The wireless system that turns any turntable into a DVS deck — no needles, no timecode vinyl. And as of July 2026, it plugs straight into rekordbox over a single USB cable.

Phase Essential: one Receiver, two Remotes that sit on your records. That’s the whole system.

The short version

Phase is a wireless DVS (digital vinyl system) built by MWM, a French startup out of Paris that’s been at this since 2019. Instead of timecode control vinyl and a needle, you drop two small Remotes onto your records; they read the platter’s every move and beam it to a Receiver that feeds your DJ software. No needle means no skipping from bass rumble, no worn styli, and no control vinyl to replace — while keeping the exact feel of spinning real records.

It’s been the go-to wireless DVS rig for working turntablists for years, with pros from Z-Trip to Jazzy Jeff putting their names to it. The big 2026 development — and the reason it’s back in the conversation — is that rekordbox now talks to Phase directly in HID mode, over one USB cable, with a set of features baked into the software. That single change fixes a lot of what used to make Phase fiddly.

What Phase actually is

A Remote drops onto the record and holds via a magnetic sticker. Calibrate, and you’re playing.

Each Remote packs a 3-axis accelerometer and two gyroscopes, tracking movement, direction and speed down to the tiniest nudge. It sends that data to the Receiver over a proprietary 2.4 GHz radio protocol with roughly 5 ms of latency — designed to be faster than a standard timecode chain and immune to the vibration, feedback and rumble that plague needles on a loud stage. The Remotes charge inside the Receiver and run up to 10 hours; a full charge takes about two.

One thing to be clear about: Phase is a controller, not a soundcard. It still needs a DVS interface to turn its signal into audio — either a mixer with DVS built in (Rane Seventy-Two, Pioneer DJ DJM-S-series, Reloop Elite, etc.) or an analog mixer paired with a DJ soundcard. More on that catch below.

The big news: rekordbox in HID mode

Until now, using Phase with rekordbox meant running its Receiver into your mixer or soundcard over RCA and passing an analog timecode signal — the classic DVS route. As of rekordbox 7.2.16, Phase gets a native HID mode: you connect the Receiver to your laptop with a single USB cable, rekordbox recognises it instantly, and Phase gets its own dedicated deck mode in the software. No RCA audio routing at all.

HID is the same protocol CDJs use to drive DJ software, and it’s here for the same reason: a direct digital connection is more precise and lower-latency than converting an analog signal. Rather than timecode travelling through cables, an interface, and a decoder, Phase sends pure digital position data straight to rekordbox — the lowest-latency, most stable tracking the system can offer, from the slowest drag to the fastest crab.

On top of the cleaner signal, HID mode switches on features that only exist in this mode:

Crucially, this is a free firmware/software update for existing Phase owners — not a new box to buy. The classic RCA-based DVS route still works too, if you prefer it or your setup needs it.

Setup & everyday use

The requirements are specific, so check them first: Phase on firmware 9 or later, rekordbox 7.2.16 or later, and rekordbox DVS unlocked — either via a paid rekordbox plan or compatible DVS-unlock hardware. With those in place, setup runs about a minute: update the firmware in Phase Manager, update rekordbox, plug the Receiver into your laptop over USB (a hub works), and you’ll get a “Phase is connected” prompt. Assign Wireless A and B to your decks, drop the Remotes on your records, hold them still until the LED goes solid to calibrate, and play.

Connectivity & specifications

The Receiver’s rear: 2× RCA for classic DVS, and the USB-B port that now carries HID to rekordbox.

The catch — what you still need

Phase’s clean setup can make it sound like an all-in-one, and it isn’t. On top of two turntables, you need a way for the software to receive DVS: a DVS-capable mixer or an analog mixer plus a DJ soundcard. If you’re weighing which mixer anchors the booth, our best DJ mixers guide covers the club and battle units with DVS on board. And because Phase runs on top of your software rather than replacing it, you’ll want to know how the platforms differ — our DJ software comparison breaks down rekordbox, Serato, Traktor and VirtualDJ, all of which Phase supports.

For rekordbox specifically, remember the licensing: HID mode still needs DVS unlocked, so unless you already own DVS-unlock hardware, budget for a rekordbox subscription on top of the $399.99.

How it’s been received

Across years of user and pro feedback, the praise is consistent: Phase is reliable where needles fail — loud stages, heavy bass, festival vibration — and it quietly saves the running cost of styli and control vinyl. Turntablists rate its tracking for scratching and beat-juggling, not just mixing, and the build gets a nod for surviving gig life. That reputation is why it shows up under working DJs at every level, from livestreams to stadium stages.

The recurring knock, fairly noted, has been the occasional connectivity or battery-pairing hiccup — the kind of thing that surfaces in an analog-timecode chain and gets chased down through firmware. That’s exactly the weak point the new HID mode is built to sidestep, by cutting the analog conversion out of the path entirely. It doesn’t erase every past complaint, but it moves the system in the right direction, and it’s free.

Phase Pro on the horizon

Worth factoring into any purchase: Phase Pro, the next-generation system, is in development and slated for release around summer 2026, and MWM says it will support rekordbox HID from day one. If you’re not in a hurry, it may be worth watching what Pro brings before committing — though Essential remains fully supported and is the version shipping today.

The verdict

Phase Essential does something no timecode setup can: it frees turntable DJs from needles and control vinyl while keeping the real feel of the platter, and it’s earned genuine trust doing it. The new rekordbox HID mode is the most meaningful upgrade in years — simpler cabling, lower latency, and useful in-software touches like on-jog battery and track-end warnings — and it costs existing owners nothing. The honest asterisks are that you still need a DVS mixer or soundcard, rekordbox use may mean a subscription, and Phase Pro is close behind. Weigh those, and for the turntablist who wants a modern, needle-free rig, Phase remains the reference.

Who should buy it

Phase is for the turntable DJ — the mixer, the scratcher, the beat-juggler — who wants the feel of vinyl without the fragility of needles. If that’s you and you already run a DVS-capable setup, it’s an easy recommendation, and the rekordbox HID update makes it a better one than it was a month ago. If you’re still assembling the booth around it, start with the mixers & decks hub and the mixer and software guides linked above.