The LC6000 PRIME provides a secondary area of audio when paired with other Denon media players. The Denon DJ website explains that the pairing “streamlines track selection workflows and expands creative capabilities without the need of a computer.”

The LC6000 PRIME runs via USB and features an 8.5-inch capacitive touch jog wheel with a full-color screen.  A “smooth” 100mm pitch fader accompanies lights near the top, bottom and center to notify DJs of zero position and sync direction.  Eight color-coded performance pads line the bottom of the device, adding more buttons for hot-cueing, looping and beat slicing. A fully rotational knob controls music library navigation, and a touch strip provides individual track browsing (“Needle Drop”). Reinforced “Cue” and “Play” buttons give DJs long-term protection from damage due to excessive tapping.

The LC6000 PRIME’s versatility also extends to multiple DJ software platforms like Serato, Virtual DJ, and Algoriddim djay Pro.

Denon’s Engine OS powers the LC6000 PRIME and also provides access to streaming millions of songs via Beatport, SoundCloud and TIDAL.

Denon is a Japanese electronics company founded in 1910 by American entrepreneur Frederick Whitney Horn. The company helped develop the CD-ROM format alongside Sony in 1984. The DN-2000F, Denon’s first twin-deck CD player, was released in 1993. In April 2014, inMusic Brands acquired both Denon DJ and Denon Professional from D&M Holdings.

The Denon LC6000 PRIME retails at $699. More information is available on Denon DJ’s website.

With the 1.6 update to their Engine Prime OS and Prime media players, however, Denon DJ is bringing cloud storage synchronicity to their full range of standalone hardware and track preparation software.

In practice, DJs can now sync their music playlists and folders directly to their personal Dropbox accounts from within the Engine Prime export software or via standard file drag and drop. Once those tracks have been uploaded, users can step up to an internet-connected player and log into their Dropbox account on the device, using their phone for two-factor account authentication.

The player will download a database directory of the Dropbox library, with tracks pulled from the cloud individually when selected for playback. A connected physical storage device is still necessary to cache the track downloads, but a single SD card or flash drive can be left in the player for any DJ to use. Denon’s latest SC6000 series, like the standalone Prime 2 and 4 units, support an internal SSD which can also function as the cache storage.

Each player can have a single Dropbox account signed in at a time, so back-to-back DJ mixes are still an option in booths with two or more decks. When wrapping up a set, signing each player out of the respective Dropbox login is just a button tap away, ensuring a quick and safe swap to the next DJ. Preferences are similarly available for clearing any cached data, changing the local storage device, or refreshing the downloaded Dropbox database to reflect any new songs in the folders. The latter option is especially helpful for mobile DJs and home setup users who frequently update their libraries, but the fast login and track download functionality certainly seems ready for club DJ use.

Engine 1.6 also brings a few more major and long-requested features to the Denon Prime ecosystem.

Flexible Beat Grids now allow tracks with changing or dynamic tempos to stay locked in time with a master deck or beats-per-minute source. In-browser track preview and an improved horizontal layout for the Prime 4 are likely to keep home users happy. Beatsource Link track streaming joins Beatport, TIDAL, SoundCloud, and more for additional on-demand track loading.

Dual waveform view expands on the players unique ability to play two tracks on a single deck, allowing DJs to keep track of both playing songs with all the benefits of full waveform displays. This updated layout hints strongly at Denon’s leaked and upcoming sidecar controllers, which are likely to hook up with the dual-layer main players to provide full four-deck hardware control.

Full update notes are available on Denon’s forum. Engine 1.6 is available for download on the Denon DJ website.

Serato, Pioneer DJ, Native Instruments and Denon DJ are a few of the brands that offer SoundCloud DJ integrations. The service costs $19.99 a month, and SoundCloud claims that it’s “the largest catalogue of any offline plan at a lower price than the competition.” The Virtual DJ and Algoriddim integrations also offer in-app track data, and they plan to introduce more tools for DJs in the future.

SoundCloud’s Second Chapter

SoundCloud’s journey to financial success has not been a swift one. Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss founded the company in 2007, but it hemorrhaged money for the first decade of its lifetime. When The Raine Group and Temasek Holdings purchased a dominant share of the company in 2017, Ljung stepped down as CEO to make way for former Vimeo CEO Kerry Trainor to take his place.

Trainor’s tenure has seen SoundCloud add value to its subscription service and amass more paid users as a result. In 2019, the company posted double the revenue ($200 million) and a narrower net loss according to Music Business Worldwide.

More information on SoundCloud DJ can be found in this blog post.

Image credit: Brandon Erlinger-Ford

Using the two streaming services, equipment owners will be able to search for music from each of the platforms’ libraries and download tracks directly onto the device. This allows DJs to access music from their online collections without the need of external storage. When downloaded, the tracks are analyzed and song information including key, BPM, and waveform are displayed.

On their YouTube channel, Denon DJ shared a video demonstrating the features included in the latest Engine OS update. Although brief, the video provides a visual tutorial DJs can use to learn the new features.

In addition to the Beatport LINK and SoundCloud GO+ integration, several bug fixes were deployed alongside a new BPM detection algorithm and “Quick Source Menu.” The latter is an interface that allows users to quickly switch between media devices, streaming services, and more.

Version 1.5 of Denon DJ’s Engine OS is out now. Download the latest update and read the complete patch notes on their website here.