It’s actually really sad how Denon DESTROYS Pioneer gear in every single way, but people still choose outdated, overpriced gear like the XDJ RX2 simply because Pioneer is “club standard”. CMON people we have to break this monopoly position of Pioneer so that they are forced to innovate and lower their ridiculous prices. Well done Denon, I’m leaving Pioneer behind and gonna buy the Prime 4 tomorrow. R.I.P. Pioneer
@@hollywoodthedj1673 the dealbreaker for me is the tiny jogwheels. I really think denon dropped the ball completely. Way too easy for pioneer to just slab on a pair of 7" jogwheels and then outpeform the denon system.
Yes youre right. This Prime 4 gear has everything I ever wanted to have on my DJ controller / standalone all-in-one gear. No doubt. I would buy it tomorrow. Yet I am still hesitating. Why? ... well I simply would like to have the same logic and workflow in my hands and habit of my workflow routine when I am not using my controller on stage but using the Pioneer players in a club or stage. Otherwise, I could not find one thing that's bad on PRIME 4 since it has more of features than I would probably ever need. Except that, Denon has a bad policy and conditions for local distributors in Europe for example. For example, in my country, they even do not exist as a distributor and after talking with some Pioneer distributors they explained that the volume of sales in units per year, makes Denon standing so small in comparison with high volume orders of Pioneer equipment. So when distributors who live from sales f music gear, are choosing a brand that makes money ... then it is clearly Pioneer. I am ecen not able to try this PRIME 4 device to get a feeling under my hands and make the decision to buy. Denon has to make better channel management and distributor deals to make this great gear stand out and make any difference on the market. Otherwise, Pioneer will stay the leader. No doubt.
I started DJing in1987 with my first Technics SL1210s. I’m now looking on RU-vid researching equipment for my son, I’ve been out of the game since 1992, and my god, how things have moved on. No limits, really excellent video review.
What an excellent review probably the only one I’ve ever completely watched start to finish. Topped only by a wicked track selection, hats off to you sir!
Only one con. The top of the screen should be flushed in with the rest of the unit. Otherwise this is a forever unit. A unit that doesn’t need replacing for years to come.
Hey Phil! You've probably seen my comments here'n' there by now, and by heart I'm a digital Hardware DJ. Being a full time Dj at 50, 35 years in the mirror, seen and used pretty much every common player that's ever entered a DJ booth. More important, I've used and owned at least one model of every generation from Pioneer since 1994 till now, and probably will until the very end. BUT, very big BUT, this week I finally decided to let one of my younger DJ fellows buy my two CDJ-2000 Nexus, switching those for the Prime 4. Since I got the NXS2 setup, the Nexus's have been my gear to bring when needed. Still working perfect after 6 years of use, but as they are modular, when a mixer is coming along, three heavy cases to carry is not fun when there's a bit of a walk to the venue from where I can park my car. I've been looking at the Pioneer all-in-one units, but nah, after playing on them they just don't feel right for me, nor does the price. But, the Prime 4 has everything I will ever need, and I don't even think it's gonna be too nerdy. Stuff like the pads will not be my thing, or maybe a couple of hot cues at most. The loop knob will do. My head can't remember what a blank pad does in heat of a gig. I need numbers written on them so I know what will happen. I prefer the search instead of beat jump, and that can be the preferred setting if i want to in the settings. The option to have a built in SSD is great, and to be able to update the music directly from my computer is just cream on top of everything else. I'm using folders on my computer which I just import as playlists. All changes and updates are done in my folders, which I then just re-import to rekordbox. This also means that everything I need to do is to import the same folders to Engine Prime and the job is done. I've tested my SSD's with 14 000 RB analyzed tracks on the SC5000 and it works, but not as good as when the music is analyzed properly in Engine Prime. Very little extra work on a proper workstation. Drag'n'drop and play a game... Using SSD's makes exporting even a big library of music a question of minutes. The one really bad thing, in my opinion, is the vertical wave forms. I just can't get my head around it, but for a while, the locked smaller wave forms will do and I'll just cover that part of the screen where things move in the wrong direction. Denon NEED to adress that quickly. One little thing that I'd really like, is if they added the choice to use RGB wave forms. I've kinda gotten used to that. The one thing that they did change to make me not think twice, is the fact that they skipped the mirrored layout which they use on all previous controllers, including the mcx8000. Many of us old dogs just can't adapt to too many changes that is not just optional. Now, I'm off to play on a 11 day cruise, and soon I hope there's a package waiting for me. Maybe I'll write something from a genuin Pioneer gear heads point of view after a few weeks with the Prime 4.
Hi Peter! Thanks for the thoughtful comment. "I need numbers written on them so I know what will happen." - One thing you can do is colour code them (hot cues) - Laidback Luke, for instance, uses different colours on his Denon set-up for different types of cue. I'd love you to work with us on a "Prime 4 from a Pioneer user's perspective" piece - drop us an email FAO me if you're interested in doing that (info AT digitaldjtips.com). Cheers - and enjoy your cruise!
4 DECKS MIX - Denon DJ Prime 4 This is what I thought about and wanted the most. There is no need to carry many accessories. We look like we are very professional.
You cannot rely on the Prime 4. Don't buy. I purchased one for my neighbor ordered on January 23, 2021. He is a high end DJ that lost everything due to a stroke. He has practiced and is great. He is working on videos to post on RU-vid and getting gigs in Asheville and his cross fader is sticking and the left start/stop button stopped working. I don't recommend this since its supposed to be for professional DJs. You cannot rely on it. He spelled Larry Levan (1986-1991) of the famous Paradise Garage in New York. Larry was his mentor. He is planning to do a memorial to Larry Levan in Asheville, NC clubs, etc. and post a memorial video on RU-vid AND the left start/stop button?
Another fantastic review by Phil, thank you Phil -you deserve all our support. One thing that annoys me with my Pioneer RX2 is that I cannot pre-listen tracks, that's why I'm thinking to switch. Can you do so with The Prime 4?
at least and standalone controller. Actually there was one before: a super oem machine , the amreican audio versadeck. Nowadays the only company who still made this amazing machine is SYNQ
Just looking at this controller made me realize that the bpm fader isnt placed very well. Another downside is that you gonna look like shrek behind the wheels of the prime 4.
Being in the business for as long as I have been, software releases and intent to “better the software” is exactly what it is until it’s released......vaporware
Except denon have come thru with all their updates. The even 'Primed' the mcx8000 (which made me cum in my pants.... My software made my hardware even better so.....) I believe they will stay on top of this!
41:09 808 State x Carly Rae? That's a wild mix, haha. BTW, love the idea bc I had to buy a whole new laptop when I ran Serato, when it would randomly crash on my old laptop. Only thing I wish it had was a way to import VST effects like Virtual DJ can do.
I had a chance to play with the unit last week. It is simply amazing. Only gripe is instant doubles were laggy and jog wheels not having tension adjust was a mistake.
Hey Phil great review. This review was done April 2019...has Denon updated at all as we start approaching 2022 with some of those pieces you were speaking of? I currently run the 1850X Prime as a DVS deck...i was thinking of trading it in for the controller and finally saying goodbye to vinyl. Use serato currently. Have they made many of the advances? I know you can do DVS with this thing by the looks of it...I think.
Pioneer better take note because Denon is truly innovating and listening to DJ needs. I will definitely be picking one up once the Serato version is released.
I’m still waiting for any of the makers of high level controllers to go back to mirrored decks. I like my pitch sliders on the outside edge of their respective sides. This remains to be the reason I’m sticking with a mid-level controller. I have yet to find a high-level controller that have mirrored decks with long pitch sliders.
Phil i happened upon this amazing equipment by accident. Thank you alot for the tutorial. I was basically doing a trial by error thing then my friend sent me your link. One word bro, awesome. Love ya in Chicago!!!
@charles wrigley I totally agree. I must say personally I'm not really into the 4-channel parts as I will rarely if ever, do a perfomance with all 4 decks at once so don't really need it, so always wished someone could do a serious 2 channel controller, use that extra up fader space to maybe make bigger jogs or something.
Because Denon Engine software does not import the bpm from Serato, Traktor or Recordbox, it reanalyzes it on each library and track import and often wrongly analyzes bpm. Check this technical article www.reddit.com/r/DenonPrime/comments/a5iade/full_explanation_how_beatgrids_bpms_and_keys_are/
A really good solid review guys well done! I think it's going to be a nightmare for all the technophobes out there, but still a pretty decent piece of hardware. Let's hope the Investment from Denon will improve the software significantly enough to compete in the market
There is definitely an element of that, but it is also 1. Universal (they're trying to make it work with anything) and 2. surprisingly easy to get the hang of considering.
I'm a bit of a technophobe but this sounds incredible. I'm making the transition from vinyl and watching many reviews. If I put the graft in and learn is it easy enough to get the hang of once I've Put the practice in like you would with anything new?
I have a question. How do we set que points where you can stop the track and ready up a que point and it not start playing when u hit it and continuous
Damn right, Voyage...is the only thing that makes me look at the other side of the fence.... the Pioneer S9 mixer, for example, over price. Two fucking channel mixer, unbelievable. I'm looking at the Denon 1850 mixer to complement my 1200's. I think that because of price, a lot of people buy the cheap Numark Scratch that does the same tricks, except the back spin...
I hope this gets WiFi for getting tracks on the fly. As a working DJ we get requests or we may want to get a song that we may not have. That is extremely useful!!
All good moving with the times. But I'm an old head and you can't beat digging through your crate of black crack and putting a 12" vinyl on your technics and reading your grooves on the record and hearing the snap crackle and Boom! But got to move with the times etc. just can't stand them guys or girls pressing the synchronization button and acting like there the dogs dangles like there Carl Cox etc 😅
Hi phil.I have downloaded engine dj on my laptop.When i put my usb stick in too analyse my tracks.I have 3500 tunes my stick but on the engine dj on the laptop it is only showing 105 tracks?
Great video. Really in depth. I'd be keen to find out more about it's integration with Traktor. For instance, how easy would it be to export your entire track collection and bring all your transients, beatgrids, cues, loops and track info across to make it literally a plug and play swap from one platform to another?
quick important question is this might be a deal-breaker for me. Does it have a dedicated click (metronome)I can send out to headphones. This would allow this to be used for the DJ using backing tracks to a band feeding it directly to the drummer. Otherwise it's back to Ableton live. Let me know thanks in advance.
So, we think Engine's beatgridding with non-fixed tempo is pretty good. We still think Serato's is the best, but this is much better than Traktor, for instance (which simply can't cope with tracks where the BPM varies a bit).
@@digitaldjtips Are you saying that it DOES have flexible beat grids built in? That was the only thing stopping me from buying it! Can you confirm please? Great review btw.
I would like to like know more about the beat grids too please Phil? From what I have read I think that at the moment the width between the grid markers are set. The over all grid can move position but can not adjust for different gaps with variable rhythm patterns such as in 70's disco. Not sure any software does that actually. I liked phase adjust with traktor to compensate for dodgy best grids on the fly. Not sure if there is a phase adjust on Prime 4? If anyone knows would be good thanks
We need to investigate further. Actually it may be that it is exactly as you say - fixed. In Serato and Rekordbox, you can adjust for small tempo variations - you can't in Traktor, just FYI.
I've been rocking a Numark Mixtrack 3 since I first started DJing two years ago. I've thought about getting a new controller for the past month or so, but then I saw this system, and started thinking about standalone systems. The Pioneer XDJ - RX2 looked nice, but this one is just so much better. I'm definitely want to get this for my hardware upgrade.
Ever since I started DJing I was always a Bedroom DJ, using a PC and monitor. I knew if I wanted to start doing gigs, I would need to buy a laptop. But, if I bought a laptop, I would literally only be using it for DJing, so it would be pretty much wasted. That got me thinking about standalone systems. But, I couldn't find a four channel one except for the Denon MCX8000. Then I saw your guys video of the Prime 4 at NAMM. It looked very interesting, but I wanted to wait until reviews came out before thinking about it. So, when this video came out, I saw what the system had to offer, and it's just everything. 4-channel 4 deck controller, all the FXs I could want, the on board hard drive space, the mic mixer, and the stunning touchscreen. It's just perfect. Plus the added feature for deck colors, and artwork in the middle of the platter is such a nice touch. Overall, it's definitely the best piece of DJ I've seen this year.
Quick tip for analyzing on Denon Prime 4. Most of us only use decks 1 and 2 for mixing, leaving decks 3 and 4 for other purposes and housekeeping (Analyzing). Use decks 3 and 4 to pre-load songs that haven't been analyzed. It seems because of the powerful CPU in the Prime 4, it can analyze songs simultaneously. This lets you analyze a crate full of songs by pre-loading them while your main songs are playing, edit beat grids, and other chores. Now they just need a BPM tap to correct songs that have been analyzed by Denon Engine prime incorrectly.
Wow Phil that was a massive review well done I notice that you didn't even really touch on the sound switch and stage linq Denon is about to be a real force to reckon with if people can get past there brand loyalty
I would really like to see how faders can/can not be replaced. Not just the Xf Typical inmusic fashion has been to rely on (poor) solder joints of the fader for mounting. I.e. the NS7. I REALLY hope they had a higher standard with the Denon line! If it is easy to replace faders....sold!
I just bought mine and was a little disappointed because you cant add samples to the pads nor play videos videos, other than that I like the fact that I dont need my computer to DJ. For $1,899 Dlls, Denon should of at least give us the ability to play videos too.
Mentioned this many years ago and now it become reality shame about video djing it could have been better to have video out to play video or can also be connected to run serato at least.
I heard the plastic suport of the play-pause/cue/sync button is very fragile and it's break so easy and because of it you can't play music, so you can't do nothing, i wish not to be true, what do you say about it? Other way, is a very smart and beautiful console and cheap too!
We've heard that too said about earlier units (although never experienced it personally), but you'd get a guarantee on a purchase, and presumably if it were an issue in the past, the company would take steps to ensure that on brand-new gear, it was improved. All we can say at this early stage is we didn't have any problems in our pretty extensive week of testing.
Denon prime 4 I think is a very bad choice. I got one on 1/26/2020 I will be returning it 2/3/2020.8 it has major Issues along with firmware 1.4.1 Denon dj has really dropped the ball on this unit and has tried to put one over on the average dj making them THINK that the unit would be a major game changer ( NEVER THAT MOVE .) it seems like they really didn’t pay attention to what the average DJ needs 1) only 1 fx bank ( not banks) 2) No sample banks 3 )LAPTOP NEEDED to run other dj programs that they have adopted to run on prime 4. #3 was a major gripe for me because, Denon dj adopted other DJ softwares to run on the prime 4 platform but didn’t make it compatible to run on there OS I mean.. this is what Denon dj was djpushing with this unit Right? ( no laptop needed) 4) Engine prime is one of the WORST analyze software ever id could ever run into never could actually get my music to load correctly on the player n play once in the prime unit it ( following the Denon step by step guides. Denon dj made this unit with noooo Concepts for the real working dj. Ohhh ... I almost forgot ..it did worked flawlessly with Serato dj ( but... I didn’t buy the prime to be a controller I bought it to be a standalone unit like it claimed to be! Sry Denon dj you was wayyyy out your league with this and RU-vidrs if you think I’m hating, go over to Denondj.com forum and see what other prime4 users have to say!
Fair enough, bad reviews such as yours as very few and far between to be fair to the Denon though of course your opinion is valid - hopefully you'll find something that suits
Hello do you think they will get Virtual DJ to be added to the system. I use VDJ in the past years, and I love using it very much. I have to start from the beginning.
How do you reduce font size on Denon prime 4 screen? Is there a shortcut or something? I’m referring on the library in the middle while playing... to se able to see more songs in smaller font size
Well, the company has invested heavily in a software team in New Zealand, not a million miles from another well-known DJ software company we know and love...
me and my friends run a youtube channel and dj and we don't know what our main controller should be what would you recommend or do you think the denon is for us, also i don't understand one of my FX on my dj control compact by hercules dj.
It's all great, nice and beautiful but I miss the CD slot ... I've been collecting CDs for so many years and then some weird policy of moving CD units from all the players starts .... So sad.. I think that i will stay for a long time on my DENON DN-S3700 with CD drive.....
Unfortunately..It was the same with the vinyl records .. And they survived ... And as Denon shuts down production of its DJ turntable VL12, Technics is experiencing the resurrection of its SL1200 legend...
If you're a college DJ you need this, the MCX8000, or any standalone DJ controller YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE DJING A HOUSE PARTY A WEEK BEFORE FINALS AND HAVE SOME DRUNK CHICK SPILL CORONA ON YOUR LAPTOP WITH YOUR 15 PAGE ESSAY SAVED ON YOUR LAPTOP FUCKING TRUST ME
Can’t make my mind up between this and the mc7000, prefer this one but I think I will always need my laptop, since I use VDJ, i primarily do videos, I think this can not, also no karaoke... hmm thinking hard, wish VDJ can run on the screen. About to ask VDJ support if that is possible. Thanks for your review.
ok Denon... your individual controllers have motorized platters... Rane just came out with motorised platters for their system... It is too much to ask for a Prime 4M?????
Thank’s a lot for this review, i was in long way to choose from pioneer rx2 or denon dj prime 4, and now i can say this piece of hardware is amazing, and you helped me to decide, just ordered prime 4 and can’t wait to get my hands on it, thank’u
1. Does it connect to WiFi so can stream like you do with Virtual DJ 8 ? 2. Does the search facility pick up any song from your library as long as it is there ? 3. Does the software save your analysed songs and recognises it next time you load up ?
How's the sound quality? How does it compare to other controllers out there? We recently replaced 2 CDJ's & a Rane 68 with SZ2 in one of our small rooms at the club. The first thing I noticed and quickly hated is that the SZ2 sounds like crap compared to a 68. I know they're two different animals but the SZ2 really lacks bass, it sounds hollow and it's not as loud on our venue. It's very easy to readline. I'm afraid of the same thing happening with the Prime 4. :(
God help you if your screen breaks or stops working as you'll be screwed. 10 inch laptops would be called silly to use but everyone has a crush on this in majority part because of a relatively small screen. Prime is still a severely crippled program. I had the 5000/1800 system but it was unreliable with random lock up issues so I'll wait to see what real use shows after 6 months, sound card is not great either. Time will tell.
WOw!! This is simply INSANE!! Great job on the review! I came on here after the Pioneer XDJ-XZ which does not even come close to this unit! How is the soundcard of this unit!? Is it as effective the Pioneer? Or better?
Thanks! The info on the soundcard in the XZ isn't available unfortunately, we'll be doing a comparison before long so look out for that as it's going to take a video to really get into the nuts and bolts :)
Is this better than an S2 controller? It would save me buying an additonal laptop getting this. Im a beginner. Does it not use a software then like traktor or reckordbox? And how do you get your tracks on it? Im guessing you have to use a laptop to download the track then get it on the memory stick to put on here ?
Thank you. I just purchased this on new years eve and i been looking at reviews and tutorials and you are the only one that has covered everything and then some
The only drawback of this unit is that you can't use more than one effect at the same time. that said, this is the best piece of DJ equipment made in recent times. Thumbs up to Denon and of course to you, Phil for this comprehensive review.
Denon SC5000 and X1800 (which are flagships, right ?) did not make sucess and time showed that they are not even near Pioneer. I don't understand why anyone would be excited about this controller..., Buy yourself used Pioneer controller if you can't afford CDJs, get quality and reliable product and most important - be prepared for what you will find in any DJ booth of any club...and that's not Denon.
Heheh funny I have not DJ'd in the last 4 years and remember reviews on DJ controllers from then and the same question was asked " is this the end of laptop DJing "
Can the zone out be used for a drum machine or fx units instead of playing different music in a second location?would be a big deal to have an option for that.
In theory it could if you plugged that in as a line input on Channel 4 - but why would you want to do that? It is designed to play music in a different room.
Ah see what you're saying. You can probably run through USB, yes but while the Zone out is assignable to a channel, it's a bit more limited than a traditional send/return regarding routing (ie you'd have to feed it back into a different channel).
Hats off to you Denon! This unit is killer. So many great features and easily the best mobile dj unit available. I've always used Pioneer but this makes me want to make the switch!
