After months of teases and speculation, Denon DJ has finally revealed the details of what their “Change Your Rider” slogan really means.

The company announced today a pair of equipment designed to compete with Pioneer DJ’s Nexus range, which is currently the closest thing to a club standard in the digital age.

The products include a new pro-level mixer, the X1800, but the headline act is unquestionably its new SC5000 Prime media player. The latter brings a host of innovations to the table, as well as including features that DJs have come to expect from a pro-level player.

Below are the SC5000’s key features:

Beatgrid and Key Analysis

While Denon enables DJs to prepare music in advance with its Engine Prime software, the SC5000 can also analyze track information on the fly. That means that new, unprepared songs can be used in a performance without sacrificing any of the player’s features.

Serato DJ HID Support

Engine Prime can import playlists from Serato DJ and iTunes without third party software, which should make for easy adoption by Serato DJ users. But Denon has also announced that the SC5000 Prime will support HID control for Serato DJ in a forthcoming version of the software. That is fantastic news for DJs who want to combine the player with their existing software of choice.

Multiple USB Inputs

With three USB inputs and an SD card slot, there are plenty of ways to accommodate multiple DJs on the same unit or allow a single DJ to connect a variety of media simultaneously. Also, up to four players can be linked together over a LAN with media shared between them all.

Layer Select

Similar to Denon’s Alpha Track functions on previous players, the SC5000 has a layer switch that enables DJs to play two tracks at once on the same player or four decks when using a pair, with dedicated outputs for each layer. That could well be the killer function of the SC5000, as it enables DJs to start out with just one player at first, but still enjoy all the benefits of standalone playback with two decks.

8 Multi-Function Pads

The player’s RGB pads, which are placed at the front of the unit for easy access, go beyond just regular hot-cues by adding looping, roll, and slicer functionality

7-Inch Multi-Touch Screen

The combination of multi-touch capability and a large display enables DJs to use gestures and swiping to sort and select music, which hasn’t been found on a standalone player before. It should add a level of control, which will be immediately intuitive to anyone who uses a smartphone or tablet.

8-Inch Platter With Customizable Lighting

The full-size aluminum platter includes a full-color display in its center to display track artwork and RGB lighting, which can be set to any color. The tension of the jog wheel is also adjustable.

Wrap-Up

Priced at $1,899 per player, the SC5000 is targeted to professional DJs, including those who might want to “change their rider.” But for $300 less than their closest competitor, and considering that a single unit can function as two decks, the SC5000 looks like a good value.

Stay tuned for an exclusive walkthrough on DJcityTV this week, with a full review to follow.

For more information on the SC5000, visit Denon DJ’s website.

Related: Denon DJ MCX8000 Controller Review