Pioneer XDJ-R1 was released in 2014 and is a full-fledged controller because it has the ability to work with USB/Flash drives, CDs, and as a software controller/audio interface for use with traditional software for DJs. Despite the fact that the major part of it is made of plastic, it has a reliable housing. The mixer front panel is made of metal.

The controller includes 2 decks, each of which has input switches (computer, USB, CD), transport control (pitch, vinyl mode, track search, tempo range, master tempo), 3 buttons for CUE/sampler, 4 buttons with synchronization (tap/auto), an "Auto Beat Loop" encoder, and sync/master buttons. A relatively small LCD screen is installed here.

XDJ-R1 has a 2-channel mixer, and despite its small size, it took the appearance and a few features from older Pioneer models (for example, a standalone operation mode). There you can find a section with "Sound Color FX", which has the standard effects of noise, pitch, bitcrushing, and filter. There is also a fader with a volume level, a 3-band equalizer, an additional equalizer for a microphone.