The Denon DJ MCX8000 is one of the most exciting DJ controllers to have come along for a long time, being highly featured, having built-in screens, and coming with two software systems – Serato DJ and Engine. Following on from our main Denon DJ MCX8000 review, today I have a video talkthrough and tutorial looking in more detail at how it works with Serato DJ.
What’s covered…
In the video, which should be viewed in conjunction with the video in our full review, we cover:
- Using Pitch Play mode – Pitch Play uses the Pitch ‘n’ Time Serato add-on (free with every MCX8000) to let you “play” a sound at any cue point on a track as if it were an instrument, using the pads as the equivalent of keyboard keys
- Using Key sync – I’ll demonstrate this other use of the Pitch ‘n’ Time add-on, which with a single keystroke lets you match the keys of two tracks, in addition to syncing their beats with Sync. I’ll show you the plusses and minuses of it with a demonstration
- On-board beatgridding – Beatgridding is essential for complex beatmixing, and the onboard controls on the MCX8000 make it a more intuitive, easier and quicker experience than using your computer’s keyboard. I’ll give you a demo
- Controlling Serato DJ with record decks and CD players – I’ll talk you through how this works, explaining what extras you need to do it “out of the box” with the MCX8000
- The screens – a viable laptop screen replacement? – So I’ve had a couple of months now to play with the unit and attempt to not look at my laptop screen. I end the video with a state-of-play update on what it’s like to rely on them
Video talkthrough
Coming next…
We’re going to do two more mini-review / tutorial videos covering other aspects of this controller, namely Engine software and the unit’s extensive input and output options. Watch out for those soon…
Have you got an MCX8000? Do you use it with Serato? What are you most (and least) favourite parts of it? Please share your comments below.
Phil Morse
