Denon DJ has unveiled the PRIME 4 G2, and after spending a couple of months with an early unit, it feels like a pretty significant rethink of what a four-deck standalone DJ system can do. Thereโs more processing power, onboard stems rendering, OmniSource, Engine DJ 5.0 and a completely redesigned performance section built around Akaiโs expressive MPCe pads.
Key Features
- Four-deck standalone DJ system powered by Engine DJ 5.0.
- New MPCe expressive performance pads with multiple layers and quadrant-based control.
- On-device stems rendering with dedicated vocal, melody/bass and drum controls.
- 8-inch jog wheels with integrated stems and Hot Cue visual feedback.
- Built-in DMX output and direct Engine Lighting control from the performance pads.
The PRIME 4 has always been Denon DJโs big all-in-one workhorse, but the new PRIME 4 G2 feels noticeably more performance-focused.
The hardware has received a substantial redesign, bringing it closer to the direction weโve recently seen across the wider inMusic DJ range. The new 8-inch jog wheels feel much closer to Denon DJโs SC6000 players, while the large multi-touch display remains at the centre of the workflow.
Around it, there are plenty of smaller improvements that add up quickly. Three quick-access Playlist Banks can be saved for jumping straight into regularly used folders, while OmniSource makes it easier to move between different connected media sources. USB-A, USB-C and SD media are supported, with additional connectivity around the back.
The effects workflow has also been given some attention. Main FX 1 and 2 now include A and B favourites for storing commonly used effects, while RANE-style paddle controls offer both momentary and locked operation.
Thereโs a pretty huge selection of effects onboard, ranging from the familiar echo, delay, reverb, flanger and phaser through to more performance-oriented options like Stutter Out, Pitch Down, Scale Down, Breakbeat, Backspin and Reverb Riser.
Fader FX are here too, letting movements of the channel faders or crossfader trigger effects including Fader Echo, Echo Down, Stutter Verb and Reverb Down.
But those aren’t really the reason we’ve been having so much fun with this thing.
The MPCe Pads Are Where Things Get Interesting
The standout addition to the PRIME 4 G2 is undoubtedly its MPCe performance pads.
Borrowed from the latest generation of Akai MPC hardware, these pads can recognise different areas of the pad surface. Instead of an eight-pad performance section simply giving you eight triggers, individual pads can be divided into quadrants or sides to control multiple functions.
It sounds complicated written down. In practice, Denon DJ has done a surprisingly good job of making it understandable through colour coding and visual feedback on the touchscreen.
There are four primary performance modes โ Hot Cue, Loop, Roll and Stems โ but each contains several layers.
Hot Cue begins exactly as expected with traditional cue points. Hit the mode again and Hot Cue Roll divides each pad into four different roll divisions. The third layer introduces Stems Hot Cues, where the left and right sides of a pad can instantly trigger an acapella or instrumental from that Hot Cue.
That last one is particularly fun. Jumping between different points in a track while simultaneously isolating vocals or instrumentals opens up some pretty ridiculous mashup possibilities.
Loop follows a similar philosophy. The first layer handles saved loops, the second becomes a sampler, and the third combines Auto Loops with stems control, once again providing instant access to instrumental and acapella versions.
Things get even stranger in Roll mode.
Alongside standard beat rolls, Filter Roll turns the pads into quadrant-based performance controls. Roll FX then combines rolls with effects and pitch manipulation. Different areas of a pad can trigger the same roll at its original pitch, one semitone above or one semitone below.
It’s the sort of feature that initially sounds like it could become a gimmick, but after actually playing with it, you start thinking about performance techniques that weren’t really possible from a conventional set of DJ pads.
Stems Without the Laptop
Stems are integrated throughout the PRIME 4 G2 rather than being treated as a single isolated feature.
Dedicated Acapella and Instrumental buttons sit beside each deck, while the first layer of Stems mode provides individual control over the track’s components alongside stem-specific Echo Outs.
The second MPCe layer introduces XY effects, using the four quadrants of each pad for multidimensional effects control.
Our favourite implementation, however, might be Stems Mixing.
Holding Shift and selecting the channel Cue transforms the channel EQ into a dedicated stems mixer. The low-frequency control handles drums, the mid controls melody and bass, and the high controls vocals.
For live mashups and edits, this feels immediately useful. You can pull vocals out of one track, bring the drums forward in another or rebalance a separation without constantly jumping back to the touchscreen.
Importantly, the PRIME 4 G2 can also render stems directly on the hardware. Select a track, choose the stems option and the system begins processing it in the background while you continue performing.
No laptop required.
Your Performance Pads Can Control the Lights
The third Stems layer might be the most unexpected.
The PRIME 4 G2 includes a dedicated DMX connection and Engine Lighting integration, and the MPCe pads can become a hardware lighting controller.
Once enabled, multiple pages of controls provide access to functions including strobes, colours, static looks, blackout and other lighting parameters without having to leave the decks and dig through menus.
For mobile and event DJs in particular, this is a seriously powerful addition.
Connect the PRIME 4 G2 to a compatible lighting rig and you’re effectively controlling music, stems, effects and DMX lighting from the same standalone system. Engine Lighting can also extend the setup to supported wireless ecosystems such as Philips Hue and Nanoleaf.
It’s also one of those features that might encourage DJs who have never really considered lighting control to start experimenting with it.
Built for Working DJs
Away from the more headline-grabbing performance features, Denon DJ hasn’t forgotten what the PRIME 4 platform is actually used for.
There are two microphone inputs with EQ, level and effects controls, dedicated main, booth and zone functionality and extensive media connectivity.
Engine DJ 5.0 also introduces a digital mixer interface on the touchscreen, providing control over channel input sources, FX routing, crossfader assignment, microphone settings and output configuration.
You can even apply EQ independently across the main, booth and zone outputs.
It’s not particularly glamorous compared with splitting stems from an MPCe pad, but for mobile DJs, venues and event production, this kind of flexibility is arguably just as important.
PRIME 4 G2 Feels Like Denon DJ Looking Forward
After spending a couple of months with the PRIME 4 G2, what stands out isn’t really any single feature. It’s how many different parts of the system now interact.
Stems aren’t hidden inside a menu. They’re on the pads, inside the EQ section and represented visually on the jog wheels. Lighting isn’t a separate accessory you occasionally think about. It can become another performance layer sitting underneath your fingertips.
And the MPCe pads don’t simply add another control surface, they fundamentally increase what eight performance pads can actually do.
There is definitely a learning curve here. You can happily ignore most of this stuff and use the PRIME 4 G2 like a conventional four-deck standalone system, but start digging into those secondary and tertiary pad layers and things get much more interesting.
The PRIME 4 G2 feels less like a straightforward PRIME 4 update and more like Denon DJ experimenting with where standalone DJ performance could head next.
And we’re very interested to see what DJs actually do with it.
The Denon Prime 4 G2 is available now in stores!
