DJ Expo starts today, and with it comes some fresh goodies. After a period of time in the garage, Denon DJ is revving its engine a little right now, and after the real estate grabbing MCX8000 Serato DJ and Engine standalone controller comes a smaller sibling. The Serato DJ specific but no less capable Denon DJ MC7000 has the added bonus of dual USB and the new key sync feature.
Denon DJ’s words follow:
DENON DJ MC7000 DJ CONTROLLER OFFERS UNEXPECTEDLY SUPERIOR SOUND, CONSTRUCTION AND VERSATILITY
MC7000 offers unmatched combination of 4-channel Serato capability with dual USB connections for the ultimate DJ experience, coupled with legendary Denon DJ quality
Cumberland RI, USA (August 15, 2016)—Denon DJ (www.denondj.com), a leading manufacturer of premium DJ products and solutions, today announced the introduction of its new MC7000 DJ controller with 4-channel Serato DJ capability and dual USB connections. These two USB interfaces enable two DJs to play together or ‘hand off’ in a truly seamless, uninterrupted manner. Coupled with Denon DJ’s legendary build quality and superior audio reproduction, this is a no-compromise controller perfectly suited to mobile and club DJs looking for the next evolution of Serato controller. The MC7000 also includes the full version of Serato DJ, plus, 3 creative expansion packs (Pitch ‘n Time, Flip and Video), enabling DJ’s to empower their musical, remix and visual style – to the max!
Special consideration was given to the DJ experience: The dual 6-inch platters have a touch-capacitive design with rotational LED displays, giving a DJ maximum feedback to optimize track manipulation performance in real time. The MC7000’s new, exclusive and dedicated Key Matching and Changing controls give the DJ an unprecedented ability to instantly and harmonically match musical keys, resulting in an enhanced audience and dancefloor experience. In addition, the MC7000 is Serato DVS Upgrade Ready, giving DJs the power to mix a program of digital music sources with the elegance and accuracy of legacy vinyl control. The unit’s comprehensive, multi-input mixer also allows DJ’s to access line/phono inputs from both authentic analog (vinyl) and digital sources for a perfect blend of content and sound.
Key Features
- 4-Channel DJ Controller with Digital Mixer
- Dual USB Audio Interfaces – Connect 2 Computers at once
- 3 Serato Expansion Packs Included (Pitch ‘n Time, Flip and Video worth $200)
- 16 Velocity-Sensitive Performance Pads
- New Dedicated Key Matching and Changing Controls
- Solid 6-inch Touch Capacitive Platters with Tracking LED
- 2 Mic Inputs with Dedicated Controls
- XLR Booth and Master connections
- Serato DJ DVS Compatible
- Solid Compact Design
“The new MC7000 is the 4-channel controller DJs have been asking for,” said Ross Goodwin, Product Manager for Denon DJ. He added, “DJs will love the MC7000’s size, portability and build. The dual USB connection allows creativity, collaboration and most importantly a way for seamless change-overs between DJs, because the music should never stop until it’s the end of the night.”
U.S. retail pricing for the MC7000 is $999.00
Availability is Fall 2016.
OUR FIRST COMMENT
“Unexpectedly superior sound”? Oh how we chortled. Either Denon DJ intended it to be crappy but it still came out better than expected, they underestimate their own ability to produce great sound, or they think that the market is expecting crappy sound from Denon. None of these scenarios are true of course — it’s just a weird turn of phrase.
Aaaanyway… clearly the high-end (or is this now mid range given the MCX8000?) format is established, as to me this is a cookie cutter competitor for the DDJ-SX/RX from Pioneer DJ. You could hide the logos and not immediately tell them apart except for the round buttons and asymmetric layout of the Pioneer DJ units. But Serato created this format with its partners, and for now Pioneer DJ is sticking with it. For now at least.
STANDOUTS
For me, there’s two features that leap out of the page at me:
Key syncing — ewww… that hated sync word. And now with the bundled Serato Pitch ‘N Time plugin, there’s a button that will allow you to key match playing songs. Not an easy task for any software, and something that needs to be played with before entirely changing the tone of your favourite upbeat anthem into a minor key dirge. But clever nonetheless. I trust that Serato DJ offers some help in this area.
Dual USB ports — nothing new per se, but it does indicate that Denon DJ would like to see this being shared in a club rather than being a sole mobile DJ’s unit. That said, it does have dual mic controls, albeit shoehorned int the corners.
There’s also a fair slice of Serato DJ expansion packs bundled too. It stops short of DVS, but if that’s your thing, you can purchase it as an extra.
Price wise… we’ll something weird is happening, and I can only put it down to Brexit impacted exchange rates. In the US, the MC7000 is coming in cheaper than the DDJ-RX ($1199 vs $999). But in the UK, it’s more expensive (£759 vs £849). There’s a lot going for both packages, but unlike rekordbox, Serato DJ is established and it does come with video too. Give it a year of bug fixing, and Serato won’t be able to depend on that.
Time will tell what happens with the MC7000. Outside of key sync, I’m not as excited as I once was at the prospect of playing with one, as I feel we’ve been here many times before. But I have no doubt that this is a very solid offering from Denon DJ, aimed at keeping the hearts of potential switchers in the Denon/Serato camp. It absolutely fulfils the needs of many DJs without trying to be too clever. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
GALLERY
