Roland enters the DJ game in partnership with Serato

TWO PLAYERS – ONE SOUND. Announcing Roland DJ-808 for Serato DJ.

Serato and Roland announce the first DJ controller from Roland, the DJ-808. A professional 4-channel DJ controller with built-in drum sequencing, vocal processing, external instrument connectivity and deep Serato DJ integration. This will redefine what it means to DJ.

Developed in close collaboration with both companies from the very beginning, Serato’s software expertise is combined with Roland’s excellence in hardware to develop the most advanced piece of DJ hardware yet. The integration of a drum machine with a DJ controller opens the door to an entirely new way of DJ expression, and the 808 is an iconic place to begin.

For the first time, there is an instrument for DJs that allows seamless movement between the DJ booth, live stage or the studio. Serato and Roland worked closely to ensure professional level quality and a vinyl like scratch experience with some of the lowest latency platters of any DJ controller in the market today. There is deep integration with Serato DJ, having the most advanced set of DJ performance controls available. The DJ-808 has endless possibilities for DJs – it brings the studio, booth and stage closer than ever before.

Serato CEO Young Ly says, “Serato’s collaboration with Roland opens the door to an exciting new wave of DJ hardware that brings production, live performance and DJing even closer. The DJ-808 combines Serato DJ with the iconic Roland TR-808, and is the first controller from the new partnership. We’re the leaders in DJ software, partnering with Roland, a company with such a rich heritage and legacy in instruments and music production is very exciting. We’re bringing our collective experiences and knowledge together to create the future.”

Roland CEO Jun-ichi Miki says, “Roland is proud to bring its rich history of musical instruments to the field of digital DJing. Serato, a world leader in DJ software, is the perfect partner to share this vision for the future of DJ performance. The fusion of Serato’s core audio technology, such as Pitch ‘n Time, and the classic sounds of Roland’s legendary drum machines, have created the first and only instrument for the producer DJ. This is an exciting first step for Roland into a new world – a world that will inspire the next generation of performers.

Roland DJ-808 Features

• Integrated TR-S drum machine offering the iconic 606, 707, 808 and 909 drum sounds in a 16-step sequencer, which can also trigger the newly improved 8-slot Serato DJ Sampler.
• RGB coloured performance pads give performers and DJs control for all the usual Serato DJ features such as Hot Cues, Loop Roll, Slicer, Sampler as well as TR Pad Mode for the drum machine and Pitch Play.
• The unique Roland VT Voice Transformer is something new for Serato DJs, offering a number of powerful effects including pitch shifting and vocal key matching to playing tracks via the Auto Pitch feature.
• Two AIRA link USB ports offering seamless connection with Roland synths and instruments. This offers a huge range of creative possibilities for live performance rigs, remixing and music production.
• Control for all of the professional level Serato DJ features such as Serato Flip, Pitch ‘n Time DJ Key Shifting and Sync, Looping and all library and play controls.
• Serato DJ Enabled – no extra license required. Also includes a license for Pitch ‘n Time DJ.
• Purchase the DVS Expansion Pack and connect turntables or CDJs.
• 24bit/96kHz audio fidelity
• Dual-deck mode to control two Serato DJ decks simultaneously
• Large range 100mm pitch faders for accurate level control in the mix
• 1/8” and 1/4” headphones jacks, combo XLR input jacks, built-in phono pre-amp, and audiophile sound quality.

 

This might sound stupid, but why did they put a mini-drum machine in it?

 

The drum machine integration is an amazing idea. But kicks hats snare and claps only? I think if you were mixing kick and bass heavy music, having the x0x percussion sounds would be so much more useful. They really missed a beat there imo

 

well,

and

... is probably why ... it's so much fun!!

 

Looks cool but I don't know how practical that is to carry around for gigs for pros maybe for us at home it's cool but expensive.

 

I haven't actually played with this is person. It looks cool in theory. But all I can think when I see it is that the Traktor S8 /w Remix Sets is like the advanced/pro version of this years before this even came out.

 

+1
totally
or even combos of any DJ controller + kontrol F1, and remix sets in traktor..

I like the idea, though
but maybe not the best when it comes to remix, the traktor remix sets allows more flexibility in terms of différents samples set you want to use

 

Just a reminder, this is not Roland's first foray into dj mixers. I still have one of these from 20 yrs ago:

Cheers

 

Nice to know! Thanks for pointing this out. That mixer is actually looking and feels mighty too.

 

Yeah, that mixer can still hold its own with some nice tricks, which to this day i haven't seen in any other mixer. A unique feature is the band selection on the left of the rhythmic selection in the Effects section (coloured blue on the upper right), it allows you to select which band your effect will be sent to. So for instance you can choose to effect just the mids with a delay or reverb and leave the rest of the signal intact.
Other interesting features are the transformer buttons to the left and right of the crossfader, when held down they will instantly bring the opposite crossfader channel in the air when the crossfader is all the way left or right. So you can do wild transforming without using the crossfader at all. It can also send out midi clock, i had live sessions with my MPC synced to my 1200s by just using the tap tempo button and it has a separate output for a sampler so you can do realtime sampling and looping. Stereo effects send/return in the back is also a nice feat.
It has a sort of good 80db S/N ratio, at the time it was really top notch. Surely there are many products nicer now, but if you are into house or techno mixing, it can still be of use. It also had an alternative "battle" crossfader accessory for turntablists who scratch a lot which had a much shorter distance and was really light as a feather but sturdy.
Cheers :D

 

Last edited: Dec 22, 2019

It seems to me that this is a good experience for groups that play live and can mix and process sound using a DJ.