concept I recommend going to YouTube and listening to some demonstrations. In the meantime, trust me when I say that using Pitch ‘n Time live on the SZ2 to key sync your tracks and manipulate key changes opens up a whole new world of creative mixing.