Roland DJ-202 DJ Controller with built-in drum sequencer
The Roland DJ-202 is an entry-level DJ controller from a legendary brand that has had an immense influence on dance music.
The original Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer produced in the early 80’s, its successor, the TR-909 plus the TB-303 Bass Line all had fairly short production runs, but were the instruments that defined house music.
Today, the sounds of all three of these devices are still used and have been re-introduced as part of the AIRA series, Roland’s DJ/Producer performance range.
As entry-level DJ controllers go, the Roland DJ-202 offers a lot for the price point so it is unsurprising that it is one of the most popular on the market.
Unboxing
The Roland DJ-202 has a plastic facia and casing. This means it is ultra-light and very portable.
It may raise concerns about durability but to be honest the DJ-202 is in good company.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a DJ controller at this price point that does not use plastic. Overall the build quality is good though, and aesthetically it is definitely one the best looking on the market.
The jog wheels are a genuine highlight and these are important if you want to practice traditional beatmatching without a sync button.
While they can’t simulate the feel of club CDJ decks, they are adequately responsive for a beginner to learn to mix and suitably usable for a seasoned DJ too.
The same can be said for the knobs and sliders although some may feel the channel sliders are a little short.
Perhaps if you are a scratch DJ, this may be the case but for all other DJ use they are 100% fine.
The tempo sliders are also very short but that’s to make way for the generous size jogwheels, a reasonable trade-off in my opinion.
The pads are okay. For hot cues, slicing and looping they do the job, however for drum sequencing they are challenging.
The layout is traditional so no re-learning of where to find functions and the feature set is substantial. More about that later.
Built-in drums sounds and sequencer
The Roland DJ-202 includes sounds from four of Roland’s legendary electronic drum kits: the TR-808, TR-707, TR-606 and TR-909.
That’s a lot of percussive elements at your fingertips!
These sounds are built-in so even without connecting to the Serato DJ software it is possible to sequence drums.
As mentioned at the start of this review, Roland’s drumkits are the backbone of where house and techno music started.
A well-documented challenge, however, is the technical prowess needed to effectively use the sequencer on the fly while DJing.
Unlike its bigger siblings, the DJ-505 and DJ-808, there is no dedicated drum sequencer section on the Roland DJ-202.
So, to select drumkits and to sequence these require a series of buttons in combination and sub-menus which is quite confusing and not particularly intuitive.
It takes practice and a good memory although I will say this; is a guitar or piano easy to just pick up and play fluidly?
Nope, so a little brainteasing should not deter one to be honest.
Any oldskool DJ/Producer who used samplers back in the day will laugh when complaining about the ‘trickiness’ of using the sequencer.
The performance pads were actually more challenging as they are quite ‘clicky’ and lack enough tactility.
The caveat to this though, is that the DJ-202 sports a MIDI-in connection at the back of the unit.
This means that if you get a bit more serious about the sequencer you can add any controller with pads that you may be more comfortable with.
Additional notable features
The feature set on the DJ-202 is substantial for the price point of this controller.
Dedicated Serato FX buttons at the top are standard and the mixer section includes filter and trim knobs per channel.
There is also a volume rotary next to each channel’s FX section and one to control the levels of your drum sequences, which, by the way, will remain in sync with your master tempo with its own dedicated controls.
Jogwheels can be used in vinyl or slip mode and the Roland DJ-202 even sports 4-deck control via deck selection buttons next to each platter.
I can also attest that their claim of having low-latency platters (jogwheels) is indeed true!
Another novel addition is the FX feature included for the Mic section.
Would I buy it?
The Roland DJ-202 has a lot going for it and not a lot against it.
For beginners, it has everything you need to get cracking on learning to DJ.
For those on a tight budget, no matter what skill level you’re at, the DJ-202 will perform adequately for small events, home use or practicing.
The drum sequencer and MIC FX add an awesome performance angle to DJing so once you’re a little bored with just mixing two tracks into each other, you can have some real fun with these too.
I was impressed by the sound quality at a high volume too, so using it for an actual club performance is also feasible.
It’s not just for home use; don’t be afraid to use this for actual gigs, although it must be said it’s probably not built for rigorous gigging.
Also, you’d need to upgrade to the full Serato version for serious gigging as the in-the-box Lite version is quite limiting.
Roland DJ-505
If your pocket can afford it, the Roland DJ-505 is a great step up from the DJ-202 and would probably be my choice in the range.
The DJ-505 includes a dedicated drum sequencing section which imitates the TR-808/909 layout and some added useful extras that make it more of a professional choice.
It’s a bit bigger, more solid and adds some important performance features for the more serious user.
It’s an affordable performance controller that packs a real punch, plus the DJ-505 includes Serato DJ Pro.
Expect to pay*:
- Roland DJ-202 – R 6,195 incl. VAT
- Roland DJ-505 – R 14,190 incl. VAT
- Roland DJ707M – R 18,995 incl.VAT
*Prices as at time of review.
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