It's a circle that needs to be broken. Clubs install Pioneer because DJ's want it, DJ's buy Pioneer because clubs install it. But slowly people start to see AT became greedy, esp. now with RB 7. They're loosing terrain quickly, especially in the younger generation.
@@SoundPeaks but that’s his point…it was “CDJ” where they made their impression and market leadership. CDs. Yes USB came but they became the industry standard on what was the main media for a much longer time - CDs
Nothing makes this more clear than the release of the omnis duo. They release a product with less features than a product that was released 4 years before.
And the weird part? They charge twice the price and people still buy it. "Yeah but but but the club standard". Guys, there is no club standard. If they book you, tell em what gear you need. They will rent it. It costs maybe 100 bucks. Clubs don't care about 100 bucks.
@@harveyspecter1653 Pioneer was Club standard. Years ago when they released the CDJ 1000's. Now I would prefer Allen&Heath or Denon. You get definitely more for your money there..
Unfortunately my experience with the prime 4 and prime 4+ has not been the best. Don't get me wrong... I absolutely love the system. Is way way more fun than pioneer. But the durability of the buttons makes me sad 😢 The bar I play, we bought the prime 4. Cue/play Buttons broke from inside. We bought a prime 4+ that we thought they solved it... Not a year has passed and cue/play are starting to get loose a little bit. It won't take long before the buttons are gone. And it's very very hard to find these parts 😢😢😢
@@simonshields2525 I've got a 2V, it's amazing. The guy I bought it from upgraded to a Resor which, yes, has better summing. Especially the bass is just perfect; two tracks at unity gain sounds like one and when you turn down one of them the mix still sounds equally full and balanced. The mids were also clearer. On the MS you have to turn down the master track a little when bringing in the new one but that will quickly become second nature when turning those knobs. However, compared to a Resor the MS just has that fat, saturated club sound. Which, if you're at home, is absolutely brilliant. Everything you put through it just sounds like magic. Even friends with zero mixing or DJing experience immediately had a giant look of surprise on their faces the instant they heard it. I had gotten bored with my old controller, but this thing in combination with real turntables has just sparked my passion for DJing again. The cue system is great (the add mix knob makes mixing on snares and hi hats so easy), the headphone output is loud af and the vertical iso is just fine. Only downside is the phono stages aren't great imo. They definitely have a very noticeably rolled off top end; requiring the highs to be set at 1-2 o'clock to compensate. I bought two Pro-Ject Phono Boxes which sound much better and aren't too expensive. I only paid half retail but even at MSRP I'd very much recommend it
@@renatomartins2086 wow that is super unfortunate. I’m sorry that has been your experience. The pioneer stuff can definitely take a beating, I’ll give it that!
They need to step up their game first. I've played on Denon unfortunately too many times. ALl DJs talk about how Denon has so many greater features than Pioneer, but it's hard to get past faulty knobs, faders and a cheap build. Meanwhile I'm playing on CDJs in the rain with drunk chicks spilling their drinks on them. CDJs are built to a better quality than Pioneer mixers. The mixers always fail before the CDJ. However both are solid and easy to fix. Parts are easyt o find. Try fixing a Denon on the road.
@@jackmono the only weak spot i found out so far is dimm screen playing outdoors on sc6000. They came up with day mode update. it helps, but not dramatically. Otherwise the feel, tactics and everything is spot on. Started my dj journey on cdjs 800 and vynil and played all their flagmanships, and its outdated af comparing to what dj world has to offer today.
Got news for you. Denon sucks. I owned their "glorious" x1850 and traded it off for a DJM 450. Sounds much better, works a thousand times better. Denon decks are trash. Lots of sync issues, random hang-ups and if you contact customer support for parts. You will not receive a response for over 45-65 days. Also, most people will not work on Denon Decks. While Pioneer you can directly buy parts and service them yourself. I started out with Denon as they were cheep. Would NEVER go back.
Here's the thing... I agree with a lot of what you said BUT (and this is a deal breaker) pioneer equipment just feels different to the competition. It's hard to explain, but in my 15 years of being a DJ everytime I touch something else that's not pioneer you can immediately tell. It's just the way the buttons click and the faders feel... No competition can replicate that and for lots of people including myself this is the most important thing, how equipment feels. When I play on pioneer cdjs, it just feels like 'home' and not just because I own 3000s
I know exactly what you mean. It's exactly the same with my Technics. There were already turntables back then that were more developed...see Vestax, but the feeling was simply missing. I wouldn't want to imagine anything else. But in my opinion that's a lot of mental matter!
What you said it's true. And I'm a denon lover. I value more the streaming service than the feel of pioneer. I'm a dj in a very touristic zone so I have to be prepared to play anything at any time.
Many years ago my mate took a train to a different city to go and buy a used pair together with a DJM-450. We had so many unforgettable memories with them. Countless after hours and balcony sessions, basement raves, garden parties... those were the days! ♡
Truth I bought that set up, it didn't have back lights if I remember correctly its was not a club set up at all, I brought my cdjs 400 and 400 mixer into a dark room and spent the whole night djing with a flashlight lol
what do you mean?? the CDJ400's werent just the club standard, they were the feckin industry standard! I dont know of a single club that didnt have a CDJ400 with DJM200 or 400 mixer setup and ready to go for DJ's to jump straight onto when playing sets... alot of DJ's still carried their own gear and could use what ever they wanted too, but there was always a beat up 400 rig set up and working primarily..
Too expensive even entry level equipment, you are paying for the brand. A mid range non pioneer controller & laptop can do far more than the current cdj & djm setup for a tenth of the cost. Traktor needs to get back up to top imo, love my 2x X1's and mixer with DVS.
I hear ya, for those who choose Traktor, bought the controllers, I have an S4, and know Traktor as home, it is shameful of NI to just “Meh, we're concentrating on production now” their loyal, invested users! C'mon, NI.... PLEASE!
I have a Pioneer XDJ-XZ. Been djing forever. Had a Stanton turntable setup before too. The setup I miss the most is my traktor Kontrol s4. I did my best mixing with that thing it was crazy.
@@lmaheu That XZ is a damned sexy beast, though. We have been, it seems, following the exact same path of spinning. I'm 53 now, been at it since I was 19. Currently still own a set of STR8 150s, paired with my S4 mk2. Vinyl, paired with the S4 and time coded vinyl, STILL blows my mind, and is, to us oldies, purest sorcery!!
totally Agree. I''ve just starting to turn up to gigs with my S4 MK3 with the expectation that I can plug into a Pioneer mixer! :) If you're getting booked for gigs have confidence and take your own kit. Once you get big you get a 'rider' and can tell the promoters what you play on... save all the money and Traktor is rolls-royce compared to Rekordbox and it's wacky licensing model.
I run 2 LC6000s along with 2 SC6000s, a Rane MP2015 and an RMX-1000.. I am in HEAVEN with my setup and would not change a thing... The Denon LC/SC combo is a perfect tandem and keeps me more than satisfied every time I get in my studio.
I ditched Pioneer in 2017 and moved to Denon DJ. The SC series is just miles ahead, it really was amazing moving over to them. Luckily many clubs in the UK now have Denon kit as well, be it SC's or Prime4's.
I think that another point to discuss is the reduced hardware unlock devices for Rekordbox 7 compared to previous version. A lot of products has lost the hardware unlock property like DDJ-RZ and also, the unique that has video handling, DDJ-RZX. But you can use them if you pay a subscription. Without it, you could use your gear as an ornament.
I cannot even use my RZX anymore with RB7 even though I have a subscription. RB7 doesn't support the screens etc. anymore and they told me they are not willing to fix that. This controller was still available in 2021 so not very old either. I am currently checking my legal options in the Netherlands. If you have an idea what to do please let me know!
I don’t get it why cdjs 2000 nexus ( the first nexus ) was launched in 2012, 12 years laters they still selling it for 2k each turntable, they are overvaluing a brand so much that’s just ridiculous When you can get a full DJ set from denon with 2 sc5000 and mixer for just 2k…make it makes sense…
They are overpriced yes, but they are durable and easy to repair and there are still spare parts available. I even think about buying all parts and a broken cdj to rebuild one 😂
@@damianpautzke5031 I swear on god 10 years ago I had the full set of pioneer the 2000 nexus a pair and the mixer djm 900 nexus and cost me around almost 6k, they still on the same price, and the used ones are around 5k or up, even is they are durable doesn’t justify to sell at the same price of a new one, that’s not how the market works but in the dj pioneer market most people are brainwashed and makes you think that the only good brand in the dj world is pioneer and it’s just not truth, that what pioneer makes you believe so they can still hustle on you guys, simple as that.
@@damianpautzke5031 it’s amazing…I can’t reply you because TH-cam takes down my comment and there is no insults, no bad lenguaje, but they still don’t want me to free speech, I’m going crazy with TH-cam and his shadow banning comment.
I bought the Denon Prime 4+ as an upgrade from my beginner controller (Numark Mixtrack Platinum FX) and I freaking love all the possibilities. When I started to DJ in 2022 I always dreamed about a Pioneer Setup because I saw that every big DJ and the club I visited uses it. I was like: "It must be good if everyone uses it". 3-4 weeks before I had the bucks to finally upgrade and become more professional I read into it, watched reviews etc. to buy the right device. The more I saw the more I came to the conclusion: "Why should I pay more for Pioneer Gear when I get the same or even more for less money". That's why I decided to buy the Prime 4+. Yeah the Play/Cue buttons may be something which can break, but if you take care and don't hammer them like a mad man it should take years till you need to switch them. The play/cue buttons are my only concern.
I have a prime 4 I used it for 4 yrs at least 10 hours a week. I beat the crap out of it. 2 snapped volume sliders and broken +\- pitch buttons( a denon trademark since the actual first cd turntable). The platters are highly susceptible to electromagnetic interference so don’t put and weird lights near. Make sure it’s grounded proper if you experience platter issues. It truley is a behemoth it’s just built a lil on the soft side.
I started DJaying on February 27th, 2010 and we used to use Vestax Itch controllers (the Vestax-300 controller with separate FXs accessory). It wouldn't be until 2012 that we went towards Pioneer's DDJ-SR controllers that were easy to pick up and use, and then one of my good friends had us get the SX in a DJ program we were in. However, it wouldn't be until I got my own controller with the Pioneer DDJ-SZ on my 20th birthday in 2015, and since then DDJ-SZ has become my favorite controller from them of all time. As time passes by, I started to see Pioneer move away from Serato and go for Rekordbox, which at the time was cool, until I realized just how much money Pioneer was asking and I never bought them at all. And while I did play around in the software, it wasn't something I would be using a lot. However, when I would go back home in 2010/2011, I was trying to find a software program that I could DJ with just a keyboard and mouse/touchpad, but Serato didn't have good features back in the early 2010s. That's where I came across VirtualDJ 7 Home in August 2010/January 2011. And I would continue to use it until they released VirtualDJ8 in 2017/2018. I loved the VIrtualDJ program so much that I wouldn't bother to use Serato or Rekordbox very much. And yes, I've tried the Engine DJ program and it's pretty good, but it would crash or not work well for old Macbook Pro systems, but it does work on my PC. Just that I don't have DJ equipment for the program (I haven't updated those programs in a long time so, it's been 6 years since I took Engine DJ and such)...... So yeah, I can totally get where you're coming from, I've been thinking of getting some CDJ/XDJ type of equipment for quite some time now. But the price point of $5,000 just to get the two CDJ/XDJs with mixer in the middle, it's just out of reach and way too expensive to buy. Plus, the DJ group I go to wouldn't be able to use it very well, or it would be confusing to use since they're used to using laptops for their music, not so much built in screens and using USBs, SD Cards, or HDDs/SSDs (but I sure do).
Reminds me of the iPhone, was very advanced in 2008, but over time cheaper alternatives started to catch up. The customers are still very loyal tho due to their ecosystem and because of that will still use their products, even though they're not the "best" anymore.
@lifesagamesobeawinner no they’re not iPhone has way superior camera to Samsung no matter the megapixels are it works faster, smoother and it has better colors the problem with Samsung is that they’re still using android so they’ve limited update support compared to apple whereas apple provides 7 years of software updates consistently and they have better and more punctual services too the iOS is superior to android in every way from UI design to app support iPhones have no competition in performance benchmarks and that’s why base Samsung phone models outsell the S models currently in short Android phones are just cheap but iPhone is the standard
Pioneer simply has the advantage that Technics had back then. It's club standard. It's a shame that Denon can't break this chain. I would love it for you! I will still be using the SC 5000 in 2024 and this great product will continue to be developed further through constant updates. Other companies would release new devices for every new development and no longer support the old ones, but not Denon. They are simply miles ahead of Pioneer. I don't know if it's the marketing thing, but just let all the DJs in demand get their equipment. Just hardcore marketing like Pioneer does?
I'm a dj in a small bar and a medium club. Bar: Denon Prime 4+ Club: 2xCdj 2000 nxs2 and a cdj 900 nexus 2. I have wayyyyy more fun at the bar not using my computer because I use tidal as my main source of music. However... The durability of the buttons of denon is way worse. We used prime 4 for about 2 years until the plastics of the buttons start to break. Not the switches. The plastic parts. And... The parts are wayyyyy harder to find. So.. In order to keep the denon system which we love we bought the prime 4+ until we figure out a way to repair the old prime 4. Not even a year has passed, and the plastic buttons started to break. All this time... The same setup of pioneer is up on the club with just the switches (cue/play) breaking now and then. I'm kind of disappointed with denon, because I really love the denon system way more. But the durability of the material is very weak 😓
I've repaired manu CDJ's plastic parts (and soldered new switches on the pcb's), just simple glue helps. I preffer PVC glue which can be used to create re-enforcing blobs. Same can be done with Denon plastic parts, a friend of mine had his Prime 4 VIEW button brake, and we glued it the same way. For extra re enforcement you can also use 90 degree flexible plastic cutouts from blister packaging to glue in the blob. I'm using a SC Live 4, which seems to be the best Denon build out of them all. And still have fully revised CDJ 800 mkII's for my cd's. Best players ever imho.
@@N1h1L3 I've done that already. However I used "super glue". Didn't seem to help. The view button is a very very common problem. I was lucky I could find a new view button at the time. Anyway, it makes me mad that this brands don't bother keeping stock of the parts. At least cue / play they should have it. I totally understand when they can't provide the electronic parts due to shortage. But the plastic buttons. God 🤦🏻
I agree... I had Denon Prime 4 and noticed that the buttons were of low quality as well. But to be honest, I do like Denon more...the machine is so capable and doesnt need anything more than Internet connection. Just connect Your favorite audio service to it and go. Does not need any garbage like Traktor and supports nativley almost any relevant file format.
I had a Prime 4 and the xfaders kept malfunctioning until I installed a 3rd party fader. The final straw was the when the usb section broke when insert the usb with minimal pressure and I was without the unit for 4 months while it was being fixed and was charged $600. I sold that Prime 4 as soon as it was fixed and bought a Rane One (which has been so sturdy). In saying that - I have Denon SC6000Ms and those things are the best digital decks money can buy so props to Denon for those but yes, Denon need to sort out their repair department.
DENON DJ has won the long game, the DJs need to catch up. They are still choosing PIONEER because their idols still use it. It is a matter of time before DENON takes over the venues.
Denon will never take over as the pro-level choice. Every DJ I book as a headliner insists on Pioneer, that's simply never going to change, no matter how much you want it to.
@@thomasashworth2353 change is inevitable, nothing in Life is forever. Monopolies are always bad for evolution and growth. As I mentioned in my comment, the DJs right now are still emulating their idol DJs of the past like David Guetta, it’s only a matter of time when the next super Star DJ pulls up with a DENON Set or something out of the norm like DJAY Pro with and iPad and a sound card to rock a set. The rest will follow.
denon was always considered the cheaper brand. They will NEVER take over venues. As south as pioneer has been going nothing will compare to the cdj 2000 nexus.
@@tommich421 to be honest, after further review of venues and how they operate, I am definitely wrong about the strong hold Pioneer will have on the future of club and venue performances. They are her to stay.
I know a ton of DJs in the last year or two that have jumped ship on pioneer, at least partially. All the DJs here in New Orleans know how to play on CDJs for the proper club gigs, but everybody uses everything. There are CDJs around, but you see A LOT of the denon all in ones or serato with controllers/turntables out in the wild. It's not seen as being more or less proper and venues will generally set you up to play on whatever you want, because they are professionals. They don't care where the XLR cables to the system originate as long as the levels are good! 😂
Industry standard mate. Since the cdj 1000 mk1 was released. Was a game changer from using vinyl. I started on vinyl. I feel somewhat that the skills needed were harder to learn. It’s alot easier now with visual wave bars etc. in my day you watched your needle and used headphones to cue and monitor. That’s not needed anymore! You mix now without headphones.
Let me give you the bad news... The buttons, the plastic part. Of the play/cue, will, with soon start to become loose. They way the pioneer cdjs are built the last way longer. And then, believe me... It will be very difficult to find the parts
@@djstuc I repair myself cdjs all the time. I replace the buttons of almost every club in Algarve (Portugal) and it's ALWAYS the mechanical switch. I never seen the cover of a cdj break. Just the electronic switches. And, the switches are very easy to find everywhere. You can buy like 50 switches for 19 USD. The denon on the other hand when the plastic part breaks from the inside you're pretty much fu**ed. Go on... Try to find the plastic parts for the prime 4 (in fact I would love to know where I could buy so I could buy like 10. That's how much I'm sure it will break again 🙁 And... Believe me I'm a true denon lover. I absolutely love everything else more in denon than the cdjs.
Indeed, indeed. I simply refuse to pay for any music based subscription or subscription based software. Hence why I know own a Denon SC5000 and sold my pioneer decks 😂
I just left pioneer and all my gear and switched to NI Traktor for more creative mixes. Xone 96 with 2 pcs of NI X1 MK3. This is my dream setup 100% and never looked back!
Same, bought into Traktor back in the day, left the world of music for family, work, etc, but recently reignited the passion, grabbed an S4 mk2, a pair of Stanton STR8 150s, some timecoded vinyl, and am having an absolute blast!!! Would be extremely decent of NI to throw us the odd bone, though, instead of us becoming their dirty secret as they concentrate on production boys toys!
@@PilzE. you need to check NI forums, section traktor mapping, there is few very good mods for displays on s4, s5 etc. you can have a lot more and better informations visible
Technics, Sony, and Studer/Revox all had CD players with pitch control, jog wheels and stutter cue in the 80s. The Technics SLP-1200 and SLP-1300 were in lots of radio stations and in some of the more forward thinking nightclubs in the 80s. Denon dual decks, which also had pitch control, jog wheels, and stutter cue, were the club and mobile standard for the entire 90s. Pioneer's DJ CD players were a minor player until the CDJ-1000 came out, and even then the Denon DN-S5000 had more features (dual layer, some cool sampling and cue point features, etc.).
@@azur1o CDJ-1000 pre-dated the Denon single deck by about a year and half, and Denon, although the features were cool, had quality and design issues - the platter was belt driven, the cue points slipped, the CD drive would not eject properly. Pioneer was pretty rock solid, and I think this doomed Denon.
@@ChristopherEdmonds makes sense. So it's kinda like the GoPro situation. Great start but stopped innovating or listening to the community at some point?
I miss the old CD-Player times in the beginning of my career. There were CDJ-1000's but also chances to stumble upon different equipment. Like the Stanton C.304 or the Reloop RMP's. I liked the challenge to adapt to any CD player, it made the deejaying job more interesting.
Vestax are back, think it's called stpvx? They are way too overpriced tho. Boutique ish. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Once my PMC-55 Breaks down ima quit DJing. It's been running for 10yrs and hasn't aged whatsoever tho. Annoyingly I ordered 40 faders from America a few weeks back Nd they arrived fully mash up. Got 3 left and then thats it now. Need more lol
I started DJing in 1993, where all you needed was £500 to buy two second hand 1210s and a mixer, to get into the club standard. Now you need £6000 to get into the club standard, so sad...................
I agree, I’ve seen some guys claim they put hours and hours into mixing and practicing their set only for it to be one of those unenthusiastic tech house sets that pretty much everybody else sounds like
@@skeennah1927 to be fair a "club standard" mixer back then still costed loads. £350 minimum for a board with a send return. But I hear you man I put club standard in quotes because as we all know, every club had different mixers back then. A crossfader, 3 band EQ and Send Return I/o if your lucky. People forget this now but vestax was not cheap back in the day.. Urei was like 6k in today's money accounting for inflation lol. That's why companies like ecler were huge. Nobody speaks about them now but I remember they forced other companies to be way more competitive
vinyl forever. collecting records is half of the fun. got loads of songs on my laptop have no attachment to but all records you remember when you bought them
I bought a DDJ-1000 because I wanted "standard" equipment that was similar to club setups so I could jump between the two seamlessly. I just finished selling it and I'm going back to my old OWNED copy of Traktor now.
DJ since 24 years. I had a lot of configs (Technics MK2 / Technics M5G/ CDJ 1000 / CDJ 2000 / Traktor controllers...). Now I'm still a Traktor user, with the laptop linked to my DJM900NSX + 2 Traktor D2 working as "controller". Cheaper as you only need the DJM as "expensive equipment", and super easy to move everywhere (travel config, I put my DJM900 in my cabin luggage). Later on when I play in clubs, easy to link to any CDJs. That was Carl Cox's setup some years ago, CDJ + Traktor + 2 Traktor D2. But I seriously thought moving on a XDJ XZ. for the all in one comfort, and because that's cheaper than a pair of CDJ 3000 with a DJM mixer. However I dont want to switch to Serato or Recordbox, I'm more than happy with Traktor. So... Because right now I dont play as often as before, so I decided to keep waiting for the next gen' equipment. No rush, my DJM900NSX still does the job. And it doesn't lose value that much on the market ;) That's also a point to consider when you buy such expensive equipment: how easy you'll be able to sell it back with a good price. In this case, Pioneer remains great. Try to find a buyer for your CDJ 3000 or your last DJM mixer, it will sell within the day
@DJPawelB Dude. I’m in the same boat. I’m itching to buy a premium midi controller, but I’ve seen the complaints about the latest controllers from both NI and Arturia, it breaks my heart.
I doubt it man. Djs straight up refuse to play on non pioneer setups. Willing to bet pioneer will just become more locked down. Will require different file formats etc so you need multiple usbs to use Denon etc.. Saying that there built well. I've played on the Denon spinning platter decks a few times and always had glitches. Wouldn't wanna rely on one that's for certain. Shame because Denon are defo the most innovative. And I've had loads of there devices, there old 19" controllers were tanks. Still got one and works fine
@@markstephenson9280 Xone 92 or 96 in nearly all cases. Big Venues in Berlin have a duo mixer set up with a DJM & Xone so the DJs playing can choose what to play on. Just recently did an installation with a DJM V10 & a Xone 96 + 4xCDJ 3000. Technics also have had a comeback. A lot of Techno DJs are returning to playing vinyl or a hybrid of vinyl and Digital, which I also prefer most.
I use Traktor mostly, but have had to use CDJs with Rekordbox from time to time. In terms of stand-alone units, I'll probably end up going with the Denon SC-6000s once I have the room for them. Not sure about the mixer just yet, but most likely the accompanying Denon mixer as well.
Using the Denon mixer with the Denon players unlocks some really cool features, it’s all quite an impressive system and it’s shocking to me more Pioneer guys haven’t switched over their home setup yet. My hope is people getting into DJing check out Denon and realize that it’s nice, and then put on their rider that they prefer Denon setups for their gigs when they’re in a position to do so. (For example Oliver Heldens/ HI-LO)
@@Morrice79 I get the sentiment. My first time touching Pioneer gear was at the club, went straight from practicing on my Denon Prime Go to a XDJ XZ and I figured it out! I guess some people are more worried about not being familiar with the gear
The sc6000 are better than the CDJ3000 in like every way: - build quality - User Interface more modern and just so much smoother - on-device-analyzing - streaming with SoundCloud, Beatport etc. - i can play with 2 decks on one device - the CDJs only support usb sticks with FAT32, which is limited to 32gb. Sc6000 Supports every file System with any size - even has a ssd slot - denon has a build in music to light Feature that can can control your dmx light setup And the most important thing: Price The sc6000 are 1700€, while the cdj3000 are 2600€
One other interesting thing is that if you go to Thomann they don't actually stock pioneer dj gear anymore and haven't for a while. A friend who works in sale there told me they kept getting returned for defects or under warranty to a point where they couldn't be bothered.
I have a Prime4+... I've been thinking about switching to pioneer only because it's club standard.... or do I add 2 x sc6000 on the prime?? There's definitely more feature with the denon
Going from a P4+ to Pioneer is a downgrade, you're fine where you are. You could add CDJ's to your setup if you want to get more familiar with the RB ecosystem, but other than that, stay where you are.
I had a Prime2+ after I had sold a XDJ-RX1, it has so much more features than the XDJ series, but I could not connect with the Denon feel, played with it only a couple times. Less is more they say, sold the Prime2+ and got me a pair of XDJ-700 and a Xone mixer, couldn't be happier...
The layout of SC is almost the same as CDJ. I never owned a CDJ, just touched the equipment from start of my gig to the end of my gig for the last 8 years. You can live without owning a CDJ, just get the extra decks.
Few years back I bought a controller: Numark NS7 III. It's a 4-channel, motorized jogs (with actual vinyl on top for extra feel), panel with 3 LCD screens, activates Serato (hardware licence) and it's got pads made by Akai. For equivalent money Pioneer offered: 2-channels and... that's it.
pioneer is basically Iphone in dj world… everyone is saying they are slow to competition and yet they always have solid market, solid consumer core. proof of that is visible in every club, every festival and every party…. people simply bond with the brand and built quality….. as much as for example Denon is good people will choose Pioneer name…. it is mentality game for them, same as Apple does
I haven't played on a denon anything in many years but i remember them being super dysfunctional: sticky imprecise button action with latency issues. Pioneer were the only decks that performed as needed to mix fluidly... I don't think it's just about the name, they really were better than the competition.
Hmmm no. Best comparison would be Windows PC. They are everywhere, you have to know it in many jobs. iPhone market share is very small outside of the US. Pioneer is EVERYWHERE.
I agree ! They already charge way more than competitors for all their features, but then charging a subscription !! That’s scabby. Already hearing people in the community talking about changing company’s ! The value isn’t there with a subscription. Not at all.
Serato is a New Zealand company. And as such the New Zealand Commerce Commission has blocked the sale of Serato to AlphaTheta, 18 July 2024. Based on the merger lessening competition in the DJ software market.
Virtual DJ is a head of the game right now - Their stem separation algorithm is next to none - Live, on the fly stem separation is the future of DJ'ing - The potential for mixes that were never possible before
I never took virtual DJ seriously until I tested it for the reviews on my site. I was absolutely blown away by the performance, ease of use, user friendliness, controller support
For me the problem with competitors is that I'm just too invested into Rekordbox by this point. Unless someone could read all playlist and tag data there's no way I'm going to switch to a different library after years of work getting it all organized. It would also take forever for venues to switch to different gear if the DJs expect to see Pioneer and that's all they know how to use. It's not like back in the day where if you could spin vinyl, it would be familiar everywhere you went, except for maybe rotary vs fader mixers
Yeah that's all kind of seemingly good arguments but I thinks it's just a matter of willpower. I bought denon sc5000Ms for my home setup even tho I knew that most clubs have pioneer setups. I bought them because of all the reasons mentioned in the video. I hate the way pioneer behaves and I hated it that pioneer had the "name" or the "brand" which everyone should use. I think if more clubs would boycott pioneer and just start to use other brands, djs will adapt easily because denon is so much better in almost every way. The start will be hard but like anything else in life: everything is hard before it get's easy! And also: denon is able to read rekordbox data and it's very easy to import your rekordbox collection to denon dj software without loosing any information. In addition to that, denon sc5000s are able to analyse tracks on the fly and you can set cue points and save them while performing!
I’m pretty sure DJ Conversion Utility can handle the library conversion flawlessly! Plus, everyone forgets that Denon supports Rekordbox and Serato libraries. I build all of my sets in Rekordbox and practice at home with my Denon since it converts the library on the fly. That way I can grab the same USB and play on Pioneers at clubs
@@Tranzeroare you sure about that not loosing any information part? As far as I know and also tried it is not possible to get the "MyTag" data out of rekordbox. Big reason for me to stay trapped in pioneers ecosystem
@@ErikPelyukhno Really? I've never looked into it but this sounds interesting. I'd wanted to get some CDJ2000 NXS2 next to my Technics at home since those are the newest ones that play flac but if I could still use Rekordbox (or convert my library) and play on Denon that'd be great too. Can you connect a PC with Rekordbox to Denon gear or am I misunderstanding what you wrote?
Apparently alpha theta bosses gave a speech at IMS this year saying they are going back to concentrate on quality rather then just churning out any old crap but my worry is will this come at a massive cost judging by recent product releases id hate to guess what a new player would cost
Thanks for this review! I'm a volunteer radio DJ on a noncommercial station and am in the market to upgrade my setup. I had been considering Pioneer but was already hesitant to switch to RekordBox from Traktor. Pioneer products are already very expensive. The idea of needing a subscription on top of that is ridiculous. DJing is a serious hobby of mine (25+ years), but still a hobby. I can't justify spending money on pricey Pioneer products then being forced into subscription software on top of that.
It’s so simple! Denon had an opportunity and at one time was a club standard (in house clubs) but the jogs are what converted open format DJs to using CDs and Denon at that time refused to go that route (they dropped the ball), and just like technic, pioneer owned the segment that Denon once had. It does matter what streaming service, what new loop or fancy function added, we are still only playing music for the masses. In the mobile side you play on what you like, on the club/touring side you play on what works.
Yes the design was solid up until the 3000... 3000s have a in system glitch that occasionally deletes all of the files off of your USB. Imagine you're about to start the set you spent a long time preparing on the usb you have all of your music library saved on and suddenly none of it exists. I had heard of it happening to other djs and I thought they were confused or lying until it happened to me at the first of two gigs had to play on the same night. Horrified. First gig was obviously canceled and the opening dj had to cover my set. For the second gig I was able to get back and find a random back up drive with old files on it. I've never trusted plugging into a 3000 since. Luckily I've never bought into the rekordbox system (sorry I'm an old dj who mixes by listening not watching waveforms and pressing the sync button) because this subscription b*llshit is f*cking evil.
And this is how pioneer DJ owners will switch over to Denon and Serrato, or virtual DJ. Bad move from Pioneer to make their uses pay a subscription monthly or yearly just to update to Rekordbox 7. As a Rekordbox and Pioneer DJ, I’m absolutely disappointed in them, but will still pay the package fee, since I’ll need it for my upcoming gigs this year. 😡
Yes, 💯 percent VDJ. Paid the one time fee for infinity subscription and I get all the updates for free now. It does everything and then some as the other competitors.
How does it run in windows? Subsacriptions crush creativity. I use Reason daw and since it was purchased by some investment company its been all marketing very little innovation.
I was looking at upgrading my dj equipment for personal use at home I was looking at the rx3 researched pioneer & denon. Long story short i purchased the prime 4 + mainly because it has so much more options I have additional lighting software (sound switch) that works with denon products it’s amazing once you get it working.
Back in the days I played several times on CDJ800 MK2 and every time it was a pure pleasure playing with them - reliable, great feeling and overall very dependable machines. I havent DJ's on CD players for pribably 10+ years now and had no idea how Pioneer are doing, its really sad they fell like this.
Such a great video 🎉. I've been using Traktor for years (since 2007). And I needed to get Recordbox because of the usb stick prep for cdjs. To this day the only real feat that goes for Recordbox as a dj software in my opinion is the library.
1. You still find pioneer in every club, all over the world. 2. If you use rekordbox as a preparation software, then its pretty much enough. 3. If you are used to using an okder.version of cdj model, you xan easily adpar to rhe newer versions. Pioneer is easy to opperate.
1. Yeah, but clubs also offer a selection of other brands like Allen & Heath, PLAYdifferently, Technics, and Denon. 2. I missed the point when we started depending on “preparation software.” Why not organize the folders on your USB and play as it is? 3. I also don’t understand the “adaptation to new version” and “club layout” arguments. It’s two decks with jogs, play/cue buttons, a looper, and pitch control, as well as a mixer with faders and a 3-band EQ. Is it so difficult to find the same controls on any model? We can drive cars of different brands (even with different wheel positions when visiting other countries). Why can’t we use damn record players with the same approach?
i really wish everything would slowly switch to denon already :/ its so much better and i love it, i only bought xdj 700's cause i would get some complaints about how rekordbox wouldn't work but my denons would read everyone's usb's so in part it is due to hardheaded djs that glamorize pioneer equipment as well
@@chaseflores2145 … here and there of course but I’m not a part of the sold out commercial Community anymore. So i have my freedom to do what i want. So you kid still chasing the wrong way. 😂😂😂
Why do vinyl djs always feel the need to comment on digital dj videos like this? I used to mix vinyl back in 2000 but I don’t feel the need to talk about it when it’s not relevant.
Really? Im not sure if I want Serato to stay independent (I am a Serato user) or I want them to get swallowed up so Rekordbox can cannibalize Serato tech so I can migrate more willingly (I'm not a fan of Rekordbox.)
Correct me if I'm wrong (I'm a producer not a DJ so completely clueless!) - if DAWs like Logic / Ableton etc were to branch out and integrate DJ functionality in to their software wouldn't that be the best possible outcome? I used Recordbox a couple of times messing around with some Pioneer CDJs and was completely baffled at how poor the UI / general software is in comparison to a DAW.
I run 2 DENON sc5000s ...I absolutely love mine..in conjunctiom with my Allen & Heath px5...so happy with the combo...so many options and efx on the 5000s and I dont run any software either I dont need it ..jus sayin😮
I have DDJ-RZ controller and when rekordbox 6 came out, I had all features with hardware unlock. When rekordbox 7 came out, they removed most features and put it on subscription plan... And also, I cannot upgrade to rekordbox 7 with my €3000 controller... I was a big fan of pioneer. My first DJ player was CDJ-100s and after 25 years, I think I'll switch sides because of corporate greed...
All of this is irrelevant when 99% of the touring artist riders I get every year for the multiple festivals i work for spec pioneer. Nobody is asking for Denon. A few ask for Xone:96. Other than that tho, everyone touring uses pioneer because it’s easy to locally source. Asking for boutique rotary mixers that are really expensive or even denon cd players is really difficult to find, and affordable to rent, when barely any production companies carry that gear in their inventory
Yeah but a 'rider' means you can ask for what you want... the answer is the best software and hardware for a DJ.... I reckon we will see Traktor make a massive comeback in the next decade. They nearly cracked the market with pure Techno DJs like Carl Cox..
@@DrTallHat laptop DJing isn’t making a comeback. Native instruments isn’t producing DJ hardware anymore basically. Riders aren’t changing to something other than Pioneer because it’s harder to locally source a piece of gear while touring that few production houses own. Artists aren’t travelling with their own gear typically. For pioneer to be dethroned, you need market penetration to the point that gear is so common that you can fly into any major city in the world and find the gear you need for rent.
@@dsquareddan We can agree to disagree! I believe cost of living, hybrid DJ setups, innovation in home producing and kids taking up DJ'n as a musical instrument in schools are either going to force a radical rethink by Pioneer or they will be left in the dust over the next decade. They are trying with things like the XDJ to make it more accessible but normal people, do not have the money for this platform.... and it aint that great from a software perspective.. Here's Warren Buffet to explain the trajectory as I see it.. th-cam.com/video/HANE1bqLeM4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=FGRe5Lwyph1lVQza
Great Video, I agree. They still make some of the best Controllers though. I really like the FLX6 as a compact 4-channel option. And it is perfectly compatible with my DJay Pro Software on the Ipad. However Denon and InMusic in general have outstanding Build-Quality on their newer devices. Rane with their full-metal build and Denon Prime 4 as well ultra solid. Even the Numark Players are amazing. I have Pioneer DJ FLX6 GT Numark Mixstream Pro+ and at Work I can use Denon SC-Line of players. From my experience, I can tell you right here that Denon will catch up fast. Especially their integrated Cloud system is very cool. No Sticks and my Full Library via Dropbox available all time? No Laptop required? How cool! And it can even Save Beatgrid and Cuepoints etc. You can also Stream directly from Beatport which is perfect if you want to build sets and not buy anything before you are 100% sure these are the tracks you want.
No discussion about the all-in-one and controller markets that they dominate in. This is what helped expand dj culture and put more dj setups in bedrooms.
I used Denon Duals back in the day, and the jog wheel was tiny and extremely loose control, it’s manual pitch bend was tedious, and the play and cue buttons were rubbery and unresponsive, requiring you to press at specific points on the buttons Pioneer CDJs were and still are extremely responsive, the control of the Jog wheel improved after the 200 series as the 100s were as loose as the Denons, and the Master Tempo for automatic pitch bend was revolutionary at the time
and saved cd cue points were a denon thing before pioneer too - Pioneer copies everything - look at soundswitch and pioneer light control... Pioneer copied it almost pixel for pixel
you need to take a look at the pioneer site to be sure. But if it is still supported, you need to subscribe in the next version. That is pioneer in 2024
Pardon I just brought the djm 750 mk2 and it's the best mixer I've ever used. I had a Numark that was shit I had a technics mixer that was shit and the Allen and heath xone 92 was shit.
Bough a pair of CDJ 400 and DJM and had awesome memories from 2009 up to 2019… some residencies in small clubs, some events… it was all fun… in 2021 bought an used DDJ 1000 and to be honest… this might be my last pioneer equipment for two reasons… 1 - the ddj1000 do everything like a full club setup do 2 - i dont see that theres much more to “evolute” than STEMS… Maybe the future comes with a surprise… But not for now
Pioneer mixers have been the industry statndard for 20 years now. Just like Apple was the inly choice for photoshop users 30years ago, now graphic desigers can do all the things they can do in mac on pc. Though Apple is still the market leader for creative professionals even though macs do t have touch screens like pc’s making them inferior in tech in many ways. Just the same with Nike footwear, many brands like Hoka make better running shoes eith proprietary foam for midsoles. Yet people still buy Nike’s at a rate of 10 to 1. Why? Bc to us dj’s Pioneer will always be the “Nike” of pro hardware sure Denon has more festire rich and better UX, still those are made for home dj’s and rogue dj’s who want to make their bookings more challenging. Pioneer will never lose their pro status i’m sorry but i aggressively disagree with the future of the brand and loyalty.
After looking into the Pros and Cons of making the Inve$tment into the Pioneers, I purchased a set of CDJ 300s and a DJM A9. I actually read and consider the comments made here. Selling my Denon Prime 4 right now. Denon's innovations can't make up for Pioneer's 90% + presence in Major Clubs, Venues and Festivals. Pretty much the whole PRO DJ industry , that's Booking Agencies, Promoters and even record Labels expect a DJ artist / producer to be comfortable on the Pioneer hardware. Might as well master that, if you're a wedding or mobile DJ then definitely go Denon
I remember back in the DSLR days of photography where Canon and Nikon were the king, Sony had released cameras that blew them away on features. The "pro" photographers viewed these as a novelty. Then Sony released the first successful mirrorless cameras and almost became the standard overnight. The other two companies spent years playing catch up. Denon has the potential to do this here.
You are completely wrong. They made the best mixer in the world - S11 capable with playing 4 Decks while having 2 physical channels, also made the first hybrid turntable in the world. You are saying things only from CDJ evolution point of view, not as a whole
The S11 is a great mixer, but I don’t think its 4-to-2 channel capability is its main selling point. I believe it was developed primarily to compete with the Rane in the niche market of turntablist mixers. The PLX-CRSS12 is also nice, but for the same price, you can buy new Technics and Phase. For the two units, it will be cheaper, and the functionality will be the same. These devices are innovative but not revolutionary. They don’t change the way people play, just improve the quality of life. I might be wrong, but I think the future of creative DJing lies somewhere between stem separation technology and the next generation of ‘DAW-in-the-box’ devices like Ableton Push, Akai MPC, and NI Maschine.
Been using pioneer since 2010, got the Denon Prime4 (With 4decks) last year and It blows all Pioneer dj products ive ever tried, and i got it as a whole for half the price of a full dj set of pioneer.
I've been DJing for over 20 years the gripes with Serato I saw in his comparison where all things I never noticed my cue points and beatgrids have always worked perfectly...admittedly I have extremely limited experience with any other software but it makes me wonder. On the topic of this video I have felt recently (having had to use recordbox and Pioneer gear) that they are not preferable to many other options on the market don't get me wrong I grew up with the DJM-800/1000/etc being the de facto standard for a club mixer and I find the mixer more than serviceable but given the pricing on Pioneer products I find there are better alternatives available that most users would find superior if they had the time/etc to become proficient on multiple gear. For me, an "old school" mix A to B and then back to A with maybe some delay or reverb during transitions I think the most telling sign that Pioneer is on the decline and has been for a while is the fact that I prefer the CDJ 2000 or (what I use at home) the XDJ -800 are superior to the expensive but cluttered 3000s which are just...overpriced with no features I find compelling. I want my drives to work with Serato well and for that I recommend older still-overpriced but at least somewhat more reasonable legacy Pioneer hardware.
I remember Oliver Heldens used to play only on Denon DJ gear, but he recently switched back to pioneer because of glitches in the controller and because of the market. Sometime I work for big AV companies that set up festivals and big parties, and the only thing they own is pioneer decks. I'm curious to see when or how this will change
I wish I could convey to people what the IT environment is like in this industry. We're talking about companies with around 10 developers each. There's no competition, and there's no missing features that DJs are demanding. The reason Pioneer keeps getting sold is because they're not the cash cow that DJs want to pretend they are. CDJs hold up and they hold their value. I bought 3x CDJ-2000NXS2s for $1,500 each and sold them 4 years later for $1,550 each when I upgraded to CDJ-3000s. The DJM-900nexus is from 2011, and I bought one for $1,000 in 2019, and today I could sell it for more than I paid for it. That's the thing. The decks work like decks, and the mixers work like mixers, and you can use gear from 2011 and it's fine if it's Pioneer or Allen & Heath. I don't think I'd want to use Denon gear from 2011, but maybe that's fine, too. I'll bet Traktor/Serato gear from 2011 still works great. Nobody wants innovation. They just want a couple solid decks and a mixer with good high-pass filters and and the rest doesn't matter. The Xone:92 was released in 2004 and most DJs are still pretty happy to find one in the booth.
This is true, I love my Denon SC6000 players. But the Pioneer V10 mixer is a function of excellent refinement. Pioneer makes better mixers now than anything else, while pioneer used to have the worst mixers in the game. But overall you are right about the company .
Fully agree. Pioneer mixers are the best right now (if we're not counting boutique stuff like MasterSounds), the V10 is unbelievably good, as is that rotary mixer they put out under the AlphaTheta name (Euphonia I believe it's called)
None of this matter as long as they have the marketing presence and market share dominance. As a working club DJ, I have seen a Denon deck in a club exactly one time. Unless some big name DJs rebel, it's just not happening. Enshittification is profitable when you control the narrative, and it sucks.
what about cdj 100 , cdj 400 ? at very began ... btw , I have used many years dns3700 and it was something special for me because of the vinyl on it , i had cdj850-2000 too but cdj400 with djm 400 was my second favorite in that time ... small and many features ... in these days after 2020covid i became a bedroom dj with a set of denon 5000m .. and i love it ... hope this year can resolve some of my personal problems and can come back to clubs with denon 😎
I had almost every CDJ 500, 1000, 1000mkIII Then I got the pioneer ddj sz and I still have it. I also have a rev 7 I love it it’s fun. The club scene will be pioneer until something better comes out. Denon is way too confusing but made great. Nice video
You are competely right but market dominance and sunk cost fallacy for djs and clubs means that Pioneer DJ will be just fine for the next 10-20 years. They will keep on buying (small) other companies, eliminate competition and maintain market dominance until they become too much of a monopolist and maybe some regulators will curb them. Maybe.
As a Denon Prime owner and Denon user since it's first release of dual layer deck, I still can't back their reliability or stability. They slashed prices of their flagships as they were full of hardware issues and rushed out new models. So many tiny issues never fixed with many many updates that Pioneer never had to deal with...
So basically, Denon equipment can read rekordbox USBs, it will usually** preserve your playlists, key info, and hot cues but it has to reanalyze the grid. It does this relatively quickly but it still takes at least 5 seconds or so to load your track which isn't nothing. I find that Denon's beatgrid algorithm is a bit less consistent than rekordbox as well, however it is easy to fix the beat grid on the player if you wish to do so. **Last time I played on a Denon it had my playlist names mixed up for some reason and later they got fixed, it was annoying lol. I have gotten used to the quirks of Denon because several of my friends who throw small events have them.
It reads Pioneer library, and you can export it as well. But if you have hot cues and cue points, i believe it only let you use one of two. if you just got hot cues, there is no issues, youll have all that in denon
The sale of Serato hasn't been finalized yet. The CMA is still investigating if they can make the sale or not. In my mind the two coming together would make them too big which isn't good for the market and competition.
I totally agree. I bought my first deck in 2016 and it was amazing kit (the ddJ SR). What an amazing kit for the time. Now they replaced the buttons... which are normally rap responsive... with BUTTONS which is need to PRESS. Why go back to the Stone Age if you got the tec???
🎥 Pioneer DJ is even worse than I thought:
th-cam.com/video/d9CuS2dxcck/w-d-xo.html
Until clubs start to diversify in their equipment, Pioneer will unfortunately remain the only choice for DJs who want to play clubs.
Technics ruled the clubs for decades then pioneer came along. It’s just how it is. They broke ground with the CDJ brand. They were first to do it.
Where did you get this false Information from? You don't need it - a usb-drive with some mp3s on it is enough.
i think he means emphasis on the club part, i have never seen anything but pioneer in the many booths ive played in
@@noname1210hhNo, because He says "for us djs". the emphasis is on djs and not Clubs. dj dont need Pioneer, Clubs need a cdj.
It's a circle that needs to be broken. Clubs install Pioneer because DJ's want it, DJ's buy Pioneer because clubs install it. But slowly people start to see AT became greedy, esp. now with RB 7. They're loosing terrain quickly, especially in the younger generation.
dude when $2k device can't read a USB flash drive - you wonder how they became the industry standard
@@SoundPeaks but that’s his point…it was “CDJ” where they made their impression and market leadership. CDs. Yes USB came but they became the industry standard on what was the main media for a much longer time - CDs
bro had so many languages, and he chose the language of facts
😂rare occursion these days
God these facts comments are so cringe
Nothing makes this more clear than the release of the omnis duo. They release a product with less features than a product that was released 4 years before.
For 150% the price !
It's for the Tik Tok Generation. They don't care about us. Just a fast money grab...
they didn't release it, Alphatheta did.
And the weird part? They charge twice the price and people still buy it. "Yeah but but but the club standard". Guys, there is no club standard. If they book you, tell em what gear you need. They will rent it. It costs maybe 100 bucks. Clubs don't care about 100 bucks.
@@harveyspecter1653 Pioneer was Club standard. Years ago when they released the CDJ 1000's. Now I would prefer Allen&Heath or Denon. You get definitely more for your money there..
I’m using two Denon Sc6000s and a MasterSounds 4V… never been happier with a DJ setup. Absolute gold
I have the 6000m players, just slowly saving for the 4V mk2, it is just a thing of beauty ❤
Unfortunately my experience with the prime 4 and prime 4+ has not been the best. Don't get me wrong... I absolutely love the system. Is way way more fun than pioneer. But the durability of the buttons makes me sad 😢
The bar I play, we bought the prime 4. Cue/play Buttons broke from inside.
We bought a prime 4+ that we thought they solved it... Not a year has passed and cue/play are starting to get loose a little bit. It won't take long before the buttons are gone. And it's very very hard to find these parts 😢😢😢
@@simonshields2525 I've got a 2V, it's amazing. The guy I bought it from upgraded to a Resor which, yes, has better summing. Especially the bass is just perfect; two tracks at unity gain sounds like one and when you turn down one of them the mix still sounds equally full and balanced. The mids were also clearer. On the MS you have to turn down the master track a little when bringing in the new one but that will quickly become second nature when turning those knobs. However, compared to a Resor the MS just has that fat, saturated club sound. Which, if you're at home, is absolutely brilliant. Everything you put through it just sounds like magic. Even friends with zero mixing or DJing experience immediately had a giant look of surprise on their faces the instant they heard it. I had gotten bored with my old controller, but this thing in combination with real turntables has just sparked my passion for DJing again. The cue system is great (the add mix knob makes mixing on snares and hi hats so easy), the headphone output is loud af and the vertical iso is just fine. Only downside is the phono stages aren't great imo. They definitely have a very noticeably rolled off top end; requiring the highs to be set at 1-2 o'clock to compensate. I bought two Pro-Ject Phono Boxes which sound much better and aren't too expensive. I only paid half retail but even at MSRP I'd very much recommend it
@@renatomartins2086 Agree, my play button is starting to lose presse, i just ended using cue button to trigger the start
@@renatomartins2086 wow that is super unfortunate. I’m sorry that has been your experience. The pioneer stuff can definitely take a beating, I’ll give it that!
It's time for Denon to finally get the recognition they deserve!
Denon is got posers.
They need to step up their game first. I've played on Denon unfortunately too many times. ALl DJs talk about how Denon has so many greater features than Pioneer, but it's hard to get past faulty knobs, faders and a cheap build. Meanwhile I'm playing on CDJs in the rain with drunk chicks spilling their drinks on them. CDJs are built to a better quality than Pioneer mixers. The mixers always fail before the CDJ. However both are solid and easy to fix. Parts are easyt o find. Try fixing a Denon on the road.
@@jackmono the only weak spot i found out so far is dimm screen playing outdoors on sc6000. They came up with day mode update. it helps, but not dramatically. Otherwise the feel, tactics and everything is spot on. Started my dj journey on cdjs 800 and vynil and played all their flagmanships, and its outdated af comparing to what dj world has to offer today.
DN-2000F must be one of the best workhorses there is?
Built like a tank and never stops working...
Got news for you. Denon sucks. I owned their "glorious" x1850 and traded it off for a DJM 450. Sounds much better, works a thousand times better. Denon decks are trash. Lots of sync issues, random hang-ups and if you contact customer support for parts. You will not receive a response for over 45-65 days. Also, most people will not work on Denon Decks. While Pioneer you can directly buy parts and service them yourself. I started out with Denon as they were cheep. Would NEVER go back.
Here's the thing... I agree with a lot of what you said BUT (and this is a deal breaker) pioneer equipment just feels different to the competition. It's hard to explain, but in my 15 years of being a DJ everytime I touch something else that's not pioneer you can immediately tell. It's just the way the buttons click and the faders feel... No competition can replicate that and for lots of people including myself this is the most important thing, how equipment feels. When I play on pioneer cdjs, it just feels like 'home' and not just because I own 3000s
i hear you!
I agree on this! 2000n2 and 3000 just feel better then the Denon.
I know exactly what you mean. It's exactly the same with my Technics. There were already turntables back then that were more developed...see Vestax, but the feeling was simply missing. I wouldn't want to imagine anything else. But in my opinion that's a lot of mental matter!
Couldn't agree more
What you said it's true. And I'm a denon lover.
I value more the streaming service than the feel of pioneer. I'm a dj in a very touristic zone so I have to be prepared to play anything at any time.
The first CDJ with USB was the CDJ 400 . But it was more a hobby player than club standard
350 mkII. I have a set still.
@@666DemonCleaner i still use my 350s hahah
Many years ago my mate took a train to a different city to go and buy a used pair together with a DJM-450. We had so many unforgettable memories with them. Countless after hours and balcony sessions, basement raves, garden parties... those were the days! ♡
Truth I bought that set up, it didn't have back lights if I remember correctly its was not a club set up at all, I brought my cdjs 400 and 400 mixer into a dark room and spent the whole night djing with a flashlight lol
what do you mean?? the CDJ400's werent just the club standard, they were the feckin industry standard! I dont know of a single club that didnt have a CDJ400 with DJM200 or 400 mixer setup and ready to go for DJ's to jump straight onto when playing sets... alot of DJ's still carried their own gear and could use what ever they wanted too, but there was always a beat up 400 rig set up and working primarily..
Too expensive even entry level equipment, you are paying for the brand.
A mid range non pioneer controller & laptop can do far more than the current cdj & djm setup for a tenth of the cost.
Traktor needs to get back up to top imo, love my 2x X1's and mixer with DVS.
Personally I am happy with a Pioneer controller and serato
I hear ya, for those who choose Traktor, bought the controllers, I have an S4, and know Traktor as home, it is shameful of NI to just “Meh, we're concentrating on production now” their loyal, invested users!
C'mon, NI.... PLEASE!
I have a Pioneer XDJ-XZ. Been djing forever. Had a Stanton turntable setup before too. The setup I miss the most is my traktor Kontrol s4. I did my best mixing with that thing it was crazy.
@@lmaheu That XZ is a damned sexy beast, though. We have been, it seems, following the exact same path of spinning. I'm 53 now, been at it since I was 19. Currently still own a set of STR8 150s, paired with my S4 mk2. Vinyl, paired with the S4 and time coded vinyl, STILL blows my mind, and is, to us oldies, purest sorcery!!
totally Agree. I''ve just starting to turn up to gigs with my S4 MK3 with the expectation that I can plug into a Pioneer mixer! :) If you're getting booked for gigs have confidence and take your own kit. Once you get big you get a 'rider' and can tell the promoters what you play on... save all the money and Traktor is rolls-royce compared to Rekordbox and it's wacky licensing model.
I run 2 LC6000s along with 2 SC6000s, a Rane MP2015 and an RMX-1000.. I am in HEAVEN with my setup and would not change a thing... The Denon LC/SC combo is a perfect tandem and keeps me more than satisfied every time I get in my studio.
I ditched Pioneer in 2017 and moved to Denon DJ. The SC series is just miles ahead, it really was amazing moving over to them. Luckily many clubs in the UK now have Denon kit as well, be it SC's or Prime4's.
I think that another point to discuss is the reduced hardware unlock devices for Rekordbox 7 compared to previous version.
A lot of products has lost the hardware unlock property like DDJ-RZ and also, the unique that has video handling, DDJ-RZX.
But you can use them if you pay a subscription. Without it, you could use your gear as an ornament.
I cannot even use my RZX anymore with RB7 even though I have a subscription. RB7 doesn't support the screens etc. anymore and they told me they are not willing to fix that. This controller was still available in 2021 so not very old either. I am currently checking my legal options in the Netherlands. If you have an idea what to do please let me know!
I don’t get it why cdjs 2000 nexus ( the first nexus ) was launched in 2012, 12 years laters they still selling it for 2k each turntable, they are overvaluing a brand so much that’s just ridiculous
When you can get a full DJ set from denon with 2 sc5000 and mixer for just 2k…make it makes sense…
They are overpriced yes, but they are durable and easy to repair and there are still spare parts available.
I even think about buying all parts and a broken cdj to rebuild one 😂
@@damianpautzke5031 I swear on god 10 years ago I had the full set of pioneer the 2000 nexus a pair and the mixer djm 900 nexus and cost me around almost 6k, they still on the same price, and the used ones are around 5k or up, even is they are durable doesn’t justify to sell at the same price of a new one, that’s not how the market works but in the dj pioneer market most people are brainwashed and makes you think that the only good brand in the dj world is pioneer and it’s just not truth, that what pioneer makes you believe so they can still hustle on you guys, simple as that.
@@damianpautzke5031 it’s amazing…I can’t reply you because TH-cam takes down my comment and there is no insults, no bad lenguaje, but they still don’t want me to free speech, I’m going crazy with TH-cam and his shadow banning comment.
@@damianpautzke5031 TH-cam won’t let me reply nothing
@@damianpautzke5031 I would like to have a conversation about this but some mof is bothering me on TH-cam deleting everything I write in the comments
I bought the Denon Prime 4+ as an upgrade from my beginner controller (Numark Mixtrack Platinum FX) and I freaking love all the possibilities.
When I started to DJ in 2022 I always dreamed about a Pioneer Setup because I saw that every big DJ and the club I visited uses it. I was like: "It must be good if everyone uses it".
3-4 weeks before I had the bucks to finally upgrade and become more professional I read into it, watched reviews etc. to buy the right device. The more I saw the more I came to the conclusion: "Why should I pay more for Pioneer Gear when I get the same or even more for less money".
That's why I decided to buy the Prime 4+.
Yeah the Play/Cue buttons may be something which can break, but if you take care and don't hammer them like a mad man it should take years till you need to switch them. The play/cue buttons are my only concern.
I have a prime 4 I used it for 4 yrs at least 10 hours a week. I beat the crap out of it. 2 snapped volume sliders and broken +\- pitch buttons( a denon trademark since the actual first cd turntable). The platters are highly susceptible to electromagnetic interference so don’t put and weird lights near. Make sure it’s grounded proper if you experience platter issues. It truley is a behemoth it’s just built a lil on the soft side.
I started DJaying on February 27th, 2010 and we used to use Vestax Itch controllers (the Vestax-300 controller with separate FXs accessory). It wouldn't be until 2012 that we went towards Pioneer's DDJ-SR controllers that were easy to pick up and use, and then one of my good friends had us get the SX in a DJ program we were in. However, it wouldn't be until I got my own controller with the Pioneer DDJ-SZ on my 20th birthday in 2015, and since then DDJ-SZ has become my favorite controller from them of all time. As time passes by, I started to see Pioneer move away from Serato and go for Rekordbox, which at the time was cool, until I realized just how much money Pioneer was asking and I never bought them at all. And while I did play around in the software, it wasn't something I would be using a lot. However, when I would go back home in 2010/2011, I was trying to find a software program that I could DJ with just a keyboard and mouse/touchpad, but Serato didn't have good features back in the early 2010s. That's where I came across VirtualDJ 7 Home in August 2010/January 2011. And I would continue to use it until they released VirtualDJ8 in 2017/2018. I loved the VIrtualDJ program so much that I wouldn't bother to use Serato or Rekordbox very much. And yes, I've tried the Engine DJ program and it's pretty good, but it would crash or not work well for old Macbook Pro systems, but it does work on my PC. Just that I don't have DJ equipment for the program (I haven't updated those programs in a long time so, it's been 6 years since I took Engine DJ and such)......
So yeah, I can totally get where you're coming from, I've been thinking of getting some CDJ/XDJ type of equipment for quite some time now. But the price point of $5,000 just to get the two CDJ/XDJs with mixer in the middle, it's just out of reach and way too expensive to buy. Plus, the DJ group I go to wouldn't be able to use it very well, or it would be confusing to use since they're used to using laptops for their music, not so much built in screens and using USBs, SD Cards, or HDDs/SSDs (but I sure do).
Reminds me of the iPhone, was very advanced in 2008, but over time cheaper alternatives started to catch up. The customers are still very loyal tho due to their ecosystem and because of that will still use their products, even though they're not the "best" anymore.
Definitely still the best, unlike alpha theta
@@mautrindadeno
@lifesagamesobeawinner no they’re not
iPhone has way superior camera to Samsung no matter the megapixels are
it works faster, smoother and it has better colors
the problem with Samsung is that they’re still using android so they’ve limited update support compared to apple
whereas apple provides 7 years of software updates consistently and they have better and more punctual services too
the iOS is superior to android in every way from UI design to app support
iPhones have no competition in performance benchmarks and that’s why base Samsung phone models outsell the S models currently
in short Android phones are just cheap but iPhone is the standard
@@d.s.2868 objectively false. Stop shilling and using talking points from 2015.
Pioneer simply has the advantage that Technics had back then. It's club standard. It's a shame that Denon can't break this chain. I would love it for you! I will still be using the SC 5000 in 2024 and this great product will continue to be developed further through constant updates. Other companies would release new devices for every new development and no longer support the old ones, but not Denon. They are simply miles ahead of Pioneer. I don't know if it's the marketing thing, but just let all the DJs in demand get their equipment. Just hardcore marketing like Pioneer does?
I'm a dj in a small bar and a medium club.
Bar: Denon Prime 4+
Club: 2xCdj 2000 nxs2 and a cdj 900 nexus 2.
I have wayyyyy more fun at the bar not using my computer because I use tidal as my main source of music.
However... The durability of the buttons of denon is way worse.
We used prime 4 for about 2 years until the plastics of the buttons start to break. Not the switches. The plastic parts. And... The parts are wayyyyy harder to find.
So.. In order to keep the denon system which we love we bought the prime 4+ until we figure out a way to repair the old prime 4.
Not even a year has passed, and the plastic buttons started to break.
All this time... The same setup of pioneer is up on the club with just the switches (cue/play) breaking now and then.
I'm kind of disappointed with denon, because I really love the denon system way more. But the durability of the material is very weak 😓
I've repaired manu CDJ's plastic parts (and soldered new switches on the pcb's), just simple glue helps. I preffer PVC glue which can be used to create re-enforcing blobs. Same can be done with Denon plastic parts, a friend of mine had his Prime 4 VIEW button brake, and we glued it the same way. For extra re enforcement you can also use 90 degree flexible plastic cutouts from blister packaging to glue in the blob.
I'm using a SC Live 4, which seems to be the best Denon build out of them all. And still have fully revised CDJ 800 mkII's for my cd's. Best players ever imho.
@@N1h1L3 I've done that already. However I used "super glue". Didn't seem to help.
The view button is a very very common problem. I was lucky I could find a new view button at the time.
Anyway, it makes me mad that this brands don't bother keeping stock of the parts. At least cue / play they should have it. I totally understand when they can't provide the electronic parts due to shortage. But the plastic buttons. God 🤦🏻
I agree... I had Denon Prime 4 and noticed that the buttons were of low quality as well. But to be honest, I do like Denon more...the machine is so capable and doesnt need anything more than Internet connection. Just connect Your favorite audio service to it and go. Does not need any garbage like Traktor and supports nativley almost any relevant file format.
@@savikate exactly!!!!
I had a Prime 4 and the xfaders kept malfunctioning until I installed a 3rd party fader. The final straw was the when the usb section broke when insert the usb with minimal pressure and I was without the unit for 4 months while it was being fixed and was charged $600. I sold that Prime 4 as soon as it was fixed and bought a Rane One (which has been so sturdy). In saying that - I have Denon SC6000Ms and those things are the best digital decks money can buy so props to Denon for those but yes, Denon need to sort out their repair department.
DENON DJ has won the long game, the DJs need to catch up. They are still choosing PIONEER because their idols still use it. It is a matter of time before DENON takes over the venues.
Denon will never take over as the pro-level choice. Every DJ I book as a headliner insists on Pioneer, that's simply never going to change, no matter how much you want it to.
@@thomasashworth2353 change is inevitable, nothing in Life is forever. Monopolies are always bad for evolution and growth. As I mentioned in my comment, the DJs right now are still emulating their idol DJs of the past like David Guetta, it’s only a matter of time when the next super Star DJ pulls up with a DENON Set or something out of the norm like DJAY Pro with and iPad and a sound card to rock a set.
The rest will follow.
denon was always considered the cheaper brand. They will NEVER take over venues. As south as pioneer has been going nothing will compare to the cdj 2000 nexus.
Explain then : why denon keep copy design of pioneer inventions on the new models 😂 ;) thank you
@@tommich421 to be honest, after further review of venues and how they operate, I am definitely wrong about the strong hold Pioneer will have on the future of club and venue performances.
They are her to stay.
I know a ton of DJs in the last year or two that have jumped ship on pioneer, at least partially. All the DJs here in New Orleans know how to play on CDJs for the proper club gigs, but everybody uses everything. There are CDJs around, but you see A LOT of the denon all in ones or serato with controllers/turntables out in the wild. It's not seen as being more or less proper and venues will generally set you up to play on whatever you want, because they are professionals. They don't care where the XLR cables to the system originate as long as the levels are good! 😂
lol New Orleans. What a trash dump hole. China is the place to be for DJs
I've switched last December from pionner dj to denon dj prime 4+
Industry standard mate. Since the cdj 1000 mk1 was released. Was a game changer from using vinyl. I started on vinyl. I feel somewhat that the skills needed were harder to learn. It’s alot easier now with visual wave bars etc. in my day you watched your needle and used headphones to cue and monitor. That’s not needed anymore! You mix now without headphones.
Was waiting for next generation XDJ-XZ so got tired and Prime 4 came in..
Aquinted with Denon since 1992, so it delivers
Gave up Rekordbox after V4
@@deejayskyeI dont think pioneer has the technology to do stems on a standalone unit. They will have to buy someone out 😂
Let me give you the bad news... The buttons, the plastic part. Of the play/cue, will, with soon start to become loose.
They way the pioneer cdjs are built the last way longer.
And then, believe me... It will be very difficult to find the parts
@@djstuc I repair myself cdjs all the time. I replace the buttons of almost every club in Algarve (Portugal) and it's ALWAYS the mechanical switch. I never seen the cover of a cdj break. Just the electronic switches. And, the switches are very easy to find everywhere. You can buy like 50 switches for 19 USD.
The denon on the other hand when the plastic part breaks from the inside you're pretty much fu**ed. Go on... Try to find the plastic parts for the prime 4 (in fact I would love to know where I could buy so I could buy like 10. That's how much I'm sure it will break again 🙁
And... Believe me I'm a true denon lover. I absolutely love everything else more in denon than the cdjs.
Indeed, indeed.
I simply refuse to pay for any music based subscription or subscription based software.
Hence why I know own a Denon SC5000 and sold my pioneer decks 😂
I just left pioneer and all my gear and switched to NI Traktor for more creative mixes. Xone 96 with 2 pcs of NI X1 MK3. This is my dream setup 100% and never looked back!
yes im traktor fanboy with s5 kontroler, but still countig they do some standalone gear some day.
Yes, why not?! I have friends wishing for this… and Traktor software is a great tool (specially for electronic vibes).
@@joste65 exactly. Im psytrance dj and its perfect for my needs.
Same, bought into Traktor back in the day, left the world of music for family, work, etc, but recently reignited the passion, grabbed an S4 mk2, a pair of Stanton STR8 150s, some timecoded vinyl, and am having an absolute blast!!! Would be extremely decent of NI to throw us the odd bone, though, instead of us becoming their dirty secret as they concentrate on production boys toys!
@@PilzE. you need to check NI forums, section traktor mapping, there is few very good mods for displays on s4, s5 etc. you can have a lot more and better informations visible
Technics, Sony, and Studer/Revox all had CD players with pitch control, jog wheels and stutter cue in the 80s. The Technics SLP-1200 and SLP-1300 were in lots of radio stations and in some of the more forward thinking nightclubs in the 80s. Denon dual decks, which also had pitch control, jog wheels, and stutter cue, were the club and mobile standard for the entire 90s. Pioneer's DJ CD players were a minor player until the CDJ-1000 came out, and even then the Denon DN-S5000 had more features (dual layer, some cool sampling and cue point features, etc.).
👏👏👏👏👏👏
But why did pioneer take over? Was the denon more expensive?
@@azur1o CDJ-1000 pre-dated the Denon single deck by about a year and half, and Denon, although the features were cool, had quality and design issues - the platter was belt driven, the cue points slipped, the CD drive would not eject properly. Pioneer was pretty rock solid, and I think this doomed Denon.
@@ChristopherEdmonds makes sense. So it's kinda like the GoPro situation. Great start but stopped innovating or listening to the community at some point?
Roomba Irobot as well 😂
I miss the old CD-Player times in the beginning of my career. There were CDJ-1000's but also chances to stumble upon different equipment. Like the Stanton C.304 or the Reloop RMP's.
I liked the challenge to adapt to any CD player, it made the deejaying job more interesting.
We need Vestax back
Technics is okay bro
@@DJXcaliburWas it!? Did not know that
Vestax are back, think it's called stpvx? They are way too overpriced tho. Boutique ish.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Once my PMC-55 Breaks down ima quit DJing. It's been running for 10yrs and hasn't aged whatsoever tho. Annoyingly I ordered 40 faders from America a few weeks back Nd they arrived fully mash up. Got 3 left and then thats it now. Need more lol
Played on Vestax CD players one, they were god awful and buggy, so yeah not gonna miss them
@@DJXcalibur Not true. Pioneer, Vestax and Technics are all different companies. Technics is/was part of Panasonic.
Modern djing is so long , all the prep djs do before playing out. Set of technics a mixer and some banging records . That’s me
I started DJing in 1993, where all you needed was £500 to buy two second hand 1210s and a mixer, to get into the club standard. Now you need £6000 to get into the club standard, so sad...................
I agree, I’ve seen some guys claim they put hours and hours into mixing and practicing their set only for it to be one of those unenthusiastic tech house sets that pretty much everybody else sounds like
@@skeennah1927 to be fair a "club standard" mixer back then still costed loads. £350 minimum for a board with a send return. But I hear you man
I put club standard in quotes because as we all know, every club had different mixers back then. A crossfader, 3 band EQ and Send Return I/o if your lucky. People forget this now but vestax was not cheap back in the day.. Urei was like 6k in today's money accounting for inflation lol. That's why companies like ecler were huge. Nobody speaks about them now but I remember they forced other companies to be way more competitive
vinyl forever. collecting records is half of the fun. got loads of songs on my laptop have no attachment to but all records you remember when you bought them
@@FatBamMargera thats probably because thats what ppl want to hear, sad but true
I bought a DDJ-1000 because I wanted "standard" equipment that was similar to club setups so I could jump between the two seamlessly. I just finished selling it and I'm going back to my old OWNED copy of Traktor now.
S4 is still mint.
Just bought traktor again after tearing my hair out with a ddj1000, my old mk1 s2 while basic was great
@@pcwexhaustmods I'm buying another S4, I miss my old one so much.
@@ItsNova816 I bought the s3, just waiting on delivery 😊 then have to sell the pioneer lol
DJ since 24 years. I had a lot of configs (Technics MK2 / Technics M5G/ CDJ 1000 / CDJ 2000 / Traktor controllers...). Now I'm still a Traktor user, with the laptop linked to my DJM900NSX + 2 Traktor D2 working as "controller". Cheaper as you only need the DJM as "expensive equipment", and super easy to move everywhere (travel config, I put my DJM900 in my cabin luggage). Later on when I play in clubs, easy to link to any CDJs. That was Carl Cox's setup some years ago, CDJ + Traktor + 2 Traktor D2.
But I seriously thought moving on a XDJ XZ. for the all in one comfort, and because that's cheaper than a pair of CDJ 3000 with a DJM mixer. However I dont want to switch to Serato or Recordbox, I'm more than happy with Traktor. So...
Because right now I dont play as often as before, so I decided to keep waiting for the next gen' equipment. No rush, my DJM900NSX still does the job. And it doesn't lose value that much on the market ;) That's also a point to consider when you buy such expensive equipment: how easy you'll be able to sell it back with a good price. In this case, Pioneer remains great. Try to find a buyer for your CDJ 3000 or your last DJM mixer, it will sell within the day
im still loyal user od traktor...with hope for something from NI. but i love my S5 and quality of analyze in traktor.
btw. nice video!
@DJPawelB Dude. I’m in the same boat. I’m itching to buy a premium midi controller, but I’ve seen the complaints about the latest controllers from both NI and Arturia, it breaks my heart.
I already said this in some other videos: AlphaTheta is a end of PioneerDJ era.
AlphaTheta is Pioneer, that's the parent company.
@@thomasashworth2353 The end of the era of their domination on the dj equipment market.
Rekordbox 7 is the first nail, I imagine in 5 years the club equipment landscape will be radically altered.
I doubt it man. Djs straight up refuse to play on non pioneer setups. Willing to bet pioneer will just become more locked down. Will require different file formats etc so you need multiple usbs to use Denon etc..
Saying that there built well. I've played on the Denon spinning platter decks a few times and always had glitches. Wouldn't wanna rely on one that's for certain. Shame because Denon are defo the most innovative. And I've had loads of there devices, there old 19" controllers were tanks. Still got one and works fine
Already shifting a lot with mixers, Xone for example is becoming the preferred way in the techno scene
@@stokbrood That’s interesting.. which model?
@@markstephenson9280 Xone 92 or 96 in nearly all cases. Big Venues in Berlin have a duo mixer set up with a DJM & Xone so the DJs playing can choose what to play on. Just recently did an installation with a DJM V10 & a Xone 96 + 4xCDJ 3000.
Technics also have had a comeback. A lot of Techno DJs are returning to playing vinyl or a hybrid of vinyl and Digital, which I also prefer most.
@@markstephenson9280 Xone96, mainly because it's analog
I use Traktor mostly, but have had to use CDJs with Rekordbox from time to time. In terms of stand-alone units, I'll probably end up going with the Denon SC-6000s once I have the room for them. Not sure about the mixer just yet, but most likely the accompanying Denon mixer as well.
Using the Denon mixer with the Denon players unlocks some really cool features, it’s all quite an impressive system and it’s shocking to me more Pioneer guys haven’t switched over their home setup yet. My hope is people getting into DJing check out Denon and realize that it’s nice, and then put on their rider that they prefer Denon setups for their gigs when they’re in a position to do so. (For example Oliver Heldens/ HI-LO)
@@Morrice79 I get the sentiment. My first time touching Pioneer gear was at the club, went straight from practicing on my Denon Prime Go to a XDJ XZ and I figured it out! I guess some people are more worried about not being familiar with the gear
When you put an SC-6000 near a CDJ-3000, the Denon feels like a toy. And Denon has always created bad Cue and Play buttons.
@@vladfusea04 CDJ-3000s are hideously overpriced, even compared to the 2000 Nexus 2s they replaced.
The sc6000 are better than the CDJ3000 in like every way:
- build quality
- User Interface more modern and just so much smoother
- on-device-analyzing
- streaming with SoundCloud, Beatport etc.
- i can play with 2 decks on one device
- the CDJs only support usb sticks with FAT32, which is limited to 32gb. Sc6000 Supports every file System with any size
- even has a ssd slot
- denon has a build in music to light Feature that can can control your dmx light setup
And the most important thing: Price
The sc6000 are 1700€, while the cdj3000 are 2600€
One other interesting thing is that if you go to Thomann they don't actually stock pioneer dj gear anymore and haven't for a while. A friend who works in sale there told me they kept getting returned for defects or under warranty to a point where they couldn't be bothered.
I have a Prime4+... I've been thinking about switching to pioneer only because it's club standard.... or do I add 2 x sc6000 on the prime?? There's definitely more feature with the denon
Going from a P4+ to Pioneer is a downgrade, you're fine where you are. You could add CDJ's to your setup if you want to get more familiar with the RB ecosystem, but other than that, stay where you are.
Just buy one XDJ 1000 mkII for reference and usb stick checks. Hell, even an XDJ 700 would be fine at almost half the cost.
Get the sc6000s!!!
I had a Prime2+ after I had sold a XDJ-RX1, it has so much more features than the XDJ series, but I could not connect with the Denon feel, played with it only a couple times. Less is more they say, sold the Prime2+ and got me a pair of XDJ-700 and a Xone mixer, couldn't be happier...
The layout of SC is almost the same as CDJ. I never owned a CDJ, just touched the equipment from start of my gig to the end of my gig for the last 8 years. You can live without owning a CDJ, just get the extra decks.
Few years back I bought a controller: Numark NS7 III. It's a 4-channel, motorized jogs (with actual vinyl on top for extra feel), panel with 3 LCD screens, activates Serato (hardware licence) and it's got pads made by Akai. For equivalent money Pioneer offered: 2-channels and... that's it.
pioneer is basically Iphone in dj world… everyone is saying they are slow to competition and yet they always have solid market, solid consumer core. proof of that is visible in every club, every festival and every party…. people simply bond with the brand and built quality….. as much as for example Denon is good people will choose Pioneer name…. it is mentality game for them, same as Apple does
Yh but apple doesn't have market share World wide we're as pioneers Does.
I haven't played on a denon anything in many years but i remember them being super dysfunctional: sticky imprecise button action with latency issues. Pioneer were the only decks that performed as needed to mix fluidly... I don't think it's just about the name, they really were better than the competition.
I dont agree
Hmmm no. Best comparison would be Windows PC. They are everywhere, you have to know it in many jobs. iPhone market share is very small outside of the US. Pioneer is EVERYWHERE.
No, iPhones have no competition - just look at the Benchmark scores alone and compare them to similarly priced phones
I agree ! They already charge way more than competitors for all their features, but then charging a subscription !! That’s scabby. Already hearing people in the community talking about changing company’s ! The value isn’t there with a subscription. Not at all.
What are you saying there? The Pioneer-Serato deal is far from final....
Serato is a New Zealand company. And as such the New Zealand Commerce Commission has blocked the sale of Serato to AlphaTheta, 18 July 2024. Based on the merger lessening competition in the DJ software market.
Virtual DJ is a head of the game right now - Their stem separation algorithm is next to none - Live, on the fly stem separation is the future of DJ'ing - The potential for mixes that were never possible before
I never took virtual DJ seriously until I tested it for the reviews on my site.
I was absolutely blown away by the performance, ease of use, user friendliness, controller support
For me the problem with competitors is that I'm just too invested into Rekordbox by this point. Unless someone could read all playlist and tag data there's no way I'm going to switch to a different library after years of work getting it all organized. It would also take forever for venues to switch to different gear if the DJs expect to see Pioneer and that's all they know how to use. It's not like back in the day where if you could spin vinyl, it would be familiar everywhere you went, except for maybe rotary vs fader mixers
Denon DJ reads and you can import your playlist for and Denon Player…
Yeah that's all kind of seemingly good arguments but I thinks it's just a matter of willpower. I bought denon sc5000Ms for my home setup even tho I knew that most clubs have pioneer setups. I bought them because of all the reasons mentioned in the video. I hate the way pioneer behaves and I hated it that pioneer had the "name" or the "brand" which everyone should use. I think if more clubs would boycott pioneer and just start to use other brands, djs will adapt easily because denon is so much better in almost every way. The start will be hard but like anything else in life: everything is hard before it get's easy! And also: denon is able to read rekordbox data and it's very easy to import your rekordbox collection to denon dj software without loosing any information. In addition to that, denon sc5000s are able to analyse tracks on the fly and you can set cue points and save them while performing!
I’m pretty sure DJ Conversion Utility can handle the library conversion flawlessly! Plus, everyone forgets that Denon supports Rekordbox and Serato libraries. I build all of my sets in Rekordbox and practice at home with my Denon since it converts the library on the fly. That way I can grab the same USB and play on Pioneers at clubs
@@Tranzeroare you sure about that not loosing any information part? As far as I know and also tried it is not possible to get the "MyTag" data out of rekordbox. Big reason for me to stay trapped in pioneers ecosystem
@@ErikPelyukhno Really? I've never looked into it but this sounds interesting. I'd wanted to get some CDJ2000 NXS2 next to my Technics at home since those are the newest ones that play flac but if I could still use Rekordbox (or convert my library) and play on Denon that'd be great too. Can you connect a PC with Rekordbox to Denon gear or am I misunderstanding what you wrote?
Ive just switched back to VDJ as in V7 they no longer support the displays on my controller or the CPU in my main rig.
It's been fun RB
Apparently alpha theta bosses gave a speech at IMS this year saying they are going back to concentrate on quality rather then just churning out any old crap but my worry is will this come at a massive cost judging by recent product releases id hate to guess what a new player would cost
Thanks for this review! I'm a volunteer radio DJ on a noncommercial station and am in the market to upgrade my setup. I had been considering Pioneer but was already hesitant to switch to RekordBox from Traktor. Pioneer products are already very expensive. The idea of needing a subscription on top of that is ridiculous.
DJing is a serious hobby of mine (25+ years), but still a hobby. I can't justify spending money on pricey Pioneer products then being forced into subscription software on top of that.
keep tractor, with the latest update it is actually pretty good
Been DJing since ‘94 and I’ve never understood the fad of pioneer. I’ve used every brand and they all play the music the same🤷🏽😂
It’s so simple! Denon had an opportunity and at one time was a club standard (in house clubs) but the jogs are what converted open format DJs to using CDs and Denon at that time refused to go that route (they dropped the ball), and just like technic, pioneer owned the segment that Denon once had.
It does matter what streaming service, what new loop or fancy function added, we are still only playing music for the masses. In the mobile side you play on what you like, on the club/touring side you play on what works.
No one here seems to mention the solid design Pioneer DJ has across its product range.
I did.
Durability: pioneer
Fun/innovation: denon.
But the materials of denon are very weak
Yes the design was solid up until the 3000... 3000s have a in system glitch that occasionally deletes all of the files off of your USB. Imagine you're about to start the set you spent a long time preparing on the usb you have all of your music library saved on and suddenly none of it exists. I had heard of it happening to other djs and I thought they were confused or lying until it happened to me at the first of two gigs had to play on the same night. Horrified. First gig was obviously canceled and the opening dj had to cover my set. For the second gig I was able to get back and find a random back up drive with old files on it. I've never trusted plugging into a 3000 since. Luckily I've never bought into the rekordbox system (sorry I'm an old dj who mixes by listening not watching waveforms and pressing the sync button) because this subscription b*llshit is f*cking evil.
Solid. Which you would expect for the price...
@@renatomartins2086the sc6000 ist built Like a Tank.
@@gnutscha are you telling me that the cue/play buttons (the plastic part) is different than the prime4/prime 4 +?
And this is how pioneer DJ owners will switch over to Denon and Serrato, or virtual DJ. Bad move from Pioneer to make their uses pay a subscription monthly or yearly just to update to Rekordbox 7. As a Rekordbox and Pioneer DJ, I’m absolutely disappointed in them, but will still pay the package fee, since I’ll need it for my upcoming gigs this year. 😡
Yes, 💯 percent VDJ. Paid the one time fee for infinity subscription and I get all the updates for free now. It does everything and then some as the other competitors.
@@cange30 VDJ constantly improved over time!
How does it run in windows?
Subsacriptions crush creativity. I use Reason daw and since it was purchased by some investment company its been all marketing very little innovation.
I was looking at upgrading my dj equipment for personal use at home I was looking at the rx3 researched pioneer & denon. Long story short i purchased the prime 4 + mainly because it has so much more options I have additional lighting software (sound switch) that works with denon products it’s amazing once you get it working.
Good choice
Back in the days I played several times on CDJ800 MK2 and every time it was a pure pleasure playing with them - reliable, great feeling and overall very dependable machines. I havent DJ's on CD players for pribably 10+ years now and had no idea how Pioneer are doing, its really sad they fell like this.
Such a great video 🎉.
I've been using Traktor for years (since 2007).
And I needed to get Recordbox because of the usb stick prep for cdjs.
To this day the only real feat that goes for Recordbox as a dj software in my opinion is the library.
I thought Denon and their rack mount dual CD decks the original standard? Everywhere around here had them installed.
1. You still find pioneer in every club, all over the world.
2. If you use rekordbox as a preparation software, then its pretty much enough.
3. If you are used to using an okder.version of cdj model, you xan easily adpar to rhe newer versions. Pioneer is easy to opperate.
Hence why is $hit.
1. Yeah, but clubs also offer a selection of other brands like Allen & Heath, PLAYdifferently, Technics, and Denon.
2. I missed the point when we started depending on “preparation software.” Why not organize the folders on your USB and play as it is?
3. I also don’t understand the “adaptation to new version” and “club layout” arguments. It’s two decks with jogs, play/cue buttons, a looper, and pitch control, as well as a mixer with faders and a 3-band EQ. Is it so difficult to find the same controls on any model? We can drive cars of different brands (even with different wheel positions when visiting other countries). Why can’t we use damn record players with the same approach?
i really wish everything would slowly switch to denon already :/ its so much better and i love it, i only bought xdj 700's cause i would get some complaints about how rekordbox wouldn't work but my denons would read everyone's usb's so in part it is due to hardheaded djs that glamorize pioneer equipment as well
I still play vinyl, i never wanted to be a digital slave. So now i‘m 51 years old and still in love with my technics.
@@chaseflores2145 … here and there of course but I’m not a part of the sold out commercial Community anymore. So i have my freedom to do what i want. So you kid still chasing the wrong way. 😂😂😂
Why do vinyl djs always feel the need to comment on digital dj videos like this? I used to mix vinyl back in 2000 but I don’t feel the need to talk about it when it’s not relevant.
@@riddlemethis79 … so why you digital slaves always feel offended? 😂😂😂😂 No skill without your buttons?
@@riddlemethis79 … why you digital slaves alwadys feel offended? Techno is not relevant anymore. Sold out commercial product.
I grew up on 1210s, and had to replicate the feeling of spinning discs, so I bought the Rane one deck.
0:58 you could loop and do cues on the cdj 1000 too. It saved the info on the SD card.
this is what pioneer said themselves, I took that for the truth ...
@@deejayplaza yeah they got that wrong. It has hot cues on the top left of the deck you can see the buttons
The serato deal is not final yet
Really? Im not sure if I want Serato to stay independent (I am a Serato user) or I want them to get swallowed up so Rekordbox can cannibalize Serato tech so I can migrate more willingly (I'm not a fan of Rekordbox.)
Correct me if I'm wrong (I'm a producer not a DJ so completely clueless!) - if DAWs like Logic / Ableton etc were to branch out and integrate DJ functionality in to their software wouldn't that be the best possible outcome?
I used Recordbox a couple of times messing around with some Pioneer CDJs and was completely baffled at how poor the UI / general software is in comparison to a DAW.
could be
I run 2 DENON sc5000s ...I absolutely love mine..in conjunctiom with my Allen & Heath px5...so happy with the combo...so many options and efx on the 5000s and I dont run any software either I dont need it ..jus sayin😮
I have DDJ-RZ controller and when rekordbox 6 came out, I had all features with hardware unlock.
When rekordbox 7 came out, they removed most features and put it on subscription plan...
And also, I cannot upgrade to rekordbox 7 with my €3000 controller...
I was a big fan of pioneer. My first DJ player was CDJ-100s and after 25 years, I think I'll switch sides because of corporate greed...
All of this is irrelevant when 99% of the touring artist riders I get every year for the multiple festivals i work for spec pioneer. Nobody is asking for Denon. A few ask for Xone:96. Other than that tho, everyone touring uses pioneer because it’s easy to locally source. Asking for boutique rotary mixers that are really expensive or even denon cd players is really difficult to find, and affordable to rent, when barely any production companies carry that gear in their inventory
Yeah but a 'rider' means you can ask for what you want... the answer is the best software and hardware for a DJ.... I reckon we will see Traktor make a massive comeback in the next decade. They nearly cracked the market with pure Techno DJs like Carl Cox..
@@DrTallHat laptop DJing isn’t making a comeback. Native instruments isn’t producing DJ hardware anymore basically. Riders aren’t changing to something other than Pioneer because it’s harder to locally source a piece of gear while touring that few production houses own. Artists aren’t travelling with their own gear typically. For pioneer to be dethroned, you need market penetration to the point that gear is so common that you can fly into any major city in the world and find the gear you need for rent.
@@dsquareddan We can agree to disagree! I believe cost of living, hybrid DJ setups, innovation in home producing and kids taking up DJ'n as a musical instrument in schools are either going to force a radical rethink by Pioneer or they will be left in the dust over the next decade. They are trying with things like the XDJ to make it more accessible but normal people, do not have the money for this platform.... and it aint that great from a software perspective..
Here's Warren Buffet to explain the trajectory as I see it..
th-cam.com/video/HANE1bqLeM4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=FGRe5Lwyph1lVQza
Great Video, I agree. They still make some of the best Controllers though. I really like the FLX6 as a compact 4-channel option. And it is perfectly compatible with my DJay Pro Software on the Ipad. However Denon and InMusic in general have outstanding Build-Quality on their newer devices. Rane with their full-metal build and Denon Prime 4 as well ultra solid. Even the Numark Players are amazing.
I have Pioneer DJ FLX6 GT
Numark Mixstream Pro+
and
at Work I can use Denon SC-Line of players.
From my experience, I can tell you right here that Denon will catch up fast. Especially their integrated Cloud system is very cool. No Sticks and my Full Library via Dropbox available all time? No Laptop required? How cool! And it can even Save Beatgrid and Cuepoints etc. You can also Stream directly from Beatport which is perfect if you want to build sets and not buy anything before you are 100% sure these are the tracks you want.
Traktor and Denon NOW
I thought that Serato purchase was blocked?
yeah eventually it was, but that was only a couple of weeks ago
Denon looking more and more viable these days
Oldskool rave DJ here - I've only ever mixed with vinyl on SL-1200/1210's and never done it with CD's or USB's. Subscription models kill everything.
PLEASE we need denon in big room
One thing i do love about RB is the Tidal compatibility. not sure any other software offers the same service
Virtual DJ and Serato on the top of my head
Some of your facts are wrong pioneer wasn't the first cd player with jogs demon and technics had players before pioneer
Yeah I know, but wanted to get to the point quicker.
They way is was done ... not really competition
@@deejayplaza they are still using the name pioneer dj and the 850 had a usb plug built in them as well.
No discussion about the all-in-one and controller markets that they dominate in. This is what helped expand dj culture and put more dj setups in bedrooms.
I used Denon Duals back in the day, and the jog wheel was tiny and extremely loose control, it’s manual pitch bend was tedious, and the play and cue buttons were rubbery and unresponsive, requiring you to press at specific points on the buttons
Pioneer CDJs were and still are extremely responsive, the control of the Jog wheel improved after the 200 series as the 100s were as loose as the Denons, and the Master Tempo for automatic pitch bend was revolutionary at the time
and saved cd cue points were a denon thing before pioneer too - Pioneer copies everything - look at soundswitch and pioneer light control... Pioneer copied it almost pixel for pixel
If I upgrade to rekordbox 7 will I have to subscribe to use Nexus 2000 and Nexus mixer? It’s old kit now but works well for me at home!
you need to take a look at the pioneer site to be sure.
But if it is still supported, you need to subscribe in the next version.
That is pioneer in 2024
Pioneer is overpriced and overrated, especially their mixers, which are... just not that good.
God they're awful indeed, glad those aren't as widespread as their players.
My V10 sounds way far better than the Xone 92 I had before.
Pardon I just brought the djm 750 mk2 and it's the best mixer I've ever used. I had a Numark that was shit I had a technics mixer that was shit and the Allen and heath xone 92 was shit.
disagree. the layout of the djm900 is the best if you have bigger fingers :P just don’t push m in the red.
@@reubenbrooks3674 750mk2 is one of the worst you can get, there is something wrong with your ears.
rekordbox still does not have delete to recycle bin.
DENON DJ > PIONEER DJ that is the truth
Bough a pair of CDJ 400 and DJM and had awesome memories from 2009 up to 2019… some residencies in small clubs, some events… it was all fun… in 2021 bought an used DDJ 1000 and to be honest… this might be my last pioneer equipment for two reasons…
1 - the ddj1000 do everything like a full club setup do
2 - i dont see that theres much more to “evolute” than STEMS…
Maybe the future comes with a surprise…
But not for now
Pioneer still feels the best in the booth, cdj3000 jog wheel are the best in the business. Denon feels cheap to me
Denon are shit
Is that why serato sample’s newer versions don’t work on my computer?
not sure
Pioneer mixers have been the industry statndard for 20 years now. Just like Apple was the inly choice for photoshop users 30years ago, now graphic desigers can do all the things they can do in mac on pc. Though Apple is still the market leader for creative professionals even though macs do t have touch screens like pc’s making them inferior in tech in many ways. Just the same with Nike footwear, many brands like Hoka make better running shoes eith proprietary foam for midsoles. Yet people still buy Nike’s at a rate of 10 to 1. Why? Bc to us dj’s Pioneer will always be the “Nike” of pro hardware sure Denon has more festire rich and better UX, still those are made for home dj’s and rogue dj’s who want to make their bookings more challenging. Pioneer will never lose their pro status i’m sorry but i aggressively disagree with the future of the brand and loyalty.
After looking into the Pros and Cons of making the Inve$tment into the Pioneers, I purchased a set of CDJ 300s and a DJM A9. I actually read and consider the comments made here. Selling my Denon Prime 4 right now. Denon's innovations can't make up for Pioneer's 90% + presence in Major Clubs, Venues and Festivals. Pretty much the whole PRO DJ industry , that's Booking Agencies, Promoters and even record Labels expect a DJ artist / producer to be comfortable on the Pioneer hardware. Might as well master that, if you're a wedding or mobile DJ then definitely go Denon
I remember back in the DSLR days of photography where Canon and Nikon were the king, Sony had released cameras that blew them away on features. The "pro" photographers viewed these as a novelty. Then Sony released the first successful mirrorless cameras and almost became the standard overnight. The other two companies spent years playing catch up. Denon has the potential to do this here.
You are completely wrong. They made the best mixer in the world - S11 capable with playing 4 Decks while having 2 physical channels, also made the first hybrid turntable in the world. You are saying things only from CDJ evolution point of view, not as a whole
The S11 is a great mixer, but I don’t think its 4-to-2 channel capability is its main selling point. I believe it was developed primarily to compete with the Rane in the niche market of turntablist mixers.
The PLX-CRSS12 is also nice, but for the same price, you can buy new Technics and Phase. For the two units, it will be cheaper, and the functionality will be the same.
These devices are innovative but not revolutionary. They don’t change the way people play, just improve the quality of life.
I might be wrong, but I think the future of creative DJing lies somewhere between stem separation technology and the next generation of ‘DAW-in-the-box’ devices like Ableton Push, Akai MPC, and NI Maschine.
Been using pioneer since 2010, got the Denon Prime4 (With 4decks) last year
and It blows all Pioneer dj products ive ever tried, and i got it as a whole for half the price of a full dj set of pioneer.
Makes you wonder why you got it real cheap doesn't it.
@@reubenbrooks3674 expensive doesn't always translate to better.. compare features side by side and see what's actually better.
As I always stated pioneer dj is the apple of the dj industry everything overpriced with less features then the competition
I've been DJing for over 20 years the gripes with Serato I saw in his comparison where all things I never noticed my cue points and beatgrids have always worked perfectly...admittedly I have extremely limited experience with any other software but it makes me wonder. On the topic of this video I have felt recently (having had to use recordbox and Pioneer gear) that they are not preferable to many other options on the market don't get me wrong I grew up with the DJM-800/1000/etc being the de facto standard for a club mixer and I find the mixer more than serviceable but given the pricing on Pioneer products I find there are better alternatives available that most users would find superior if they had the time/etc to become proficient on multiple gear. For me, an "old school" mix A to B and then back to A with maybe some delay or reverb during transitions I think the most telling sign that Pioneer is on the decline and has been for a while is the fact that I prefer the CDJ 2000 or (what I use at home) the XDJ -800 are superior to the expensive but cluttered 3000s which are just...overpriced with no features I find compelling. I want my drives to work with Serato well and for that I recommend older still-overpriced but at least somewhat more reasonable legacy Pioneer hardware.
The initial adopters of the CDJs were mobile guys. I turned 18 in 2006 and that was when CDJs started to supplant vinyl in clubs/pubs.
I remember Oliver Heldens used to play only on Denon DJ gear, but he recently switched back to pioneer because of glitches in the controller and because of the market.
Sometime I work for big AV companies that set up festivals and big parties, and the only thing they own is pioneer decks. I'm curious to see when or how this will change
I wish I could convey to people what the IT environment is like in this industry. We're talking about companies with around 10 developers each. There's no competition, and there's no missing features that DJs are demanding. The reason Pioneer keeps getting sold is because they're not the cash cow that DJs want to pretend they are. CDJs hold up and they hold their value. I bought 3x CDJ-2000NXS2s for $1,500 each and sold them 4 years later for $1,550 each when I upgraded to CDJ-3000s. The DJM-900nexus is from 2011, and I bought one for $1,000 in 2019, and today I could sell it for more than I paid for it. That's the thing. The decks work like decks, and the mixers work like mixers, and you can use gear from 2011 and it's fine if it's Pioneer or Allen & Heath. I don't think I'd want to use Denon gear from 2011, but maybe that's fine, too. I'll bet Traktor/Serato gear from 2011 still works great. Nobody wants innovation. They just want a couple solid decks and a mixer with good high-pass filters and and the rest doesn't matter. The Xone:92 was released in 2004 and most DJs are still pretty happy to find one in the booth.
This is true, I love my Denon SC6000 players. But the Pioneer V10 mixer is a function of excellent refinement. Pioneer makes better mixers now than anything else, while pioneer used to have the worst mixers in the game. But overall you are right about the company
.
Fully agree. Pioneer mixers are the best right now (if we're not counting boutique stuff like MasterSounds), the V10 is unbelievably good, as is that rotary mixer they put out under the AlphaTheta name (Euphonia I believe it's called)
None of this matter as long as they have the marketing presence and market share dominance. As a working club DJ, I have seen a Denon deck in a club exactly one time. Unless some big name DJs rebel, it's just not happening. Enshittification is profitable when you control the narrative, and it sucks.
what about cdj 100 , cdj 400 ? at very began ...
btw , I have used many years dns3700 and it was something special for me because of the vinyl on it , i had cdj850-2000 too but cdj400 with djm 400 was my second favorite in that time ... small and many features ... in these days after 2020covid i became a bedroom dj with a set of denon 5000m .. and i love it ... hope this year can resolve some of my personal problems and can come back to clubs with denon 😎
I using 2 denon sc6000 prime and a denon x1850
And wow why everybody dont use this..
I have the same
I had almost every CDJ 500, 1000, 1000mkIII Then I got the pioneer ddj sz and I still have it. I also have a rev 7 I love it it’s fun. The club scene will be pioneer until something better comes out. Denon is way too confusing but made great. Nice video
You are competely right but market dominance and sunk cost fallacy for djs and clubs means that Pioneer DJ will be just fine for the next 10-20 years. They will keep on buying (small) other companies, eliminate competition and maintain market dominance until they become too much of a monopolist and maybe some regulators will curb them. Maybe.
As a Denon Prime owner and Denon user since it's first release of dual layer deck, I still can't back their reliability or stability. They slashed prices of their flagships as they were full of hardware issues and rushed out new models. So many tiny issues never fixed with many many updates that Pioneer never had to deal with...
What is a good brand u would say.. tell us about reloop
have a question if i ever needed to perform on a denon for example can i still use my software of rekordbox or do i need to put everything aside
don't pin me down on it, but I believe that Engine DJ has an import function for your rekordbox library
So basically, Denon equipment can read rekordbox USBs, it will usually** preserve your playlists, key info, and hot cues but it has to reanalyze the grid. It does this relatively quickly but it still takes at least 5 seconds or so to load your track which isn't nothing. I find that Denon's beatgrid algorithm is a bit less consistent than rekordbox as well, however it is easy to fix the beat grid on the player if you wish to do so.
**Last time I played on a Denon it had my playlist names mixed up for some reason and later they got fixed, it was annoying lol. I have gotten used to the quirks of Denon because several of my friends who throw small events have them.
It reads Pioneer library, and you can export it as well. But if you have hot cues and cue points, i believe it only let you use one of two. if you just got hot cues, there is no issues, youll have all that in denon
i have not updated my rekordbox if it is at 7 do you need to pay to use it even irf you have unlocked it by using a rx3 ?
just grab a fresh download without updating whatever version you running. i got 6 an 7 i went back to 6 but i still have 7 .
The sale of Serato hasn't been finalized yet. The CMA is still investigating if they can make the sale or not. In my mind the two coming together would make them too big which isn't good for the market and competition.
I totally agree. I bought my first deck in 2016 and it was amazing kit (the ddJ SR). What an amazing kit for the time. Now they replaced the buttons... which are normally rap responsive... with BUTTONS which is need to PRESS. Why go back to the Stone Age if you got the tec???