New to the forum. Many years ago, early 90’s I was mostly a bedroom house and occasional club / party DJ. Had 1210’s and all the rest of it but regretfully sold them in 2006 and the vinyl when I moved to Australia. I still love the tunes and wotnot and purely for hobying and after something to play around with and put some mixes together. I don’t scratch so wondering if this will suite my needs. I may plug it in to some speakers some days, others just on my lap on the couch and occasional get it out when I throw a BBQ for a bit of fun. Was considering the Prime 2 but felt that might be a bit much for my needs and lacks the portability. I hear it has no split-cue? Does that mean you can hear a track you’re fixing in when just mixing through headphone and no speakers? I’ve also been looking at all in ones, not too fussed on being able to use software etc on a laptop but may learn over time. Just purely have a mix about… so will it suit my needs? Cheers
Now that was one long message to read … But the Prime 2 do have Split Cue…
Size-wise I dont think the Prime 2 is that big - its still handy and portable. If you just intend to continue on the hobbyist-level/ bedroom dj but play at some occasional parties, the Prime Go is cool, but I would still go with the Prime 2.
I like the idea of the Go, but it just doesnt fit my personal needs. (simply to “small”)
If I buy one, one day, it will be functioning as a “prepping-station” at home.
There is no Split Cue on the Go atm (I dont know if it will be possible to add in a firmware update, so it will be controlled from the screen) but you can still listen to the track that is being played on the Master output and the tnext track.
On the front of the Go you have 3 knobs:
Cue Mix (selected Cue/ channel vs. Master)
Headphone Level
AUX level
But number 1. will atm be in Stereo, so you wont have Master in one side and the selected cue in the other… they will play on top of eachother - but you can adjust which will be loudest in the headphones.
Hi, just like you, I’ve been between the Prime Go and the Prime 2. I already purchased the Prime Go and have had it for a little under a month. Coming from big controllers like the Traktor Kontrol S4 and other decks/mixers/DJ coffins, etc. previous years, the Prime Go is a welcome change from always having to lug tons of things around like a laptop or always having to have a power supply nearby.
I was considering the Prime 2 solely for the following reasons: two FX banks (prime Go only lets you use one FX but can use it with both track 1 & track 2 simultaneously); you can see the individual volumes of each track + master (can only see the master volume on the Prime Go); and certain positions of things like headphone volume adjust, etc. Things like the horizontal EQs and the small platters don’t really bother me because you get used to the EQs fairly quickly and I only use the platters for beatmatching… which it works plenty fine for.
I ultimately decided for sticking with the Prime Go because it truly is basically the same as the Prime 2, just cheaper (you can get the Prime 4 used for the same price as Prime 2 on ebay), and way more portable. If you’re like me, a hobbiest who just wants to have a dependable and convenient setup to mix some tunes but with a unit that is powerful enough if I have to play anywhere/anytime (Prime Go has great ports for this), then you can’t go wrong with the Prime Go. Sure, it’s easy to miss little things like those I mentioned above, but is it really worth the extra money, extra weight (almost double), and extra size (only 3 inches smaller than the massive Prime 4)? To me, it is not but I understand why it might be for some people who will make more of a living with this equipment.
I can’t emphasize enough how powerful the Prime Go is. I mean, while it’s definitely small (but not abnormally small that it feels like a toy), this thing is $1,000 and comes with nearly all the software features as its bigger, heavier, more expensive, and “more professional” siblings. Understandably, it gets some flak because of its size but, to me, it’s just as good and definitely good enough for me.
I’ll go and look at the Prime 2 but I think I’ll wait for the Prime Go as I want it as a sit on the lap mix some tune scenario. Nothing more than that at this stage and the occasional mix in the house if we throw a party! No Prime Go’s in Australia yet due to Covid so will have to wait till July/August.
Me own take on this is that the prime Go has a lot of features, probably about the same numbers of features as any non-prime smart console / stand alone all-in-one combined mixer with decks model.
The prime Go though doesn’t has as many features as the prime 2 or prime 4 or, of course, the prime SC and x ranges.
The Go has one unique selling point - it’s battery powered for about 4 hours. So if you’re the sort of DJ who prepares and practices their sets, rather than letting the computer do it all for you while flying by the seat of your pants but a lot of your possible practice times are in places where there’s no power and limited space then the Go might be THE only device that ticks all your boxes. Like if you’ ve got a free period at College/Uni on the campus grasses area, or an hours lunch break at work, or a couple of hours commute each day - Go could be your answer for how to get 28 hours of (extra) practice in each week, that would’ve been lost practice opportunities with any mains powered kit.
That said, have a think about your own DJing Style and your fav functions and features. Do both the prime go and the prime 2 have all the features you need for your existing performances - which offer more potential with features you may want to explore in the future.
A slightly cynical view I have is that, I feel, as my own opinion, that a lot of the price of the prime Go probably went toward its battery, charging system and designing a lot of its core components to run on battery - like for $1000 bucks was $500 going to the battery/portability side of the product and then I’m only buying a piece of DJ equipment of $500 actual value to me. I mean if there was a Prime Stay (if you get my drift) that was like a Prime Go but with only a mains power plug would it be $500
So for that thought, I’d say that if you were only ever going to be near power whenever you were going to DJ or practice, then maybe the GO isn’t your ideal choice, and that you’d probably get more creativity potential from the Prime mains powered range.
… But the Prime 2 do have Split Cue…