This is the best DJ gear of 2024, according to MusicTech’s reviewersThe DJ world offers just as much variety as the studio when it comes to controllers large and small, simple or advanced. While there’s still a wealth of big hardware systems for those playing packed-out sets in clubs, performing on a smaller scale has got easier than ever too.

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This year, compact controllers from companies like Native Instruments and the explosion of stem separation tools in software for remixing have made possible performances that were previously near-impossible, using just a laptop. Those looking to record their sets got some love too with the release of the ultimate ‘DAW for DJs’. We loved the breadth of DJ gear released in 2024, and the ease with which you can get into that world – and hone your skills to take things to new heights.
If you’re itching to try your hand, read on…
AlphaTheta Euphonia
AlphaTheta Euphonia. Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
AlphaTheta is the new name for Pioneer DJ. And the company rebranded with a bang. Euphonia is the company’s first digital analogue hybrid DJ mixer, designed with custom-made transformers from the legendary Rupert Neve Designs. At $3,800 it’s a serious investment but when we got to have a hands-on trial with it we were seriously impressed, finding ourselves “desperately reluctant to hand the mixer back… it’s deeply fun to use and really does have a unique character of being vintage yet modern.”
Although its specialised design means it likely won’t become an industry-standard club mixer, we identified a growing hunger in smaller venues and hi-fi bars like London’s Spiritland for better quality sound, a space in which boutique manufacturers can flourish. And the Euphonia with its superb fidelity and build looks set to find many fans there.
Read our full interview with the AlphaTheta team on Euphonia here.
AlphaTheta OMNIS-DUO
Image: AlphaTheta
In a crowded field, AlphaTheta’s OMNIS-DUO stands out not just because of its striking blue finish but also its compact size. It’s a little heavier than some at 5kg but then it does also include an onboard battery, audio interface and touchscreen. It can power over USB-C and stream music from a USB-A drive or SD card or wirelessly from rekordbox over wi-fi. One interesting feature is its ability to ‘stream’ from a Bluetooth device, caching audio live from a Bluetooth source into a deck in real-time, with the waveform being built before your eyes. It can also record mixes internally.
We loved its overall feel and performance, noting “it sounds excellent and it’s exceptionally fun. The battery might seem like an afterthought to most users, but you’ll find yourself going cable-free more often than not.” And if you’re a rekordbox user, “the OMNIS-DUO is just effortless to use. It’s not cheap, at all, but don’t let the monotone blue fool you – this is a pro unit”.
Read our full review of the Omnis Duo here.
Native Instruments Traktor Z1 MK2
Native Instruments Traktor Z1 MK2. Image: Native Instruments
Native Instruments has always been able to seamlessly integrate its DJ products thanks to building both the software and the hardware elements itself. The Traktor Z1 is among its most compact DJ controllers and comes bundled with the latest Traktor Pro 4 software with its hyper-creative new stem separation tools developed by iZotope.
Connecting to your computer and powering over a single USB-C cable, it also provides monitoring via headphones as well as live EQ and Stem controls, advanced displays and of course mix faders and a crossfader. Being so portable and self-contained, we are big fans of the way it lets you turn up anywhere and DJ with excellent control of playback and FX – there’s even a light-based system on the base for visual feedback about tempos and looping. At just £214 including the software it’s quite the bargain.
Learn more about the Native Instruments Traktor Z1 MK2 here.
DJ Studio
DJ Studio. Image: MusicTech
There are surprisingly few efficient ways to record or prepare a live DJ mix or radio show ahead of time, or edit one afterwards, with many apps requiring you to more or less perform the set and simply record it in real-time. DJ Studio bills itself as the first DAW for DJs, providing a linear-style interface but also specialised features like AI-powered auto-mixing from rekordbox and other libraries, and direct search of YouTube to create legal, full mixes together with video.
In our review we praised the way the app “is constantly evolving and driven by passionate, skilful people. We’re confident that this will evolve into an industry-standard tool for DJs and radio show hosts and will become an entry point for music obsessives wanting to explore making their own mixes”. Among other killer features, it’s able to export your mixes as editable Ableton Live projects, in case you want to go even more in-depth.
Read our full review of DJ Studio here.
Native Instruments Traktor Pro 4
Native Instruments Traktor Pro 4. Image: Press
Traktor has been around for almost a quarter of a century but only just reached its fourth major revision, give or take the odd tweak to the branding. Pairing with NI’s diverse range of hardware controllers it remains one of the most user-friendly DJ suites on the market, its system of beat analysis and matching generally all happening automatically and making your DJ life much easier.
Version 4 brought an amazing new development, and something that 2024 saw popping up in other apps and DAWs too – stem separation, powered in this instance by iZotope. We were blown away by its simplicity – with a couple of clicks you can separate out drums, bass, instruments and vocals and then load each one into a special stem deck, deconstructing and reconstructing tracks live, on the fly. There are four decks available, extensive effects and cool new features like the Pattern Player and Ozone Maximizer. It’s probably the easiest and most fun way to perform as a pro DJ.
Read our full review of Native Instruments’ Traktor Pro 4 here.
AlphaTheta XDJ-AZ

DJ’ing needn’t be difficult to get into, and we were impressed by AlphaTheta’s efforts to bring decks to the masses with its highly affordable, ultra-portable XDJ-AZ unit. Powering over USB-C is possible – something that’s appearing in many moderately sized controllers and means fewer cables to carry around.
The killer feature here is the unit’s ability to integrate easily with streaming services like Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music as well as more pro services like rekordbox, Djay and Serato. So you don’t have to download tons of stuff – just connect over USB or Bluetooth and away you go. At £159 we believe it to be quite the bargain and its wide compatibility means everyone should be able to get spinning those virtual discs.
Learn more about the AlphaTheta XDJ-AZ at alphatheta.com. 
AIAIAI TMA-2 DJ wireless headphones
AIAIAI TMA-2 wireless headphones. Image: AIAIAI
AIAIAI continues to plough its own furrow, producing high-end pro audio and DJ gear with a focus on portability. The TMA-2s are wireless DJ headphones with a twist – a hardware dongle plugs into your computer and wirelessly streams latency-free, hi res sound, removing the delay issues that usually prevent wireless cans being much use for live performance. Of course you can use regular Bluetooth too for when you’re just listening on the move.
Coming in 2025, the headphones use 40mm bio-cellulose diaphragms tuned to perform in noisy clubs, and 25 hours of battery life for those all-night sets. Custom EQ and settings are available via an app, and we’re really excited to put these through their paces as soon as they become available.
Read more about the AIAIAI TMA-2 DJ wireless headphones at aiaiai.audio.
AlphaTheta HDJ-F10 wireless headphones
AlphaTheta HDJ-F10 wireless headphones. Image: AlphaTheta
Also staking their claim in the wireless DJ headphone world is AlphaTheta, which has created a new flagship model that is also able to switch between regular Bluetooth operation with all the noise cancelling and features you’d expect, and a hi-res, virtually zero latency mode. This it also does using a special wireless adapter though in this case you will need to buy the transmitter separately – an extra $129 on top of the $389 for the cans, or $499 if both bought together.
They’re certainly tough, having passed US military standard shock testing (for those very energetic sets) and will give you up to 9 hours of SonicLink hi-res playback or 30 hours of regular Bluetooth. This is a relatively new product category and while the price of entry is currently higher than it is for wired models, expect to see this come down over time, and the transmitters get a bit more compact too.
Read more about the AlphaTheta HDJ-F10 here.
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