Mr.V is a well respected touring and working DJ/producer/remixer and is calling out AT/Pioneer as part of a flood of others in the wake of the CDJ3000 hacks and now the AZ stems hack. Took long enough but DJ culture is finally waking up to the fact they have free will. Who knows what will happen if/when Denon releases the next successor to the SC6000.
I do hope they release another SC6000 though…
I mean, while the Prime 4+ hit the market, with basically only a DRM chip added, the SC6000, being from the same generation als the original Prime 4 had no update. And today, with the Prime 4 G2, there is no SC6000 successor. The SC6000 is 2 generations behind, and frankly out of order anywhere.
And I understand the economics behind this: most DJs that are not tied to club equipment must carry their own gear, so an all-in-one makes more sense. An SC6000 makes more sense in a club setup, but that market is taken by AT. Only some niche uses (like me and my friend DJing back to back) use SC6000’s in a “bring your own” situation. But it leaves us in a infinite loop: AT has a strong hold on the club market, so other brands don’t bother selling competitive gear, so AT keeps a strong hold on the club market, so other…
The nightmare I have is that InMusic stops producing the SC6000 without successor. I sincerely hope I am wrong, that I wake up tomorrow, and read on the internet InMusic just released a SC6000 G2, and realize it was all a dream 
.
The second reality however is that club owners and AV rental companies don’t care. When I put SC6000’s on my rider, I get quite arrogant phone calls of AV rental guys asking why I can’t just play on Pioneer stuff like everyone else… The momentum in the DJ world is growing, mostly thanks to stems. But there is no momentum with the people who stock the gear… That requires more marketing, and even the sponsoring route, like when PioneerDJ pushed the Denon twin players from the throne back in the early 2000’s…
IMHO that will never happen. Just look at the progress and roadmap of the Prime,the SC5000 was the foundation of where Denon DJ is today. The fear you have is because you want to know, but in reality you don’t need to know until it’s time. And today it’s not time.
Just gave his reel some love. I hope it’ll reach far 
Well I understand what you say when you say “it’s not time”. OTOH, it’s about bloody time, Apple Music and a few other really big streaming services don’t work on the SC6000, and the platform is really becoming slow on big libraries.
I mean a different “it’s time” here than you, and I hope we understand each other
The SC6000 doesn’t have a DRM chip, so some services will not be able to be ported on to it. Ever. IMHO the next gen will have the capabilities.
Not for me, the latest update on my external T7 of +96k songs has gotten faster and better navigation on my SC5000. IMHO if you’re not using Engine to organize and analyze your library you’re gonna’ have a bad time. Engine desktop is literally the same Engine on the hardware, they’re meant to work together. Just because it can read everything doesn’t mean it can perfectly. Team Denon have made improvements and you can tell they’re focusing on stability and reliability.
EDit: before people pile on about the issues, ask yourself. Am I using a 3rd party APP or DJ software to manage my library? If yes, have you considered just trying Engine desktop with a fresh library and see if you have the same issues?
Oh, I’m fully aware of the lack of DRM chip. That’s why I want a SC6000 G2
And I am using Engine DJ to prep, no third party toys here…
I need to put a reality check on this, sorry.
Notice he is not calling for DJ’s to switch to Denon (or even Serato). He is not even mentioning Denon in the reel. All he is calling for is for Pioneer to add stems to Pioneer standalone gear and seems he will wait for that. As will majority of others.
I mean hell, NOW he wants to point out that Pio standalone gear has less features than a laptop+controller combo??? Jesus, that stuff has been happening since controllers hit the market.
And that is a sad fact, DJs as a majority are like that - they do not follow DJ technology actively. Only when the guy next to them is pulling some ■■■■ they cannot do then it’s time to ask Pioneer to give them something for their money.
He does say “props to Denon DJ & Numark for their incredible new toys and upgrades” in the description though.
I would rather think he doesn’t even know about stems on Engine OS that to know he had a whole rant about Pio standalone not having them and not mentioning it on purpose…
The cynic in me might even think that this all is a concerted PR push before Pio releases a firmware update with stems…
…just to say some 
about Pio listening to DJ’s
Worst PR push IMHO. If you’re doing a tech zero to hero take then it just opens up DJs to think more critically, that’s not AT/Pioneer MO, they don’t want you to know about choice or think, they’re the epitome of “trust me bro” for DJ tech.
Denon has never been shy about their position in the market since day one, they know and they tried to use DJ influencers and it burned them.
What I really can’t stand anymore is hearing those DJ influencers who can’t help but trot out the eternal mantra—claiming that AlphaTemu remains the club standard and that if you plan to play in clubs, you should probably consider the AT option—in every review of a competitor’s new product, especially when it involves gear from InMusic.
It feels more like a signal to AT, as if to say: “I have to admit this product is good, but I’ll still drop a mention of you to remind everyone that you’re the club standard—just so we can keep our relationship sweet and, above all, ensure you keep sending us free gear.”
And you’ll notice, by the way, that this is the only thing these DJ influencers can actually credit AT with—as if it were their one remaining argument.
This kind of thinly veiled product placement for AT—tucked into a review of a rival product—is becoming truly unbearable, as is the narrative that if you intend to play in clubs, you absolutely must own AT gear at home for the sake of muscle memory.
As far as I’m concerned……
Pioneer DJ died the second they switched to that awful AlphaTheta name and even more awful looking logo.
Anyone stupid enough to brand the OPUS QUAD a Pioneer DJ product and then choose to brand the XDJ-AZ an AlphaTheta product (when it should have been the other way around) just doesn’t understand their own branding…
Especially when the AZ is the successor to the XZ it replaced. YMMV. 
*Now forget all of the above that I just wrote…. It gets much worse for AT when you factor in lack of software support and lack of product support vs what Denon DJ has continually offered all along.
This might be one of many signed that they are in the “aristocracy” step of the Adizes organization lifecycle model.
I think the real problem for AlphaTheta is actually quite simple — but incredibly difficult to solve.
Pioneer DJ established the industry standard. AlphaTheta inherited that position, but with it came a huge constraint: the standard itself.
Every button, every workflow and every familiar layout has become part of what customers expect. Change too much, and you risk alienating the very customers that made the brand so strong.
InMusic doesn’t have that problem.
They can take the Prime 4, change the layout, add features, rethink the workflow and simply say: this is where we’re going next.
And that’s why products like the Prime 4 G2 are potentially much more dangerous for AlphaTheta than just being “good competitors”. They demonstrate what is possible when you don’t have to protect an established standard.
The biggest asset AlphaTheta inherited from Pioneer may now also be its biggest limitation.
That’s a very difficult position to be in.
Innovate or die.
I actually like the AlphaTheta brand name … knowing the Greek alphabet, I have no problems with it. Love the meaning behind the brand name too, alluding to brainwaves that are linked to daydreaming. I like this 
…
Is “Denon” better? Den comes from Japanese Denki 電気 - electricity, and on from Onkyō 音響 - sound, audio, acoustics … so Denon is the electric audio company.
And the AlphaTheta logo? Yeah, …
These two unique circular shapes, based on the Greek letters, α (Alpha), and θ (Theta), together create αθ (AlphaTheta), symbolizing unity, diversity, and growth. The graphical representation conveys the merging of diverse energies that resonate harmoniously with one another.
… not sure if the logo transports that message. I find that it takes quite a lot of imagination to recognise the α and the θ without a given context. And this is actually something that is weak: the logo lacks context. It is hyper-abstract. It looks identical to modern logos seen in healthcare apps, tech startups, or corporate consultancy groups … there is no connection to the gritty, high-energy counter-culture essence tied to nightlife, vinyl culture and DJing, no connection to the rave. I find it a bit boring too, … with interlocking loops, now an oversaturated trope in logo design. It lacks a unique visual hook that immediately surprises me (the viewer). Yeah, a bit dull, isn’t it? The old and bold “Pioneer DJ” logo has a certain coolness factor, fat industrial lettering (love the Denon DJ logo too) …
What would I have designed? A fabulous colourful bird … no connection to the rave either, but a logo doesn’t always have to offer a connection. In a world where every second logo now looks like a cross between a warped infinity symbol and the Gucchi or Chanel logo, originality is charming … but doesn’t survive the final meeting.
Shoutouts to the Chupa Chups logo (designed by Salvador Dalí) and the Duolingo owl. 
I agree, it is dull and not as bold as having Pioneer DJ and Denon DJ on the backside of your gear at music festivals..
IMO… It should have been altered to something simple but more strategic like;
“AlphaTheta DJ” or “Alpha DJ” or “ATheta DJ” obviously they’re stuck with the name and are invested heavily into it. Options are limited.
Tthe Problem would be solved.. Just by adding “DJ” wording to the end and getting rid of that fugly logo.
But Hey, what do I know I’ve only been around for 40+ years in the industry. 
New comers probably won’t care about the name change as much.
*This video sums it up best.. 9 minutes in from an AlphaTheta user;
Yes indeed this is the way. And it goes beyond feeding the fandom.
I actually think your SC6000s could have a much longer life.
Imagine if the next high-end Engine mixer became the brain of the whole system, building on what inMusic has already done with SYSTEM ONE. Streaming services, DRM, STEMS and future processing could live there instead.
Your SC6000s, as well as LCs and CDJs, could simply become controllers for the system — while still adding their own player-specific features.
It reminds me of what Steve Jobs said in 1997:
“We have to let go of this notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose.”
Maybe we should let go of the notion that for Engine to win, rekordbox has to lose.
So let DJs and AV companies keep their CDJs too. Build the smartest mixer in the booth and let CDJs, SCs and LCs connect to it.
Don’t beat ’em. Join them!