That doesn’t mean there aren’t issues. Jog wheels are not the best and most effective. They’re helpful in finding your place in a song, but I can’t imagine doing any real DJ tricks or trying to scratch with them. Limiting its usefulness in a live setting is the fact that there’s no mic input, and the only two audio outputs (cue and main) are 3.5-mm TRS jacks. It will work if you just want to practice at home or DJ a small house party, but if you show up to a club with it, you’ll definitely get some looks.
Excellent integration
Chances are, regardless of your preferred DJ app or whether you’re using an iPad or laptop or even an Android phone, the DDJ-FLX2 should work with your setup. I tested it with a MacBook Pro, a six-year-old Dell XPS, a base-model iPad from 2021, and a Google Pixel 7. I ran into some issues when connecting over USB-C (very vague other than the port on my Pixel).
Connecting to the iPad over Bluetooth could have been a little more seamless, and I never managed to get it to work with my phone. That being said, due to latency Bluetooth, it’s not really ideal for DJing anyway.
AlphaTheta says it is compatible with the DDJ-FLX2 record box, Algorithm DJAnd Serato DJ LiteHowever I have only tested it with the first two. Since AlphaTheta also makes Rekordbox, it’s not surprising that the integration is the tightest. It works exactly as you’d expect out of the box, and the labels on the hardware reflect the terminology you’ll find in the app. If you haven’t committed to a specific DJing platform yet, Rekordbox is worth exploring as there is a surprisingly feature-packed free version. Plus it supports streaming from SoundCloud, Beatport, Beatsource and Tidal, if you’re still building your library at this stage of your DJing career.
I mostly used it with DJ, as this is the software I was trained on when I joined the ranks. Maker Park Radio All those years ago. Plus, it has Apple Music integration, which makes it easy for me to add stuff to my rotation at short notice and with minimal fuss. The FLX2 worked out of the box with Algorithm’s DJ Pro software without issue, although the labeling and naming conventions aren’t always consistent which can cause some confusion.
Usable in real life
Photo: Terence O’Brien
In addition to practicing at home, I DJed a few episodes of my radio show with the FLX2 and also experimented with doing short seamless blocks of dance music on air. The smart fader function made it easy for a noob like me to transition between tracks with the help of filter and echo effects, smoothing out small variations in tempo. And when I wanted a little more time to make sure I had everything lined up or wanted to do a mini mashup in the next track, the loop pads worked like a charm. I wouldn’t say I’m ready to DJ a huge venue, but I feel a little more confident now to get into the dance mix at my shows.
