PRIME 4+ comes fresh out of the box running Engine DJ 3.1, but most of the features will become available on the entire Engine lineup. Integrated pro-club mixer with 3-band EQ The integrated mixer section allows you to shape your sound, creating mixes that blend seamlessly. It includes four-channel line faders as well as a built-in 3-band EQ for shaping your mix. All four inputs can be assigned to the switchable line/phono inputs for added flexibility. Adds support for BeatPort Link and SoundCloud GO+ streaming services, improved BPM analysis, recording of the mic channel and ability to adjust the gate settings for each mic input. At the top of the mixer section are buttons to switch in either of the two main effects engines per channel – and speaking of effects, each channel gets not only the expected one-knob Filter, but also Echo, Wash and Noise effects, collectively called the “Sweep FX”. By the way, all the effects work on external inputs as well as the digital channels.

The Denon DJ Prime 4 also offers more ways than ever to play your media on the unit. Featuring a huge, 4 USB ports (one of the USB’s being especially to charge your phone/camera with a higher output voltage), 1 SD card reader and a 2.5″ SATA Hard drive bay you will never be short of ways to load music into the Prime 4. Users can now sync tempo with external hardware using Ableton Link over both wired and wireless networks. Once Ableton Link has been enabled, an orange link icon will be shown in the top right of the toolbar providing the number of linked devices, sync lead tempo, and phase meter showing the current beat position. When synced, the tempo will match the tempo of the longest playing device. The lead tempo can be adjusted from any device and all other linked devices will automatically follow. DMX and Smart Lightning controllable via touch display and soundswitch (art. 495060 - not included) Also boasting real-time time-stretching and key-matching functionality for in-depth mixing, the touch-capacitive jog wheels are ultra-responsive for the smoothest possible transitions. Use the expanded dynamic FX to create massive drops and transitions or use the onboard Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connectivity to incorporate requests/last-minute song changes into your set with ease.

Tech spec

However, this is definitely not an oversight, as the brilliant 10.1” main display sits close by and does a fantastic job displaying everything that needs to be seen! Supported Media Type: SD/SDHC card, USB mass-storage devices (flash memory, 2.5 internal SATA, and external HDD enclosures) Loop– these are saved loops, you can set via the loop encoder or using the pads for start/stop/reloop I think the “two FX engine” thing is a bit old school: The way Pioneer does the effects in its mixers and now the DDJ-1000 controller (and the way Denon DJ does them in its X1800 mixer) would have been better for this unit I feel – yes it’s a bit less powerful, but it’s more intuitive and becoming standard.

Unlike the previous MCX8000 unit, the Prime 4 of course has a big central screen (that unit had two smaller ones). It’s a big improvement. Supported Media Type: SD/SDHC card, USB mass-storage devices (flash memory, 2.5 internal SATA, and external HDD enclosures) The possibilities are endless and supporting 1TB officially and up to 4 TB unofficially, you can load more music onto the hard drive through the USB B port on the rear of the unit connected to a Laptop running Prime Engine software. The Denon Prime 4 may be able to play from almost any digital source but what if you really want to play from external sources. Well Denon DJ hasn’t left any stone unturned with the Prime 4, with all four channels being able to be assigned to external devices. Add to that 2 switchable phono inputs on channels 3 and 4, with the upcoming DVS support for Serato already announced. We felt the loop roll and other beat-tied functions were forgiving, ie they make you sound good when using them! We liked the way the saved loops work, which is a bit different to most DJ software.

What is Prime?

Overall, in this area, there is a learning curve – possibly inevitable when you ditch a powerful operating system and decade-old DJ software and try and do it all standalone. Is this the end for laptop DJing? This service has been added to most of the current Engine OS lineup , with notable exceptions being the PRIME GO and SC6000 multiplayers. We’ll see if they get a ‘+’ hardware revision soon as this service can’t simply be added with a software update. Collection and delivery costs are included for the first 2 years in the event of an item becoming faulty For those looking to level up their lighting game, a subscription to SoundSwitch opens up professional light show capabilities, all executable on PRIME 4’s central screen!

Please note that this extended warranty is currently only available on products sold within the UK, EU or EEA, and is subject to the terms and conditions as detailed on the extended warranty certificate provided.The jogs are great to use, although Steve Canueto, our scratch tutor, felt they were just a tiny bit laggy when scratching – he thinks it could be that they need firmer pressure than some to trigger, but couldn’t quite put his finger on it (sorry for the pun). That said he rated them “very good”. Sensitivity adjustment for the jogs would be an improvement, though. The software improvements are impressive, delivering way beyond what any other DJ kit has via software updates.