At Musikmesse 2012 a week or so ago we snagged a private talkthrough of the Denon DJ SC3900, Denon DJ’s latest spinning platter controller. It can be used to control timecode software (eg Serato Scratch), as a USB DJ device, as a straight Midi controller, or with an iPad and Denon’s new Engine software. Oh, and if you really want to you can play CDs on it too.
What we liked most about the Denon DJ SC3900 was that the platter feels absolutely consistent with using a turntable (as David explains in the video, they’ve even nailed the startup and stopping speeds to make the experience completely authentic), and of course as you’d expect from Denon, “in the flesh” it is beautifully built. We didn’t get to play with the parts we really want to investigate further, though, which is the iPad integration and Engine DJ software. We didn’t get to use it as a Midi controller, either.
Denon has agreed to provide us with two review samples as soon as they can, and we are probably going to take the time to make a couple (at least) of videos explaining these features and how a digital DJ might incorporate such devices into his set-up to get “the best of both worlds”.
After all, these are priced at a lot less than the CDJ2000, so a pair of these as part of a 100% digital set-up is definitely not out of the realms of prosumer and serious hobby DJs. Whether it’s worth paying the extra for motorised platters and the authentic vinyl feel is what we want to find out.
Would you consider investing in a pair of these as a sort-of halfway house between DVS and Midi controllers? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Phil Morse
