Last week the first details emerged of Denon DJ’s NAMM announcements, and now the press releases are out. Today, Denon DJ is announcing a four-channel mixer, the X1800, the SC5000 Prime media player, and the VL12 direct drive turntable.
X1800 Prime: Four Channel Mixer
- Product: X1800 Prime mixer
- Price: $1899
- Availability: In the DJTT store now
As many speculated after the SC5000 leak, Denon DJ is launching a new four-channel mixer as a part of their new Prime line of gear. The mixer has Sweep FX (similar to Color FX on Pioneer mixers) and BPM FX units, a 24-bit/96kHz audio card, and the ability to connect to players via Engine Connect (sending beat grids and timing data for synchronized effects).
A nice touch is that the Filters are completely separate from the Sweep FX – meaning you don’t have to choose one or the other as on Pioneer DJM mixers.
The mixer is clearly set out to compete directly with the DJM-900NXs2, with a lot of the same functionality. Here’s the full feature set:
- 4-Channel Digital Mixer with (4) phono/line switchable channels
- BPM FX section with frequency controlled ‘Band-Isolation’
- Dual USB audio connections for software and audio devices.
- Dedicated Sweep and BPM FX Knobs — high-quality effects for each channel with a single knob turn
- Expressive EQ – choose Classic or Isolation modes and an Adjustable Filter Resonance Control
- Engine Connect’ protocol for beatgrid locked FX
- Expressive Denon DJ ‘Flex-Fader’, Crossfader
- Connect MIDI based effects and instruments
- 24-bit/96kHz digital output for uncompromised audio quality
- Crisp OLED screen for precise menu based adjustments
- (4) Digital inputs for high-resolution audio mixing
- LAN Hub for up to four players or accessories
- Rugged metal construction
SC5000 Prime Media Player
- Product: SC5000 Prime
- Price: $1899
- Availability: In the DJTT store now
This is the media player that first leaked last Thursday from Denon DJ, and for anyone who wants a a company to seriously try to compete with Pioneer DJ, this is the best bet. The price point comes in at $300 less than a top-of-line CDJ-2000NXS2. Amazingly, they also have dual layers – meaning that you can be playing back two tracks from one of these at the same time. There’s a pair of RCAs on the back of the unit – so each layer has its own output:
Beyond the full feature set (below), there was last-minute addition to the press release: Serato and Traktor support are planned to be on the near-term roadmap for the product.
- 7-inch HD display with multi-touch gestures
- 24-bit/96kHz digital audio outputs
- Dual-layer playback with individual audio outputs
- Plays uncompressed audio formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV)
- 8 multifunction trigger pads for Cues, Loops, Slices and Rolls
- 8-inch rugged metal jog wheel with HD central display
- Customizable RGB color around the jog wheel
- (3) USB and (1) SD input for music playback
- LAN output to link to up to four players
VL12 Prime Turntable
- Product: VL12 Prime Direct Drive Turntable
- Price: $899
- Availability: Q1 2017
Denon is also launching a new direct-drive turntable, originally tooled (not just another Super OEM?) and with all metal construction, isolation feet, and adjustable pitch. The VL12 also claims to have the highest torque in the industry, and is ringed with RGB lighting around the entire platter for a unique look and feel. Here’s the full feature list:
- Isolation feet eliminate unwanted vibration and feedback
- Highest-in-industry 5kgf/cm torque on “High” setting
- Innovative ‘easy grip/brake’ chamfered platter redefines tactile DJ touch
- Isolated motor design, for optimal signal-to-noise ratio
- S-shaped tone arm for accurate tracking
- Reinterpreted tone arm support with dual-function ‘lock or rest’ feature
- Rugged all-metal tone arm base and high-quality brushed metal controls
- 2-speed operation 33 1/3rd and 45 RPM (45 RPM adapter included)
- Adjustable pitch range: ±8%, 16%, 50%
- Built-in RGB lighting illuminates platter’s edge
- Color selection and brightness controls
Engine Prime Software
One final note from Denon – they’re also relaunching their Engine music management software as Engine Prime. This software is the library/analysis system that powers the new media players – and you can import music from Serato or iTunes collections.
Files are analyzed in the software, getting beatgrids and key analysis, and adding tricolor waveforms to the tracks, all of which then is exported to SD/USB devices. Here’s the software’s feature set:
- Integrate, import and reorganize existing Serato and iTunes databases
- Advanced and accurate Beatgrid and Musical Key analysis
- Create Playlists and Crates for the ultimate music library
- Add custom names to Hot-Cues and Loops for enhanced live workflow
- Sync ongoing DJ performance data easily back to Engine Prime application
- Fast and effective on-board Beatgrid and tempo editor
- Logical and easy to use GUI layout for optimized workflow
- Manually edit track info and create track ratings
- Supports Lossless music file formats such as FLAC, ALAC, AIFF and WAV
- Tri-colored track waveform production for frequency based visual feedback
We’ll have additional reviews and first looks at each of these products as we get our hands on them at NAMM!
Wondering why there’s so much new gear news on DJTT right now? Companies are rolling out their new products ahead of the NAMM 2017 industry convention. We’re giving DJTT readers the first coverage and insights into what’s coming out: See all of our NAMM 2017 coverage here.
