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Forum: General Discussion

Topic: Denon Prime 4 G2 - Page: 2
I think the biggest issue here is not whether the Prime 4 G2 is a good standalone unit, but whether it fits the workflow of people who already depend heavily on VDJ. The hardware improvements sound useful, especially the faster storage and upgraded audio side, but missing support for things like the LC6000 and computer-mode software support at launch makes it harder to justify upgrading immediately. For open-format DJs, the software integration can matter just as much as the hardware itself. I’d personally wait until the VDJ support is officially available before making the switch.
 
Yes, waiting is the sensible thing to do.
 
I think I'm gonna pass on this unit, I don't use FXs and I don't need 30 different ways to make my mix sound even worse LMAO!!

I wish they'd fix the stems and make them better!! Also add some quick playlist buttons where the swipe down tab it as it doesn't need to be that big. If they did just those 2 things Id probably never switch from the 5000m's or the Prime 4.

Don't get me wrong, for what it is it is nice but like the guy said up above, it doesn't match anywhere close to my work flow and I'm not gonna change for the equipment.
 
Regarding stems, there have been some posts on the EngineDJ forum recently where somebody's figured out the Denon encryption and (presumably) vibe-coded an app to import stems from other places.

Not tried it myself but I'm curious as to how Denon will react to this, and whether they'll allow the app, or maybe add some import options to their own software.
 
Pretty sure that breaches EULA or probably voids warranty on the device in some form, and def sounds like use at your own risk (they can vibe code bugs as well as malicious code into the firmware).

Denon most likely could have allowed this from day one if desired, but its abscence is probably an example of competitive advantage (you must use our tool to do the job or else no).
 
You must use our tool so that the later offered mk2 is an actually improvement to what was offered before.
 
@VinylTouch

Undoubtedly so, which is why I say they may shut it down - but OTOH if they see the demand, then they could incorporate it into EngineDJ, negating the need for hacks. Stems still need encrypting to play on the standalones, so license still required.
 
groovindj wrote :
Regarding stems, there have been some posts on the EngineDJ forum recently where somebody's figured out the Denon encryption and (presumably) vibe-coded an app to import stems from other places.

Not tried it myself but I'm curious as to how Denon will react to this, and whether they'll allow the app, or maybe add some import options to their own software.


Can you PM the link to this?? This is what Im talking about!!
 
locoDog wrote :
You must use our tool so that the later offered mk2 is an actually improvement to what was offered before.


Yup that same ole song and dance!!

So guy I just saw on the gram has done sort of the samething with the CDJ3000x's!! They can process stems on the unit!! They too didnt sound very good but its crazy we have to hack shit just to get these "PRO" units to do what we want.
 
I used Engine Desktop to convert stems for the System One and they were "okay", certainly not VDJ quality but still usable in a bar for example.

The process for converting them was also really slow as it used the CPU rather than GPU.

Seems they just spent time on the most basic implementation to say they had them.

I see some of the reviews are crowing about the on board stems rendering on the System One and Prime 4 G2, but at just faster than the track length I couldn't see how that would benefit me personally at a gig as I don't plan what I'm going to play early enough for them to be processed. It doesn't seem they can be synced back to Engine on the PC either.

My DJ laptop using VDJ renders them realtime around 26x (and they can be used for karaoke as well) so I don't think I would go back to precomputing them (and there's a massive storage saving too)
 
kradcliffe wrote :
It doesn't seem they can be synced back to Engine on the PC either


Why not? The stems can either be processed on the desktop software and moved across, or on the hardware, and stored in the same place (the connected drive) either way.

Yes you have to be careful when syncing back and forth if you don't want files deleted or overwritten, but that applies to all files, not just stems.
 
Was just going by what I remember reading at the time. Still applies it seems although there may be workarounds.
 
...meaning it can't be done via the Sync Manager but then up until recently it wouldn't need to do that anyway, as you'd never have files stored on the device unless they came from the computer.

Easy enough to back them up via drag & drop/copy & paste though.

Presumably when the offline storage comes in, a similar process - unless they finally add the streaming services to EngineDJ desktop.
 
kradcliffe wrote :

I see some of the reviews are crowing about the on board stems rendering on the System One and Prime 4 G2, but at just faster than the track length I couldn't see how that would benefit me personally at a gig as I don't plan what I'm going to play early enough for them to be processed. It doesn't seem they can be synced back to Engine on the PC either.)


And that's why I call BS on them!! If I have to do it on my computer anyways because I want that "instant" stem there's no point in trying on the unit itself!! There's absolutely no way I could use stems on the fly if I had to render everything on the unit itself!!

They need to quit with the gimmicks (onboard stems & Crazy FXs) and just get shit done the right way. Which IMO is render on your laptop/desktop and export everything.
 
Would be fine doing it realtime on the unit (same as VDJ) at maybe say 15x, but with a 2020 chip made for POS systems it's never going to happen. Too much code written for the ARM / Rockchip architecture already.

It may not be ideal but with Pioneer nowhere on standalone stems there's no competition to push it forward.
 
Maybe we should have a louder voice LOL
 
In all honestly I'm done with standalone. Tried both Denon and Pioneer and neither were particularly great.

Having one laptop with VDJ and ShowXpress to handle everything is definitely the simpler and less hassle option for me.

It's just a couple more cables with a hub and LED lighting built in to the clamp stand so takes maybe another minute to set up vs a single controller.
 
Setup looks clean!! And yeah I hear ya, I do love my 5000m's and just pluggin in tho.
 
Standalones suffer from these things really currently (to me) - lack of processing power, lack of input options (although I think some devices allow for bluetooth keyboard connection), and lack of flexibility/changes to functionality on the spot (e.g. MIDI mapping).

The processing power is probably the biggest issue and probably not easily overcome with price in mind - you need proper CPU/NPU setup and memory to get things like realtime stems to be a reality in reasonable time, and those would probably drive up the price of the unit tremendously. Until a cost effective option comes about, computer driven connectivity will always have a gap to fill.

Also, I love the DDJ-FLX10 too - it covers all the bases for me as well for mobile setup.
 
 
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