The purpose of this topic is by no means offensive, I just want to hear some opinions other than mine.
I really do not understand some questions about DenonDJ product strategy. In my opinion, DenonDJ would be the number one in the industry, if they focus all the development efforts in improving some essential (and most asked by the users) features, like:
Serious improvement of Library management software (Engine Prime).
Elastic beatgrid editing (a must in any DJ system, come on, its 2020!).
Adding or working on the most desired feature requests proposed by the users.
I am not saying that these points are not being developed, but I am just seeing that DenonDJ focus a significant amount of its efforts to things that nobody was asking or complained about.
For example:
During the last months, DenonDJ dedicated most of its efforts to release the SC6000 and X1850 (why? The potential of the SC5000 and X1800 was already great) nobody was asking for upgraded components or bigger screens --which of course are welcome–, but the efforts could be used much wiser than this! Give the SC5000 beatgrid editing and more features, and you will sell thousands! And the users will be muuch more in love with them! Was the development of the SC6000 and the X1850 so necessary?
Another example:
In these last days, we have seen a firmware upgrade of the X1800 (Nice!). However, I don’t understand why DenonDJ is consuming so much time and efforts in modifying effects that nobody had complained about!
The list of improvements/changes like this is impressive, here are some points:
Changed REVERB FX early delay time
Improved fader response when moving the fader slowly
Improved GATE FX
Improved ECHO FX
Improved PHASER FX
Improved REVERB FX
Improved HALLECHO FX
Changed PHASER maximum dry-wet level
Changed FLANGER maximum dry-wet level
Changed FX Frequency routing for ECHO/REVERB/HALLECHO from pre to post
Changed FX Frequency cutoff frequency from 60Hz/16KHz to 80Hz/10kHz
Changed FX Frequency dry-wet curve
Changed BIT CRUSH FX default bit depth to 16bit
Changed Cue Solo mode to immediately take effect when selecting OFF/ON
Adjusted FX Limiter threshold
Ignored FX Limiter input less than 0dB
Adjusted FX Limiter release rate to be faster
Reduced FILTER BPM FX resonance
Removed Auto Screen Saver on/off menu from Utility (now automatic)
Improved DUB ECHO and GATE FX DSP performance to support 96kHz
Improved DUB ECHO FX and FX Limiter DSP performance to support 96kHz
Removed REVERB FX in 96khz
What I am asking is: Is it worth so much work, that could be used instead in more essential features? Wouldn’t be much positive for the company to focus all the efforts in solving/improving the essential or most wanted features (like the 3 points that I stated at the begining of this post)?
It’s just my opinion, I am so confused about DenonDJ strategy
Am I the only one that thinks like this?
I have an old reply of my own on another topic that I had to think about when I read this topic. I will not re-write the whole story and certainly not everything from that reply links to your post but it is linked below and although it is a big reading assignment, it is a different opinion
I think it’s easy for some people to get confused between zee “nobody asked for” or “nobody complained about” with “i didn’t ask for” or “I didn’t complain about”. I get confused with that distinction sometimes and a lot of people I know do too.
I know that in the last few months that I’ve been here, quite a few people have asked for the existing effects to be improved. I think from your couple of videos you mainly go with rapid hot cue whack-a-Mole stylee, rather than fx, so this latest firmware held nothing for you. Easy to get into a “denon aren’t listening” pocket there.
We’ve been told repeatedly that denon ARE working on bpm calcing, beatgrids etc both in the windows/Mac engine prime and in the firmware in the models. It’s easy to look at a swan seemingly drifting along a slow lazy river, not seeing or realising that the swans feet are going like the Looney Tunes Roadrunner under the impenetrable cover of the water. Denon have their own impenetrable cover ; its the phrases “just around the corner” and “coming soon”. Denon has also confirmed they had formed a specialist team in either South Africa or New Zealand who were doing nothing but focus on those points.
It’s easy to miss also that the amount of research put into, or wasted, on the SC6000 is, to coin a phrase “not a lot”. Do you have to change your blu-ray player when you buy a bigger TV? Of course not. So a bigger touch screen might have delayed the morning coffee break one rainy Tuesday morning, in south Zealand but not by many minutes.
Besides, we’ve been told that engine OS in the primes is consistent across models, so any research spent on firmware in a 6000 will be “just around the corner” for all other primes. Yeah that corner makes the planet Saturn look small and indeed when the “coming soon” things do make it around that bloody long corner, perhaps Neil Armstrong should be brought in to days a few words about small steps and giant leaps around corners, but We’ve been told what happens to one prime gets added to all , so again, no research is wasted
Denon DJ has their own strategy and product was launched with input from a focus groups. (My guess)
From the product I saw at launch, I will query the selection criteria of these focus groups. How did they actually sign off on that?
Laidback Luke and Zardonic are not representative of any working DJ I know.
They should have pulled samples from every category of DJs or just buy data from all the Digital DJ Tips survey.
There was a robust dj apps and solutions market - these were not meh products but solutions that were being used in mission critical situations eg From a couples first dance, to a cake throwing stage synchronized with flame throwing technology.
I still can’t believe that EP was launched as it was back then and I actually paid my money to help improve the product.
On the flip, we could all be wrong and maybe that was also strategic as well, a new formula, a new approach to marketing.
Give them a BMW M5 but with 4 gears, no wiper fluid, no reverse gear, SW Radio
You know you are sitting on 700 horses but you are only able to use 100horses for now
If it is I hope someone is getting a PhD whilst we are at it.
Users feedback is helping to shape the product. Post marketing research.
As they work on 1 they bring some 2 in.
Whilst I’m happy with progress being made, I think the real rewards will be obvious when Engine Prime gets to version 2 (ground up rewrite). I see odd things that continue to carry on between versions which if it was possible to fix they would have.
Engine OS is fantastic! Period! If they don’t add anything more to it today it’s already impressive.
What videos? I don’t remember to have sent any videos… Anynway, Yes I use a lot the hotcues and I also use a lot of external fx (specially echo-hold, modifying the echo tail) and that’s why I use a pioneer rmx 1000 linked to a pioneer EFX1000 connected to the send-return.
I am not in this pocket! I welcome all the upgrades that DenonDJ is offering to us, I do think that DenonDJ listens to its customers.
Yeah, but I have been hearing this for 3 years now. It’s 2020, and it’s surprising that we can’t edit beatgrids in one of the best DJ systems in the market.
I never said that, I just said that it could be focused in more essential features in my opinion.
Again, this post is not about complaining, it’s about expressing my confusion.
I’ve got some of that too. Sorry dude, my bad, I think your forum name is similar to a forum member who’s submitted some videos of Kinda playing “flight of the bumble bee” using hot pads - that’s what and who my whack-a-mole comment was bassed on.
It seems that neither you nor I are confused about how painfully slow these software and firmware updates are though.
I’m not surprised reading about people selling their primes due to the unacceptable delays in delivering on, what are still, broken promises and that nasty taste of being “managed” rather than being treated as customers. I’m not referring to the early jumpers, the ones who say that they bought a prime yesterday and lost both testicles in astonishment when they found out that it doesn’t do things that it never said it could (like mic to headphones for radio DJs, or rather internet radio DJs, or copying from usb stick to stick, or not playing 4K HD video in the jog wheel displays Etc). I mean the long waiting “Primers” that bought their kits a third of a decade ago and are still waiting for “coming soon” to just mucking well come, and for that corner to be “rounded”
Am I the only one that thinks like this?
and I also use a lot of external fx (specially echo-hold, modifying the echo tail) and that’s why I use a pioneer rmx 1000 linked to a pioneer EFX1000 connected to the send-return.