It’s prime time for Denon DJ who are introducing the WORLD’S FIRST stand-alone real-time stems audio splitting with their 2023 flagship all-in-one update!

With an exciting hardware revision, the all-new PRIME 4+ also ushers in Engine DJ 3.1, a monumental software update filled with fresh functionality that will benefit the entire Engine OS family!

The original PRIME 4 took the industry by storm in 2019, presenting DJs with the first, and many would argue, best way to mix standalone with four decks! 

Check out our Denon DJ PRIME 4 Review for a full breakdown of the original device. 

Not to be outdone by OPUS-QUAD, Pioneer DJ’s first true four-channel standalone, Denon are getting right back in the game by giving this original flagship new streaming hardware, improved jog wheels, a fresh new look and insane upgraded abilities!

PRIME 4+ Headline Updates

• World-exclusive stand-alone real-time stem audio splitting!
• New access to Amazon Music Unlimited streaming alongside the original four specialist services, accessed via built-in Wi-Fi or ethernet!
• Larger jog wheel surface area with improved touch response and feel
• Killer Engine 3.1 additions, including Touch FX, upgraded and expanded Main FX and a 16-slot Onboard Sampler

PRIME 4 Original Features

• On-board song analysis
• Lighting control for DMX and Smart Lighting from Nanoleaf and Philips HUE 
• Internal drive bay to permanently store up to 4TB of local music files
• Zone output for sending a playlist to another room
• Unlocks Serato DJ Pro and is compatible with VirtualDJ

What is PRIME 4+?

PRIME 4+ is a revision to a well-loved all-in-one. Respected as the world’s first unit to offer four standalone decks split between two dual jog wheels, it remains one of just a handful offering this functionality today.

It has everything a professional DJ needs; decks, a club mixer with extensive effects options and flexible audio outputs.

It also includes practical solutions, such as the ability to send a secondary music source to a separate zone. Perfect for those who have demanding gigs like big weddings or corporate functions and need to fill two separate rooms with different music!

One of its biggest assets is its ability to fully analyse music, so there is no need for a computer.

With its punchy 10.1” high resolution, multi-touch display, making edits to music beat-grids, creating playlists and general music organisation is snappy and intuitive.

World-exclusive real-time stems audio separation

This game-changing addition allows DJs to create an instant instrumental or acapella with the tap of a button, much like they can in Serato DJ and Rekordbox.

But here it operates in standalone mode, meaning you can use stems without a computer!

Currently, it can’t isolate the drums or other instruments, but this could easily change in a future update.

The feature will become available as a beta later this summer, so watch this space…

Now with a secure music streaming chip

PRIME 4 was no doubt ahead of its time and it holds up incredibly well to this day. 

So much so that hardware updates to PRIME 4+ are minimal, with the true focus being on the awesome software updates opening up most of its new capabilities. 

That said, there are some hardware tweaks that bring PRIME 4+ bang up to 2023!

As on the original device, PRIME 4+ can stream from four big players, Beatport, Beatsource, TIDAL and SoundCloud Go+, making it unbeatable for music sources as there are also four USB ports, an SD card slot and a SATA bay for playing locally stored jams! 

Now, thanks to an added on-board security chip meeting Amazon’s strict streaming policy, Amazon Music Unlimited is also available to stream directly to the device via Wi-Fi or ethernet. 

This service has been added to most of the current Engine OS lineup, with notable exceptions being the PRIME GO and SC6000 multiplayers. We’ll see if they get a ‘+’ hardware revision soon as this service can’t simply be added with a software update.

Improved jogs and a fresh new look!

In terms of design, PRIME 4+ has been given a slick new colour scheme in line with the style of other modern PRIME gear. Its muted colour accenting around the buttons alongside the blue and white LED lighting is a real touch of the times. 

The jog wheels have been upgraded, too. They now have 10% more touch surface area with an improved feel! This is great news, as they were a little too free-spinning on the previous model.

The information displayed on the central jog screen is limited, simply showing the track play-head and album artwork.

However, this is definitely not an oversight, as the brilliant 10.1” main display sits close by and does a fantastic job displaying everything that needs to be seen!

The official Engine 3.1 launch partner

PRIME 4+ comes fresh out of the box running Engine DJ 3.1, but most of the features will become available on the entire Engine lineup.

The software improvements are impressive, delivering way beyond what any other DJ kit has via software updates. 

This is fantastic for owners of PRIME gear, new and old, as they are still receiving killer additions well into their devices’ lifespans!

On-board Sampler 

The onboard sampler was brought about with Engine 3.0 and has 16 pad-triggered slots, which can now be routed to any channel, giving DJs more flexibility to sculpt their sound. 

Sampler mode is quickly accessed with a double-tap of the Roll pad mode, making it super convenient to use. We couldn’t ask for more flexibility when it comes to the sampler!

X/Y Touch FX

The new Touch FX turns the 10.1” central screen into a giant X-Y pad for instant tactile interaction with several masterful combinations of effects. 

There’s no doubt that this is the most enjoyable addition to Engine, giving PRIME 4 an awesome new way to create unique sounds in the mix. Using it on Numark’s Mixstream Pro Go has already proven it to be game-changing. 

Engine Lighting at your fingertips

Built-in to Engine OS, Engine Lighting gives instant and easy touchscreen control over smart lighting from Philips Hue and Nanoleaf.

DJs can create basic light shows and visual effects with minimal effort and button presses. 

This is an easy way to achieve a professional presence with very little lighting knowledge required. 

For those looking to level up their lighting game, a subscription to SoundSwitch opens up professional light show capabilities, all executable on PRIME 4’s central screen!

Improved and Expanded Performance FX

With effects becoming increasingly used in DJ sets, it’s great to see Denon getting creative with the options on their kit. This device’s unique take on some classic effects encourages DJs to stand out from the crowd!

The existing Main FX for the Denon PRIME all-in-ones have been re-engineered for higher sound quality, and several new ones have been added, bringing the total to a whopping 25!

New effects include the hip-hop favourite Echo Out, its unique revision, Stutter Out, plus the super creative Pitch Down, Scale Down and Reverb Drop, to name a few.

As before, these can all be combined with the Sweep FX and are fully adjustable with several parameter controls for each, so can be fully dialled in to suit each DJ’s taste. 

A mega part of the Engine 3.1 update also means the FX frequency for all of the Main FX can now be adjusted as a parameter, allowing DJs to apply an effect to a focused frequency range.

With this upgrade, the effects can be toned down if they are too harsh for certain mixing styles, opening up their use to a wider range of potential users.

Music Preparation made easy with Smartlists

Organising music is perhaps one of the least appealing tasks for a DJ, with countless paid apps like Lexicon promising to speed the process along.

Smartlists for Engine DJ Desktop can help make music preparation less of a chore! 

It automatically creates a playlist for you according to several criteria, such as genre, BPM and key compatibility. 

Smartlists can also be created by right-clicking an existing playlist and using that as inspiration. Should a Smartlist be created that’s worth keeping, it can be saved as a normal playlist with just a couple of clicks.

Anything that helps with the process of organisation, giving more time back to creativity, gets a thumbs up from us!

Stream, download or cloud-sync your music!

There’s no shortage of ways to get the tunes pumping on PRIME 4! 

The streaming partners are enough to be able to take care of any requests, current and commercial, through to B-Side obscurities. 

Local options to host your own unique library are PRIME 4+’s strong suit and are fully comprehensive.

Four USB sockets plug in sticks and drives, but there’s also an SD card reader and an under-unit SATA bay for permanent storage of huge music libraries reaching up to 4TB!  

DJs can also cloud connect to their music stored in Dropbox or Engine DJ Desktop, so long as the computer hosting it is on the same internet network.

And, if you fancy a change from standalone playback, PRIME 4 unlocks Serato DJ Pro and is compatible with VirtualDJ, allowing the unit to turn into a fully mapped controller for both!

Virtually all music playback needs are catered for!

The connections needed to professionally play your music aloud are fully taken care of. The Master and Zone outputs are on XLR, and the booth is on TRS jacks. The Master can also be routed to RCA for domestic setups.

The two microphones are on XLR/TRS combo jacks and have full EQ control on the faceplate of the unit.

Does PRIME 4+ regain the all-in-one crown?

PRIME 4+ carries on the legacy of being the ultimate device for working DJs who need an impressive-looking set of decks with super flexible audio-routing capabilities.

Although the onboard stems control is in its infancy at the moment, it will surely evolve and transfer over to Denon’s future SC club players. 

And that means it will likely inspire the next gen of Pioneer’s CDJs, too. This is absolutely huge for the industry!

Its two professional microphone sockets offer crystal clear audio, and the device even allows a playlist separate from the master audio to go through to a third set of speakers, allowing mobile DJs to send alternative audio to another room at large events. A PRIME 4 exclusive!

It remains a near-faultless device for those constantly gigging, needing dependable and flexible kit that can work in almost any environment.

However, it does come out a little heavy at 21.34 lb, and its screen doesn’t fully fold away for travel.

Against its closest rival, Pioneer DJ’s quirky OPUS-QUAD, PRIME 4 was evenly matched, with each having some obvious feature advantages. 

However, Engine 3.1 has levelled up this new model to surpass OPUS’s features whilst costing significantly less!

PRIME 4+’s typical club layout will work well for most but may fall a little short for open-format and battle DJs as their quick-paced style isn’t perfectly matched to this. 

For owners of the existing model, an upgrade to PRIME 4+ is definitely worth considering for the awesome new stems feature! However, the Engine update does give the original PRIME nearly all of the new abilities. A testament to the durability and longevity of both!  

We’ve been long-time fans of the PRIME 4. It’s great that it has been given this exciting refresh, nudging it in line with today’s style and reintroducing a classic to a whole new audience with modern features that are sure to impress!

If you’re grabbing PRIME 4+ or any of the other Engine DJ devices, we want to make sure you’re getting all you can from them! 

Check out our dedicated Denon DJ PRIME courses, designed to maximise your full DJing potential whilst teaching you all the controls of your Denon gear. In your own time and at your own pace! 

Or, for guaranteed success as DJ, with fast results, check out our Complete DJ Package!

We’re so confident that we can help you achieve success we’re offering a full money-back guarantee if you don’t!