What happened
Denon DJ has launched PRIME 4 G2, a four-channel, four-deck standalone system that succeeds the original PRIME 4. It is available now through Denon DJ dealers; the announcement gives no price. An eight-core ARM processor and 4GB of RAM, which Denon DJ says deliver four times the processing power of the previous generation, drive a 10.1-inch multi-touch display, full-size eight-inch jog wheels with LED displays and redesigned dual-rail faders.
Tracks can be rendered for stems on the unit itself, with dedicated Instrumental and Acapella buttons, Stem FX and Stem Level EQ. A 3-pin DMX output powered by SoundSwitch controls lighting without extra hardware, Wi-Fi streaming covers Amazon Music Unlimited, Apple Music, Beatport, SoundCloud Go+ and TIDAL, and the OmniSource architecture switches between standalone media and Serato DJ Pro, Algoriddim djay and, soon, VirtualDJ.
The interesting bit
The pads are the headline. PRIME 4 G2 uses 16 velocity- and pressure-sensitive MPCe pads with what Denon DJ calls 3D sensing, combining several functions in a single pad to quadruple the triggering options for hot cues, stems, rolls, effects and lighting—the first of their kind in a standalone DJ system. MPCe comes from the MPC line of Akai Professional, a sister brand under inMusic.
Stem rendering on the device only reached Engine DJ hardware in May, on the Rane System One; here it is a line on the spec sheet. The OmniSource list is telling in its own way: Serato, djay and VirtualDJ, but not Traktor, which inMusic has also owned since Native Instruments' sale closed in July.