Earlier this year, Pioneer DJ’s parent company made one of their biggest announcements in years; the launch of an all new brand. With it, would come a line of future-thinking products all branded with the AlphaTheta logo and fresh design. Among the first announced, was a 2 channel battery-powered DJ controller which promised to open up new possibilities, thanks to its world-first functionality; enabling bluetooth output from an all-in-one system.
Fans of Pioneer’s traditional product lines need not worry; the launch of AlphaTheta signals a focus on the company exploring new territory with their products and does not necessarily indicate the end of the Pioneer DJ brand.
Price: £1369
Release date: January 2024
Closest competitor: Denon DJ Prime Go
First Impressions and Build Quality
Two things immediately stood out; it’s gorgeous, and it’s heavier than it looks. The unit’s design is striking, and clearly stands out from Pioneer’s conventional products, featuring an indigo colour and slick matte feel. Its weight is immediately noticeable when compared to other controllers of a similar size, which makes sense when you consider its 7″ touchscreen display and substantial six-hour-plus battery.
On the mixer there’s a 3 band EQ, two colour FX knobs and a beat FX section. Each deck has eight performance pads which act as hot cues, along with beat jump buttons that are a welcome addition. Beat loops are operated by using a rotary knob on each deck which creates a 4 bar loop upon pressing and can be extended/shortened by twisting – a nice touch. The build quality is impressive; It feels sturdy with channel faders that glide smoothly, tactile jog wheels and responsive cue buttons.
Display and Interface
The OMNIS DUO comes equipped with a vibrant 7″ touchscreen display. Its well-organised operating system can be picked up relatively quickly, with the layout not feeling too dissimilar from the likes of CDJs and Pioneer’s other all-in-one controllers. Navigation can be done either via the very responsive screen or browser knob which has a nice grainy touch to it, although we found it could be easily mixed up with the similar looking booth just centimetres away.
One thing which did take a little getting used to, is that the display holds the keys to some functions which would ordinarily be placed as buttons and knobs on the unit itself, such as changing FX settings. A feature we did enjoy is that the screen can be inverted for DJing under the beaming sun to prevent glare making it impossible to read – something which will be very useful when using the unit out and about; as it’s intended to be.
Music Playback Options
One of the OMNIS-DUO’s main selling points, is it’s wireless media playback functionality with the option to wirelessly link to Rekordbox. Alongside this you can also use bluetooth as an input, connecting to a channel via your phone streaming Spotify or Soundcloud for example. This innovative technology is made possible by the unit caching audio in its memory and presenting it on the deck in real-time with the track’s wave form even appearing. However, we found this to be a little buggy with the sound cutting out on occasion.
The good news is there are of course more traditional alternatives, such as a USB-A input, SD card and USB-C connection for connecting a PC/Mac. Currently there are no streaming services available on the OMNIS-DUO, though this may be addressed in a future update. For wired outputs there’s the standard RCA and also XLR which makes it more usable in a club setting vs other similar sized controllers.
Portability and Versatility
The OMNIS-DUO was built for house parties and pop up sets at a moment’s notice. Being the world’s first all in one unit with a bluetooth output is a game changer, and opens up a whole new world for impromptu sets. Weighing in at just 4.6kg and measuring under 20 inches long by 12 inches wide, the unit can be easily transported in a backpack with little effort. Sadly there is some latency issues when connecting a speaker wirelessly as can be expected, but it’s still a huge step forward in terms of new possibilities for DJing out in the open.
Final Thoughts
The OMNIS-DUO offers an exciting glance into the future and opens our eyes to so many new developments, making DJing portable with innovative features and the opportunity to build on this with improvements down the line. It’s not the cheapest option, with Denon’s rival unit coming in at just £869 (£500 less) but the higher price is justified by its standout design and build quality, versatile usage options and unique playback functionality.
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