Roland DJ-505

Roland DJ-505 (schematic view)

Roland DJ-505 (schematic view)

The Roland DJ-505 is an all-in-one USB MIDI controller with an integrated audio interface. It has controls for 2 decks that can be toggled between decks to play with 4 decks. It also features a TR-S step sequencer with sounds from the TR-808 and the TR-909 drum machines (TR-606 and TR-707 are available via firmware update).

Nowe w wersji 2.3.0.

Zmienione w wersji 2.4.0: Added Saved Loop mode and improved Cue Loop Mode.

Drivers

You can download the latest Windows & MacOS drivers and firmware from the manufacturer’s website. Since the DJ-505 is a USB class compliant MIDI and audio device, the device is plug-and-play on Linux.

Audio Setup

The mapping relies on the following channel assignments (for line/phono input support, applying effects to the TR-S output, etc.):

Output Channels

Assigned to

1-2

Main

3-4

Headphones

Input Channels

Assigned to

1-2 (CH 1 Line/Phono)

Vinyl Control 1

3-4 (CH 2 Line/Phono)

Vinyl Control 2

5-6 (Mix)

Record/Broadcast

7-8 (TR-S output)

Auxiliary 1

The microphone, TR-S drum machine, and external inputs are mixed together in input channels 5-6, so Mixxx can record and broadcast them.

The knobs for MASTER LEVEL, BOOTH LEVEL, PHONES VOLUME, MIC LEVEL, TR/SAMPLER LEVEL and CUE/MASTER MIXING are controlling the hardware mixer of the built-in audio interface. Hence, turning the knobs will not change values in the Mixxx GUI and you’ll need to set the Mixxx knobs to their default values when using the controller:

  • Set the main/booth/headphones/microphone/aux channel levels to 100% (knob center position)

  • Set cue/main mixing to cue-only (leftmost position)

Informacja

You should assign the Vinyl Control input channels even if you do not intend to use timecode vinyl. These channel assignments are also needed to make the CH 1/2 PC/LINE/PHONO switches work (i. e. passing through line or phono input to the left/right deck).

Controller Mapping

The control numbering in the schematic drawings matches the those found on the specified page in the Owner’s Manual.

Browser Section (p. 4)

Roland DJ-505 (browser section)

Roland DJ-505 (browser section)

No.

Control

Function

1

LOAD buttons

Load song into deck.

1

SHIFT + LOAD button (left)

Sort library by BPM (press repeatedly to toggle ascending/descending order).

1

SHIFT + LOAD button (right)

Sort library by key (press repeatedly to toggle ascending/descending order).

2

Rotary Selector

Turn to move tracklist cursor up/down. Press to load and play/pause currently selected track on preview deck. Hold and turn to seek in track on preview deck.

2

SHIFT + Rotary Selector

Turn to move sidebar cursor up/down. Hold and turn to change track color of currently selected track.

3

BACK button

Not yet mapped.

3

SHIFT + BACK button

Sort library by title (press repeatedly to toggle ascending/descending order).

4

ADD PREPARE button

(Un-)Maximizes the library view.

4

SHIFT + ADD PREPARE button

Sort library by artist (press repeatedly to toggle ascending/descending order).

Deck Section (p. 5-6)

Roland DJ-505 (deck section)

Roland DJ-505 (deck section)

No.

Control

Function

1

Jog Wheel (top surface)

Perform scratch operation.

1

Jog Wheel (outer edge)

Rotate to lower/raise playback speed and pitch if key lock is off).

1

SHIFT + Jog Wheel (top surface)

Search fast through the track location.

2

SLIP button

Hold to turn on slip mode temporarily or double press to turn it on permanently.

2

SHIFT + SLIP button

Toggle vinyl control mode.

3

SHIFT button

Hold down to access other functions.

4

SYNC button

Short press to match tempo and phase of other deck once. Long press to enable Sync Lock.

4

SHIFT + SYNC button

Short press to disable Sync Lock. Long press to toggle quantization.

5

CUE button

Specifies, plays or recalls temporary cue point.

5

SHIFT + CUE button

Returns to the beginning of the song.

6

PLAY/PAUSE button

Plays or pause the song.

6

SHIFT + PLAY/PAUSE button

Hold to play backwards.

7

Pad Mode Select

See Performance Pads.

8

Performance Pads

See Performance Pads.

9

PARAMETER area

See Performance Pads.

10

LOOP area: AUTO LOOP button

Set a beatloop at the current play position.

10

LOOP area: SHIFT + AUTO LOOP button

Toggle looping.

10

LOOP area: 1/2X/2X buttons

Set the loop playback length to half/double.

10

LOOP area: SHIFT + 1/2X button

Move the loop by it’s length toward the left.

10

LOOP area: SHIFT + 2X button

Move the loop by it’s length toward theright.

10

LOOP area: IN/OUT button

Specify loop-in/loop-out points.

10

LOOP area: SHIFT + IN button

Toggle beats quantization.

10

LOOP area: SHIFT + OUT button

Toggle looping, go to loop-in point and resume playback.

11

DECK 3/DECK 4 buttons

Switches the deck (left: decks 1 and 3, right: decks 2 and 4)

12

KEY LOCK

Toggle key lock.

12

SHIFT + KEY LOCK

Cycles through tempo slider range (8%, 16%, 50%).

13

Tempo slider

Adjust song playback speed (and pitch if key lock if off).

Mixer Section (p. 7)

Roland DJ-505 (mixer section)

Roland DJ-505 (mixer section)

No.

Control

Function

1

TRIM knobs

Adjust the deck gain (prefader)

2

HI/MID/LOW knobs

Adjust the high/mid/low-frequency regions of the song.

3

FILTER knobs

QuickEffect superknob (filter by default, can be changed to a different effect in Mixxx preferences)

4

Channel CUE buttons

Toggle PFL for each channel.

4

SHIFT + CUE buttons (short press)

Adjust beatgrid so that the closest beat is set to the current cursor position.

4

SHIFT + CUE buttons (long press)

Adjust beatgrid to match another playing deck.

4

SHIFT + CUE buttons (tap repeatedly)

Set tempo by tapping on each beat.

5

Channel faders

Adjust the output level for each channel.

6

Cross fader

Fades between left and right deck.

7

MASTER LEVEL knob

Adjusts the main output level.

8

BOOTH LEVEL knob

Adjusts the output level of the BOOTH OUT jacks.

9

MIXING knob

Fades between PFL and main output in headphones

10

TR/SAMPLER LEVEL knob

Adjusts output of the TR-S (Aux 3) and Samplers 1-16.

11

TR/SAMPLER CUE button

Toggle PFL of the TR-S (Aux 3) and Samplers 1-16.

12

Level indicator

Indicate the output level of each channel and main.

Effects Section (p. 7)

Roland DJ-505 (effects section)

Roland DJ-505 (effects section)

No.

Control

Function

1

CH ASSIGN area

Toggle effect units 1/2 for decks 1/2 (3/4 if SHIFT is pressed) or the TR-S (Aux 3) and Samplers 1-16.

2-5

Various

See Standard Effects Mapping.

TR-S Section (p. 8)

Roland DJ-505 (TR-S section)

Roland DJ-505 (TR-S section)

No.

Control

Function

1

VALUE knob

See Owner’s Manual.

2

SHIFT button

Hold down to access other functions.

3

Display

See Owner’s Manual.

4

SYNC button

Match tempo of playing deck (phase matching is not implemented yet, use the NUDGE button instead).

4

SHIFT + SYNC button

Currently not mapped.

5-17

Various

See Owner’s Manual.

Front Panel (p. 8)

No.

Control

Function

1

PHONES jacks

Connect headphones here.

2

VOLUME knob

Adjust the volume of the headphones.

3

CROSS FADER switch

Switch the cross fader response curve.

4

REVERSE switch

Switch cross fader reverse (hamster) mode on/off.

5

CH1/CH 2 switches: PC

Selects Mixxx deck as input source (Unmute the Mixxx deck and mute Aux 1/2).

5

CH1/CH 2 LINE/PHONO

Selects Line/Phono input source (Mute the Mixxx deck and unmute Aux 1/2).

6

MIC LEVEL knob

Adjust the microphone volume.

Performance Pads

You can use the Pad Mode Select buttons to select a mode for the performance pads.

Control

Mode

LED Color

HOT CUE button

Hot Cue Mode

White

SHIFT + HOT CUE button

Cue Loop Mode

Blue

SHIFT + HOT CUE button (press twice)

Prepare Mode

Red

ROLL button

Roll Mode

Light blue

ROLL button (press twice)

Saved Loop Mode

Green

TR button

TR Mode

Red

SHIFT + TR button

Pattern Mode

Green

TR button (press twice)

TR Velocity Mode

Orange

SAMPLER button

Sampler Mode

Magenta

SHIFT + SAMPLER button

Velocity Sampler Mode

Purple

SAMPLER button (press twice)

Pitch Play Mode

Green

Most pad modes are similar to those found when used with Serato. Modes that are described in the owner’s manual (Slicer, Slicer Loop, Flip) but not listed below are currently not mapped.

Hot Cue Mode

Roland DJ-505 (performance pads)

Roland DJ-505 (performance pads)

Bookmark positions in the track and jump to them.

No.

Control

Function

1-8

Pad (unlit)

Save current position as hot cue.

1-8

Pad (lit)

Jump to hot cue. If the track is stopped, holding the pad will preview the hot cue until the pad is released.

1-8

SHIFT + Pad (lit)

Clear hot cue.

9

PARAMETER - button

Change color of last used hotcue to the previous color in the palette.

10

PARAMETER + button

Change color of last used hotcue to the next color in the palette.

9

SHIFT + PARAMETER - button

Move beatgrid left.

10

SHIFT + PARAMETER + button

Move beatgrid right.

Cue Loop Mode

Roland DJ-505 (performance pads)

Roland DJ-505 (performance pads)

Set beatloop from a hot cue point.

No.

Control

Function

1-8

Pad (lit)

Set a beatloop at the position of the hotcue.

1-8

SHIFT + Pad (lit)

Set a beatloop at the position of the hotcue and jump to it.

1-8

Pad (unlit)

Save the current position as hot cue and set a beatloop.

9

PARAMETER - button

Halve the size of the current loop.

10

PARAMETER + button

Double the size of the current loop.

9-10

SHIFT + PARAMETER -/+ buttons

Currently not mapped.

Prepare Mode

Roland DJ-505 (performance pads)

Roland DJ-505 (performance pads)

This mode allow you to prepare tracks by setting intro/outro cues.

No.

Control

Function

1

Pad (unlit)

Set current position as intro start.

1

Pad (lit)

Jump to intro start position.

2

Pad (unlit)

Set current position as intro end.

2

Pad (lit)

Jump to intro end position.

3

Pad (unlit)

Set current position as outro start.

3

Pad (lit)

Jump to outro start position.

4

Pad (unlit)

Set current position as outro end.

4

Pad (lit)

Jump to outro end position.

5-8

Pad

Currently not mapped.

9-10

SHIFT + PARAMETER -/+ buttons

Currently not mapped.

Informacja

This mode has been added by the Mixxx developers and is not available in Serato.

Roll Mode

Roland DJ-505 (performance pads)

Roland DJ-505 (performance pads)

The Roll Mode provides quick access to rolling loops and beatjumps.

No.

Control

Function

1-4

Pad (hold)

Play a rolling loop with the beatlength that is assigned to the pad.

5

Pad (press)

Beatjump left.

6

Pad (press)

Decrease beatjump size.

7

Pad (press)

Increase beatjump size.

8

Pad (press)

Beatjump right.

9

PARAMETER - button

Halve the size of the current loop.

10

PARAMETER + button

Double the size of the current loop.

9-10

SHIFT + PARAMETER -/+ buttons

Currently not mapped.

Saved Loop Mode

Roland DJ-505 (performance pads)

Roland DJ-505 (performance pads)

Save and restore saved loops.

No.

Control

Function

1-8

Pad (unlit)

If a loop is enabled, save that loop into the hotcue slot. If no loop is enabled, set a beatloop from the current position and save it.

1-8

Pad (lit)

Enable saved loop.

1-8

Pad (blinking)

Disable saved loop.

1-8

SHIFT + Pad (lit/blinking)

Enable saved loop and jump to the loop start position.

1-8

SHIFT + Pad (lit/blinking, long press)

Delete saved loop from hotcue slot.

9

PARAMETER - button

Change color of last used hotcue to the previous color in the palette.

10

PARAMETER + button

Change color of last used hotcue to the next color in the palette.

9

PARAMETER - button

Halve the size of the current loop.

10

PARAMETER + button

Double the size of the current loop.

TR/Pattern/TR Velocity Modes

These modes are hardcoded in the device firmware, so they work exactly as described in the Owner’s Manual.

Sampler/Velocity Sampler Play Modes

Roland DJ-505 (performance pads)

Roland DJ-505 (performance pads)

The sampler modes allow you to load, play and stop samples in the first 8 sample slots.

No.

Control

Function

1-8

Pad (unlit)

Load currently selected track into the sample slot associated with the pad.

1-8

SHIFT + Pad (lit)

If the sample is playing, stop the playback. If the sample is not playing, eject the sample from the sample slot.

1-8

Pad (lit)

Play the sample in the sample slot associated with the pad. Velocity Sampler Mode: The playback volume of the sample depends on the pressure (velocity).

9-10

PARAMETER -/+ buttons

Currently not mapped.

Pitch Play Mode

Roland DJ-505 (performance pads)

Roland DJ-505 (performance pads)

Play the track from a hot cue position and change the pitch in semitone steps. Pads right of the white lit pad raise the pitch, pads left of it lower it.

No.

Control

Function

1-8

Pad

Play currently selected hotcue with modified pitch.

1-8

SHIFT + Pad (dimly lit)

Select hot cue for pitch play. The pad of the currently selected hotcue pad is lit.

9-10

PARAMETER -/+ buttons

Cycles through semitone ranges (Up, Mid, Down).

Known Issues

  • TR-S Syncing currently works at the BPM level, but phase syncing is not implemented yet. As a workaround, the NUDGE button can be used to adjust the phase. This depends on MIDI clock I/O (Bug #5682).

  • Some performance pad modes are missing (Slicer [Launchpad Bug #9660], Slicer Loop, Flip [Launchpad Bug #9271])

  • Some buttons are not mapped yet (e.g. BACK)

  • LEDs on BACK/ADD PREPARE do not work (this seems to be a hardware/firmware bug and does not work in Serato either)

  • Controller does not send current cross fader value on Serato SysEx Message (this seems to be a hardware/firmware bug and does not work in Serato either)