DENON DN-S3500 ACTIVE PLATTER DJ CD PLAYER / TURNTABLE

DJ EXPO, ATLANTIC CITY, NJ, August 15, 2005 — Denon DJ takes its innovative world’s first spinning active platter design to the next technical level. Introducing the industry’s new flagship DN-S3500 tabletop CD/MP3 player with a powerful 12-pole Direct Drive motor, 7 on-board effects, intuitive control, appealing design and style that will surely reinvent the tabletop market for all vinyl and digital DJs alike

The core interface of the DN-S3500 utilizes Denon’s all new proprietary 12-pole Direct Drive brushless motor design, delivering instant full rotation speed with a powerful 2.5 kg/cm of start-up torque within 0.5 seconds for true turntable reaction and response. Selectable platter speeds of 33.3 or 45 rpm offer analog manipulation suited to the user’s preference. Seven onboard effects — including four superb built-in effects such as Flanger, Filter (High-Mid-Low), Echo, and the world’s first Echo Loop — are available for realtime performance control and feature full parameter adjustment and a unique wet/dry mix control for the effects. Three platter effects — Brake (adjustable in real-time), Dump (reverse sound without losing true forward time) and Reverse (with new reverse platter spin action) — allow DJs to interact with their CDs, CD-R/CD-RWs and MP3 files as if they were on a analog turntable.

Like other highly acclaimed Denon DJ CD/MP3 player turntables, the DN-S3500 features full MP3 playback support for complete control over today’s most popular musical formats. MP3 functions include Frame Search, MP3 Hot Starts and Seamless Looping with B point trim, ID3 tag display for Artist, Title and Album, support for constant bit rate (CBR) and variable bit rate (VBR) decoding up to 320 kbps, and a powerful MP3 File Search System that can quickly and easily locate hundreds of files in various folders. Also available is a new MP3 Memo system that saves the user’s cue points and loops to internal memory, as well as the world’s first ID3 BPM tag, which automatically recalls the BPM metadata of a given MP3 file. Furthermore, once a track is chosen using the convenient parameters knob, Denon DJ’s Next Track Function with Crossfade — another world’s first — allows the user to search for the next track to be played, then set the unit to crossfade seamlessly at the conclusion of the current track. This provides non-stop mix action using tracks on the same disc, and applies to CDs as well.

The DN-S3500 also includes many powerful sample and loop functions for extended mixing capabilities. In conjunction with the 15 second on-board sampler, the world’s first Seamless Loop to Sampler Copy function allows even further creative possibilities during a performance, such as exchanging the disc during sample playback and overlaying CD scratches using the sampler. The world’s first Two Way CUE Search System features both Denon and Pioneer® cueing methods to give further customization towards the DJ’s stylistic preference. A convenient Forward/Both directional lever that controls the output of your scratch strokes. Two Hot Starts and seamless loops with B point trim can be set on the fly, as can further Key Adjustments and Cue Stutter points. CD Text support provides scrolling display of track names when used with many commercially available discs or with the user’s own CD-R/RW compilations. Deep pitch resolution of .02% and .05% for the ±4/10% range is available for DJs who require critical beat mixing and precision. Full pitch control is available in increments of ±4%, ±10%, ±16%, ±24%, ±50% and ±100% for CDs, with MP3 pitch adjustment in the range of ±4%, ±10% and ±16%. Shockproof memory is provided for both CD (20 seconds) and MP3 (100 seconds). Three-way pitch bend is controllable using the scratch disc, pitch bend buttons or the traditional finger-pressure along side the spinning platter.

Additional CD manipulation features include Pitch On/Off, Key Adjust On/Off, Seamless Loop, and a Memo function which can store Cue Point, A and B point data, BPM, Playback Pitch and Range for later recall. Up to 5,000 track points can be saved to internal memory and shared with others Denon players. The instant start (0.02.seconds) integrity and high quality player mechanism assure further confidence and control in performance applications.

The convenient Power On Play feature allows for unattended playback on power up, and unattended Relay Play is possible between two DN-S3500’s for smooth uninterrupted playback when the DJ requires a short break. The unit is also compatible with all Denon DJ mixers for Fader Start Control directly from the mixer’s interface. Convenient Play Lock and Eject Lock features prevent unintentional track change or disc eject during a live performance. Furthermore, customizable paper slip mats can be applied under the removable clear scratch disc for platter personalization. A large fluorescent tube display provides ample at-a-glance recognition, with extra visual cues such as the EOM function which flashes the status time bar to alert users that the current track is about to end, and 3-way BPM counter. Features include a digital output and CD-ROM upgradeable internal software to round out this complete digital DJ turntable solution.

Denon DJ takes its innovative world’s first spinning active platter design to the next technical level. Introducing the industry’s new flagship DN-S3500 tabletop CD/MP3 player with a powerful 12-pole Direct Drive motor, 7 on-board effects, intuitive control, appealing design and style that will surely reinvent the tabletop market for all vinyl and digital DJs alike.

• High Torque Direct Drive Motor
Denon’s all new proprietary 12-pole Direct Drive brushless motor design, delivering instant full rotation speed with a powerful 2.5 kg/cm of start-up torque within 0.5 seconds for true turntable reaction and response. Perform freely as if you were using a genuine vinyl turntable.

• 4 Superb Built-in Effects
Building the mood of your dance floor and remixing live has never been so easy with our on-board effects. Easily activate and have full parameter control with a unique Dry/Wet mix knob of the 4 effects: Flanger, Filter (High-Mid-Low), Echo and world’s first Echo/Loop.

• 3 Platter Effects
– Brake: adjustable in real-time
– Dump: reverse sound without losing true forward time
– Reverse: the platter spins backwards too! New!

• Full MP3 Support:
– MP3 Seamless Looping w/B Point Trim
– MP3 Hot Starts
– MP3 Frame Search
– MP3 Memo (save your Cue points and Loops) New!
– Supports C.B.R & V.B.R. decoding up to 320 kbps
– ID3 Tags, Displays: (Title, Artist, Album)
– ID3 BPM Tag (automatically recalls the BPM)
– MP3 File Search System (easily locate files by name or folder)

• Next Track Function with Cross Fade
Storing hundreds of your favorite MP3's on one disc is now possible. But what if you want to play other files from the same disc back to back? Well, we answered your needs with our world's first Next Track Reserve function. You can search for a song by name (without interrupting playback) and crossfade seamlessly to that file for a smooth non-stop mix upon your command.
– The crossfade time is user adjustable.
– Available for CD audio discs as well.

• Seamless Loop to Sampler Copy
You can now easily copy your perfect CD/MP3 Seamless Loop over to the Sampler, even while it’s playing! This adds a whole new level of creativity such as, exchanging your disc during sample playback, perform CD scratch overlays with the sampler, and many more cool tricks.

• Two-Way CUE Search System
Supports traditional Denon Cueing method and now another tabletop brand too!

Denon DJ takes its innovative world’s first spinning active platter design to the next technical level. Introducing the industry’s new flagship DN-S3500 tabletop CD/MP3 player with a powerful
12-pole Direct Drive motor, 7 on-board effects, intuitive control, appealing design and style that will surely reinvent the tabletop market for all vinyl and digital DJs alike.

• 33/45 R.P.M. Platter Speed

• Deep Pitch Resolution For those DJs who perform long mix transitions and require high pitch resolution, the DN-S3500 offers .02% for the 4% pitch range and .05% for the 10% pitch range.

• Hot Start and Seamless Loop Two Hot Starts (A1 and A2) can be made on the fly and easily turned into Seamless Loops. The length of the loop is unlimited for CD audio discs. The Hot Starts can also be used as Stutter points as well.

• Adjustable Loop End Point B Trim

• CD TEXT Support

• Key Adjust = Master Tempo The Key Adjust feature keeps vocals and music sounding true even when you adjust the speed of the track.

• 15 Second On-Board Sampler Sample any part of your CD/MP3 tracks on the fly and perform scratch overlays or even simple playback with full platter control and these other features: ±24% Pitch Control, B-Trim, Sampler Volume, 4-Way playback (Loop/Single/All/Stutter).

• Quick Loading Slot-In Drive

• 2-Way Platter Mode You can either scratch the CD source or the stored Sample by a touch of a button with the active spinning platter.

• Directional Scratch Lever This original Denon feature allows DJs to scratch in two ways. The traditional forward/back scrub sound and the ingenious Forward stroke sound to perform the same cuts as if you were using a mixer’s crossfader.

• 3-Way BPM Counter AUTO BPM, Manual TAP and ManualBPM value
is also possible.

• CD Memo Function Cue point, BPM-New!, Playback Pitch & Range, Pitch ON/OFF, Key Adj ON/OFF, and Seamless Loop A and B data can be stored for later recall. Up to 5,000 points can be saved to internal memory and shared with other Denon players.

• Power On Play

• Relay Play Unattended playback is possible between two DN-S3500s when connected together. Great for the cocktail hour or during dinner time at banquet halls.

• Play Lock Prevents unintentional track change during playback.

• Eject Lock Prevents unintentional disc eject during playback

• Custom Slipmats The use of customizable paper slipmats is possible under the removable clear scratch disc to personalize the platter with your own unique design.

• “7 Record Adapter Looking for a true wax feel under you fingers? An included special Adapter allows users to mount their own 7” vinyl record to the platter.

• Pitch Control Range
CD: ±4% (0.02% step), ±10% (0.05% step), ±16%, ±24% (0.1% step), ±50% (0.5% step), ±100% (1.0% step) MP3: ±4% (0.02% step), ±10% (0.05% step), ±16%, (0.1% step).

• Shock-Proof Memory 20 sec. (CD), 100 sec. (MP3).

• 100 mm Long Stroke Pitch Slider

• 3-way Pitch Bend Scratch Disc, Bend Buttons, or
platter finger-pressure.

• Large Fluorescent Tube Display

• Quick Jump Jump in increments of 10/20/30/60 sec.

• Instant Start (0.02 sec.)

• Cue Stutter (CD or MP3) The Cue point can be stuttered repeatedly once set.

• EOM Flashes status time bar when the track is about to end.

• CD-R/RW Disc Compatible

• Fader Start Control Terminal

• Digital Output

• Software Upgradeable by CD-ROM disc.
Most advanced functions for MP3 V.B.R. files are not supported.

REMIX MAGAZINE REVIEW: DENON DN-S3500

Jun 1, 2006 12:00 PM, BY MIKE HIRATZKA

After a long career in dance music, it's rare for me to get excited about new DJ gear. I've played with a lot of “toys,” but I seldom come across serious equipment that interests me as a professional DJ and as a tech geek. Most of the CD decks available don't have what it takes to be installed in a club, and some aren't even worth playing. Ask almost anyone in the industry, and they will tell you that the Pioneer CDJ-1000 is the only model that they want to use, and you rarely come across anything else installed in a major venue. When putting the Denon DN-S3500 through its paces, I compared it to Pioneer's industry standard. The DN-S3500 truly raises the bar.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Straight out of the box, I immediately noticed how heavy and solid the unit is, almost like a turntable rather than a CD player. There is a heavy aluminum platter (similar to a turntable) that is packaged separately and requires some minimal installation along with the slip mat and clear plastic scratch disc that complete the platter assembly. For anyone nostalgic for the glory days of vinyl, you can replace the scratch disc with your own 7-inch record. That, combined with the fact that the platter spins during playback, re-creates a bit of the turntable feel that's missing in some other players. In its normal mode, the platter acts like a turntable; if you touch the scratch disc, you can scratch the audio playback just as though you were scratching a record. You can also turn off the spinning platter, which allows you to nudge the playback slightly forward or backward to bring a mix back to the proper tempo should it drift out of sync.

I hooked up the DN-S3500 to my mixer with the included RCA cable. In addition to the analog RCA outs, there is also an S/PDIF digital out and three ⅛-inch jacks for fader start and Memo(ry) in and out. The fader-start jack allows you to connect to any mixer with fader-start capability, and the system will begin playback of the CD when you raise the channel fader on the mixer. The Memo jacks allow you to connect two DN-S3500 players (or the DN-S3000 and DN-S5000 models) and share the Memo data stored on one machine. You can save as many as 5,000 Memo points in the internal memory, with one Memo group allotted to each track on each CD. For instance, if you have a CD with 15 tracks on it, you can store 15 Memo groups for that disc. Memo group information includes a cue point, two loop start and end points, pitch control settings and bpm data.

Upon powering up the DN-S3500, I was greeted by a host of backlit controls, a bright red light over the CD slot in the front and a large, easy-to-read LCD. There should be no difficulty using this unit in a dark club. After inserting a CD, the LCD above the platter immediately flashes the title of the first track on the CD, as well as the bpm of the track and the default time and play modes (Elapsed and Single). Those default settings, along with the Auto-Cue feature, demonstrate how well thought-out this design is and how it is tailor-made for plug-and-play usage. With other units, I am constantly checking to see whether Auto-Cue is engaged, if the time mode is on Elapsed or Remain and if the CD is set to play a single track or to play continuously. The DN-S3500 is a unit that is set up almost exactly the way I would like it to be, which is exciting in itself.

PERFECT PITCH

Digging deeper into the DN-S3500 controls, I investigated one of the most crucial elements of any DJ playback machine: the pitch control. As a house DJ, it is critical to be able to lock the tempos of each track as tightly as possible. While a turntable has the benefit of an analog pitch fader, CD players require digital algorithms to determine the accuracy of the pitch control. For solid beat matching, you want the increments between pitch adjustments to be as small as possible, and in that regard, the DN-S3500 stands alone at the top. Of the six pitch ranges, the finest is ±4 percent, which translates to a 0.02 percent step between each increment on the fader; that setting is the best I have ever seen on any CD player. The DN-S3500 defaults to the ±10 percent pitch setting, with a 0.05 percent step between adjustments, which is fairly standard. You can also set it to ±16, 24, 50 and 100 percent, which provides you with pretty cool options for special pitch effects beyond standard beat matching. Try putting the fader to ±100 percent and then hitting the Key Adjust button next to the fader, which maintains playback at the original key of the track regardless of the pitch setting. Then take the fader slowly down to -100 percent, and you'll hear the track change as though it is being stretched in real time. To select your choice of pitch range, simply press and hold the Pitch Range button next to the pitch fader, and then select your desired pitch mode with the blue backlit rotary Parameters knob located directly above the fader. Press the Parameters knob to complete the selection. The rotary Parameters control has multiple applications depending on what other features you are using, including the onboard effects, sampler and looping functions.

EFFECTS AND SAMPLING

The effects unit is located on the left-hand side of the DN-S3500 and includes Echo/Loop, Flanger and Filter. Once you select an effect by pressing the corresponding on/off button, you then control the wet/dry mix with the Effects knob (an endless rotary encoder), while the function of the Parameters knob varies depending on which effect is engaged. When you are using the Echo/Loop effect, the Effects knob controls the feedback amount, while the Parameters knob controls the echo times, which are set at musically sensible intervals that range from eighth note to two bars. If you set the feedback to the highest setting, loop playback begins from the time you engage the Echo/Loop button and continues seamlessly until you lower the feedback setting. A cool feature of the loop playback is that it will continue to play even if you stop the track, eject the disc or select another track on the CD. Once you have a new track selected and you've pressed play, the loop will begin an automatic fade out that lasts about four bars, or you can exit from a loop at any time by pressing the Echo/Loop button again. You can also edit the feedback length of your loop by turning the Parameters knob while the loop is playing, allowing you to do some interesting stutter tricks. Try starting with the loop on the 4/1 echo time setting, which will loop every four beats, and then rotating the Parameters knob counterclockwise to the 2/1 setting, which cuts the length of the loop in half, and then again to the 1/1 setting, which again halves the loop time. In that manner, you can create stutter fills at the end of a phrase and drop right back into normal playback by turning the loop off at the beginning of the next phrase.

The Flanger creates a sweeping effect, and the Effects knob controls its gain. Using the Parameters knob, you can change the flanger time from half a beat to as high as 32 beats. The lowest setting will add quick sweeps over the original source material, while the highest setting will produce a long, slow dive that begins to rise again toward the starting frequency after four bars. There are also Flanger time settings of one, two, four, eight and 16 beats, so you have numerous choices of how long you want the effect to sweep over your tune.

There are three Filter types: lowpass, midpass and highpass. The filters allow the selected frequency range, which is adjusted by rotating the Effects knob, to pass though unaffected while filtering out the source material that is outside of that range. For example, when you select the highpass filter, start with the Filter fully open by quickly twisting the Effects knob counterclockwise, allowing the full frequency range of the track to play through. Then as you turn the knob clockwise, the Filter engages and removes everything except the frequency spectrum above the selected point. When you are finished, I recommend returning the Filter to the fully open setting before turning off the effect because when you turn it back on, it will default to the prior frequency setting.

The Echo/Loop and Flanger effects are automatically synched to the auto bpm counter, so your effects will always be perfectly in time with the beat. If the auto bpm detection is slightly off, or if you simply want to select your own tempo, you can also tap in the bpm or manually dial it in by pressing and holding the Tap button and then rotating the Effects knob. All of the effects are pretty intuitive, so with a little practice you should be able to use them to add serious flair to your sets.

You can easily create seamless loops if you want to repeat a certain section of a track or give yourself more time on the mix out of a track. Two cue points, A1 and A2, designate the beginning time of each loop. Once you have selected the start point of the loop, set the end time by pressing the B key. The loop will then play from the A to B points repeatedly until you press Exit/Reloop, which returns the track to normal play after the completion of the current loop cycle. A unique feature of the DN-S3500 is that you can adjust the B point if your loop is not perfectly timed; simply press the B Trim button, and the LCD will display “Trimming,” with the length of the loop in seconds and frames (each frame is 1/75 of a second). The platter will also stop spinning, allowing you to rotate it and adjust the length of the loop anywhere from five frames after the A point to disc end. Once you have corrected the loop to your liking, save the edited loop by pressing the A key that marks the start of that loop. If you exit from a loop and decide that you want to bring it back in at a later time in the track, press the Exit/Reloop button, and it will immediately begin playback of the loop.

Another cool feature is Stutter playback, which is enabled by pressing the Flip button when you have a loop playing. Whenever you press the A button, the loop will play for 1 beat, then return to normal playback. Repeating that multiple times in quick succession will give you the Stutter effect, which also operates slightly differently when the Flip button is disengaged. In that case, every time you press the A button, the loop will play back for as long as you hold it down, allowing you to change the length of your stutters. Try alternating back and forth between the two modes; you can get some wicked results.

The Sampler operates similarly to the Loop function, with the exception that you can record a sample for as many as 15 seconds, which can be added to any track at any time. The recorded sample will play back in a seamless loop until exited, and you can use the B button to trim the end point of the sample. You can also change the volume and pitch of the sample or play the sample in reverse. Samples are stored in memory until you clear the sample data, so you can continue to drop in a sample throughout a set over any other tracks. You can also copy a stored loop over to the sampler, which provides additional creative flexibility.

There are three buttons located below the platter that add even more possibilities to your DJ set. The Brake button alters how the Play/Pause button stops playback, and it can be adjusted from an immediate stop to a slow wind down, lasting about three seconds. The Dump button reverses playback for about four seconds or until you press Dump again, which resumes normal play. Alternatively, the Reverse button reverses playback and the direction of the spinning platter until the button is pressed again, allowing for much longer reverse times.

With such well-designed and easy-to-use features, combined with comprehensive support for MP3 playback, the Denon DN-S3500 establishes a new standard of excellence for DJ CD players. If you are in the market for a solid unit that offers a plethora of tools and tricks at a reasonable price, then I highly recommend checking this unit out. You won't be disappointed.

Pros: Excellent construction and value. Superb design and execution of all features. Very user-friendly.

Cons: Permanently attached power cable. No removable storage for stored Memo data.

 

Warranty: DENON DJ warrants its products to be free from defects for one (1) year from the date of purchase. This is a limited warranty which has specific conditions and limitations as set forth on the warranty certificate which accompanies each DENON DJ product.

Platinum: Products with the platinum designation qualify for priority warranty service. If a Platinum DENON DJ product fails within this period, call 1-630-741-0330 for free Next Day Air pick-up and return. Products must be in-warranty and purchased from an authorized DENON DJ dealer. Turnaround time is guaranteed between 48 -72 hours. Service for DENON DJ in-warranty products is performed in Itasca, Illinois or as otherwise determined by D&M Professional.

Express: Products with the express designation will receive premium warranty service. If an Express DENON DJ product fails within this period, call 1-630-741-0330 to receive your Service Return Authorization. Shipment of product for in-warranty repair will be at the owner’s expense. Upon receipt of product, turnaround time is guaranteed to be 72 hours. Product will be returned via the same shipping method as received at D&M Professional’s expense. Service for DENON DJ in-warranty products is performed in Itasca, Illinois or as otherwise determined by D&M Professional.