What is the common audio file formats that DJs use?
Often .MP3 or .WAV, however both have downsides and upsides that other file formats fix.
With modern dj players other file formats are supported:
| File format | Acronym | Compressed* | Lossless** | Tags*** |
| MP3 | Mpeg 3 | yes | no | yes |
| AAC/M4A | Advanced Audio Coding | yes | no | not standard |
| WAV | Wave | no | yes | NO!!! |
| AIFF/AIF | Audio Interchange File Format | no | yes | yes |
| ALAC | Apple Lossless Audio Codec | yes | yes | yes |
| FLAC | Free Lossless Audio Codec | yes | yes | yes |
| MP4 | Mpeg 4 | yes | no | yes |
| Ogg Vorbis | – | yes | No | yes |
* Compression: reducing file size by applying an algorithm.
This can lead to quality loss when compressed (depending on the audio format).
** Lossless: Audio information is stored 1 on 1 in a file.
No methods are used to compromise audio quality, even when a file is compressed.
*** Tags: is a very useful feature to have, it can store: song key, tempo (bpm), notes and cover art.
Professional DJ’s
Professional DJ’s often use WAV purely because of the music quality.
However the filesizes of WAV files can be huge (roughly 10MB per minute).
WAV also can’t store tags for tempo and key information.
Why more professional switch to other formats like ALAC or FLAC is beyond me.
Amateur DJ’s
Amateur DJ’s often use MP3, because of the reduced file size.
Most dancers in a small venue will not hear the difference between a properly compressed MP3 file and a WAV file.
However for music festivals or major nightclubs with proper sound systems, I would stongly advice to use a lossless file format.
Best choice
Lossless file formats are preferred for Djs for the best audio quality, but that comes at the cost of larger file sizes.
The best of all worlds is when a file format supports compression, is lossless and supports tags.
Digital music stores charge often more for lossless audio files.
| Best audio quality | FLAC , ALAC, WAV or AIFF |
| Worst audio quality | MP3, MP4 |
| Best price | MP3 |
| Best storage space | MP3, MP4 |
| Widest support for all types of players (of all brands) | MP3, WAV |
USB Filesystem format
The file system support for USB storage by Pioneer and Denon DJ players:
| File system | Manufacturer | Pioneer CDJ | Denon SC |
| FAT | Microsoft | Yes | – |
| FAT 32 | Microsoft | Yes | Yes |
| ExFAT | Microsoft | – | Yes |
| NTFS | Microsoft | – | – |
| HFS+ | Apple | Yes | – |
| APFS | Apple | – | – |
Make sure to format your USB drive as such.
For a detailed guide, see my guide on how to format a USB drive for Rekordbox and CDJ.
What audio file format do Pioneer CDJs and Denon SCs use?
| Player | CD | Formats | Media | Connect via usb | Info |
| CDJ 3000 | – | MP3, AAC (.m4a, .aac, .mp4), WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIF/AIFF | USB thumbdrive, RJ45 (pro dj link), SD card | Win, Mac, iOS, Android | details below |
| CDJ 2000 NXS2 | CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-R DL, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+R DL, DVD+RW | MP3, AAC (.m4a, .aac, .mp4), WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIF/AIFF, Audio format (CD only) | USB thumbdrive, RJ45 (pro dj link), SD card | Win, Mac, iOS, Android | details below |
| CDJ 2000 NXS | CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-R DL, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+R DL, DVD+RW | MP3, AAC (.m4a, .aac, .mp4), WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIF/AIFF, Audio format (CD only) | USB thumbdrive, RJ45 (pro dj link), SD card | details below | |
| SC5000, SC5000M | – | MP3, AAC (.aac, m4a), MP4, WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIF/AIFF, Ogg Vorbis | USB thumbdrive, WIFI, RJ45 (streaming + StageLinq), SD card (SD, SDHC, SDXC) | Win, Mac | details below |
| SC6000, SC6000M | – | MP3, AAC (.aac, m4a), MP4, WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIF/AIFF, Ogg Vorbis | USB thumbdrive, WIFI, RJ45 (streaming + StageLinq), SD card (SD, SDHC, SDXC) | Win, Mac | details below |
Supported file formats CDJ 3000
| File format | Bit depth | Bit rate | Sample freq |
| MP3 | 16 bits | 32 – 320 kbps | 44.1, 48 kHz |
| AAC (.aac, .mp4, .m4a) | 16 bits | 16 – 320 kbps | 44.1, 48 kHz |
| WAV | 16 bits, 24 bits | – | 44.1, 48, 88.2,96 kHz |
| FLAC | 16 bits, 24 bits | – | 44.1, 48, 88.2,96 kHz |
| ALAC (.m4a) | 16 bits, 24 bits | – | 44.1, 48, 88.2,96 kHz |
| AIFF | 16 bits, 24 bits | – | 44.1, 48, 88.2,96 kHz |
Supported file formats CDJ 2000 NXS 2
| File format | Bit depth | Bit rate | Sample freq |
| MP3 (mpeg1, mpeg2) | 16 bits | 32 – 320 kbps (mpeg 1); 8 kpbs – 160 kpbs (mpeg 2) | 32, 44.1, 48 kHz (mpeg1); 16, 22.0524 kHz (mpeg2) |
| AAC (.aac, .mp4, .m4a) (mpeg 2+ mpeg4) | 16 bits | 16 – 320 kbps | 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 kHz |
| WAV (no cd support) | 16 bits, 24 bits | – | 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96 kHz |
| FLAC (no cd support) | 16 bits, 24 bits | – | 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96 kHz |
| ALAC (.m4a) (no cd support) | 16 bits, 24 bits | – | 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96 kHz |
| AIFF (no cd support) | 16 bits, 24 bits | – | 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96 kHz |
Supported file formats CDJ 2000 NXS
| File format | Bit depth | Bit rate | Sample freq |
| MP3 (mpeg1, mpeg2) | 16 bits | 32 – 320 kbps (mpeg 1); 8 kpbs – 160 kpbs (mpeg 2) | 32, 44.1, 48 kHz (mpeg1); 16, 22.05, 24 kHz (mpeg2) |
| AAC (.aac, .mp4, .m4a) (mpeg 2+ mpeg4) | 16 bits | 16 – 320 kbps | 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 kHz |
| WAV | 16 bits, 24 bits | – | 44.1, 48 kHz |
| AIFF | 16 bits, 24 bits | – | 44.1, 48 kHz |
Supported file formats Denon SC5000(M) / SC6000(M)
| File format | Bit depth | Bit rate | Sample freq |
| MP3 | 32 – 320 kbps | ||
| AAC/M4A | |||
| WAV | 16 bits, 32 bits | – | 44.1 – 192 kHz |
| AIFF/AIF | 16 bits, 24 bits | – | 44.1 – 192 hHz |
| ALAC | |||
| FLAC | |||
| MP4 | |||
| Ogg Vorbis |