New Denon Controller/Mixers

To many ads? Support ODJT and see no ads!

steve149

Shine on you crazy diamond
Staff member
Sep 26, 2011
28,175
45,944
Connecticut
Prime Go (looks to maybe be rack-mountable ???)

Release Date: Late Q1, 2020
Price: $999

And the feature set is impressive. The entire thing runs off a lithium-ion battery rated for 4 hours of use. You don’t need a computer, it effectively is a computer. You can load tracks from TIDAL (and soon, Beatport/Beatportal/Soundcloud) over the built-in Wi-Fi. It can analyze BPM and key of tracks onboard, and can read and process Rekordbox collections (playlists, cues, etc). Here’s the complete list of features:

  • 7-inch HD touchscreen with gesture control
  • Rechargeable lithium-ion battery for up to 4 hours of use
  • Built-in Wi-Fi and wired internet connections (allows for music streaming)
  • Dual bank performance pads for hot cues, loops, roll
  • RCA aux input
  • (2) dedicated XLR (¼” combo) mic inputs with EQ/Level/talkover
  • Capacitive-touch jog wheels
  • Internal music analysis
  • Standalone Track Preview (listen to tracks without loading them to a deck)
  • Assignable FX module, 3-Band EQ and Filter/Sweep FX
  • USB and SD media source input
There are some unusual design decisions on the unit that some DJs will like, and others will question – for instance, the horizontal EQs are incredibly non-traditional. Similar are the performance pads, which are above the jog wheels (the last time we saw this arrangement was probably the Vestax VCI-380). But these layout quirks are incredibly secondary to what the unit is: a completely wireless standalone DJ solution that requires no power.

I’ve had a quick mix on the Prime Go, and the use cases immediately spring to mind: taking your DJ sets to the beach, a day hike, or any place without reliable power sources. Pair this unit up with a battery powered PA system and you’ve got an off-the-grid, renegade-ready setup – no generators or deep-cycle batteries required.



1578936304024.png

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=229&v=dMQb0GShVaQ&feature=emb_logo

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc06pvSOs90



Also, there will be a Prime 2 .. 2 channel version of the Prime 4 at $1399

1578936692063.png
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Andy A and ittigger
Really interesting where they are starting to go...

I kind of love that as a backup system and for ceremonies. But it's a bit pricey for that purpose.
 
Really interesting where they are starting to go...

I kind of love that as a backup system and for ceremonies. But it's a bit pricey for that purpose.
I agree .. $699 is a more appropriate price point.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ittigger
Denon is killing it for NAMM.... i fully agree about the prime go being ideal for Ceremony and backup....especially with the battery power....

Honestly ...that engine software is so powerful....im actually ok with the price... with this in the arsenal as a backup for my main stand alone player....if i were a laptop dj...that laptop would gone.

ive heard the software can accept rekordbox organization and playlists... but im not sure...id love to pop my thumbdrive in one and see how it reads it before purchasing.

cc
 
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"Standalone Track Preview (listen to tracks without loading them to a deck)"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Makes you wonder when Serato is going to wake up
 
This is cool, but it's one more thing to maintain... not only do you need to keep it charged, there's the software component of it. Looks simple, but it's not practical unless you plan to make it your main system controller. I could see a use for it as a controller for cocktail hour, but cocktail hours in my area are usually out on a patio somewhere and the music at that point is so far in the background that running a playlist is the preferred thing to do unless you have someone who can play an instrument.
 
This is cool, but it's one more thing to maintain... not only do you need to keep it charged, there's the software component of it.

it plugs in... the battery option is simply a bonus...

the software is beyond simple...

cc
 
  • Like
Reactions: ittigger
We'll see when the full specs become available. For me, it would need to also work with a laptop AND take additional inputs (right now, phone with Spotify .. occasional CD). It looks very promising.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ittigger
it plugs in... the battery option is simply a bonus...

...until it isn't. Having learned my lesson with the Bose S1 Pro (which manages to drain its own battery even when it's not being used), I'm just not confident. As for music, I already download it using my laptop, so having to transfer it to something else in order to play it with this controller is an extra step. I understand that I could stream it from somewhere, but no service has the full assortment of tunes that I do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ittigger
The challenge is for about $299, I can have a much more portable player with a larger touch screen, much longer battery life, more storage, Has WiFi and Bluetooth.
And that $299 device can do a lot more things.

Not saying the Denon go isn't cool and can certainly do something things the iPad can't, but I think my ipads will get a lot more use for a lot less money.
 
I just talked to Joe at KPODJ and their VIP price for that controller is $870.. My partner was thinking of getting one.
 
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"Standalone Track Preview (listen to tracks without loading them to a deck)"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Makes you wonder when Serato is going to wake up

You're still the only DJ I've ever heard ask for this. I just don't think it's a loud enough group for them to be worried about it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jaswrx and ittigger
What problems does this unit solve for a mobile DJ that previous equipment/controller/laptop/ipad set ups already solve?

I believe clients won't care what our expense is on equipment. What has been working the last 5, or even 10 years will work in the coming years. As long as what you use is not broke, and works well, why spend more money on new toys?
 
You're still the only DJ I've ever heard ask for this.
Then why would Denon (and virtually every other DJ software company sans Serato) INCLUDE this is if no one uses it? Just for the heck of it??

I just don't think it's a loud enough group for them to be worried about it.
I'm sure you're correct - which is why I mostly play with Serato DJ Pro/Pitch'n Time/Flip only at home, and usually gig with Cross DJ V3.4.3
 
  • Like
Reactions: ittigger
Then why would Denon (and virtually every other DJ software company sans Serato) INCLUDE this is if no one uses it? Just for the heck of it??


I'm sure you're correct - which is why I mostly play with Serato DJ Pro/Pitch'n Time/Flip only at home, and usually gig with Cross DJ V3.4.3

Serato has always had some tension between their roots in the turntablist community and features to make "DJing easier."

The most common complaint I hear about Serato from mobile DJs is the automix type playlist functionality that VDJ has. They clearly have heard this type of request, and just don't care. And it's why a lot of mobile DJs I see use something like VDJ instead. It makes it easier to queue up a list during cockail hour or dinner and let it run.

I kind of view this like setting the music program for a club. You can either put a DJ on that will listen to what the crowd wants and try to cater to it. Or you can decide what you're going to play and try to build an audience. If you decide you want to run an EDM club, and people come in asking for hip hop. You basically are just telling them to go away. Sure you're not going to make everyone happy, but you'll be on target for the group you decided to serve.

Granted, Serato has clearly softened on a number of the issues that the true "purists" would advocate for. Sync, Relative mode, HID mode on CDJs.. there is all sorts of stuff they have added for the convenience and marketability of the product. But at their core, I just don't think they want to make a product that strays from a traditional work flow of putting a record on to listen to it.
 
What problems does this unit solve for a mobile DJ that previous equipment/controller/laptop/ipad set ups already solve?

I believe clients won't care what our expense is on equipment. What has been working the last 5, or even 10 years will work in the coming years. As long as what you use is not broke, and works well, why spend more money on new toys?
If it makes my job easier or more profitable I’m always willing to take a look
 
  • Like
Reactions: ittigger
What problems does this unit solve for a mobile DJ that previous equipment/controller/laptop/ipad set ups already solve?

I believe clients won't care what our expense is on equipment. What has been working the last 5, or even 10 years will work in the coming years. As long as what you use is not broke, and works well, why spend more money on new toys?
Sometimes it's just like any other addition. I find for me I will never have enough gear. It's not about a want but a need. We all at some point have something we want. Just got to ask yourself how bad do you need it. I had a need for the last van I bought because the other one kept giving me problems costing me money. Enough money and old as it was it had to go. I didn't want monthly payments but it was either that or keep spending money on the old clunker. The year was 2015 and the van was a 2002.
 
Serato has always had some tension between their roots in the turntablist community and features to make "DJing easier."

The most common complaint I hear about Serato from mobile DJs is the automix type playlist functionality that VDJ has. They clearly have heard this type of request, and just don't care. And it's why a lot of mobile DJs I see use something like VDJ instead. It makes it easier to queue up a list during cockail hour or dinner and let it run.

I kind of view this like setting the music program for a club. You can either put a DJ on that will listen to what the crowd wants and try to cater to it. Or you can decide what you're going to play and try to build an audience. If you decide you want to run an EDM club, and people come in asking for hip hop. You basically are just telling them to go away. Sure you're not going to make everyone happy, but you'll be on target for the group you decided to serve.

Granted, Serato has clearly softened on a number of the issues that the true "purists" would advocate for. Sync, Relative mode, HID mode on CDJs.. there is all sorts of stuff they have added for the convenience and marketability of the product. But at their core, I just don't think they want to make a product that strays from a traditional work flow of putting a record on to listen to it.
I'm in total agreement with this, except I refer to Serato "purists" as "SSL Groupies" whose only mantra is "Sync Sucks". However, there is a certain inevitability of things, and, IMHO they will eventually have to add Automix, Prelistening (directly from the Library), ability to use other sound cards, etc., so why wait until DigitalDJTips's annual survey show they really are loosing to Rekordbox? The only reasons why it would make sense to me that they don't is that 1) they are positioning themselves to get purchased and/or 2) they are planning another big pairing with a hardware manufacturer (like they had with Rane) in producing their own stand alone device, or 3) they're not smart enough to listen to me! :cheers:
 
  • Like
Reactions: ittigger
Most talented painters likely have elevated quality or style preferences but also do not fixate on which manufacturer makes their paints or brushes. They use these tools. They do not identify with them.

They are concerned only with the resulting art the tools help them create.

Be artful. Don't be a tool.
1579712742865.png
 
Last edited:
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: Andy A and dunlopj