Denon is one of the world’s most famous audio and visual tech manufacturers, and they’ve earned quite a reputation across the past century. They’ve started out small with making single-sided CDs and gramophones, after which they’ve continued onto stereo records, electric pianos, and 8-track recorders. 

Regardless of where the winds of change shifted the music gear market, Denon rose to the challenge. Today they’re considered among the top-tier manufacturers of instruments, accessories, and gear for musicians and DJs. It’s pretty safe to say that the DJ Prime 4 smart console is a true example of their quality and craftsmanship.

 Today we’re here to talk about the DJ Prime 4 – one of the latest letters in technology and one of the most energetic, most versatile DJ controller systems available on the market. We’ll delve deep into its specs and features, and we’ll point out its strongest suits and drawbacks. 

Before we begin, we should state that DJ Prime 4 is a professional standalone console supplied with some of the most advanced features that will step up your DJ game as soon as you start using it. It’s a bit pricey, but it’s well worth the buck, so if you’re looking for solutions to attract bigger crowds, to combine mixing and performing, and to generally sound better at shows, stick with us as we review Denon’s DJ Prime controller.

Denon DJ Prime 4 Review

Epic Standalone DJ System & Serato DJ Controller

First look – Design:

As you could’ve probably figured out just by looking at the Prime 4, this is a huge console packed with a ton of features. Its dimensions measure 28.68 inches in width by 19.56 inches in depth by 4.08 inches in height. 

Given its massive size, it’s only apparent that it weighs a bit more than average – its weight is 21.34 pounds, but luckily, Denon DJ made it as durable as it can possibly be. 

You’ll get to use four decks packed with top-shelf features simultaneously, ensuring unparalleled versatility and the ability to approach track mixing and reproduction in pretty much every way conceivable. 

Superb connectivity plays a crucial part in Denon DJ Prime 4’s design; it’s supplied with a huge variety of ports that you can use to modify your new controller with numerous tech gadgets and trinkets at the same time. 

It sports six professional-grade Neutrik XLR outs (master, zone & booth), two professional-grade Neutrik XLR +0.25-inch microphone inputs, a single RCA master output, four RCA ins, a single 0.125-inch headphone output, a single 0.25-inch headphone output, an Ethernet port, an IEC-power inlet, four USB Type-A media ports, a single USB Type-B host port, an SD-card slot, and a SATA 2.5-inch drive. 

Features: 

There are two separate displays onboard Denon’s DJ Prime 4; the main display measures 8.5 inches by 5.5 inches and rocks a very intuitive touch interface. The jog-wheel display is drastically smaller, being 2.2 inches big, and it is also backed with LED technology for enhanced visibility. 

What’s more, the DJ Prime is outfitted with four-channel inline faders, each packed with a three-band equalizer and gain controls. There’s also a single encoder, four sweep-FX faders with filter control, and fourteen mainstage post fader FX built into its construction. Additionally, you can assign the inputs with external audio sources for even more versatility. 

You’ll gain total control over your microphones as DJ Prime 4 offers two dedicated microphone channels, two dedicated TRS microphone inputs, and control equalizer, level, and quality eco effect controls on both of the microphones.

There are two six-inch jog wheels onboard, both of which are highly responsive, intuitive, and touch capacitive. You will be able to customize the RGB lights on the wheels, drastically improving your setup’s aesthetics. The quality, interface, and specs of the players are very similar to the Denon DJ SC6000 Prime.

Moreover, you’ll have eight performance pads at your disposal to create and reproduce the funkiest, grooviest sounds, noises, and effects. Hot-cue pads, loops, rolls, slicers, and a plethora of other functionalities will be yours to toy around with until you’ve acquired the sounds you were after.  

Of course, let’s not forget one of the essential features that Denon’s DJ Prime 4 comes outfitted with – the Denon Prime Engine. This is one of the finest software that was specifically built to accommodate and cater to Prime 4 users. It features a dedicated music library packed with all the info you’ll need regarding your tracks (that can be accessed in simplified and expanded fashion), two-track reproduction capability, and a fader for each. 

In Use:

Denon’s DJ Prime 4 is essentially a professional-grade DJ console that can be used in a variety of ways.

First and foremost, Prime allows you to unlock the Serato DJ Pro completely free of charge. Which is in most lists of the top DJ softwares in the market. This is just one of the many reasons why it’s one of the most valuable DJ controllers of all time. Namely, this will save you hundreds of dollars you’d normally have to pay for the heavily acclaimed Serato software, but it’s much more than just that. 

Secondly, Prime 4 is a highly versatile controller that sports four separate decks laden with some of the most amazing and advanced features available on the current market. With a ton of sliders, faders, equalizers, pads, and two intuitive and touch-capacitive jog wheels, you’ll be able to manipulate your tracks in every way imaginable during a live performance. 

Speaking of which, it also works perfectly well for musicians. It sports two dedicated microphone inputs, as well as dozens of connection parts that you can use to attach anything from earbuds to instruments. 

If you have already decided to go for the Prime 4, take a look at the Denon DJ HP Series Headphones to create the perfect match.

Video: Denon DJ Prime 4 in use

Pros: 

• There are countless benefits to be reaped by using Prime 4 and only a handful of potential tradeoffs and downfalls. First and most importantly, DJ Prime 4 is one of the best-rounded, most versatile DJ controllers that already feature unlocked Serato software. 
• It offers a ton of controllable pads, sliders, faders, and rotary knobs, an oversized display, two touch-capacitive jog wheels, and dozens of connection ports. So, it would be a huge understatement to say that its features are just ‘great’, they’re some of the best there are. 
• Furthermore, it comes supplied with a remarkably robust metal chassis that can endure a lifetime or two with ease. Moreover, the Prime 4 is incredibly stable due to four plinth supports on each side, so you can rest assured that it won’t move as you dance around the board. 

Cons:

• Prime 4 only drawback is its price. It costs a small fortune, making it a bit less accessible to intermediate-level DJs and pretty much all beginners out there. Even so, it’s well worth the cash. 

Denon DJ Prime 4 vs. Denon DJ MC800:

There are worlds of differences between Denon’s DJ Prime 4 and DJ MC800, but there are also a lot of similarities they share with one another. However, the only thing that matters at the end of the day is that both are premium-quality DJ controllers. 

Both DJ MCX8000 and Prime 4 four-channel (4-deck) DJ controllers work absolutely fabulous. Both come with pre-unlocked Serato software (DJ Pro). And both feature two jog wheels, eight control pads per deck, and the same number of sliders, faders, and rotary knobs. 

In terms of versatility, it’s obvious that DJ Prime 4 has the upper hand. It sports a superior number of connection ports and FX bars, but not enough to declare it as ‘completely superior’. As a matter of fact, both of these DJ controllers are incredibly well-rounded.

While DJ MCX8000 features one display above each jog wheel, DJ Prime 4 features a huge display right in the top-middle section. Most people would agree that this is more beneficial, especially since you’ll get better visibility (due to increased size). Moreover, it’s easier to track every parameter you need on one side rather than bouncing from one display to another.

There’s another significant difference between these two DJ controllers – the price. Namely, DJ Prime 4 costs nearly twice as much as DJ MCX 800, but it’s also pretty obvious that the former offers substantially bigger and better benefits than the latter. 

With that being said, we could easily conclude with the following – DJ Prime 4 packs a more comprehensive array of versatile features and is geared towards being the ultimate tool for gigging and touring DJs. While you could achieve similar results with DJ MCX 800, you’ll be able to do so more efficiently with DJ Prime 4. 

Final Thoughts

If you are on the market looking for the best Serato controller, the best DJ controller, or the best media player, look no further than Denon’s DJ Prime 4. It encompasses all of the aforementioned qualities. It’s easily one of the best-value, best-rounded, most versatile, best-performing, and most durable DJ tools to have graced the shelves of online marketplaces, so if you’re looking for quality, you’ve certainly found it. 

Professionals who can’t and will not settle for less than ‘perfection’ true to form, we highly encourage you to check Prime 4 out; we guarantee you won’t be disappointed.