Denon DJ MCX8000

General

With the MCX8000, Denon DJ has added a fantastic MIDI controller and mixer with lots of features to their range of DJ products. It's basically a stand-alone 4-channel mixer and media player that can play back music from a USB stick or hard drive without requiring an additional computer, but you can also use it as a MIDI controller for your Serato DJ software. The MCX8000's controls put you in command of four software decks, and allow you to trigger effects, samples, loops and hot cues. The controller's colour displays, meanwhile, give you all the information you need to mix your tracks.

Denon DJ MCX8000: Colourful appearance

The MCX8000 can really brighten up your DJ booth, thanks to its two colour displays, sixteen backlit performance pads and the LED rings around its jog wheels. Naturally, all of these lights serve a purpose, ensuring you can see what you're doing during your sets, even in the darkest club environment. The two sets of eight pads allow you to trigger hot cues, loop rolls and samples, and make it possible to use the controller's slicer function. Colour coding ensures you'll be able to distinguish between your samples, allowing for a flawless performance. Meanwhile, the two colour displays show you waveforms and hot cue positions, and keep you posted on your effect parameter settings.

Stand-alone or software

The Denon DJ CMX8000 is capable of functioning as a stand-alone device, which means you won't need a computer. Each of the four channels has its own fader and three-band tone control, and an adjustable crossfader makes mixing a piece of cake. If you choose to include a computer or laptop in your setup, you can use the included Engine music management software to analyse audio files, make playlists, create hot cues, and more. That way, you'll be able to prepare your sets at home and save them on a USB stick or hard drive. Once it's time for your gig, simply plug in your storage device and you have everything you need for a successful night right there at your fingertips. Use a network, and it's even possible to link a single USB drive to up to three players. All of the information your Engine software has analysed for you - BPM, track names, playlists, playing time, etc. - will be visible on your colour displays. Thanks to its dual functionality, the MCX8000 allows for easy transitions between DJs. And what's more, if your laptop gives up the ghost, you can still continue your DJ set as if nothing has happened!

• Please note: if you want to use this DJ controller with djay PRO, please make sure the controller is compatible by clicking here.