"Proper Digital DJing Without The Laptop"
The first thing you need to know about the SCS.4DJ is that no laptop is required!
Imagine having many of the finest bits about digital DJing – all your music with you, sync and beatmatch, beat-tied loops, waveforms and effects – but without the obligation to carry around a laptop as well as a DJ controller, and without any setting up whenever you want to play.
Welcome New Zealand to the Stanton’s SCS.4DJ DJ controller. About the same size as any other compact DJ controller, this two-deck model offers most of the functions of fully fledged controller/laptop DJ systems, all in one lightweight unit – no laptop required. And at NZ$799, it also appears to be great value too.
I found the SCS.4DJ very impressive and easily one of the best self-contained DJ systems there is. It might not be the most robust of builds, and it’s not as fully-featured as a controller and laptop setup, but it’s such good value and more importantly, so much fun to use that this isn’t a problem. I think we will see Auckland DJs starting to use these.
The minimalistic layout is a huge positive, making the unit extremely easy to use and get going with. For a beginner Auckland DJ this is a great start to digital DJing, but even as a unit for New Zealand house parties, the auto DJ function and ability to carry so much music in a light, ready to go package is extremely appealing at this price.
As a DJ that is more at home on bulky CDJs and pro mixers, I still got excited by the idea of throwing this into a bag and being able to quickly DJ anywhere. The ability to record mixes at the push of a single button is very useful to capture everything you mix.
Verdict: It might not be the most robust of builds, and it’s not as fully-featured as a controller and laptop setup, but it’s such good value and more importantly, so much fun to use that this isn’t a problem. The only drawback of the unit as a whole is the lagging reaction speeds when moving between pages on screen and the ultra slow analysing of tracks. But as a single unit you can DJ with, nothing else comes close to beating it at this price.
This review bought to you by DJ Auckland