In the box alongside the unit itself are a quickstart guide; a CD with drivers (for PC, for Mac they’re not necessary) plus Serato DJ Intro software; the power block; power cables for EU and US (these vary according to your region, of course); and a USB cable. There are no 19″ rack mount brackets like with the Mk1, though, so if you’re one of the minority of DJs who would look to professionally mount this, you’ll be speaking to Denon about obtaining a set of these.
The unit itself is very similar to the original – same form factor, broadly the same layout, same high quality of construction. Despite being compact, it’s quite heavy, being an all-metal affair save for the sturdy plastic side panels, which are now black rather than silver in colour (conversely, the compact jogwheels are now silver rather than black). The first impression is of a workmanlike, sober, serious piece of kit, designed to last.
The layout is more streamlined and makes more sense than the old Mk1, but it’s still, erm, busy.
It’s a bit cramped, but is more sensibly laid out than the Mk1, with the pitch sliders now moved to bottom left and right respectively, at the edge of the casing and next to their respective jogwheels. The rest of the deck controls are laid out identically on both the left and right decks, which I think makes sense. Losing the booth EQ from the Mk1 isn’t an omission that will trouble most DJs, and again frees up space. As with the Mk1, using the front panel for a dozen or so controls again helps to cram everything in, although these particular controls are susceptible to damage if you don’t pack the unit carefully when moving it around.
Just the most cursory of glances at the faceplate controls and the back panel reveals that the unit is highly configurable as far as inputs and outputs go, with four full analogue channels (two switchable between line and phono), two mic channels with full EQ, and balanced/unbalanced XLR/RCA master outs plus TRS booth outs. There are even switchable USB-out options, something new to the Mk2. It’s the all-rounder DJ’s dream, because one controller will do you for software DJing and any analogue DJing you may want to do, plus of course it handles video and multiple mic duties too (more about that later).
Setting up is a cinch as with all Serato DJ controllers, and if you’re using a Mac, it’s simply a case of installing the software and plugging in (literally – there’s no USB bus power here, so you have to plug in to outlet electricity for it to work). PC users have a driver to install, but it’s standard stuff. One thing to mention here is that the unit comes with Serato DJ Intro, which is the cut-down free version of Serato DJ; even though this nowadays will let you use all four software channels, I can’t imagine many DJs spending the money on a pro controller like this and then sticking with starter software; factor in dropping the $129 extra to upgrade the software to Serato DJ proper when you buy. It’s Serato DJ, not Serato DJ Intro, that we used in preparing this review.
The controller feels great to use. Everything is solid and dependable. The controls – while undeniably close together – are not so cramped as to really disrupt your workflowe, and they are definitely an incremental improvement on the Mk1. The unit has a solid feel and sober look which will suit working DJs; no sense of playing with a plastic toy here. Also, little features like the Kensigton lock and cord grip add an extra layer of assurance for the pro DJ that you won’t accientally power off or come back from the toilet to find the music stopped and your controller gone!
Mixer & library controls
The crossfader is reasonably loose, the upfaders have the expected bit of fight in them, and the EQ knobs are the ususal rubberised high quality Denon tackle, with slightly smaller gain controls so you can tell where you are by feel rather than sight if need be. As with the original, one concession to the size of the thing is that the EQs/gains aren’t exactly above the respective upfaders, but it’s not really an issue. There’s hardware crossfader curve and assign (front of the unit), and although there are only a single pair of VU meters, they’re switchable to channels 1/2, 3/4 and master, so proper gain staging across both digital and analogue inputs is simple.
Decks
The jogwheels, while small, are tight in use and high quality, with no wobble at all. As usual, the top controls scratching, the edges nudging, and there’s a dedicated “vinyl” button to switch this behaviour off. As this is a four-deck controller, there are decks 1/3 and 2/4 buttons, switching the colour from green to red to show you the deck you’re using (it was red and blue to match Virtual DJ’s colours on the original, trivia fans!). Pitch bend buttons are prominent for people coming from CDJs, and the cue and play/pause buttons are rubberised and extremely responsive. There is a small “sync” button a bit apart from the main transport controls for each deck, and as mentioned earlier, the new position of the pitch faders makes a lot more sense.
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