Setup
Licensing & software
This is a Serato DJ Lite hardware unlocked device, meaning it unlocks Serato DJ Lite when connected.
It is also a paid upgrade to Serato DJ Pro device, meaning it requires the purchase & activation of a Serato DJ Pro license, in order to be used with Serato DJ Pro.
You can try Serato DJ Pro, before making a purchase:
Please ensure you have the latest version of Serato DJ Pro installed:
Drivers & firmware
The Pioneer DJ DDJ-RB requires manufacturer-specific drivers on both Windows or Mac operating systems.
To install these, simply connect your DDJ-RB to your computer using a USB cable, then launch Serato DJ Pro 3.3.2 or later, where you'll be prompted to install these bundled drivers.
We also recommend installing the latest firmware, which you can find on Pioneer DJ's website, alongside the latest driver, if you'd prefer to download and install it directly:
Overview
| # | DDJ-RB CONTROL | FUNCTION |
| 1 | KENSINGTON LOCK | Connect Kensington Lock to secure the device |
| 2 | USB | Connect USB cable to PC |
| 3 | MASTER OUTPUT | Connect RCA cables for the master output |
| 4 | MIC INPUT | Connect microphone via 6.5mm (1/4") jack |
| 5 | MIC LEVEL |
Adjust microphone input volume |
| 6 | HEADPHONE OUTPUT |
Connect headphones via a 1/8" audio output |
| # | DDJ-RB CONTROL | FUNCTION |
SHIFT |
| 1 | FX (SECTION) | SEE DJ-FX | - |
| 2 | TEMPO SLIDER | Adjust tempo/pitch | - |
| 3 | LOAD | Load selected track to deck (per deck), double press to Instant Double | - |
| 4 | BROWSE | Turn to scroll Library, press in to toggle forward through Library | Fast Library scroll, press in to toggle back through Library |
| 5 | MASTER LEVEL | Adjust the Master output level | - |
| 6 | HEADPHONES LEVEL | Adjust the Headphones output level | - |
| 7 | CUE (SECTION) | Press CUE to toggle channel cue for monitoring Press MASTER to toggle master cue for monitoring |
Press CUE repeatedly to Tap Track Tempo Press MASTER to cycle Serato DJ Pro view |
| 8 | LOOP (SECTION) |
Press LOOP IN to set Loop In point, and again to edit point, long press to toggle 4 Beat Autoloop Press LOOP OUT to set Loop Out point, and again to edit point |
Press LOOP IN to retrigger Loop Press LOOP OUT to exit Loop |
| 9 | PERFORMANCE PADS |
- |
|
| 10 | CHANNEL FADER |
Adjust channel volume |
Channel fader start |
| 11 | CROSSFADER |
Crossfade audio between channels 1-2 |
Crossfader start |
| 12 | CHANNEL METER |
Observe channel metering |
- |
| 13 | PLAY/PAUSE |
Toggles Play/Pause on selected deck |
Stutter play |
| 14 | CUE |
Cues from temp cue point/Set temp cue point |
Load previous track |
| 15 | SYNC |
Press to turn SYNC on (per deck) |
Press to turn SYNC off (per deck) |
| 16 | SHIFT |
Shift modifier, which can be held while using another control for the secondary SHIFT function |
- |
| 17 | CHANNEL, EQ & FILTER (SECTION) |
Adjust trim, EQ (hi, mid, and low) or apply combo high pass/low pass filter per channel |
- |
Performance Pads
The Pioneer DJ DDJ-RB comes with 8 performance pads that can be used across 8 different
performance pad modes.
The first 4 modes can be triggered by pressing the performance pad mode button of the same name once and consist of:
HOT CUE mode: Pads 1-8 trigger Serato DJ Pro Cue points, and if no Cue point is present on that slot/pad, pressing that pad will set a Cue point. Holding the SHIFT button while pressing a populated pad will delete the Cue point from the respective pad/slot.
PAD FX 1 mode: Pad FX 1 mode allows the user to trigger quick and powerful preconfigured FX in an intuitive manner. Pads 1-4 can be pressed and held to apply FX, whereas pressing pads 5-8 toggle FX that are applied until the pad is pressed again (toggle). Pads 1-4 consist of Echo, Flanger, Reverb, and Repeater, while pads 5-8 consist of Echo Out, Backspin, Braker, and Rollout.
SLICER mode: In this mode, a specified range (or domain) is divided into eight equal sections, and these eight sliced sections are assigned to the respective performance pads (1-8). The domain shifts as the track duration elapses.
SAMPLER mode: Press pads 1-8 in this mode to trigger samples loaded into the Serato DJ Pro Sampler.
Holding SHIFT while pressing a Pad will stop a currently playing Sampler slot or load a new sample into it if it is empty.
The second 4 modes are as follows:
BEAT JUMP mode: Press HOT CUE + SHIFT to enter Beat Jump mode. Here, pads 1 and 4 perform Beat Jump left & right respectively, while pads 2 & 3 halve and double the Beat Jump size. Pad 5 loads the previous track, pads 6 & 7 perform rewind or fast-forward transport functions, and pad 8 censors the playing track. Holding SHIFT while pressing pad 8 toggles reverse playback.
LOOP ROLL mode: Press PAD FX1 + SHIFT to enter Loop Roll mode. Holding Pads 1-8 activates a loop roll of varying sizes. Release the pad to exit the Loop Roll.
SLICER LOOP mode: Press SLICER + SHIFT to enter Slicer Loop mode. In this mode, a specified range (or domain) is divided into eight equal sections, and these eight sliced sections are assigned to the respective performance pads (1-8). However, unlike SLICER mode, the domain does not shift and is a static ‘loop’. Press pads 1-8 to trigger the respective ‘slice’.
STEMS mode: Press SAMPLER + SHIFT to enter Stems mode. Here you can control features from the Stems Tab, allowing you to utilize real-time audio separation in Serato DJ Pro. Press pad 1 to toggle off/on the Vocal Stem, press pad 2 to toggle off/on the Melody Stem, press pad 3 to toggle off/on the Bass Stem, and press pad 4 to toggle off/on the Drums Stem. Pads 5-8 toggle Stem Pad FX: FX Vocal Echo, FX Instrumental Echo, Instrumental Braker FX, and FX Drums Echo.
NOTE: Using Stems is very CPU-intensive and may take some time to initialize.
Click here to learn more about using Stems
DJ-FX
The FX panel button is displayed in the top left area of the main Serato DJ Pro screen, click on this to toggle the DJ-FX panel.
With the DJ-FX panel open, you have control of two DJ-FX units, and if your hardware supports it, Channel FX, which can be applied to tracks played through your connected Serato DJ-hardware.
Both DJ-FX & Channel FX can be controlled with your mouse, by using dedicated controls on your hardware (where available), or by MIDI mapping controls to the respective software functions.
Learn more about how to use DJ-FX & Channel FX:
| DDJ-RB CONTROL | FX FUNCTION |
SHIFT |
| FX ON / OFF |
Turn FX on/off |
Press repeatedly to select FX |
| BEAT LEFT & RIGHT | Press left or right to adjust Beats Multiplier value | Press left button to reset Tap FX Tempo value. Press right button repeatedly to set the Tap Tempo FX value |
| LEVEL/DEPTH |
Turn to adjust the level/depth of FX |
- |
Beat Jump
To activate Beat Jump, open the Setup screen, navigate to the DJ preferences tab and turn on “Show Beat Jump Controls”.
When you close the Setup screen, you will see Beat Jump controls underneath the existing Auto Loop values on each deck. Checking this box will turn on Beat Jump features in the deck area and let you control Beat Jump from your supported Serato DJ Pro hardware.
When the Beat Jump option is enabled, performance pad modes AUTO LOOP or ROLL mode (where applicable) will use the bottom row of 4 pads (pads 5-8) as Beat Jump controls. This is designed to mirror the change in the deck Auto Loop area (from 8 Auto Loop sizes to 4 Auto Loop sizes + Beat Jump controls).
MIDI
The MIDI feature in Serato DJ Pro allows you to remap Serato DJ Pro software functions to your primary Serato controller, interface or mixer. You can also assign controls to a secondary MIDI controller to further enhance your performance.
For more information on MIDI mapping with Serato DJ Pro, click here.
To remap your supported Serato device, open the SETUP screen and click the MIDI tab. If your Serato device supports hardware remapping, it will appear in the MIDI DEVICES list.
Select your connected device from the MIDI DEVICES list and check the Allow Serato Hardware Remapping option.
Once checked, the MIDI assign button at the top of the main Serato DJ Pro interface will become available for you to start remapping.
You can save, edit or delete MIDI presets in the MIDI tab of the SETUP screen. Clicking Restore Defaults will erase any custom mappings for all connected devices and revert their functions back to default.
Help
Show Tooltips
Click on the Help button in the upper right-hand corner of Serato DJ Pro, then Show Tooltips to enable Tooltips. Tooltips provide a handy way to learn the various features of Serato DJ Pro.
Move the mouse over a section of the software to bring up a context-sensitive tooltip that describes the feature.
Click on the Help button again to turn off Tooltips.
Show Shortcut Keys
Click on the Help button in the upper right-hand corner of Serato DJ Pro, then click Show Shortcut Keys to launch a pop-up window displaying shortcut keyboard combinations.
These shortcuts can help you perform various actions quickly, such as triggering specific deck functions, controlling playback, or navigating the library.
Watch Tutorials
Click on the Help button in the upper right-hand corner of Serato DJ Pro, then Watch Tutorials to launch
your default internet browser and watch tutorials to help you get familiar with Serato DJ Pro.
Get Support
Click on the Help button in the upper right-hand corner of Serato DJ Pro, then Get Support to launch your default internet browser and navigate to the Serato DJ Pro knowledge base, where you can find helpful articles and guides on Serato DJ Pro. Alternatively, type keywords in the Search Help box to search the Serato DJ Pro knowledge base for specific, related topics.