Hi all,
I’m a new user of the Prime 4+, and after doing a lot of research before purchasing, I have to say it’s an absolutely amazing piece of gear and it meets almost all my expectations! However, I have one question for fellow users.
When using the Prime 4+ in standalone mode, I’ve noticed that my performance feels a bit weaker compared to when I use it as a controller with Serato. Currently, my mixes are much smoother and I can have more confidence and fun playing with Serato, which was my main DJ software before switching.
One thing I’ve really noticed is how effects like Delay and Reverb feel better in Serato. Plus, being able to use three effects simultaneously is a big advantage for me.
In standalone mode, though, I’ve experienced some glitches and stutters when working with pre-prepared stems, jumping between cue points, and using beat jump. Switching stems on and off during a performance also feels a bit rough. Overall, DJing in standalone mode feels heavier and less fluid.
My question is: Do you think these issues are related to the current Engine DJ OS or it’s just a matter of getting more practice because I’d love to fully transition to standalone and ditch using Serato and my computer and managing double libraries.
Any thoughts or advice? Thanks in advance!
The processing hardware in your device is WAAAAAAAAY slower than the stuff on your serato machine, so yeah, it’s going to feel slower and clunkier. You’ll have scroll jank (stutters and frame drops) as well as see things like songs load much more slowly.
Denon is aware of the performance issues and i think they may address that at some point. They want their devices to be rock solid, though they have done a ton of work to pull as much processing power from the SoCs in these devices.
I switched from DVS to the world of Denon in 2017 and yeah, it’s going to take you some time to get familiar and build that muscle memory. While it’s easy to compare the products because their primary goal to mix music, they all have wildly different approaches to how they serve DJs and their needs. From this perspective, there are only a few key things that one can compare because of subjective criteria like you said –
I’ve really noticed is how effects like Delay and Reverb feel better in Serato
If we could select what “bloat”(i.e. sampler, touch FX, etc.) to remove to free up resources for the hardware to search and refresh faster, it would help a lot.
If Denon followed best practices for audio software engineering, those code blocks may be resident in memory (loaded at boot up), but they are not executing code (taking precious cycles away from the general software).
I am going to go out on a limb and say that there is little to no impact for those modules/ subroutines for existing if they are not doing any work. From what I can tell, the engineers who work on engine’s inner core are legit.
Just a brief update on my topic. I’ve completely stopped using Serato and am now fully focused on live performances with the Prime 4+. I can honestly say—it’s a beast of a machine!
To answer my own question: it takes a little time to adjust and figure out all the quirks and advantages. I’ve also noticed a much smoother performance when I’m not recording my set. Stems can be very smooth once you get used to the reaction time. Effects, on the other hand, require a specific learning curve. For example, for some reason, I can’t hear the effects in cue preview—that was definitely something new! - Hint there for new users: always reset all FX channel settings after finishing a mix!
All in all, I’m very happy with my Prime!
- Hint there for new users: always reset all FX channel settings after finishing a mix!
All in all, I’m very happy with my Prime! 