I am new here and will spend some time going through these forums but hoping to get some quick info as I plan on ordering the Prime 4 tomorrow.
I have used everything from Denon controllers, Pioneer Nexus CDJ’s & Mixers to DDJ 1000 controller. I want a stand-alone and seems like the Prime 4 is the winner on paper.
I understand everything has its shortcomings and seems engine has issues reading BPM but are you happy with your Denon Prime 4?
Thanks
Oh, of course - i‘m very happy about my P4. It‘s a Great toy and with the Beta Software for using the streaming service- very very cool. Try it
Regards from Germany
I’m quite happy with the hardware and firmware and the software running on the unit itself. On the other hand, Engine Prime, which runs on your PC or Mac and is needed to organize your music library, pre-analyse songs and transfer your library to the unit, is definitely not ready for PRIME time.
I went from a ddj sx to the prime 4 and the sound quality is better then the pioneer tour equipment and the build quality is better then pioneer it’s Denon for me all the way.
It’s a great product that undoubtedly needs work. The unit has a convenience aspect that is unmatched by anything. We asked to ditch the computer and Denon listened but, Serato and Virtual Dj are most popular for reasons that can’t be ignored. A great coach doesn’t have ideas of his own, he is just really good at stealing other people’s. Denon needs to look at the features on these two programs and add them. Example: a clock. I love playing as much as the next guy but when the time is up then the gig is over. Where’s the clock? Don’t tell me to look at my cellphone. I want a clock on the screen of the unit.
Buying a prime 4 is a no brainier. For what it does, it’s surprisingly cheap, (cheap enough for a €10 wristwatch to be afforded ;-)).
Engine Prime and the Engine algorithm inside the Prime range gives the right BPM for about 90 percent of tracks, unless you still like Drum n bass, in which case it’s right about 10% of the time. The beat grid and first up/down beat detection is off too, partly because of the bpm detection being off but partly cause of varying bpms like old 70s human drummers and help-a-mix transition tracks.
Denon DJ have told us, for over three years, that they’re working on it, and have told us for over three years that it’s “soon” and have told us in the last few months that it’s just “around the corner”. I wonder when “around the corner” turns into “it’s really so close” and which year all of those phrases turn into decent firmware inside our units.
But even in its “close to right bpm” state of firmware, the prime 4 is probably the best play back solution out there now, ditch the laptop
The prime 4 is future proof unlike the pioneer what is using outdated hardware and software I used pioneer for 5 years it was ok but denon is better built and sounding
Deciding on whether to buy pioneer or Denon DJ gear is like wondering whether to buy roller skates or a car. Denon wins every time, especially since pioneer DJ got sold over to yet another asset-stripping holding company a couple of months back.
I expect that we’ll see releases of anything that pioneer might have had already in the works, probably just another midi controller, yawn! But then nothing new. They’ll fade away
[quote=“kradcliffe, post:9, topic:16393”] I doubt that very much [/quote]its sorta like that already.
Pioneer haven’t come up with anything pioneering for years. They hint at some great new product coming out and it launches, only to be just another midi controller. They’re getting to be like a qwerty keyboard maker > the overall shape and size is going to change a little, but it’s just going to be all the same buttons.
Let’s not forget there overpriced on there gear an using same old technology.