Not so much a 'review', but a list of features of Pioneers MEP-7000,

The MEP-700 is currently available from Thomann for the price of £1043. Click to Visit Thomann Site




The MEP or Multi-Entertainment Player (and Controller) is aimed at the mobile DJ and bar market.
Note the last two words - bar market.

From the Pioneer website:

"The MEP-7000 offers a flexible high quality solution specifically with digital music in mind, being compact and easy to transport, yet inheriting the basic functions and features of our popular CDJ series CD Decks.

The MEP-7000 enables you to play MP3/AAC files stored on various memory formats, along with playback of music from your CD collection.

The system can also be setup to playback and mix music automatically using playlists, useful when no DJ is present. "

Interesting!

Anyway, the blurb continues on their site:

"The MEP-7000 and SEP-C1 Software Entertainment Controller are a response to the trend of laptops being utilised by professional DJs.

Recent developments have changed the way mobile and club DJs organise and play their music. No longer carrying boxes of vinyl or CD's full of music, laptops, USB flash media and hard drives are becoming standard amongst the DJ community.

Key new features to this product type are the 4.3-inch colour LCD screen that gives clear accurate information, allowing intuitive and easy menu navigation.

The MEP-7000 transforms into a Karaoke playback device when a CD-G disc is inserted, displaying the playback video on the LCD screen, but can also be fed to external monitors using the composite video output terminal."

They go further to say:

"The MEP-7000 also works as a software controller when used in conjunction with compatible software such as our bundled "DJS". This allows you to manage and control playback of audio files stored on your computer, to give full-scale DJ performance without the need for a mouse or keyboard. (The controller is also available separately as the SEP-C1)."

Spec:

Performance Control MEP-7000
Hot Loop - Yes
Quick Start - Yes
Real Time Seamless Loop - Yes
Loop Adjust - Out Adjust
Reloop - Yes
Digital Jog Break - Jet, Roll, Wah

Memory MEP-7000
USB Memory Stick Enabled - Yes
Memory - Internal
Cue / Loop Memory - Yes
Shock-Proof - Yes

CD Control - MEP-7000
Jog Dial size - 80,0 mm
Jog Dial type - Touch Sensitive
Jog Modes - Touch Sensitive
Pitch Bend - Yes
Scratch Play / Cue - Yes
Fader Start / Back Cue start - Yes
Relay Play - Yes

Tempo MEP-7000
Master Tempo - Yes

Tempo Control Ranges (CD) +/- 6%, +/- 10%, +/- 16%
BPM Counter - Yes
Front loading Slot-In CD - Yes

Cue Functions MEP-7000
Auto Cue - Yes
Manual Cue - Yes
Real Time Cue - Yes
Cue point sampler - Yes

Display MEP-7000
Display - 4.3 inch colour LCD screen
Jog Display - Yes
Playing Address - Yes

General MEP-7000
Media Loading Type - Slot
Legato Link Conversion - Yes
Anti Vibration - Yes
Analogue Output - 2 Stereo RCA
Digital Output - Yes

Type of Discs - 12cm CDs
Disc Format - CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R/RW, MP3
MP3 - MPEG-1 32Kbps - 320 Kbps / MPEG-2 16 Kbps - 160 Kbps
MP3 Folder Search - Yes

Included Accessories:
• 2x Stereo Phono Cables
• 2x Control Cords
• Forced Eject Pin
• DJS Software
• USB Cables
• Power cord
• Manual

Master Video Output MEP-7000
PAL / NTSC Convertor - Yes

Preview Video Output MEP-7000
Composite Out - 1V p-p 75Ω

Specifications MEP-7000
Frequency Response - 4 Hz ~ 20 kHz
Signal to Noise Ratio - 115 dB or more (JEITA)
Distortion - 0,006 % (JEITA)
Audio Output Level - 2.0 V rms (1kHz, 0 dB)
Power Consumption - 33 Watt
Power Requirements - 220 - 240 V, 50/60 Hz
Dimensions (W x H xD) Controller: 483 x 133 x 84 mm
Drive Unit: 483 x 91 x 325 mm
Net Weight - 6.1 kg






Here is a 'preview' from another site...note some similarities to the Pioneer 'press release':

"The MEP-7000 transforms into a Karaoke playback device when a CD-G disc is inserted, displaying the playback video on the LCD screen, but can also be fed to external monitors using the composite video output terminal.

The SEP-C1 works as a software controller when used in conjunction with compatible software such as Pioneer's bundled "DJS". This allows your to manage and control playback of audio files stored on your computer, to give full scale DJ performance without the need for a mouse or keyboard.

The Pioneer MEP-7000 allows USB control from either PC or Mac. So, besides music from CD/DVD, the MEP-7000 lets DJs play music files, such as MP3 /AAC/WAV/AIFF, stored on USB keys, HDD, CD-R/RW and DVD±R/RW.

The unit is also compatible via USB with Pioneer's DJS software or applications such as Serato Scratch LIVE or Traktor - without the need for a time coded disc.

USB connectivity furthermore means that the SEP-C1 can easily be used as a MIDI controller for MIDI-compatible computer applications.

The 4.3-inch colour LCD with high visibility, intelligent Graphic User Interface and a rotary selector enables rapid track searches from huge music libraries.

The high quality Touch Sensor Jog Wheel is capable of controlling various scratch sounds and these definitely broaden the scope of any DJ performance. The MEP-7000 carries 3 patterns of Scratch Jog Effects (SCRATCH, BUBBLE and TRANS) and 3 patterns of Digital Jog Break Effects (JET, ROLL and WAH), which vary depending on the DJ's choice and use of the Jog Wheel.

Effects lovers will be pleased to know there are also 8 patterns of DJS Effect (DELAY, ECHO, AUTO PAN, AUTO TRANCE, AUTO FILTER, FLANGER, REVERB and PITCH SHIFTER) available, and that these can all be synced with the Beat Per Minute, if required!

The MEP-7000 uses an Auto Mix function that allows auto mix playback of tracks registered on the Play List. There are then 4 patterns of Mix Mode (ECHO, ZIP, CUT IN and CROSS FADE), allowing music to be mixed in a selected style and played automatically.




So the key points in a nutshell then:

• Front loading dual cd deck with usb input and midi control Cd/cd+g/cd-r/cd-rw/dvd/dvd-r/dvd-rw/ mp3/aac/wav and aiffs compatible
• Playback media from usb devices (mp3 via usb connection)
• Midi control function (use deck to control software eg. Serato scratch live, traktor etc)
• +/-6, 10, 16, 100% pitch range
• Backlit deck lcd display
• Deck lcd display features disc remain, track remain, time elapse 9.65cm (4.3") colour lcd central display with colour oel (organic electroluminescene) high visibility
• Central display features track name, listing, effects, bpm, track listing and audio source
• Karaoke disc playback with cd+g information display on screen
• Dual touch sensitive jog wheels with vinyl emulation
• Rotary selector and visual display track search
• Keyboard input for manual track search entry
• Master tempo (key control)
• Ram buffered anti-shock with floating mechanism
• Visual bpm counters
• Seamless looping with hot loop function
• Reverse play
• Pitch bend
• Vinyl emulation
• Auto-mix function:
4 mix patterns (echo, zip, cut in and cross fade)
3 dsp jog wheel effect:
Jet (flanger)
Wah (filter)
Roll (echo loop)
3 scratch effects:
Bubble (scratch technique simulation)
Trans (rhythmically transform)
Wah (guitar wah pedal sound)
8 djs effects (can only be used with djs software):
Delay
Echo
Auto pan
Auto trance
Auto filter
Flanger
Reverb
• Pitch shifter
• Rca line level audio outputs
• 2 x usb input
• Usb type 1 output (for computer synch)
• Monitor output
• S/pdif digital outputs





And the price is....as expected, quite a lot! But this is a Pioneer piece of equipment - Pioneer have never been 'cheap'.
Stores are competing around the £1,199.00 mark, but no doubt there will be cheaper prices if you hunt around for sure.
Also available as a separate unit, Pioneer SEPC1 USB Controller with DJS Software from around £580+ (£599.00)

What we really need now is an owner to give us the low down!

"What we really need now is an owner to give us the low down!"

Exactly, i am quite interested in this as its the only item of its type that has a karaoke feature. i need to know if it only plays from CDG disc or can play Karaoke files from a Hard drive, does the software have singer rotation? etc looks the business if it can do both.

Looks great but I'm bewildered. Again.

It's not a door-stop Rev!

I got a phone call last week from a researcher representing Pioneer. The research was about, digital video and HD players.

I mentioned about the dub license and they knew nothing about it. When they asked if it was something I was interested I said no due to the dub license..

They were amazed and asked me more questions about it. (dub license)

I could use it to balance my laptop on lol

Was it a woman with a husky kinda 'educated' news announcer voice?

No Dan she is just a fantasy....

Nik

I purchased the mep7000 about six weeks ago and have just finished my 7th gig using it.
Absolutely fantastic! Piece of kit and worth every penny..

I previously had the Denon hd2500, which I absolutely loved and I haven’t really got a bad word to say about it (apart from Music manager software and the whole synching process)


Pioneer MEP7000
Reason for buying:
I fancied a change, I tried it out and loved the interface (Big colour screen, very easy to get to grips with), ability to play karaoke discs and Very easy to combine a karaoke session with a DJ session - literally a touch of a few buttons, liked the idea of having cd playback as a backup for mp3.

Hard Disk:
One of the reasons why I went for the hd2500 was the fact that there was a built in hard drive, so I did not always have to carry external hard disks around with me all the time so at first this was the only downside for the mep7000... Well I was wrong - it is so easy to manage your music without using an incorporated music manager piece of software! My current setup consists of 2 external hard drives which are duplicated,
You can easily work off just the one hard drive but you have the second there just in case!
My music is stored in simple genre folders on the hard disk which the pioneer just picks up and re-creates this on the device interface; you also have the option of viewing the files in library view which sorts the music in year, genre, title, artist etc


User Interface:
Very easy to get to grips with, I am loving the fact that you can create play lists on the hop!
Similar to the crate on the hd2500 - when browsing through your library just click the wheel in and select a track to transfer to a playlist.

The colour screen is bright, colour and so easy to navigate - especially during a dark gig.

The effects are good, simple and easy to use. There are also some great scratching features.

Karaoke:
When playing a karaoke disc - the karaoke graphics appear on the little screen! How cool is that!
I purchased a £30 gadget from maplin which enables me to connect my 19" PC flat screen to the video connector on the back of the device.
So tonight for example, I did a teen disco - half way through the gig I inserted a karaoke disc, pressed a few buttons, the computer screen came alive with the text, I gave the girl the mic and karaoke good times was had by all!!

Negatives:
I had to buy a new rack case to incorporate the main base unit and have therefore been introduced to the world of 2u deep!!
There are two different methods of viewing your files – Folder view and database view
(Folder view is literally how your files structure is on your hard disk – Database view is a database view where the music is listed in artist, song title etc and you can search for artist, song title etc)
I use both methods however if you want to change the view you need to restart the device (not good during a gig!

It would be good if you could use the controller device on it's own - to control mp3 playback, however there is no chance of this as the 2 units are 100% dependable, so if you have no plan for cd or karaoke playback
this device may be a bit over the top for you.

I have read various reports on other forums about the time delay when loading tracks - Well i use a 120
gig HD with thousands of 320kbs tracks and the longest load time i have had so far is about 5 seconds.

sounds like an awesome bit of kit. rude question now tho ......... how much ?

£1199.00

From what I have read it sounds worth it , wish I had that sort of dosh spare

I have always prefered Pioneer to Denon...no particular reason, guess its just because I own Pioneer CDs and mixer and have had absolutely trouble free use, however, I do have the Denon 2500 and would like to change it for the MEP7000 but TBH there is not a really good reason to justify this as the Denon 2500 is fine for what I want. However, I shall prob make the change in January when I get paid for most of my December work...just need to think of a good reason for the Wife

stardustsa2008
I don't believe it plays karaoke from the hard drives only from CDG disc is that correct?

Correct Robster, It only plays Karaoke from cdg discs and not from the hard drive.
Shame really!

Like other models of DJ equipment, doesn't this model have the facility for firmware updates?

OK, it took me over a year, but I managed to get the firmware update for my player to play mp3s, so who knows, maybe it will be able to play mp3+gs?

Yes it does have the facility for firmware updates, no exciting updates have been released as yet but let's hope that they become fairly regular just like Denon.

You think there will be that many needed, or they got it right first time round!!?!

A good tip - always try before you buy.