Denon DJ Engine Prime software review (2)
mark Settle·
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REVIEW (well almost): Engine Prime software

LINK AND DOWNLOAD: Engine Prime  |  FAQ: Here

INTRODUCTION

“Do we even need to review the software? It’s not like there’s any choice for users” I asked in the DJWORX Slack channel before we started digging into the Prime ecosystem.

Looking back on this question, I wish the response from the team had been no, for the experience has been a tad trying to say the least. Please allow me to explain.

Rider changing

When Denon DJ started bandying around the #changeyourrider hashtag, it was my contention that to make this a practical reality, the process of jumping ship must be embarrassingly smooth, in a one button press for a complete import with everything intact way. For me, this would be the make or break of the Prime attack on the Pioneer DJ dominated booth.

Sadly, it was not smooth at all, with jumping ship feeling more like swimming from one ship to another through shark infested waters while carrying your luggage on your back. This forced me to angrily hammer a vitriolic 5000 word savaging into a first draft. But after a week from Engine Prime, I authored a second more concise and constructive piece — but it was still the harshest spanking I’ve metered out on a product. Engine Prime is for me so vitally important, but it fell considerably short on so many fronts, especially compared to the magical Prime hardware.

Denon DJ did however take our experiences very seriously, so much so that it warranted a personal visit to the Worxlab. The result of said visit (back in July) was the promise of a new version that would address our numerous issues and then some. The delivery date was imminent for a beta, thus I agreed to hold off publishing the literary savaging. There’s little point posting something just for it to be replaced just days later right? Something about second chances for first impressions.

So my mind was at rest and my heart was less heavy. It was accepted that the first release could have been considerably better, but it was all getting fixed, and quickly too. REVIEW (well almost): Engine Prime software

Engine Prime. If only it worked as well as it looks. New beta inbound any day now.

WOT NO BETA?

Days turned to weeks, and now months. My house burglary/car theft along with the birth of Lucy, Dan’s new daughter did impact rather heavily on the following months. But the last “literally days away” was a full month ago. And with NAMM being “literally days away” too, I suspect the new software will appear around that time. Plans change, especially coming up to trade shows.

For the curious about the software, here’s a toned down nutshell version:

  • Importing from iTunes and Serato proved anger inducingly problematic and inconsistent, to the point of numerous wipes of iTunes, Serato DJ, and Engine Prime to start over with clean slates.
  • Creating from scratch is better but still lacking fundamental features like smart crates, that have been found in established software for years.
  • Working with media is equally frustrating. No shift drag, just one folder or list at a time.
  • Analysis performance however is blisteringly fast, and the flexible beat grids in particular excellent. Shame about the initial downbeat bug though.
  • Since writing the original reviews, Denon DJ has released firmware that allows rekordbox USBs to be converted directly on the SC5000 Prime. It’s helpful, but has some way to go before being workable solution for rider changers.
  • Serato DJ compatibility is also out for the X1800 Prime and SC5000 Prime. So if you’re happy to stick with that and not have to migrate to the standalone world of Engine Prime, then the Prime hardware will happily embrace it.

Summing Up

Please remember that this is the opinion of not one but two experienced DJs and reviewers. I’m aware that Denon DJ fans are vociferous in their support of the brand, and we’re genuinely happy for you if your experience has been better than ours. But this is a reproducible experience, even after a full MacBook Pro wipe and reinstall, and using different source audio files.

See also

Returning to my opening question, you’ve got little choice but to use Engine Prime v1 if you want to successfully use the SC5000 Primes. You can get a lot of the way there with Rekord Buddy or DeCU, but this is no excuse for Engine Prime being more of an afterthought than the key element of the #changetourrider to the Prime ecosystem that it should have been. But given the positive response from Denon DJ, I have high hopes that the next release will answer our long list of criticisms, and more. If my gut is correct, it’ll be more than just a bug fix.

So thanks for sticking around this long. Don’t worry — the worst is over. The remaining articles and reviews are considerably more positive.

The bottom line

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdhQWkTl1PQ

I trust I’ll be revisiting this article in the very near future.

70 Comments

  1. Early adapter here, and without a doubt the desktop software has been the weakest link. Hell, I got banned from the forums briefly for kicking up such a fuss about missed dates and promised features being absent. It has led me to an unfortunate situation where I have a slapped together makeshift library and have been using that since last June (among other creative workarounds) and the longer I use it, the more difficult it will be to reconcile everything once I’m comfortable trying to bring over my master library.

    Despite the very long delay, I do have hope that the next version will fix a lot of my issues. And despite the desktop software making me pull out chunks of my very limited supply of hair, it hasn’t tainted my love of the actual hardware. And I really love the hardware.

    1. I really felt for Dan when reviewing. He was taking the Primes out and was doing his damnedest to get a collection together. His work was mission critical, whereas I had the comparative luxury of just playing and writing. And as it turned out shouting a lot and throwing things.

      But yes, the hardware is outstanding, and Engine Prime will get better.

            1. Hi
              I check DJWORX every day and have done so of years but rarely comment these days as I only have decks for home use and it is purely pleasure. I love to see the new technology and am a big fan of Denon hardware, however I feel 2 things let the brand down. Firstly the support for legacy gear and secondly the crazy mods on the forum. They take almost every problem as an attack. I can understand people are passionate about the gear and the brand but if there is a problem the solution is to fix the problem not argue/ban/patronize the people complaining. It sometimes feels like they fob people of for so long with false promises that they can eventually say no more updates for this model. I am a Denon fan and love my 3700s which are rock solid even without the Mac version of engine we were promised. Silvio was always polite and borderline apologetic for the other mods on the forum. I have been watching eagerly to see how well the new products do as I feel they are some of the most interesting and exiting decks for years and it is very sad to see poor software support for such expensive kit. I cringe every time I read how things will be different because so far its same old story.

          2. Silvio Zeppieri was the public face of Denon. I can’t remember his exact title, but he was the “main guy” alongside DJ Shy, and laid the foundations for what Denon DJ is becoming today. He was very accessible in the Denon forums, and his passion for the brand was infectious.

          3. Yes, Silvio was the man behind a lot of great decks from Denon DNS5000/3000; DNHS550; HC4500; HD2500 and may be more…
            I was opening decks on day one and publishing inside pictures or mod fresh ones and he would never get mad at his, not censoring, always helping as he could (schematics, midi data sheet and so on).

            Then later I have to dealt with him on a professional level (working for a software editor), and he was still the same, very passionate and enthusisatic.

        2. I always felt that Silvio did a little more than he was officially allowed to do – but other times… it was just frustrating. “We’ll install beta firmware for you if you ship your players to us” was once a response to me pointing out multiple “can reproduce” bugs on the DN-S3500. Excuse me – what?

          Like it would be such a problem to just slap me with a freaking NDA (as if I would benefit anyone to publish “use at your own risk” firmware anywhere – but whatever helps you sleep at night) and attach the update to an e-mail. Instead, I’m supposed to pack up and ship gear I use every week (back then I had a residency) and wait a month or so for it to get back after a procedure that I could do in 3 minutes myself? Come on. I eventually ended up selling the players and going for DVS without ever looking back.

          But that’s then, and this is now. New products, different people. I have no experiences with the new Denon yet, and I won’t bash anyone until I have a reason ;)

  2. Mark, it sounds like you had a very small taste of what the 8000 users have had to endure. It’s been a year now since Paul Dakeyne promised the 8000 owners a forthcoming update. You’re response was to call them out on it, if they didn’t make good on that promise. Denon haven’t even had the decency to make a simple public statement to let us know what’s happening!! I sincerely hope your word is better than that of Paul Dakeyne / Denon. They need to realise that banning people from their forum does more damage than good, and treating existing customers like they don’t exist is totally unacceptable!!

    1. Ah yes, banned from the forum – been there, done that (the old ‘unofficial’ forum).

      They did let me back on eventually, but every single post I wrote had to be vetted by a mod before it appeared. Some appeared far too late to be any use in the thread. Some appeared so heavily edited that the context was lost. Others failed to appear at all, with no explanation offered.

      1. Lol – Exactly the same on the official forum. Write something, then wait for it to be moderated – which could be either: A) Left in it’s original state – normally if you’re singing praises B) Edited – normally when you’ve mentioned a few things they have no answer for… C) Not posted at all – normally when they have no answers to your entire post. I still hold a small breath of hope that things will change & Denon returns to the great company they once were. Perhaps I’m just grasping at straws….

      2. Also got banned from the new forum. And the official Denon page on FB, and groups. But, my friend tells me the forum changed a few months ago and now you can post freely, they probably recieved a backlash from all the users. Have no more interest in joining there to be honest.

  3. The whole situation surrounding ongoing support for the MCX8000 and Prime just shows what a shambolic mess Denon have become.

    They really need to get new software out far quicker and in smaller steps, something similar to the way VDJ now works …. although I guess things are done differently at large companies.

    Engine 1.5 has never worked properly either on Mac or PC. It should never have been released with the 8000
    Last firmware update for the controller was over a year ago, despite repeated reports of deck 2 hanging and various bugs in standalone mode.
    Paul Dakeyne stated on 28th January last year that the issues with Engine and the MCX8000 would be resolved, and almost a year on still nothing.

    I laugh at all the BS PR stuff …. change your rider …. whatever. We all know the top DJs are paid handsomely for using Denon gear, and as we know Engine Prime V1 has never been updated at all and is buggy as hell, so either these guys are getting beta versions of new software or putting up with things they way they are, but it can’t be an enjoyable experience for them.

    A lot of people have already sold up and moved on to the equivalent Pioneer. The MCX8000 has issues with the on/off switch failing and also refusing to boot up. The SC5000 units also have a black screen power up issue. Denon have had a massive chance to get people away from Pioneer but it looks like they’ve blown it.

    The issue around censorship on their forum is still there. They leave me pretty much alone now because I complained directly, but it seems others are still being censored by Gary who now uses another user name.

    Personally, if it wasn’t for the superb implementation from VDJ, I would have returned the MCX8000 a long time ago. Denon keep pouring scorn on VDJ as it’s not their preferred partner, but unlike Serato’s poor attempt at a mapping the VDJ one actually works 100%

    1. Keith, I recognize your name from that forum as I am active there as well. Here’s hoping we get the update we deserve… I would love to reverse engineer the 8000 and try and implement a new software onboard the unit itself, but don’t have a spare one to tear apart :(

  4. If any fellow MCX8000 would like to join me in bringing this issue to the masses (not just with our units, firmware, and how the software falls on its face), I’d really like to create a Reddit post about it. The forum is useless; try and post anything remotely negative (even if you’re just trying to be helpful), and your post will go straight into the ether. That won’t be the case on Reddit, and it won’t be censorable there, either. This shred of hope that we will be getting E.Prime is rapidly disintegrating with each passing day and that XDJ-RX2 is looking more appealing, 2-channels be damned.

    Anyways, I’d like to speak to other 8000 owners about this — shoot me an email at jbinfosystems@gmail.com.

  5. Shackled? Haha no. We’re definitely sensitive to everyone’s needs, hence holding out for the beta. But we waited long enough. People’s light hearted comments about the delay would’ve got snarky and eventually angry.

  6. I have to disagree to that.
    My personal experience is that both mods/Denon staff and users of the forum are very respectful and always willing to help. That’s kinda rare these days – especially online.

    1. To be fair, it’s gotten better. When they first relaunched there were one or two over-zealous mods. I got a half-assed apology from one of them for my ban saying that it was basically my fault because I sounded like a Pioneer spy/troll. I still haven’t had my access restored to my previous levels, but at least I can post again. I also don’t see anything anymore from those particular people, so I suspect they may have moved on.

      Over-zealous fans attacking people with legitimate problems or suggestions is still an issue (I was accused of being a misogynist for asking for better recognition of half speed tracks by the hardware – seriously, not kidding there) but the new mods seem to be keeping a better lid on that.

      But because of how the previous forums were run, and the early treatment on the new one, I can fully understand why people aren’t exactly trusting of the “new Denon attitude”. It all left a bad taste in the mouth.

      1. Naw, maybe for you, Kevin, but I share the others’ experience. At first, when I was praising Denon’s forward thinking w’ regard to the players as well as w’ their outstanding early-on Forum moderation, all was good. Then when the Devs/Mods stopped commenting (disappeared) on issues and users themselves were piping in their discontent w’ the hardware/software, I would make comments as to whether I should invest $5K+ on the ecosystem (#changemyrider). Well, when I started pouring through the comments/threads and objectively voicing my concerns/opinions, I got banned. I was banned for defending Todd Oddity in one of his thread. Well, needless to say, I went ahead and bought a third Nexus2 and a RMX-1000 instead. Fools lost a potential customer over pathetic forum moderation.

        I’ll wait for Pioneer’s response to the SC5000 rather than buy into Denon’s ecosystem.

      2. Naw, maybe for you, Kevin, but I share the others’ experience. At first, when I was praising Denon’s forward thinking w’ regard to the SC5000 as well as w’ their outstanding early-on Forum moderation, all was good. Then when the Devs/Mgmt. stopped commenting (disappeared) on issues and users themselves were piping in their discontent w’ the hardware/software, I would make comments as to whether I should invest $5K+ on the ecosystem (#changemyrider). Well, when I started pouring through the comments/threads and objectively voicing my concerns/opinions, I got banned…..ironically, just after having received some “forum member of the month” recognition too, LOL! Anyway, I was banned for defending Todd Oddity in one of his threads. Well, needless to say, I went ahead and bought a third Nexus2 and a RMX-1000 instead. Fools lost a potential customer over pathetic forum moderation. I REALLY wanted that SC5000!! Not a Pioneer fanboy in the slightest. That said….

        I’ll wait for Pioneer’s response to the SC5000 rather than buy into Denon’s ecosystem.

        2. It’s odd that so many of us thought it was an individual thing to be banned from their forum, as you really had nowhere to go to complain about it. If Mark wouldn’t have posted at least a mild discontent about the “Prime” software, many people would not be aware of the number of people banned from their forum.

          1. Oh, I’ve read the complaints all over every article written about either Prime or the SC5000s. It’s nothing new, man. InMusic/Denon need to take a cue from Serato as to how they should run their forum. Allow discontent. It’s healthy for everyone involved.

      3. Todd I’m pretty sure you commented on a post of mine agreeing with me. That forum is atrocious. I legitimately feel like it’s filled with praises to Denon DJ and anyone that has ANYTHING to say negative about them gets canned.

        I had a question on how can you back up your Engine library to another computer, which is something ALL THREE COMPETITORS can do. If I remember correctly, all you have to do in Traktor and Serato is copy the folders over. Rekordbox does it for you. Engine Prime? NOTHING. I even mentioned that in a comment that never got posted. I removed competitors’ names, comment posted three days later. Techno/House/4×4 DJs will probably like/love the Prime Series. But everyone else, IMO, should stay very clear of it. And don’t expect any support from Denon. They go quiet on the forums, their FB page, and their Twitter page. I made a complaint that Engine 1.5 corrupted my library (I’m guessing it’s due to QuickTime). No response. Serato, on the other hand, went to great lengths to help me, even though the issue wasn’t their fault.

        1. Jeff, it’s not that difficult to backup your Engine Prime Library.. but before you can you must understand how this the structure of EP works. It’s a radical change from what you know (there is no single library). I’ve made a couple of videos with technical things all should know (and Denon should communicate). These will also explain to you how to backup your Engine Library. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4-PAOT-xI9UGXkMWslavHkDtdpeNjlEP&disable_polymer=true

    2. Please explain. How have so many been banned, received no answers…ON THEIR FORUM and generally been ignored as respectful?

      I do understand that is your personal experience with them but you must have been praising them rather than asking questions, etc.

      1. Feel free to check my comments on their forum – I’m using the same name over there.
        I have praised stuff that I love but also commented on things that I think need improvement (jog wheel response, effects on the X1800).

        Usually I try to keep a respectful tone as I expect the same.
        And luckily I don’t own an MCX 😀

  7. I wouldn’t be surprised Engine Prime is left in it’s current state. My short experience (1 year) with Denon and it’s “Flagship Controller” MCX8000 has been crap. Everything thing they say works only kind of works and if you ask to many questions then you get talked to like you’re an idiot and beaten up by their fan boys and girls. I was happy to trade up my Native Instruments hardware for the Denon hardware now I wish I would have just got the Pioneer.

  8. I have used Engine Prime for a couple of weeks now. While it’s not as comfortable as I had hoped for, it works fine for me and never crashed so far. Importing my Traktor collection would have been cool, but rekordbox does not do that, as well. So I have spent a few sundays importing my stuff (from iTunes) which I found reasonable considering it’s a new eco system.

    1. For a 1.0.0 it’s a very stable software. I have to commend them on that. I haven’t experienced a single crash too despite what I have thrown at it.
      I just feel they could have done more and I hope they do because they just have too.

      1. The Mac side is pretty stable. I think I’ve only had one issue while trying to eject a drive. So yes, on the Mac side, it’s more a problem of needed / wanted features still missing than actually being unusable.

        The PC side is a very different story. A lot of crashes, external drives not being recognized as external (huge problem). There is NO excuse for the issues on the PC side not having been fixed yet. For example, the drive issue could be solved with a simple checkbox to force the software to treat it as an external volume. If I didn’t have a Mac, I wouldn’t be able to use my hardware properly – and eight months in, that is totally unacceptable.

    2. @Kevin_Basher:disqus , I’m the author of the Denon Conversion Utility and the DJ Conversion Utility. Traktor is still my DJ preparation platform of choice and I can tell you the DJCU/DeCU combo makes perfect conversion from Traktor to Denon Prime. Even going directly to a usb that can be used with the SC5000 without doing one bit of work in Engine Prime beside auto analyzation. Folders/playlists to nested crates, cues, loops with names and BEATGRID! I demonstrate this all in this video https://youtu.be/PUtiMt00ntU

  9. MCX8000 owners should have known what was about to happen to their MCX8000/Engine 1.5 combo as soon as Engine Prime was released without a dedicated export mode for them despite Denon saying they build it “from ground up” and that MCX8000 is a “inMusic product” without any ties to old Denon. Yeah, right.

  10. The Mcx8000 is completely useless in standalone mode without engine. Everyone has experienced this problem and DenonDj hadn’t done a thing about it. Not to mention the bugs that are clearly visible in the physical product. No firmware updates or software updates. I have offers to buy my 8000, but I keep waiting to see if they’ll release something that would make it better….. I’m not holding breath tho. And those Denon fan boys #delusional #cultlike

  11. We already knew before release that the software side would be the weak point. The hardware is always good, the firmwares get better, but the softwares… erf…

    Does this Engine software a inhouse production or a third party one ?

    1. Assume it’s in-house but no-one really knows. In-Music have been advertising for programmers in the UK but that could be for something completely different.

      Whatever the situation it seems resource is definitely an issue.

      1. Actually, they even advertised the fact that it’s made from ground up by Air Music Tehnology, also an inMusic company. It was probably done to cut costs so to avoid paying a outside development team. What is unknown is who made Engine 1.0-1.5.

        1. Really, they need to completely rewrite the MCX firmware to be compatible with Engine Prime. Let’s hope this happens as the controller really does have the potential to be something very special. If Denon mess this up (or just leave as is) then many will never buy from them again.

          1. Will it be better use of resources for Denon to just release the MCX8000 MKII/Prime/Whatever name they choose.

            Maybe a few updates to the MK1 improve reliability with Serato. Release official support for Traktor, Virtual DJ, DJay Pro (with working screens).

            Offer MK1 owners (who ain’t happy) a special discount or trade in deal towards the 8000 MK2/Prime.

            The MCX8000 is already two years old approx now, a follow up is surely in the pipeline

            #justsaying

            1. If they release a mk2 without fixing the first one, there’s no f’in way in hell I’m trading in for one, and I doubt any other 8k owner would either. Engine Prime still isn’t worth using, and you think they should put out another 8k??? what crazy world do you live in that once you get screwed over by a company, you go right back to them expecting to be treated differently, after they’ve made ZERO attempts to right the first wrong?

    2. I believe that Engine Prime is coded by the AIR team in Bremen. The older Engine 1.5 software was done by the original pre-inMusic developers, which might explain is difficulty in making the two versions talk to each other for the MCX8000. But as far as I’m aware, work is still progressing to make it happen. But don’t take that as an official statement of any sort.

          1. I think Chad jumped before and it wasn’t neither at AIR suite for Trigger Finger Pro…
            They has bad luck but really good ideas that needed some time and love to show full potential.

  12. +1 “I’ll never buy Denon again”
    2yrs in and there are still advertised features not even remotely working on the MCX8000
    1yr after a public post that a working Engine is coming, and NOTHING.
    Polite users banned from the forums, same boilerplate responses everywhere else, and a complete lack of decency when dealing with customers who shelled out for their “flagship controller” only to be met with a whole new ecosystem months later.

    yeah, done with Denon. #changeyourriderback

    1. We all get branded as troublemakers and trolls on the Denon forum, whilst fanboys are praised for talking utter crap. Someone in charge there needs to wake up and smell the coffee before it’s too late. Treating valued customers the way they do will end up hurting the business in the longer term. Once bitten twice shy and all that …….

    2. You said it friend, I’m done with them now. They blatantly lied about Engine Prime to pump the pre-orders and now the lads are left with overpriced Serato controllers because no other way of working with the hardware is currently to a professional standard.

    3. I agree 100% with everything you have said. The MCX8000 is virtually unable to play 40% of my library, as it doesn’t meet their format. Not such a huge problem if the rest was usable. However, I posted on the Denon Forum and was completely banned from posting anything else. It’s unbelievable that they treat customers who paid top dollar for their previous “Flagship” product as if we’re bothering them.

      I bought the Pioneer XDJ-RX2, as it’s more capable. Still have the MCX8000 as I was holding out on their promise of Prime supporting it as they promised. Nada. Selling it very soon.

  13. I have to concur with all the fellow DJs here on the lack of support by Denon when it comes to the MCX8000. They sold a product advertised as one thing, only to find it can’t do what was told to customers. Engine is not stable and takes forever to analyze and transfer. I’ve had my controller freeze on me twice at two different gigs using Serato DJ. Even tried dimming the screen as recommended by Denon and still had my controller Freeze on the right deck. I’ve had the controller less than a year and I’m already contemplating selling it. Sad as some of my first equipment was Denon and before this Numark. Does Denon take the time to read these posts to hear what real customers are saying about their products? If they don’t release a stable working version of Prime for the MCX8000 and address the stability issues with Serato and decks freezing, it will further tarnish their reputation in the DJ community. If they release an MCX9000 or MCX8000 II without fixing these issues, I will never buy an inmusic product ever again. #denondj

    1. No, they don’t read these comments at all. I pointed this blog to one of their product managers on Facebook last night and he replied saying blogs like this “weren’t his thing”. All they ever do is ask the same questions and pretend there’s nothing wrong. Wake up Denon!

  14. I’m basically going to repeat what everyone has said in the comments below mine, but the fact of a consistent tone of dissatisfaction with Denon DJ should say A LOT about this company. I personally didn’t have a lot of issues with my MCX8000. I loved the thing. But the fact that Engine 1.5 never got updated and poses a huge security risk for us Windows users with the requirement of QuickTime (which is no longer supported within Windows) is nothing short of unacceptable. If I hadn’t bought it exclusively for Serato DJ, I would have sold that thing much sooner than I did. I have a feeling that the DDJ-1000 will slaughter the MCX8000 considering it’s from a company that at the very least supports its hardware and software better than Denon DJ does. I just hope to God it doesn’t sound like the SX2/RX.

    In regards to Engine Prime, it’s god awful, embarrassingly bad, and Denon DJ should really be ashamed of themselves for releasing such garbage. Why would anyone change their rider when Serato DJ, Rekordbox, and even Traktor has features/does basic tasks better than Engine Prime. How do you release such garbage without looking at competitors’ products and try to implement/improve some of their best features? Can’t reorganize folders, no smart crates, no TRUE flexible beat grids, analyzing on Windows sometimes causes a memory leak that leads to a crash, no option for RGB waveforms, the shortcuts are asinine and make no sense, and I’m supposed to use that trash with hardware costing around $6,000?! AND it comes from a company with a history of not fulfilling promises, and when called out on it either completely ignore criticism or will block/ban you on their “unofficial” forums?! HARD PASS.

  15. Someone (Mark, I’m looking at you) get this article with it’s comments over to the Denon team fast. Apparently, they have no idea people are being banned from their forum and their OLD Flagship product MCX8000 is waiting on much promised support while they’re trying to change professional DJ’s Riders.

  17. To make the story complete after Engine Prime 1.1 has been released:

    EP 1.1 is not back worth compatible with EP 1.0. If a (usb drive) or collection is mounted when EP 1.1 is started that collection will be EP 1.1 only! Make copies from your Engine Library (on the root of the usb drive and your local music folder) before you start up 1.1.

    Still no possibility to import tracks stored on cloud-, nas-, file-servers or external disks formatted other than FAT or ExFAT. Tracks stored on these volumes will not be imported form iTunes or Serato and there still is no warning (ok there is 1 for external drives hfs formatted). This is the #1 cause for the “incomplete playlist import”.
    Copying the tracks or using the iTunes Rekordbox Collection Backup (iR CBT) is required to create a Denon drive if your tracks are stored on any of those volumes.

    Serato / Rekordbuddy users:
    If you rely on Serato tags to deliver cues/loops (SCL) to EP than v1.1 has a few unpleasant surprises.
    The only way to deliver Serato tagged Cues and Loops (SCL) to Engine Prime 1.1 is thru EP’s Serato integration.
    Serato needs to be installed and the tracks part of the Serato collection for this to work. Rekordbuddy users who convert from Rekordbox and use the SCL to deliver cues and loops to EP are left in the cold (unless they happen to be Serato user as well).
    • Drag ‘n Drop a track containing SCL won’t deliver it’s cues and loops to EP (worked fine under v1.0).
    • Tracks imported from iTunes won’t deliver SCL to Engine Prime.
    • If a track is already part of the EP collection (thru importing an iTunes playlist for instance) there is now way to deliver SCL to that track. Not even if it’s part of your Serato collection
    • If iTunes manages the storage location of your media files than this can result in duplicate tracks
    • in your collection and no SCL delvered

    I made an un edited video to show this and what to do to fix it:
    https://youtu.be/8nfLXRV2kF8

    iTunes users:
    EP 1.1 will show the folder/playlist structure but will not import a folder with it’s containing playlists to either a nested playlists or crates.

    DeCU users:
    EP 1.1 breaks the loops as set by DeCU. The loops are still there and will show perfectly fine on the SC5000 player. However if a track has been loaded in the EP DeCK EP will reset it’s loops! If you only use EP to analyze tracks (as intended by DeCU) all remains fine for you. Cues and beatgrid set by DeCU is not affected.

    DeCU 3.1 is fully compatible with EP 1.1 and does not have any of the above limitations.

  18. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now since we got the MCX8000 (also a piece of junk.) It really seems like a half-baked beta with a lot of bugs. It crashes while refreshing the iTunes library. When files are missing they just turn red with no option to replace them. The mixer won’t accept files above 44khz. This makes for a lot of tedious resaving of music files.
    And hey, what are the advantages between “Playlists” and “Crates?” I can’t find info on that.
    You’re right, Denon really needs to up their game if they’re going against Pioneer. It’s a promising start…