Big Sur DDJ 1000 Driver Update

Fixing the Pioneer Rekordbox Mac Audio Driver Installation on Big Sur

If you’re having trouble installing the Pioneer Rekordbox audio driver on macOS Big Sur, you’re not alone. The issue stems from Big Sur’s upgrade to Perl 5.28, which introduces stricter file access rules—causing the original driver installer to fail (see error details below).

The good news: macOS Big Sur also includes Perl 5.18, which is compatible with the install script. However, switching Perl versions system-wide would require lowering security protections on /usr, which isn’t ideal.

The workaround:
I’ve created a shell script that will:

Download the official DDJ-1000 driver from Pioneer’s website
Patch the problematic script to use Perl 5.18 instead of the system default
Generate a new, working installer file you can safely run

Important:
When you run the new installer, macOS will likely block it initially. Head to System Preferences > Security & Privacy and approve the installation when prompted.

This solution avoids compromising system integrity while restoring full functionality to your setup.

To Use:

Copy and Paste the script below, into a text editor, and save as update-pioneer.sh in your Downloads Folder.
Open your terminal, and change the permissions on the file, so that it’s executable, by running the following shell command:
cd Downloads; chmod 755 update-pioneer.sh
Execute the file by running the following command:
./update-pioneer.sh
This should generate a file called: updated-ddj-1000-driver.pkg
Next run the installer by executing it from Finder, or running open updated-ddj-1000-driver.pkg from the terminal

This should get your driver working on Big Sur Intel based Mac. Unfortunately, it’s only partially working on my Big Sur M1 at the moment

	#!/bin/sh
	downloaded_file="ddj-1000_110dmg.zip"
	dmg_file="DDJ-1000_M_1.1.0.dmg"
	mount_point="/Volumes/DDJ-1000-DMG"
	pkg_file="DDJ-1000AudioDriver.pkg"
	repack_folder="ddj-1000-repack"
	new_driver="updated-ddj-1000-driver.pkg"
	if [[ ! -f "${downloaded_file}" ]]; then
	curl https://www.pioneerdj.com/-/media/pioneerdj/downloads/drivers/ddj-1000/ddj-1000_110dmg.zip -O "${downloaded_file}"
	fi
	unzip -o ${downloaded_file}
	hdiutil attach "${dmg_file}" -mountpoint "${mount_point}"
	cp "${mount_point}/${pkg_file}" .
	rm -rf "${repack_folder}"
	pkgutil –expand "${pkg_file}" "${repack_folder}"
	sed -i '' 's/#!\/usr\/bin\/perl/#!\/usr\/bin\/perl5.18/' ddj-1000-repack/tmp.pkg/Scripts/postinstall
	mkdir -p script_tmp_dir

	rm -f "${new_driver}"
	pkgutil –flatten "${repack_folder}" "${new_driver}"
	hdiutil detach "${mount_point}"

view raw ddj-1000-mac-driver-update.sh hosted with ❤ by GitHub

M1 Observations

The DDJ-1000 controller no longer complains about “No Audio Driver” on the Jog Wheel
It can show the track that’s playing, etc.
But does not show up under Sound options

Errors shown during install:

2021-01-17 12:51:08-05 MBP package_script_service[1168]: Preparing to execute with Rosetta Intel Translation: ‘/tmp/PKInstallSandbox.OD7deN/Scripts/com.pioneerdj.DDJ-1000.pkg.wz87Xh/postinstall’
2021-01-17 12:51:08-05 MBP package_script_service[1168]: ./postinstall: Setting $/ to a reference to zero is forbidden at /tmp/PKInstallSandbox.OD7deN/Scripts/com.pioneerdj.DDJ-1000.pkg.wz87Xh/postinstall line 164.
2021-01-17 12:51:08-05 MBP package_script_service[1168]: Responsibility set back to self.
2021-01-17 12:51:08-05 MBP install_monitor[1167]: Re-included: /Applications, /Library, /System, /bin, /private, /sbin, /usr
2021-01-17 12:51:08-05 MBP installd[735]: PackageKit: releasing backupd
2021-01-17 12:51:08-05 MBP installd[735]: PackageKit: allow user idle system sleep
2021-01-17 12:51:08-05 MBP installd[735]: PackageKit: Cleared responsibility for install from 1134.
2021-01-17 12:51:08-05 MBP installd[735]: PackageKit: Cleared permissions on Installer.app
2021-01-17 12:51:08-05 MBP installd[735]: PackageKit: Install Failed: Error Domain=PKInstallErrorDomain Code=112 “An error occurred while running scripts from the package “DDJ-1000AudioDriver.pkg”.” UserInfo={NSFilePath=./postinstall, NSURL=file:///Volumes/DDJ-1000_M_1.1.0N/DDJ-1000AudioDriver.pkg#tmp.pkg, PKInstallPackageIdentifier=com.pioneerdj.DDJ-1000.pkg, NSLocalizedDescription=An error occurred while running scripts from the package “DDJ-1000AudioDriver.pkg”.} {
NSFilePath = “./postinstall”;
NSLocalizedDescription = “An error occurred while running scripts from the package \U201cDDJ-1000AudioDriver.pkg\U201d.”;
NSURL = “file:///Volumes/DDJ-1000_M_1.1.0N/DDJ-1000AudioDriver.pkg#tmp.pkg”;
PKInstallPackageIdentifier = “com.pioneerdj.DDJ-1000.pkg”;
}
2021-01-17 12:51:08-05 MBP installd[735]: PackageKit: Running idle tasks
2021-01-17 12:51:08-05 MBP Installer[1134]: install:didFailWithError:Error Domain=PKInstallErrorDomain Code=112 “An error occurred while running scripts from the package “DDJ-1000AudioDriver.pkg”.” UserInfo={NSFilePath=./postinstall, NSURL=file:///Volumes/DDJ-1000_M_1.1.0N/DDJ-1000AudioDriver.pkg#tmp.pkg, PKInstallPackageIdentifier=com.pioneerdj.DDJ-1000.pkg, NSLocalizedDescription=An error occurred while running scripts from the package “DDJ-1000AudioDriver.pkg”.}
2021-01-17 12:51:08-05 MBP installd[735]: PackageKit: Removing client PKInstallDaemonClient pid=1134, uid=502 (/System/Library/CoreServices/Installer.app/Contents/MacOS/Installer)
2021-01-17 12:51:08-05 MBP installd[735]: PackageKit: Done with sandbox removals
2021-01-17 12:51:09-05 MBP Installer[1134]: Install failed: The Installer encountered an error that caused the installation to fail. Contact the software manufacturer for assistance.

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DDJ-1000:

Product ID: 0x0020
Vendor ID: 0x2b73
Version: 1.07
Speed: Up to 480 Mb/s
Manufacturer: Pioneer DJ Corporation
Location ID: 0x00142000 / 6
Current Available (mA): 500
Current Required (mA): 0
Extra Operating Current (mA): 0