Great thread indeed - J00F generally seems like a great ambassador for Denon DJ 
Heās so correct about gear too, Iām going to go out and say I think this āclub standardā BS is possibly the biggest thing I hate about DJing now. Why have so many people been conned into thinking the only thing they can practise on is equipment thatās laid out like a bloody CDJ and DJM mixer.
Platters are platters, faders are faders, filters are filters, effects are effects. Outside of a couple of differences here and there, any relatively accomplished DJ can jump on any gear and smash it.
Iāve never touched any of the gear in either of your two setups, but I bet within 2 mixes I could have it nailed down, Same goes for you on mine.
The sooner this nonsense about āif you want to play in clubsā ends, the better.
Every DJ setup feels like a unique instrument - you can only deliver your best performance once youāve practiced with it thoroughly. This becomes even more crucial when new features, like stems in a mix, come into play. You donāt just need to prepare your sets; you also need to ensure the hardware youāre playing on in a club is compatible. Knowing your way around the players is non-negotiable to perform at your best.
I started my DJ journey with a Reloop controller in my bedroom, then upgraded to a Denon MC 6000 for my first mobile gigs. I later moved on to a Pioneer DDJ-SX and used the 2000 Nexus series as a club resident a few years ago. Nowadays, my gigs are mostly mobile, and Iāve transitioned to a Prime 4+ and Mixtrack Pro Go.
Each piece of hardware demands that you adapt your workflow and tricks for smooth transitions, and that takes practice. Last week, I had a firsthand reminder of this when I had the chance to play on CDJ-3000s again in a club setting. The basics? No issue - faders, pitch, jog wheels, all felt natural. But beyond that, I had to prepare a Rekordbox stick in advance and re-familiarize myself with the effects section, loops, beat jumps, stems, and more. While you can get the hang of it quickly, thereās no substitute for building a solid routine.
This is why I understand the desire for a standardized club layout. That said, Pioneer doesnāt even follow its own layout consistently across products. Denon, in comparison, feels more consistent, though it has fewer products in its lineup.
Long story short: Whether youāre using Pioneer or Denon gear, every system requires time and effort to master - just like learning to play an instrument.
On a side note, Iāve been eyeing the SC6000s lately. After playing on CDJs, they honestly feel like a blast from the past. If Denon were to release an updated SC6000 with dedicated stem buttons, Iād likely purchase them without hesitation. Considering how hard it is to get your hands on them in Germany right now, Iām holding out hope for better availability with updates soon.
I dont agree at all, this is the type of language that is why people are blinkered into thinking they need to be using Pioneer equipment in order to ever get a DJ gig.
If your comment was true, how was I able to have a monthly residency for 9 years at a busy bar/terrace using CDJ-2000 and DJM-900 nexus setup, despite not owning a CDJ since around 2006. I used that setup with ease, and until I bought a Prime 2, I didnt even have a piece of gear that resembled a media player or that setup, ive been using Serato DVS for the past 16yrs.
99% of DJs arenāt doing āroutinesā, they are just mixing music with some cues, loops and effects, and those things can be picked up in 10 minutes.
Im confident I could jump on a pair of CDJ-3000s right now and have zero issues using them at all, any other DJ with an ounce of skill should also have no issues.
Youāre missing his point entirely. Thereās no way, for example, you can comfortably perform on a Pioneer without rekordbox prep work, and vice versa for Denon without an Engine prep. The only thing Iām surprised to read about is stems support in Pioneer - does CDJ 3000 really support stems, maybe with rekordbox pre-separation like how Engine does it? Iām opposed to any and all exhibits of fanboyism. That is precisely what helps legacy companies like Pioneer stay in business selling inferior products with outdated technology for exorbitant prices. The only way to prevent that is to hold the companies accountable. You canāt hold any company accountable if youāve decided they have your unconditional support from day one.
Agreed, it reminds me of when I started in the 90ās. Mixers were different at every gig and we didnāt always have Technics either. It never stopped me from rocking the place
The prep isnāt hard though is it, I run Serato, RB and Engine libraries alongside each other now, and all are up to date, and can easily be kept up to date.
Even at its most basic level you can Chuck a load of tunes into Rekordbox and send it to a USB and you are literally good to go, youāre no worse off than any DJ who is primarily a Rekordbox user.
With that Iād have to disagree. How did you even get to beatmatch properly without Technics? No deck I used back then could handle any kind of direct contact on the platter/needle without going totally crazy with the pitch for up to a second, sometimes more.
100%, my mixer at home doesnāt even have channel EQs, or faders, or a cross faderā¦. I play vinyl nights with a couple of mates on a DJM-700mk2 and happily use the Crossfader, EQ and effects, even cutting with 7ā records.
Itās not that difficult and any good DJ should be able to turn up and adapt to whatever is there.
Exactly. As long as youāre not glossing over those issues, and actually taking the time to prepare without minimizing the effort thatās involved, youād do fine. If you ask me, the amount of effort to maintain three separate software stacks is not trivial.
I learnt to beatmatch on a pair of Citronic decks I had for over 2yrs before buying technics, and on a friends belt drive KAM decks, yes they werenāt great but itās all about adapting your hands and touch to the differences.
I have used MCX8000 since 2017. Thing is you DO get used to the layout and button placement. I got the FLX10 with dedicated stems buttons as a spare controller and now when I take it out I keep missing the play button on the left deck as itās not on the same side as the MCX8000. Adding the Prime Go+ with Engine to the mix has added another completely different dimension to my sets but people can adjust.
One of the pubs I work in has an older CDJ set and I wouldnāt have a clue where to even start with it.
Every DJ is individual and has their own way of working. For example there arenāt two mobile DJ setups in the world the same as each other.
There is no āstandardā unless you are from a small group of elite DJs who only use pioneer at every single venue.
Those older CDJs, aside from having a janky loop setup that takes time to master (but can still be mastered by using the in/out on other gear) are much the same as any other. None Rekordbox ones are nightmare to search for music through but its still doable, hopefully most of them have been consigned to the scrapheap though.
This was my whole point though, in the real world there are many different setups, so why people feel they need to aim for this CDJ-3000/DJM-Whatever setup as the only thing to learn on, I have no idea.
Iāll never forget discovering how I could actually mix properly when I tried Technics for the first time, after failing for months on my own cheap belt drives. Then and there I vowed to never waste time with inferior equipment, ever again.
Most people here are probably sick of seeing this, but this is my setup, all my music folders match my playlists, that way I can easily transfer between each program. I havenāt updated RB in donkeys due to not using them anywhere, but within 30 mins I can have it brought up to date with my other libraries, due to this layout.
I was completely the opposite. Years of mixing on belt drive Cirtonics then when I got a gig at a club with SL1210 Mk3 decks I couldnāt even get two songs to match for weeks.
They are far better, and hence why my 22yr old pair are still my main units after all this time, but my philosophy is, master the rubbish gear and you can mix on anything. Whether thats a Ā£100 controller, or some cheapo hanpin turntables. All it does is make the better gear easier to mix on.
Careful though, with stems separation taking for ever (as I recently found out), youāll be needing way more than 30 minutes (at least for platforms with stems support). Right now it takes Engine roughly 24 hours to process my collection, which is a huge break from how fast it used to be pre-stems.
You had to be very gentle with your inputs. I had early Citronic and NJD decks at home for 3 or 4 years until I could afford a pair of 1210ās (cost Ā£350 each when I got them).
Itās not like every pair of Technics I used were in good condition either, some had worse platters than my old belt drives.
Itās all doable with enough practice.