Pioneer DJ has kicked off 2022 with a cryptic video appearing to show a new piece of hardware. The video previews what looks like a new controller, with performance pads, knobs, faders and what looks like a full-colour screen showing a waveform. The video ends with the text ‘Get Ready for the Revolution’. 

Details are light on the new hardware apart from what’s visible in the video, but it definitely looks like a hardware controller or all-in-one unit of some kind, which will excite many Pioneer DJ users who are potentially looking to upgrade going into 2022.

Beatport has launched a new subscription plan that lets users access its full catalogue of over nine million tracks in their browser app BeatportDJ. The app, which also works on iOS, was launched earlier this year, and is essentially a full DJ software inside your browser. BeatportDJ also works with MIDI controllers, so you can hook up your favourite controller to any computer and start DJing without downloading any software. 

AIAIAI and Richie Hawtin have teamed up on a new pair of studio headphones called the TMA-2 Studio Wireless+. The new headphones aim to solve the problem of sound quality and latency issues when using older bluetooth headphones in the studio by creating a new protocol that provides lossless sound and near latency-free response. 

Brian Eno has collaborated with the Paul Stopler Gallery to create a limited edition colour-changing neon turntable. The turntable, which has a limited run of 50 units, glows various colours as music plays and is available to buy through enquiries on the Paul Stopler Gallery website. Right now, enquiries are the only option, implying the price point is expecting to be very high. 

Music services website LANDR has launched a new plugin called Chromatic. The new instrument is what they are calling “artist-generated”, and was created in collaboration with established artists like D Smoke and Arianne Moffatt. The plugin features a similar interface to Output’s popular Arcade, and allows users to play loops and samples from their MIDI keyboard while the black keys will affect the sound in different ways like reversing and changing the sample loop length. 

Steinberg, the makers of Cubase, have released a free plugin for their sampler HALion. Designed for lo-fi hip hop, it’s a piano plugin smeared with retro FX like tape flutter, hiss, saturation and chorus as well as other effects like reverb and delay. According to Steinberg it’s “a tool specially designed for lo-fi beats, chillhop, cosy and retro sounds.” 

Native Instruments has launched Komplete Now, a new subscription service for their range of plugins and instruments. Komplete Now includes flagship NI products like Massive X and Battery 4 and Kontakt sampler instruments like Retro Machines Mk2, LoFi Glow and FX Replika and Raum. 

Native Instruments also say they’ll be adding more to the subs package with more instruments and FX planned, with the first plugin being MELTED VIBES, part of NI’s Play Series. 

Pioneer DJ has added a new feature that lets you DJ from the cloud using the CDJ-3000. CloudDirectPlay allows you to connect up to six CDJs to the internet via the same hub that’s used to Link devices – there’s no WiFi capability for individual players yet – and use your USB storage device as a way to authenticate your Dropbox account and access your tracks and metadata stored there. You’ll need a Creative or Professional rekordbox plan to use this feature.