I remember those years too. I really enjoyed those events. Used to go to the early ones at Donnington Park.
I always remember Rik Parkinson of Pioneer DJ (now Denon DJ) on the stands. Is Rik still here at Denon DJ? That a pioneer booth was always the biggest although it was around the time that Denon owned Allen & Heath so their gear were all on the same stand.
It’s a shame these shows don’t do what they used to but the internet has ruined it. Even NAMM isn’t what it was. I’d have loved to have had a look around all the latest stuff in one place.
I had the chance to play with the opus quad… it’s a real joy!
For real pro & edgy performances you’d need physical knobs on the device but for cruizin’ & groovin’… i must say… it handles great.
This. Even if they add proper Streaming and Onboard-Analysis later on, it still lacks critical features for me. Like Ableton Link, Engine Lighting (integrated!), a secure way to keep a collection of music all the time via SD or SSD, performance pads, etc. which they can’t simply add via Software. Also it’s bulky and heavy af.
Can’t deny though, I love those jogs and some asthetics. Plus clever details like RGB color coding or the far superior browse GUI with preview waveforms + custom columns, which I really miss on Engine OS…
If I had to guess, I would imagine the next CDJ will have Bluetooth built-in. In fact, I imagine the next CDJ will mimic much of the SC6000’s feature set. I don’t think Noritsu has the qualms of expanding the feature set that Pioneer and KKR had. I’m sure Denon sales have eaten into their bottom line, and Noritsu plan on addressing that.
The last year must have been great for the SC6000s.
CDJ-3000s weren’t available due to supply chain issues, while SC6000s were in stock most of the time.
It wouldn’t surprise me if they added it down the line.
I think I read that the 3000s are built on Linux in a similar way to how the Primes are and I know there’s plenty of grunt in that processor.
What they do with it all this is anyone’s guess as Pioneer DJ haven’t been too forthcoming with added features with updates. They were always slow and sparingly.
The 3000s are built to be replaced every five (or so) years by the big clubs and festivals, keeping the big bucks rolling in. Denon DJ have a better business model where all Prime users get new features along the way. Brilliant.
Ableton Link and even their own (not as popular) lighting system could be embedded to their all-in-ones just like they were added to Prime gear.
With the Opus Quad’s completely new database system that’s not compatible with CDJs/XDJs, it’s clearly not meant to be put in an impromptu clubby venue with several DJs showing up with drives and headphones, or even a sometime club DJ that just wants a home system cheaper than CDJ-3000 & DJM. Seems meant for people who only do very high-end mobile gigs, like business conventions and expensive weddings hosted on a yacht. They want a certain aesthetic that doesn’t look as out of place at a wedding as normal club gear or a controller & laptop does as compared to a harp, string quartet, or classy band.
Christ, I’ve heard it all now. Some guy on Instagram telling me that the Opus quad price doesn’t need to be discussed because ‘it’s only the same price as a CDJ-3000 but has 4 channels and some other stuff’
Critical thinking skills on overdrive here, one Pioneer product isn’t overpriced because it costs the same as another completely unrelated Pioneer product that just happens to be really expensive
PioPio just introduced their DDJ-FLX10 here : https://youtu.be/N0dg3GNnoRw and I think Denon should Tease the Prime 4+ and such if they have any secret boots…! Pioneer are getting ahead again!
I must state that the DDJ-FLX10 is a very solid update.
Capable to control two major softwares (unlock plug&play), hardware FX which actually work with external sources (hello Denon, your Prime 4 is limited to the Filter!), great jog sizes with FAR MORE useful jog displays, Stems, 6 Sweep FX, DVS support, and an integrated DMX-Out without the need of an extra dongle. Of course, RBDMX itself still s*cks hard, maybe they gonna improve that. SoundSwitch is superior, but the update pace is pretty slow.
I do not like Pioneer (their overal “club standard” fansheep arrogance etc.) but right now they are delivering good stuff and if the Prime 4+ has nothing more to offer than Amazon Music, Denon might fall behind a bit more. Good thing we have the Rane Four at least. Though I doubt it will sell as good as the FLX10.
Finger crossed for a Prime 4 Mk2 or whatever with bigger 7" jogs + good jog displays, better mixer layout, proper hardware FX, integrated DMX-port and Pad Mode OLED screens would be dope.
Yes… I know there is the Rane Four and that’s probably why they are changing the price positioning to counter the Pioneer!
When I say “Pioneer get ahead…” it’s product release level “They have things to offer and at the right time or the event activity is at its peak”!
Unfortunately… Denon have some SC Live 2 and 4 and 2/3 Prime Go running after!
In France, we have had barely ten Prime 4s over the last 4 months!
There are desperate customers who jump on the first products in stock and there currently we have received more RX3 and 3/4 XDJ-XZ than Prime 4, a bit normal since there is a Prime4+ which should show its tip of the nose, very soon.
So future buyers will fall back on products in stock or they will make ready orders!
Denon show us nothing to get our teeth into! (to entice potential customers, there is a lot of impulsive buying in the world of sound, buy what is available and those we show them)
