PRO DJ LINK

Overview

PRO DJ LINK is a proprietary network protocol developed by Pioneer DJ (now AlphaTheta) that links CDJs, media players, and mixers together over ethernet. It’s the same protocol that enables features like rekordbox link, waveform sharing between players, and Beat Sync across your hardware. Now Playing uses this protocol to connect directly to your players and capture real-time track data. No DJ software running on your computer is required.

This is the recommended source if you play from USB drives or SD cards plugged directly into CDJs or AlphaTheta media players.

Compatible Hardware

Now Playing supports any hardware that speaks the PRO DJ LINK protocol, including:

• Pioneer CDJ-2000NXS
• Pioneer CDJ-2000NXS2
• Pioneer CDJ-3000
• AlphaTheta CDJ-3000 and newer standalone players
• Pioneer XDJ-1000 / XDJ-1000MK2
• Pioneer XDJ-700
• Pioneer XDJ-RX / XDJ-RX2 / XDJ-RX3
• Pioneer XDJ-XZ
• Pioneer DJM mixers with PRO DJ LINK support (DJM-900NXS2, DJM-A9, etc.)

Note

Older Pioneer CDJ models (CDJ-2000, CDJ-900) may have limited compatibility. If your players are not detected, check whether PRO DJ LINK is listed as a feature in your player’s manual.

What Gets Captured

PRO DJ LINK provides richer metadata than most other sources:

Field	Notes
Track title	From the file tag or rekordbox database
Artist	From the file tag or rekordbox database
Album	From the file tag or rekordbox database
Artwork	Embedded album art from the track file
BPM	As analyzed by rekordbox or displayed on the player
Musical key	Where available and analyzed
Waveform data	Available on supported players
Deck number	Which player (1–4) the track is playing on

Requirements

• Your CDJs and the computer running Now Playing must be connected to the same local network via a network switch
• A wired ethernet connection is strongly recommended. Wi-Fi can cause missed updates or delayed track changes.
• PRO DJ LINK must be enabled on each player (see setup below)
• Now Playing must be on the same subnet as the players, typically all devices in the same 192.168.x.x range.

Network Setup

A typical CDJ setup connects players and the DJ mixer to a network switch, with the switch also connected to your router or directly to your laptop via an additional ethernet port or adapter. The exact topology doesn’t matter as long as all devices are on the same local subnet and there are no VLAN or network isolation rules separating them.

If your computer only has Wi-Fi and you need to connect to the player network, use a USB-to-ethernet adapter and connect it directly to the switch. Keep Wi-Fi active for internet access if needed. Your computer can use both interfaces simultaneously.

Setup

Step 1: Enable PRO DJ LINK on Your Players

The exact menu path varies by model and firmware version, but on most Pioneer players:

1. Press the MENU button on the front panel of the CDJ.
2. Navigate to Utility.
3. Find PRO DJ LINK and set it to On.
4. Exit the menu and confirm the network indicator on the player shows an active connection.
5. Repeat for each player in your setup.

On XDJ all-in-one units, PRO DJ LINK is typically enabled by default when a network cable is connected.

Step 2: Connect All Devices to the Network Switch

1. Connect each CDJ’s ethernet port to the network switch using a standard ethernet cable.
2. Connect your computer to the same switch.
3. Confirm the link lights on the switch are active for each port.

Step 3: Configure Now Playing

1. Open the Now Playing desktop app.
2. Go to Settings → Sources → Pro DJ Link.
3. Now Playing will scan the local network and display any detected players. You should see each connected player listed by model number.
4. Toggle Enable Monitoring on. Track data will begin flowing as soon as a track is playing on any detected player.

Play Detection

How the overlay updates depends on whether a Pioneer DJM mixer is part of your setup.

With a Pioneer DJM mixer connected

When a DJM is connected via PRO DJ LINK, the mixer sends a hardware on-air flag directly to the CDJs when a channel is live. The mix processor uses the SIMULATED strategy: the overlay updates immediately when the DJM signals that a deck is on-air. This is the most accurate detection method available, because the overlay reflects exactly what the mixer is routing to the main output.

Without a DJM mixer (CDJs only, or a non-Pioneer mixer)

When no DJM is present, no hardware on-air signal is available. The mix processor uses the BYPASS strategy: the overlay updates immediately when a CDJ reports that a track is playing. The CDJ fires this event when a track starts playing, so premature updates from pre-cueing are generally not an issue.

If you need more precise gating in this setup, connecting a MIDI source that provides channel fader data will enable scoring-based detection.

Troubleshooting

Players are not detected

• Confirm PRO DJ LINK is enabled on each player (Settings/Utility menu).
• Verify all devices are connected to the same switch and that the switch’s link lights are active.
• Check whether your computer’s firewall is blocking incoming UDP traffic on the local network. PRO DJ LINK uses broadcast and multicast packets that some firewalls block by default.
• On macOS, go to System Settings → Network and confirm your ethernet adapter has an IP address in the same range as your players.
• On Windows, open Control Panel → Network Connections and confirm the ethernet adapter is connected and has a valid IP address.

Multiple network interfaces cause detection problems

If your computer has both a wired ethernet connection (to the player network) and a Wi-Fi connection (to the internet), Now Playing may scan the wrong interface. In the PRO DJ LINK settings within Now Playing, you can specify which network interface to use. Select the one assigned to your player network (usually a 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x address on the ethernet adapter).

Track data stops updating mid-session

This is most commonly caused by a loose ethernet cable or a network switch that briefly dropped power. Check all cable connections and confirm the link lights on the switch remain solid. If the issue persists, try restarting the Now Playing desktop app.

Artwork is missing

Artwork comes from the track files themselves. If your tracks don’t have embedded album art and aren’t analyzed by rekordbox with artwork assigned, the artwork field will be empty. Re-analyze your library in rekordbox and ensure artwork is downloaded and embedded before exporting to USB.