Denon Prime 4 - All Details of Denon's New 4-Deck Standalone DJ Controller
Denon DJ has just announced Prime 4, a standalone DJ rig featuring four internal decks, a large tiltable 10-inch touchscreen, integrated hard drive, a second "zone" of audio outputs, and many other features. Learn all about the new Denon Prime 4 Controller in this article.
- Controller: Prime 4
- Manufacturer: Denon DJ
- Price: €1,699
- Availability: April 2019
DJs have long awaited a DJ controller with 4 decks and standalone operation. We constantly hear from customers desiring a standalone S4 with built-in Traktor or an XDJ-RX with 4 decks. Yes, the old MCX8000 had four channels, but it could only play two decks with tracks.
The new Prime 4 combines the best features of the digital Prime ecosystem from the Denon SC5000 into an all-in-one package. But there are also some industry firsts that the controller has to offer - and until Pioneer DJ or another manufacturer strikes back, the new Prime 4 controller is unparalleled in what it offers for the price.
Below are the key features and new functions:
Engine Prime on the SC5000s is pretty solid these days, running on two audio layers per player. The Prime 4 has four decks for playing audio through the integrated software. We don't know too much yet about how the software operates, but here's what we know so far:
Four Deck Engine Prime DJ Software
- Four vertically arranged decks with a library area in the middle
- Key sync - i.e., one can quickly synchronize songs via pitch shifting (a feature we've seen in Virtual DJ, Serato DJ, but never on a standalone device).
- Lossless file support (FLAC, ALAC, and WAV)
- Support for USB keyboards for easy searching
- StagelinQ compatible (for lighting or visualization integration)
Tiltable 10-Inch Touchscreen
It's a multi-touch screen, meaning one can use many of the same gesture controls as on the SC5000s - press to zoom, drag tracks onto decks, quickly scroll through tracks. This is a welcome change from the XDJ-RX2, which has a touchscreen but seems not to be usable for most types of control.
In addition to the large 10-inch display - necessary also to display all 4 tracks and information - the display can be tilted like an MPC X to find its ideal viewing angle.
"Dual Zone" Audio Output
The possibility to send a deck to a second set of XLR outputs on the back of the unit is a bit unusual but offers flexibility, especially for mobile DJs.
Based on the press release and the controls of the unit, it seems one could send one of the four decks to the Zone Out XLRs and set the playlist to play on this second channel. Note the "Zone Channel Assign" button in the top right on the Prime 4.
4 USB Ports, SD Slot, and 2.5 SATA Drive Bay
The SC5000s were already impressive, but the Prime 4 offers even more options for storing your music.
- 2 USB ports on the top
- 1 SD card slot on the top
- 2 additional USB ports on the back
- a 2.5" SATA drive bay to store music on a hard drive
One more thing: you can press Record and start recording a mix onto one of the connected drives or cards. Again here, Pioneer DJ severely limited DJs on XDJ-RX/2 devices by allowing only one of their two USB slots to be used as a Record Out slot.
Sweep FX and Dual Beat FX Effect Units
The offered Sweep FX are Filter, Echo, Wash, and Noise - all very useful effects. It's worth noting there's no parameter control for these, meaning the resonance of these effects during operation might not be easily controllable.
The Beat FX represent a departure from the traditional model in terms of workflow. There are two FX units, one per deck, assigned to buttons on each channel strip. Here you have four encoders for each unit available, each with buttons underneath for additional control, and small displays above showing what you're controlling.
- FX Select - to choose the effect used
- FX Parameter - to optimize a key parameter of the effect
- FX Frequency - to apply the effect to specific frequencies of the audio
- FX Wet/Dry
Performance Pads
These are a must-have for a new controller in 2019, of course. No major surprises expected here. The following performance modes are available:
- Hot Cues
- Loop and Autoloop
- Roll
- Slicer & Slicer Loop
Additional Features and Rumors
- Four assignable input channels for other audio sources
- 6-inch jog wheels with On-Jog Display to show album covers
- 2 XLR inputs for microphones
- Contour control of the crossfader curve
- Fader Start
- Onboard track analysis - and according to the video, the Rekordbox import functionality introduced on the SC5000 will be present here.
The Denon Prime 4 is expected to be available in March 2019 at a price of €1699, certainly aiming at Pioneer DJ's XDJ-RX2, currently available at the same MSRP.
If the unit delivers what the feature set promises, the controller is a very compelling choice for DJs looking for a solid standalone setup with 4 decks.