Controller with platters, standalone and screens as a bonus? (MCX8000 alternative)
Hey,
So i’ve been using the MCX8000 for a couple of months, and while its a great controller, I just can’t seem to fall in love with it, at almost £1k, i’m a little disappointed… not because it’s rubbish, it just doesn’t feel… right… and i’m a massive Denon fan.
I’m wondering if there are any alternatives out there? More specifically something that can be used with USBs rather than laptop and has decent sized platters.
My main problem with the MCX8000 is that is mainly feels unnatural.. the symmetrical decks and poor pitch range.. i mean at +10 which is fairly standard has quite a poor range and often jumps 2, 3 or 4 points at a time… sometimes the only way to get it absolutely perfect is press sync… which isn’t always viable in Engine mode as it’s analysing is all over the place… sometimes when I load a track it automatically sets the range to +100.
I won’t bore you with all my little annoyances, i’m not sure if it is Serato limitations or the MCX itself… I come from a Traktor background.
So, what are the best alternatives? I was close to going back to the S4 MK II but with no screens or standalone mode I’ve decided to look elsewhere first…
Pioneer xdj rx. No others I can think of.
Yeah it looks like it could be the only one. A swap for this would be technically paying more for less, though I do like the smaller form factor. I don’t have room for dedicated setup space these days so anything that is easier to move around is a bonus.
Has anyone tried both of these units, thoughts?
Have you updated firmware? Pitch behavior has been fixed in 1.3 FW.
I’ve just checked and it was releases late August, I haven’t updated FW for months so I guess not but i’ll check later.
If the pitch is improved it could change things for me because that was the worst part about this unit.
It’s probably the least accurate pitch I have ever used.. the slightest bit of movement should adjust the pitch but as it stands the MCX pitch can move a notch or two without moving affecting pitch much, or not at all.. and then it’ll eventually jump .2 or .3 points
I love Denon stuff, the quality of their kit and sound is up there with the best, but the software needs work, it’s good that most of the annoyances can be fixed with a FW update.
Current FW version is 1.4 - compatible with mac os sierra. Read the units manual also.
could this be a serato problem? my gemini slate 4 does the same thing with the tempo faders. i just figured it was just a cheap controller but i feel this isnt something denon would cheap out on?
Would be good to know, I’ve only ever used Serato with one controller. Hopefully somebody else can chime in.