10 Things You Need To Know Before Buying The Denon DJ SC Live 4

Denon DJ just launched its SC Live 4, a four-channel all-in-one standalone DJ unit with a club-style mixer and a lower price point than it’s flagship Prime 4 unit – plus built-in speakers! If you’re considering buying this unit though, it’s a decent wedge of cash ($1600$1300), so you’re going to want to be sure you’ve chosen correctly.

So to complement our full written and video review, here are a quick-scan list of ten things that are surprising people, that are not immediately obvious, or that stood out for us about this unit, that may sway your thinking one way or the other.

10 Things To Know Before Buying The Denon DJ SC Live 4

1. It’s the cheapest four-channel standalone all-in-one DJ unit in the world – So if you want four channels, you don’t want to use a laptop, and you want value, you’re looking at it
2. It fully unlocks Serato DJ Pro – No extra cost, just plug in a laptop with a copy of Serato DJ Pro on it and it’ll work (it also works with Virtual DJ, but unlike with Serato, you’d need to buy/subscribe to that software)
3. It’s a plastic build – Denon DJ gear has always been metal, this is the first piece from Denon DJ that feels more like sister brand Numark. Not necessarily a bad thing, as the build quality is fine, but worth noting
4. It won’t work with external CDJs or turntables – There’s nowhere to plug them in, as it is limited to two mic ins and an aux in, and none of those can route through EQ, FX etc. However, it will work with Denon DJ’s LC6000 controller decks
5. Its built-in speakers are pretty good – They’ve got a surprising amount of upper-end bass, and go pretty loud, good enough for practice, small home parties, and even monitoring when playing out (say in a bar or lounge)
6. Its OS, Engine DJ, is really powerful – Like all Engine DJ-powered gear, this unit can do a LOT, with WiFi streaming, lighting control, real-time key shifting, Dropbox integration and much more
7. The 7″ screen feels small – It’s too small for my eyes especially when using four channels, I wish they’d used a bigger one
8. It has Amazon Music Unlimited – No other DJ system has this streaming service built in
9. It has data in the jogwheel displays – BPM, time elapsed/remaining etc, which is a first for Engine DJ gear
10. It uses an external power brick – Don’t expect an IEC socket, because even though it’s quite a big and expensive unit, it sadly relies on an external transformer and low-voltage input

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So is it for me?

If you’re a home user wanting ease of use and lots of features, if you’re a livestreamer, if you’re someone who wants to DJ out on their gear but not every weekend, this may be right for you – it’s certainly a very capable system, and the speakers make it unusual (unique, even) at this price point.

Read this next: 5 Best Standalone DJ Systems

If you’re comparing this to the smaller SC Live 2 released at the same time, for $300 more this has a LOT more features. The SC Live 2 has two fewer channels, only four performance pads per deck, no aux or mic 2 inputs, no booth out… we’d choose this one every time over the smaller unit.

Still not sure? Check out our full Denon DJ SC Live 4 review and video to help you make your mind up.