Controller Clinic #44: Denon DJ MC7000 Or Pioneer DDJ-SX2?

Over on our forum, DJ Jecky asked whether he should upgrade his Denon DJ MC6000 to either the Denon DJ MC7000 or the Pioneer DDJ-SX2. Bearing in mind he’s already a Denon DJ controller user, and also that we haven’t actually tested the MC7000 yet, here is our response to him:

Digital DJ Tips says:

Firstly they’re both great controllers. even though we haven’t seen the MC7000 yet, we know it will be because it’s based on the MCX8000 which definitely is. You don’t get the screens or the Engine USB standalone functions, but what you do get is an awesome four-channel Serato DJ controller, pro built. But then again, that’s exactly the same deal with Pioneer’s DDJ-SX2 (here’s our DDJ-SX2 review). So how to choose?

One of the standout features of the Denon DJ MC7000 is it has two USB sockets for two laptops, meaning easy swapping of DJs. This is something the Pioneer unit doesn’t offer. But the Pioneer unit has an ace up its sleeve too, namely that it also works with Pioneer’s Rekordbox DJ software, so effectively you’re buying a controller that gives you two choices of software to use. This may be useful if you ever want to DJ on Pioneer pro CDJ equipment, for instance, as the same library will work across both your controller and that gear with Rekordbox.

As is pointed out in the forum thread this was originally asked on though, both controllers are pretty big – if you regularly play cramped DJ booths, you may want to investigate further options that are bit smaller (like the Denon DJ MC4000 or Pioneer DDJ-SR, for instance).

Care to share your thoughts on this topic? Feel free to add them below…