I purchased a Denon MC3000 last autumn and had a fantastic deal on the transaction – couldn’t have been more pleased. Then the price dropped $100 the next month – ha ha ha. I think Denon might have bitten into their own market when they released the MC2000 late last year.
You are correct in regards to the build quality – the MC3000 is built like a tank. The controls are all solid, but slightly cramped – I don’t have much issue with this as I have small hands and thin fingers.
I too looked at the S2 as I’m a long time user of NI software – it’s a sure bet, and I assumed I would buy one without hesitation, but I fell in like with the MC3000. The selling points for me were: build quality, the line ins, the external power supply and the four deck control (although this is something I’m growing into and don’t exploit as a more accomplished/practiced DJ might.)
Regarding the external power supply: the unit doesn’t run on USB power so you *must* use the external power supply. if you lose it, the cost of replacement from a Denon parts supplier is $50 USD. I’ve shopped for an after market spare but the spec’s for the DC connector, i.e., size, are unknown to me so a cheap spare (or replacement) is a challenge. On the plus side, if you have to reboot your laptop you can still feed an audio signal through the Line Ins from an iPod or whatever.
You are also correct in that you would need to purchase a separate Traktor license – LE is not included. However, Denon does include Virtual DJ Limited Edition – which is very capable (more Serato like, at a superficial level, then Traktor like.) The upgrade costs to the full version is very reasonable – something like $50 USD (last I checked.) If you’re set on buying Traktor, I would suggest you keep your eyes on the NI website as they routinely have sale offers, and upgrade sales, twice a year (during June-July and Nov-Dec.)
You mention you want to by an F1 at some point – well, me too 😉 So I should tell you the MC3000 does work with the Traktor Remix decks – but only the first four slots for each Remix deck (just as any other MIDI controller can be used with them.) If you want to access all 64 slots, you need an F1 (wish they built this functionality into Maschine!) On the MC3000 front panel, the four dedicated buttons for the FX1 and FX2 controls can be used to control each of the four slots in a Remix deck by engaging a dedicated shift button. The FX level controls work as Volume controls for each slot and the buttons work as trigger pads. These also work in Virtual DJ limited edition.
Hope this helps you with your decision making.
Regards
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