I finally transitioned from Vinyl to digital 3 years ago usining the Pioneer DDJ-SX3, 4 months later I purchased my Prime 4 and for me, it's a much easier transition from Vinyl to the Denon Dj software.
A lot of these comments are just incredibly "nit-picky". I do understand you like the machine, but damn...you'e asking for A LOT! This thing shits on the competition by Pioneer right now by far.
recording level is appropriate, pro hardware use's RMS -10db which will be displayed on all peak meter's on everything and powered by an RMS rack mount amplifier, if you want to be a pro, then you normalize all your track's to -10db RMS in soundforge as it is the only program which can normalize to RMS
they didn't add preview track yet. not sure why all there prime units have them. I yes do agree with you about the recording being to low. I and others address this months ago too. you should add your video to the forum helps a lot
The tap tempo issue was the main reason why I didn't buy this controller. I play mainly multi-format sets and a tap tempo is so crucial for me for old funk and disco tunes because even with the pre-analyising in the engine software the tempo is never going to be right because tunes from these eras weren't recorded to a click so the tempo drifts.
Something I realized is that even the most basic requests will take forever to get implemented. I saw on the forum that someone requested something as basic as a clock to be put into the screen back in July of 2019 and they still haven't done that. The released updates have been amazing so far and they're the reason why I chose this over a Pioneer unit which would typically be "what you buy is what you get" material. I guess we just have to be patient for new features.
Yes, a clock would be brilliant! I also agree that feature requests are slow to fulfill. However, I will give them this: In my opinion, Denon (by far) has the best customer relationship. Between their forums & customer reviews, they will implement features/bug-fixes faster than Serato/Rekordbox.
Thanks a lot for this video. Especially the recording feature is a real joke on a premium device like that. Lets hope that the new firmware will come soon! And you`re even right bout that streaming option using USB and new music transfer.
I have been on the fence about making the jump to a controller from cds and vinyl. I was never impressed with the tinny pioneer sound so now after watching your review, I will check out the Rane digital tables and 72 mixer.Thanjs for being honest and talking me out of the Prime 4.
Hi there Great video .... yes the recording is annoying like you said too low..... Question ... how are the two Load buttons and the Back and Forward buttons.... do they have a nice click when pressed or they dont make any clicking noise?? Reason i ask is mine the left load and back button make a nice crisp click when pressed but the forward and load right button is more dull sound....let me know thanks 👍
Hey great video and information...similar questions and the usb track upload to prime from usb, agreed, said the same thing!! 5 months I went and got 1...so far very happy with what Denon Engine Dj is doing with the all the units via software upgrades now and coming!!! Pioneer is awesome and is the cornerstone of clubs but innovation has always come from the dj using the equipment and its gonna come down to who is paying more attention to the DJ's feedback more. I just think where Denon is going in the future with equipment even DJ equipment and software upgradable units is going to keep Pioneer looking back for now.
XZ is good. Probably the top Pioneer controller out right now imo. However, its super expensive and lacks many features. Isn't true 4 ch, no wifi/streaming, etc. If the Prime 4 had jogwheels like the XZ, that'd be the perfect controller lol.
Excellent video. As a Prime 4 owner I agree with all the points raised; seems like a poor oversight with many of them too. Every controller has 'something' that the other doesn't...
Other creative options: Sampler is available in Serato, which the p4 is compatible with. You can also use a hardware sampler and feed sound via line-in. Another thing I've tried was editing tracks ahead of time in Ablteton to already include drops. Not very sexy/versatile, but it got thr job done!
The lack of the "sampler" feature was a deal breaker for me 😞. I feel like a lot of this you tube dj channels are getting paid to make positive reviews of this controller because all they do is highlight the good stuff and they never mention the downfalls. Thanks for this honest detailed review. 👍
Bruh..... everything you said was true.... the low recording I thought it was just me.... and mine has frozen a couple times.... this controller should have a sampler on it..... so annoying...... seriously thinking bout upgrading to 6000 models ..... come on Denon sort it out it’s software..... why make us wait listen to the fans and DJs
The volume appears okay if you record with the gains substantially up. Otherwise, it comes out quiet and there is no setting to adjust this. In my opinion, the controller should normalize output levels while recording (I do not have this issue on other standalone controllers).
And now the unit would cost way more than it's original price after adding all of that. Why don't they have the unit make Expresso coffee while were at it. Look i'm all for new stuff, and everything but, some of us don't have money like that to burn man chill. Lol
I know I'm asking for a lot. :) But unlike Pioneer DJ, Denon is extremely responsive to its Users (customers). I think Denon is doing a really good job at balancing features vs cost. For example, if you look at Pioneer DJ's closest Prime 4 competitor (XDJ-XZ), it costs $500 more & still doesn't come close on performance. Patiently waiting to see what the next big Pioneer DJ releae is... 1000SRT/XZ/V10 wasn't it, for me!
Bruh Bruh bruh. If pioneer came out with something that’s at the same level as the Prime 4 and then added all your features , it would cost as much as a full Nexus setup . Your being unreasonable
Dj St3rling yep you and a lot of other people lol . You won’t see one though with 4 channel usb stand-alone capacity because that would kill the sales of the Nexus Kits
Can I ask you a question ? I’m surprised you didn’t notice this . The digital FX are flawed . If you try and turn on and off a echo effect for example , you get dips and surges with the audio . Even when you pan with the wet/dry. Do you notice this
@@stevenmaneri1972 yes. I've noticed this. You're the first other person I've heard mention it though. Wasn't sure if it was just my controller acting up at first lol. But, even my brand new Prime GO does it. It was very noticeable because I was wearing headphones, and it has fewer fx available in its fx engine.
The other issue is that the unit will only accept phono (turntable) inputs on two of the four channels and one of those channels in number 4, which is the channel you have to surrender to the Xone out if you use it. If that is the case you are down to one turntable...
That is a great idea regarding the recording! Fingers crossed it comes off soon. I also thought we would be able to add files via USB stick. Do you know if you can edit track info via the controller without connecting it up to a pc.
No, I have not found a way to edit track info on the controller (title, artist, album, etc); And trust me, I have tried to lol. However, this would be another nice feature, since the touch screen has a nice large qwerty keyboard.
Just curious, these things that you’re pointing out, are they available on the pioneer standalone controllers? I’m still within my return period window so that’s why I’m asking.
Sorry to tell you bro, but I don t see any sense to use USB to transfer the songs inside of controller....because like that u are doing 2 steps: PC-USB + USB-PC. Is much better and faster to connect the PC directly to the controller or to connect the external driver of it to the PC
No problem. A lot of us have different work flows. I prep sets on a desktop & export analyzed studio to usb, which then is inserted into the p4. So having this feature would be extremely convenient. But you are correct, connecting the controller directly to a pc would be much faster.
You say Soundcloud, but I only have Tidal as an integration, and I am running latest publicly available firmware. Are you using a beta/testing firmware for SoundCloud?
Firmware version v1.4: Includes Tidal. Firmware version v1.4.1: fixed a loop feature. Firmware version 1.4.2: Includes SoundCloud. It appears that Denon has recently *removed* v1.4.2 from their forums because their public beta testing has ended. This typically means a new official release is near. The next release should include: SoundCloud, BeatPort, & Tidal.
@Tyler King: Feel free to shoot me an email (go to my "About" page) and I will be more than happy to e-mail you v1.4.2 (which includes SoundCloud). Cheers.
1. Higher channel gain while recording. 2. Or edit in post (use Audacity to raise). I think the P4 uses an auto limiter to help preserve recording quality. However, it'd be nice if this were adjustable. It's definitely something Denon could address with a future firmware update.
So much for Denon kicking the arse out of Pioneer! I have used Pioneer all my life but now they are too expensive to justify buying their equipment when nobody is playing at gigs to at least pull some of the money back. I have a Denon Prime 4, bought it in March 2020. Very nice bit of kit, has some nice features and has a unique look and feel. It is not Pioneer quality though, I still have a high end Pioneer mixer and this is my preference. I dunno how Denon went to wrong with the record output levels. It's too quiet!! WAV or not, I shouldn't have to export the final recording to a third party program to amplify the sound. There are lots of Prime 4 users complaining about the same thing. No tap button. Really?????? In this day and age of DJing. Where have Denon gone with the firmware updates???? It's been very quiet at Denon HQ and as a customer I feel abandoned. Where is the track preview feature? When browsing my collection for hours, I don't wanna have to load a track to hear it quickly and skip through. Can it be that difficult a feature to add? And no, I don't want the BETA version that you rolled out months ago, risking my library! We are well due an upgrade! I have to say that the FX unit is not as organic sounding as Pioneer's. Yes this is a cheaper unit but for people to say Denon are slaying Pioneer, disagree. Also the layout and general activation of their FX is awkward and feels cheap compared to Pioneer. Though I do love the Beat Break effect. Very futuristic Who needs pitch bend buttons in 2019, let alone 2021. This is so 1997! I'm stuck now. Can't afford £10k on four CDJ 3000 players and my heart is no longer in the Prime 4. And Pioneer have annoyed me (and I suspect others) by removing the CD unit from the 3000. So that's it, a lifetime collection of rare and often unreleased CD albums are now redundant? (Not that I can afford their asking price anyway). The DJ world needs 'something'
why are they creating the super expensive controllers with screens and then too cheap to incorporate HDMI .. the RZX is the same .. you sell a controller for screens please maximize potential with a HDMI
I finally transitioned from Vinyl to digital 3 years ago usining the Pioneer DDJ-SX3, 4 months later I purchased my Prime 4 and for me, it's a much easier transition from Vinyl to the Denon Dj software.
Agreed!
A lot of these comments are just incredibly "nit-picky". I do understand you like the machine, but damn...you'e asking for A LOT! This thing shits on the competition by Pioneer right now by far.
Bro i love my prime 2 🔥🔥🔥🔥
I totally agree.. sounds greedy!!!!
@@nathandjshort I ❤ my prime 2 too... its 🔥🔥🔥
You can’t have your cake and eat it too
You are totally right about that sampler kit built in.
Everything he said! Yes!
recording level is appropriate, pro hardware use's RMS -10db which will be displayed on all peak meter's on everything and powered by an RMS rack mount amplifier, if you want to be a pro, then you normalize all your track's to -10db RMS in soundforge as it is the only program which can normalize to RMS
they didn't add preview track yet. not sure why all there prime units have them. I yes do agree with you
about the recording being to low. I and others address this months ago too. you should add your video to the forum helps a lot
Thank you for this, Its good to see a true nitty gritty review.
The tap tempo issue was the main reason why I didn't buy this controller. I play mainly multi-format sets and a tap tempo is so crucial for me for old funk and disco tunes because even with the pre-analyising in the engine software the tempo is never going to be right because tunes from these eras weren't recorded to a click so the tempo drifts.
Something I realized is that even the most basic requests will take forever to get implemented. I saw on the forum that someone requested something as basic as a clock to be put into the screen back in July of 2019 and they still haven't done that.
The released updates have been amazing so far and they're the reason why I chose this over a Pioneer unit which would typically be "what you buy is what you get" material. I guess we just have to be patient for new features.
Yes, a clock would be brilliant! I also agree that feature requests are slow to fulfill. However, I will give them this: In my opinion, Denon (by far) has the best customer relationship. Between their forums & customer reviews, they will implement features/bug-fixes faster than Serato/Rekordbox.
Thanks a lot for this video. Especially the recording feature is a real joke on a premium device like that. Lets hope that the new firmware will come soon! And you`re even right bout that streaming option using USB and new music transfer.
Yes, recording from the master with an interface provides the best flexibility! I'm also anxiously anticipating the next firmware release.
I totally agree with everything you've said.
We probably would have to buy the second version to get these features.🙄
I have been on the fence about making the jump to a controller from cds and vinyl. I was never impressed with the tinny pioneer sound so now after watching your review, I will check out the Rane digital tables and 72 mixer.Thanjs for being honest and talking me out of the Prime 4.
The Rane tables are nice if you're a scratch DJ.
Hi there
Great video .... yes the recording is annoying like you said too low.....
Question ... how are the two Load buttons and the Back and Forward buttons.... do they have a nice click when pressed or they dont make any clicking noise?? Reason i ask is mine the left load and back button make a nice crisp click when pressed but the forward and load right button is more dull sound....let me know thanks 👍
If I recall circuit they're all clicky. I'll double check.
Hey great video and information...similar questions and the usb track upload to prime from usb, agreed, said the same thing!!
5 months I went and got 1...so far very happy with what Denon Engine Dj is doing with the all the units via software upgrades now and coming!!!
Pioneer is awesome and is the cornerstone of clubs but innovation has always come from the dj using the equipment and its gonna come down to who is paying more attention to the DJ's feedback more. I just think where Denon is going in the future with equipment even DJ equipment and software upgradable units is going to keep Pioneer looking back for now.
WoW excellent DJ controller
Sold prime and bought a xdj xz and i must say that the prime was pretty fun but xz rocks it bigtime. Damn. Im.back ..
XZ is good. Probably the top Pioneer controller out right now imo. However, its super expensive and lacks many features. Isn't true 4 ch, no wifi/streaming, etc. If the Prime 4 had jogwheels like the XZ, that'd be the perfect controller lol.
Excellent video. As a Prime 4 owner I agree with all the points raised; seems like a poor oversight with many of them too. Every controller has 'something' that the other doesn't...
Love the video, definitely agree with the sampler add on! So, instead of using a cue track to do drops, what are you currently using?
Other creative options: Sampler is available in Serato, which the p4 is compatible with. You can also use a hardware sampler and feed sound via line-in. Another thing I've tried was editing tracks ahead of time in Ablteton to already include drops. Not very sexy/versatile, but it got thr job done!
The lack of the "sampler" feature was a deal breaker for me 😞. I feel like a lot of this you tube dj channels are getting paid to make positive reviews of this controller because all they do is highlight the good stuff and they never mention the downfalls. Thanks for this honest detailed review. 👍
Thanks for the feedback! Nobody is paying me a dime. So until then, I'm as honest as it gets lol
Yeah was pretty sad no sampler is on here but that’s why I have my mpc one hooked up to it for samples
All you need for the sampler is to connect your iPhone or iPad to the auxiliary. Such an easy solution.
I record at medium volume and then run the recording thru Adobe Audition to then put it on the web.
Great idea!
Bruh..... everything you said was true.... the low recording I thought it was just me.... and mine has frozen a couple times.... this controller should have a sampler on it..... so annoying...... seriously thinking bout upgrading to 6000 models ..... come on Denon sort it out it’s software..... why make us wait listen to the fans and DJs
It sounds fine in my car
The volume appears okay if you record with the gains substantially up. Otherwise, it comes out quiet and there is no setting to adjust this. In my opinion, the controller should normalize output levels while recording (I do not have this issue on other standalone controllers).
For sampler you can midi mapped or get a ddj-sp1
Yes. I have not gotten my hands on one yet. But I may look for a used sp1
if you can plug in prime 4 to a Mac with obs studio u can use the soundcard for live-streaming I use it on periscope
Ditto on all these suggestions. Most are vital so listen up Denon.
And now the unit would cost way more than it's original price after adding all of that. Why don't they have the unit make Expresso coffee while were at it. Look i'm all for new stuff, and everything but, some of us don't have money like that to burn man chill. Lol
And at the same time none of pioneers stuff has any of these features in one unit lol
I know I'm asking for a lot. :) But unlike Pioneer DJ, Denon is extremely responsive to its Users (customers). I think Denon is doing a really good job at balancing features vs cost. For example, if you look at Pioneer DJ's closest Prime 4 competitor (XDJ-XZ), it costs $500 more & still doesn't come close on performance. Patiently waiting to see what the next big Pioneer DJ releae is... 1000SRT/XZ/V10 wasn't it, for me!
Great requests all around! I agree with you 100% No usb to ssd transfer is... Mind-boggling...
good points....tap button? never used that shit though....
Tap is old school. If you're preparing your set on the controller, it's nice to have.
Bruh Bruh bruh. If pioneer came out with something that’s at the same level as the Prime 4 and then added all your features , it would cost as much as a full Nexus setup . Your being unreasonable
I'm hoping for a competitive hardware release from Pioneer soon
Dj St3rling yep you and a lot of other people lol . You won’t see one though with 4 channel usb stand-alone capacity because that would kill the sales of the Nexus Kits
A DJ can dream 😄 lol
Can I ask you a question ? I’m surprised you didn’t notice this . The digital FX are flawed . If you try and turn on and off a echo effect for example , you get dips and surges with the audio . Even when you pan with the wet/dry. Do you notice this
@@stevenmaneri1972 yes. I've noticed this. You're the first other person I've heard mention it though. Wasn't sure if it was just my controller acting up at first lol. But, even my brand new Prime GO does it. It was very noticeable because I was wearing headphones, and it has fewer fx available in its fx engine.
The other issue is that the unit will only accept phono (turntable) inputs on two of the four channels and one of those channels in number 4, which is the channel you have to surrender to the Xone out if you use it. If that is the case you are down to one turntable...
That is a great idea regarding the recording! Fingers crossed it comes off soon. I also thought we would be able to add files via USB stick. Do you know if you can edit track info via the controller without connecting it up to a pc.
No, I have not found a way to edit track info on the controller (title, artist, album, etc); And trust me, I have tried to lol. However, this would be another nice feature, since the touch screen has a nice large qwerty keyboard.
Question how do you add new music to the collection and new playlists using Rekordbox? Thanks.
You can just drag and drop music files right into your rekordbox Playlist.
Just curious, these things that you’re pointing out, are they available on the pioneer standalone controllers? I’m still within my return period window so that’s why I’m asking.
Nah- Maybe a tap button. Pioneer doesn't quite measure up. I'm honestly just being picky/optimistic. No controller will ever be perfect.
@@DJSt3rling lol gotcha gotcha. Yeah honestly when I heard you ask for them to implement karaoke I was like he’s asking for a lot lol
Yep lol that's just me being me.
Sorry to tell you bro, but I don t see any sense to use USB to transfer the songs inside of controller....because like that u are doing 2 steps: PC-USB + USB-PC. Is much better and faster to connect the PC directly to the controller or to connect the external driver of it to the PC
No problem. A lot of us have different work flows. I prep sets on a desktop & export analyzed studio to usb, which then is inserted into the p4. So having this feature would be extremely convenient. But you are correct, connecting the controller directly to a pc would be much faster.
Nice Video 👌
You say Soundcloud, but I only have Tidal as an integration, and I am running latest publicly available firmware. Are you using a beta/testing firmware for SoundCloud?
Firmware version v1.4: Includes Tidal.
Firmware version v1.4.1: fixed a loop feature.
Firmware version 1.4.2: Includes SoundCloud.
It appears that Denon has recently *removed* v1.4.2 from their forums because their public beta testing has ended.
This typically means a new official release is near. The next release should include: SoundCloud, BeatPort, & Tidal.
@Tyler King: Feel free to shoot me an email (go to my "About" page) and I will be more than happy to e-mail you v1.4.2 (which includes SoundCloud). Cheers.
@@DJSt3rling Didn't see an email address. Should I just use the contact form?
Np. What's your email address? I'll send you the file.
@@DJSt3rling tyler.king6646@gmail.com
What's the answer to getting louder volume on the Prime 4 when recording
1. Higher channel gain while recording.
2. Or edit in post (use Audacity to raise).
I think the P4 uses an auto limiter to help preserve recording quality. However, it'd be nice if this were adjustable. It's definitely something Denon could address with a future firmware update.
@@DJSt3rling thank you sir.
@@DJSt3rling which volume most important for the recording? Master or knobs on deck? My Sound coming thru booth output
My pleasure!
So much for Denon kicking the arse out of Pioneer! I have used Pioneer all my life but now they are too expensive to justify buying their equipment when nobody is playing at gigs to at least pull some of the money back. I have a Denon Prime 4, bought it in March 2020. Very nice bit of kit, has some nice features and has a unique look and feel. It is not Pioneer quality though, I still have a high end Pioneer mixer and this is my preference.
I dunno how Denon went to wrong with the record output levels. It's too quiet!! WAV or not, I shouldn't have to export the final recording to a third party program to amplify the sound. There are lots of Prime 4 users complaining about the same thing.
No tap button. Really?????? In this day and age of DJing.
Where have Denon gone with the firmware updates???? It's been very quiet at Denon HQ and as a customer I feel abandoned. Where is the track preview feature? When browsing my collection for hours, I don't wanna have to load a track to hear it quickly and skip through. Can it be that difficult a feature to add? And no, I don't want the BETA version that you rolled out months ago, risking my library!
We are well due an upgrade!
I have to say that the FX unit is not as organic sounding as Pioneer's. Yes this is a cheaper unit but for people to say Denon are slaying Pioneer, disagree. Also the layout and general activation of their FX is awkward and feels cheap compared to Pioneer. Though I do love the Beat Break effect. Very futuristic
Who needs pitch bend buttons in 2019, let alone 2021. This is so 1997!
I'm stuck now. Can't afford £10k on four CDJ 3000 players and my heart is no longer in the Prime 4.
And Pioneer have annoyed me (and I suspect others) by removing the CD unit from the 3000. So that's it, a lifetime collection of rare and often unreleased CD albums are now redundant? (Not that I can afford their asking price anyway).
The DJ world needs 'something'
Okay with the tap, stop going on!
No need for a tap button 🤦♂️
If the controller provides the wrong BPM for a track, how do you correct it?
why are they creating the super expensive controllers with screens and then too cheap to incorporate HDMI .. the RZX is the same .. you sell a controller for screens please maximize potential with a HDMI
I absolutely agree!