Denon DN-S3500 Questions/Findings

ditc 8:40 AM - 22 January, 2007

I just purchased the Denon DN-S3500 tonite and it's my first cd turntable I've ever used/owned. I've always used my SSL strictly with Technics 1200's. Granted, I've only had it for a couple of hours and barely really gotten into really messing with it too much. I updated it to the newest firmware, turned the audio curve off, and am using it in Absolute mode. But I had some intitial findings that I'm curious about if other users have experienced any of these things or know the answers to any of my questions so far:

1)When using a 45 record with the adaptor, I notice that the adaptor in itself in the middle sometimes turns (slips) independantly a little bit of the record movement itself, thus causing the middle spindle to track the sound differently, and ending up having the visual cue point on my record change. Should this adaptor fit tightly onto the record so it doesn't move? If so, what's the best way to do it? Put some superglue/tape under the plastic side of the adapter that fastens to the record etc.? For now, it seems that plastic scratch plate that comes with it is more useful.

2) I chose the Denon over the Pioneer not because of the extra bells and whistles but because of the rotating platter. I was hoping that with the rotating platter, I could manipulate the speed/pitch of the record manually as I would with a record, by slightly pushing it forward, or slightly pressing down on it to slow it down. I notice (especially with SSL) that it is not nearly as responsive as a record is. In other words, if I slightly push against it to speed up the record, the sound, and the waveform kind of jumps a little bit ahead as opposed to smoothly starts to move faster. Is that just how it is, and something I need to get used to, or am I doing something wrong? Is this the same type of thing w/ the Pioneer CDJ's? Perhaps I should just start relying on the pitch bend buttons instead?

3) I notice when doing very long back cues or forward cues (in other words spinning the record forward really fast or backward very fast) for more than a couple of seconds, the sound stops/freezes up (same with the waveform on the laptop) and takes a second before it catches up to where it should be. Is there some sort of amount of time that I can do this for before the que/memory (or whatever it is) in the cd player is used up? I even noticed once when back-cueing like this that even after it caught up to where I back-cued to, it kind of just stayed there and wouldn't let me cue back further until 10 or 15 seconds later.

4) I inserted a brand new Serato Control cd into the cd player. I noticed after a few minutes that there was one point on the cd that the audio was skipping over (a second or less). I kept bringing it back, and sure enough, the audio would skip each time. I powered the thing off, turned it back on, and there was no more skip on the same area of the cd. Why would this happen? I then put in a copy of my serato disc that I made, and a few minutes later, the same thing was happening, but in a different part of the time code. I powered the player off again, turned it back on, and the problem was gone. I can't seem to see how it could be the cd's as they were both brand new and the problem didn't happen after I powered the unit back on. Could it possibly be that I had tried to use an effect or something that would mess with the control signal at some point, and then at some point after turning the effect off and playing normal, the signal still somehow got screwy? I didn't notice this happening when I played any regular cd's.

If anyone has any answers to these questions I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm just trying to figure out if these problems are normal/can be prevented, or if perhaps I got a lemon? Everything else seems to work fine, and as I said this is my first CD turntable and these are only my initial findings. Thanks in advance!

djbookz 10:39 AM - 22 January, 2007

I have the denon s-1000 with the latest updates. I get the same problems #3 & #4. And the biggest problems of all, everytime i use serato with a denon 1000 cd players with 1.6.2 it seems to crash at least 1 or twice at every gig, I know it not my laptop or software because before using the denon's i was using vynil for a good year and half with serato and never had it crash on me at a gig. I starting to think that serato and denon cd players don't work well together. I also have tested serato and my friends denon 1000's and the same crash problems happen. anybody else have issues with denon and serato crashing?

matt212 12:29 PM - 22 January, 2007

#1, Never used the adapter, so I don't know about that one.

#2, Yup, that's just the way it is. You are better off using the bend buttons to make a smooth bend adjustment.

#3, Yup, there is a buffer limit with the 3500's that only allows a limited time for you to backspin and such. This was my main disappointment with them. I know the CDJ's does not have this problem.

#4, This happened to me too. Most of the time its a smudge on the CD that causes it to lose tracking. But on the other hand, sometimes it comes out of nowhere.

My unbiased opinion is that Denon rushed this player to the market and it still has problems that they won't admit. I've had the 5000's first before the 3500's, so I noticed the difference in the quality between both players. Depending on your spinning style, you should try out the CDJ 800 or 1000 also, beacause they don't have problems you've described. Many people will tell you that their 3500's works great with no problems, but what you described is common in all 3500's. Chances are you are going to be using your 1200's again real soon. Oh yeah, try and order some of those extra clips for the platter because they will probably break on you for no reason. I know somebody will say that they never broke a clip in the whole time they owned their players, but insurance never hurt.

ditc 4:11 PM - 22 January, 2007

Thanks for the responses so far. I've been spending some time looking on the Denon Dj Forums and I notice that a lot of other people seem to be having the same similar problems as me. I just wonder if the Pioneer cdj 800's have their own share of problems and no matter what type of player I get, it will come with some sort of quirks that I just have to get used to. The one thing I really can't get used to which seems to be a real problem is the audio hiccups/random cd skip, which seems like other people have realized as well. I just wonder if I should return this unit right away for a pio cdj 800.

clore46 5:19 PM - 22 January, 2007

Zero problems with the CDJ 800's here. Although I am starting to like vinyl a little better. I started on CDJ's and am now just using vinyl for the first time and aside from the ease of looping, I feel its better than cd players. I do ned some better turntable though (Numark tt1650's is what ive been using)

ditc 5:26 PM - 22 January, 2007

yeah, i will always always always use and prefer the technics. it just so happens that for a particular weekly gig i will be starting this saturday, space limitations and other reasons, i was forced to get a cd tt. and the denon 3500 looked tastier to me than the cdj. i'm just already getting skeptical that i made the wrong decision, and it hasn't even been 24 hours yet.

ditc 5:26 PM - 22 January, 2007

technics 1200 turntables that is...

ditc 8:11 AM - 23 January, 2007

I've been playing with it for awhile tonite, and I am starting to get accustomed to it. I just wonder if any other 3500 users have experienced these brief skips (hiccups) as well. That's the one thing I can't live with. And I've seen it brought up on the denon dj forums before. Anyone else had this problem?

matt212 11:12 AM - 23 January, 2007

Yeah, I notice those hiccups all the time. It will throw your mix off and make you look like WTF just happened.

OG Supernatural 11:46 AM - 23 January, 2007

Try Rel mode.

ditc 2:23 PM - 23 January, 2007

is it alrite to rock relative mode when using these turntables? i thought i heard somewhere that i should be using absolute mode for some reason. i'd prefer to use relative mode to be honest. anyone know the deal with that? thanks. i do like the unit, and don't want to have to return it, but the hiccup thing on a cd that's clean and not damaged, there's really no excuse for, i don't think. the buffer with the back-cue and tbe using the pitch bend buttons, i can get used to.

tig ol' bitties 2:29 PM - 23 January, 2007

yo homey I got some SSL control Cd's at the crib if you ever want a back up pair.

DJ Young Herrera 3:08 PM - 23 January, 2007

What up ditc? I've been using the DN-S3500s for a year with Serato. The update that Denon made a few months ago to the firmware took care of most of the issues I had been having with SSL such as Cue slip, etc.

One thing that you have to pay attention to is how you set up your 3500s to play with Serato.

In your memory settings after you turn off the audio curve, you should turn on TT tricks. Also, set it up to start up with keylock off.

Not sure if you already did that but this will help ssl get a clean timecode signal.

I haven't experienced the audio hiccups you describe, but as for the backspinning/back-cue you just have to learn to live with it. Actually, if you spin the platter a little slower than what you have been, you may find that you can spin-cue for a longer period.

As for making smooth pitch adjustments the pitch bend buttons are the best way. i find that using the spindle to make small adjustments is a good way as well (pinching it to slow down, and spinning it forward to speed up).

I haven't used the 45 adaptor, but the scratch disc has never given me problems. I have busted a clip though. So getting some extras is a good idea.

Thankfully, SSL has never crashed on me with the 3500s. I use the original SSL CDs and I've never had the audio hiccups as I mentioned above. I can't really figure why you're having that problem unless perhaps the key lock is on.

I always use absolute mode as well. I'm considering getting either a TTM57 or DJM-900 mixer. I think this would be a lethal combo either way and a good way to get the efx back that are lost when using the 3500s with ssl.

let me know what you end up doing. But I hope you can resolve your issues with the 3500s. I think you'll find they are a solid, well built and designed unit. For me the merits outweigh the negatives. Hope they work out for you too.

Also, one tip for you when using ssl is to use the "cue" button to put you back to the beggining of your timecode track and rely on your "a1" and "a2" buttons for hot starts/cues.

Good luck.
Peace.
DJ Y.H.

ditc 4:27 PM - 23 January, 2007

wow. young herrera, def thanks for the response. with all the denon negativity surrounding me lately, i was thinking about packaging this up and taking it back to the store. you may have stopped me from doing it. lemme ask you, as far as the turtnable tricks, what exactly does that do for ssl by turning it on? secondly, i know you say use it in absolute mode, is relative a bad idea? in other words, if you want to get to a part of your cd that's like 3:30 into the song, and you have that cue point on your ssl, do you just use the fast search to bring you right up to 3:30? or what do you do? if i hit the cue button, it brings me back to the beginning of the track right?

The audio hiccups I noticed twice in the first nite of using them. Both with Serato control cd's. One brand new control cd and a brand new burned copy. It kept skipping for a fraction of a second in the same spot. but when i restarted the unit, no more skipping in that spot. as i had mentioned, perhaps it had been beacuse previously the signal got confused at that point when i had an effect on or something? check this link if you get a chance,, www.denondjforums.com it kind of outlines what's going on with mine. just trying to see if this is something that can/will be fixed by firmware, or if it's destined to stay that way. any other optimizations i can do to make this work the best it can with ssl? thanks in advance...

Demark 6:16 PM - 23 January, 2007

I had Denon S5000's for a few years before I bought Serato. As standalone players, the Denon's are tough to beat. Great features at an excellent price point. The problem is you lose many of the features when you bring SSL into the picture. I had to sell mine because Denon confirmed there would be no update to correct the all too common que slippage issue on that model. The 3500's were my only option but I wasn't crazy about the design, or feel of that model.

I picked up CDJ MK3's and never looked back. They are the perfect CD players for SSL and along with a DJM800 have been the best CD setup I've ever had. Not a cheap option mind you, but worth every penny. It's worth taking a look.

DJ Young Herrera 6:54 PM - 23 January, 2007

Ditc, no problema. I'm all about giving no-nonsense props to my DN-S3500s. haha. Anyway, I'll give you the full breakdown of my memory settings when I get home tonight, or first thing tomorrow morning. I think I have them pretty well optimized for SSL.

As for the turntable tricks it turns off the somewhat annoying feature where when using the brake function any manipulation of the platter would restart playback automatically. By elimnating this feature you enable a more turntable-like emulation. This means you can use the brake and then scratch, backspin, push, etc. Basically just like a regular turntable.

As for the Cue button. This is a little tricky to understand at first. It took me a while to figure it out. Basically, if you load up a track (SSL track 1) and then press "cue" it will start playback from the beggining of the track and continue playback until you release the button. If you press it again, it will begin again from the beginning. Easy right? Wrong.

This is where its a little tricky. If you adjust the starting point of the track by using stutter cue, or moving the platter, or whatever and then you press "play", if you stop the track and then press "cue" again, it will begin playback from the spot where you pressed "play" from. It will not automatically go back to the beginning of the track if you didn't press play from the beggining. Comprende?

Its useful once you get the hang of it. But I find its good for me since I usually initiate tracks by "a1" or "a2" more often than not; which doesn't affect where the "cue" button begins playback from.

I'll look into the audio hiccups too. I want to know if there's a solution...as I said I haven't come across this problem, but I was thinking. I am one firmware update behind...(not broken don't fix it). You might want to try and back up one firmware update. I'll tell you which version I'm running later. This might help you out. Maybe its got something to do with the latest firmware.

We'll figure it out.

dj y.h.

ditc 7:09 PM - 23 January, 2007

i appreciate that man. i will go home and check out what you were talking about. i still don't even fully understand the cue feature or what exactly hot starts even are. i've been a turntable guy the whole way until now. even after reading the manual, i'm still puzzled in a lot of ways. i take it you're on system 98 then? does denon offer previous versions of their firmware? my system came w/ system 95 and i immediately upgraded it to 99 the other nite right after i opened it. by the way, i still run ssl version 1.4. i've had that whole ain't broke type motto with the ssl. perhaps it's time to upgrade to 1.7 once it becomes official. not sure if that will help at all with the optimization of the denons or not. i really don't want to have to switch over to the pioneers unless i have to. i just want to make sure i made a wise decision in using these. sorry to re-ask, but have you ever used ssl with your denon in relative mode? what's the harm in it?

dj disturbed 7:13 PM - 23 January, 2007

i use ver 99.. witn no issues at all... I had some issue with 98... but 99 fixed them

DJ Young Herrera 7:19 PM - 23 January, 2007

Yo, I definitely recommend upgrading to at least 1.6.x for your ssl. There were some previous issues which work better with the 3500s in the latest release. I'll definitely go to 1.7 when it drops. I can't remember which version I'm running on my 3500s. I have to look when I get home. I think that you can get the firmware still from denon. If not I can burn you a copy of mine. I still have it.

Yeah, the manual is a tough read. Its best just to get down and dirty with them for a few hours each night.

As for relative mode. I've tried it out a few times. Its cool for what it can do, but I don't like using the keyboard of my laptop very much. I prefer to do all of my looping, cueing, etc. on the decks. I don't think there's any harm if it works better/well for you. A tip: if you rock relative mode, make a loop of 5 to ten minutes of the timecode cd using the looping feature of the 3500s and then you never have to worry about the track ending.

DJ Young Herrera 7:19 PM - 23 January, 2007

deesturbed, what issues did you have with 98?

ditc 7:58 PM - 23 January, 2007

and then play the loop thru the sampler i'm assuming? i've heard about that before. perhaps that would cure the problem of some sort of hiccup occuring at one place on a cd which for some reason people keep complaining about on there. this is all really good insight. as a matter of fact, i did see some peeps on the denon forums complaining that 98 worked better than 99, but seems like you guys say the opposite. i'm loving all the info you guys are giving so far.

dj disturbed 8:25 PM - 23 January, 2007

cue slippage and a few other minor things... its been so long sence i upgraded that i forgot most of the issues..... they were all minor

DJ Young Herrera 10:10 PM - 23 January, 2007

Actually, you can't use the sampler really when the source is set to the platter. You use the looping cues "a1" & "a2" to set your loops. However...I guess you could use the sampler if you set the source to sampler on the deck...hmmm. Dunno. I'll have to experiment. I'm glad to be of some type of help. Anytime, dawg.

ditc 11:18 PM - 23 January, 2007

i appreciate it. this stuff is still all so new to me i don't even know how to use the looping cues. using technics has always been so much easier! turn them on, needle on record, boom!

ditc 1:38 AM - 24 January, 2007

Playing more with the denon tonite, something disturbing happened that I wanted to reach out to anyone else using the dn-s3500 to see if it's ever happened to you. Using the SSL control cd, after at least 45 mins of using it straight, i was scratching an acapella, in absolute mode, and out of nowhere, the audio just stops. The control sign on my comp screen stopped spinning, and nothing was receptive. On the readout of the denon, there was no time (minutes, seconds) etc. The play/pause button was still flashing, but when i pressed it, the platter motor would turn on and spin, but no audio would play and still no readout of the time on the denon. I then switched to track 2 on the cd, and now not only would the track not register with the denon, but the play and cue buttons weren't responding. i kept toggling back and forth between track 1 and track 2, nothing would trigger the audio to play again or the serato to work again. i'm 99 percent sure this was something with the cd player and definitely not serato. i didn't power the denon off, i just ejected the disc, looked at it for marks or whatever,, there were not as it's absolutely brand new. i inserted the cd again and it read immediately and worked flawlessly again. this is obviously very unsettling to me because i need to rely on this denon when i am out at a gig. is this a sign of a troubled player/laser and i should return it asap for another new unit, or is this something that any/some of you have experienced before and just something that happens once in a while? i need to figure this out before my 14 day grace period at guitar center expires. i want to make sure i have a fully functional and working unit. any help/info would be great. thanks!

DJ Dynamight 2:56 AM - 24 January, 2007

wow. I figured that problem would have been corrected with the updated firmware. I owned a pair of 3500s for about a year, and never took them out to gigs because I did not trust them (I used a pair of Denon S5000s instead). I sold the 3500s around last September I believe. I experienced all the issues you have come across above--the player stopping by itself happens randomly. I was not able to consistently reproduce the issue.

djbookz 9:46 AM - 24 January, 2007

Quote:

Playing more with the denon tonite, something disturbing happened that I wanted to reach out to anyone else using the dn-s3500 to see if it's ever happened to you. Using the SSL control cd, after at least 45 mins of using it straight, i was scratching an acapella, in absolute mode, and out of nowhere, the audio just stops. The control sign on my comp screen stopped spinning, and nothing was receptive. On the readout of the denon, there was no time (minutes, seconds) etc. The play/pause button was still flashing, but when i pressed it, the platter motor would turn on and spin, but no audio would play and still no readout of the time on the denon. I then switched to track 2 on the cd, and now not only would the track not register with the denon, but the play and cue buttons weren't responding. i kept toggling back and forth between track 1 and track 2, nothing would trigger the audio to play again or the serato to work again. i'm 99 percent sure this was something with the cd player and definitely not serato. i didn't power the denon off, i just ejected the disc, looked at it for marks or whatever,, there were not as it's absolutely brand new. i inserted the cd again and it read immediately and worked flawlessly again. this is obviously very unsettling to me because i need to rely on this denon when i am out at a gig. is this a sign of a troubled player/laser and i should return it asap for another new unit, or is this something that any/some of you have experienced before and just something that happens once in a while? i need to figure this out before my 14 day grace period at guitar center expires. i want to make sure i have a fully functional and working unit. any help/info would be great. thanks!

that's why im selling my denons, i have the s1000's and it has the same problem you posted here, i know this for a fact because the club has the same cd players and they have the same problem.
and also they can't even read NORMAL REGULAR CD's properly, 30% of my cds had disc errors when i popped them into the cd player, then i tried the same cds with cdj's and they all worked fine. I heard that you have to burn the cd at the slowest speed with a really good program to make it compatible with the denon cd players, I don't got time for that shit. I also think the denon cd players have a heat issue where after an hour cd starts to have audio dropouts and skip and disc errors, go read the denondjforums.com they have lots of complaints about this.

ditc 2:02 PM - 24 January, 2007

that's really unfortunate. how are they regarded to as second best to the pioneers by most if they are all having so many problems? surely some of these units must work correctly, otherwise wouldn't there be a mass recall? or at least no one using them? i wanted really badly for these things to work the right way because it's such a nice machine, both featurewise and lookswise, but i can't have to have that worry in the back of my head every time i take them out of the house that something like this may happen.

DJ Dynamight 3:01 PM - 24 January, 2007

They seem to work fine if you don't scratch or backspin. :-P

It looks cool when the platter rotates...ha!

Since you've never really had any exposure to CD players, I would at least give the Pioneer decks a try. That way you can compare and contrast the two decks and see which one you can put your trust in. I'd be willing to bet you will have better luck using SSL with Pioneer.

matt212 6:04 PM - 24 January, 2007

Quote:

They seem to work fine if you don't scratch or backspin. :-P

It looks cool when the platter rotates...ha!

Ain't that the truth. Haha

Mine stopped many times before Ver. 99, but I didn't notice that when I updated them. Maybe because I didn't play with them long enough for them to do that once I updated them. I think you better off taking them back. The only reason I held on to them was because the update was suppose to fix all the problems. But as you know, that shit took about a year to come out, so I couldn't return them.

dj disturbed 6:36 PM - 24 January, 2007

NMever had any issues like that out of mine...... i dunno

ditc 6:48 PM - 24 January, 2007

maybe i just got a lemon? in a sitution like this, i wonder if it deserves a second chance and replace this one for a new one before i throw in the towel completely and go for the cdj800. i just need reliability. what do you guys think?

ditc 6:52 PM - 24 January, 2007

any possibility these are functions of the original and copied serato control cds? as this hasn't happened (yet) with audio cds etc? or am i just in for more of this nonsense in the future when i use any cd with these things?

DJ Unique 2:00 AM - 25 January, 2007

My set-up has been two Denon S5000's and one S3500 but I have yet to find any of these problems. I have a couple of friends that each use the S3500 exclusively and also without problems. You may have lemon.

My advice is to return it ASAP and ask for store credit. Then try other CD players such as Pioneer CDJ800 and CDJ1000 and make a decision based on your findings.

I don't own Pioneers but have played on them without any problems. The only thing I would miss is not having the "effects" and "Hot Starts" on the CDJ800's. As far as the effects are concerned, you can always use a mixer with built-in effects or an external effects machine.

Good luck.

Dj K.Smith 2:15 AM - 25 January, 2007

My 3500's are cool as ice... No problemshere either... As Unique said, you may have a lemon... Take 'em back and get a new one/pair...

DJ Young Herrera 2:43 AM - 25 January, 2007

Ditc,

Sorry its a little late...i had a female visitor last night and she's cuter than you. haha.

Anyway, here are my mem. settings.

Cue Mode: Denon
Auto Cue: On
Next Tr Time: Off
Platter Speed: 33RPM
3/4 Effect: Off
Jump Time: 20 Sec
Pitch Range:+/-10
EOM Time: 20 Sec
Fader Mode: 2L P/Cue
Poweronplay: Off
Pitch: Pitch On
Play Mode: Play Lock
Time Mode: Remain
TT Tricks: On
Audio Curve: Off
Sys. 0098

Hope this helps.

You may have a lemon. Take it back and try a different one if you think it may make a difference. Trust your gut. If you aren't feeling the denons...they may not be for you. You just won't be as cool as me...haha. Just playin...no really though; you won't be...:-p

dj y.h.

ditc 3:54 PM - 25 January, 2007

I appreciate all the info. I def want more than anything to be able to keep this unit and be able to rock with it. I'm just scurred that something will happen with it again. This one may be a lemon, but some people above mentioned that they've encountered the same type of problems with it. How many of you Denon 3500 users bring this out to you to every gig, more than once a week and encounter zero problems with it on a regular basis?

tig ol' bitties 4:21 PM - 25 January, 2007

yo! make sure you get this fixed by saturday, I dont want my friends to think you suck at DJing!!!

hahaha. just playin.

DJ Shutout 6:58 PM - 26 January, 2007

Ditc & Young Herrera, Thanks for all the input here. For a while I thought I was alone with these same issues. I've recently bought two Denon 3500's with a Numark DXM-09 Mixer. Learning on them was easy, they are my first attempt at scratching. Two days ago I picked up SSL and a New laptop with a 160GB harddrive and 1GB RAM, only to find the same issues as you and to be honest I was a little discouraged. I upgraded to version 0099 last night and didn't notice much as of yet.

The cue not starting exactly on the beat like you would have playing direct from CD does hurt, but thanks for the help with that one. I'll try that as soon as I get home.

I have yet to have my audio drop out on me but I do notice the denon's do get hot, and quick too.

Two weeks ago I returned one of my denon's because the pitch would ramdomly speen up and slow down without warning for no reason. Last night my replacement did it agaoin and now I have to take IT back for a third...anyone have that happen to them?

As for the pioneers I was thinking of making a switch but I still want to give these a shot. Thanks for all your help, I'll try to answer any questions if I find an answer for ya!

ditc 7:44 PM - 26 January, 2007

man, i'm with you. i want so badly for this thing to work. it's a great looking machine with undeniable features and the direct drive rotating platter, all for a good price. but bottom line, they just seem unreliable. i mean from my standpoint, these things are happening to mine and yours within a week or 2 of buying them, what do you think will happen down the line? after a little bit of wear and tear? you know it's just gonna get worse. for me, playing out every week and bringing these things with me, i need something reliable and durable, something that will stand the test of time and i can depend on. from everything i've heard so far in this forum, as well as the denon forum, and even from the salespeople @ guitar center, the denons just don't cut the mustard when it comes to reliability. i believe, even though i don't necessarily want to, i'm gonna have to make that change to pioneer, at least for the meantime, and see what the deal is. i feel like i have no other option. i mean, they must be considered industry standard for a reason...

Dj K.Smith 3:11 AM - 28 January, 2007

I've had my 35k's for over a year now and I've had no problems to report...

Dj Shamann 4:29 AM - 28 January, 2007

Quote:

Play Mode: Play Lock

Put it on single if you're gonna use REL mode, it will save you jumping into track two and having your scroll go wild by accident.

Quote:

Two weeks ago I returned one of my denon's because the pitch would ramdomly speen up and slow down without warning for no reason. Last night my replacement did it agaoin and now I have to take IT back for a third...anyone have that happen to them?

Yeah, update the system and it's fine.

Quote:

I haven't used the 45 adaptor, but the scratch disc has never given me problems. I have busted a clip though. So getting some extras is a good idea.

Yeah I busted a clip too, I use a regular turntable slipmat underneath to add more friction, you get a way better scratch that way but when I first cut the hole it didn't allow the clip to go on and I snapped it when I forced it.

DITC, the Denon 3500's are great. When I first got them and was using the stock settings, before the updates I got a little nervous too, and then I found the updates and saw how they pay attention to their customers needs and work to make sure we have the best machine possible by communicating with Serato etc... so now I'm glad I made the choice to use the Denon's.

ditc 6:42 AM - 29 January, 2007

I appreciate everyone's input on this. I had to bite the bullet on this one and return the 3500 and I exchanged it for a Pioneer CDJ-800Mk2. And, I tought myself how to use it in 1 hour, then after having it for that hour, I brought it out with me and used it solely (with the reverse input function on ssl) for my gig. It ran flawlessly. I must admit, the cdj is MONEY! Granted it doesn't have the spinning platter, but like everyone said, you get used to that within minutes. The response on these things is too perfect, and being able to manipulate the jog dial from the sides to speed up or slow down the track is just what I needed. The one thing I have a question about though is earlier on in this thread, i mentioned that the denon would freeze after backspinning real fast for more than a few seconds. Then it was pointed out that it's because denon has a 10 second audio buffer. It was said that Pioneer does not have this issue/limitation. I noticed that when trying to cue forward for many seconds at a time, the pioneer does not freeze up, and back-cueing realatively fast, the pioneer does not freeze up,,, but,,, if i back cue very fast for more than a few seconds, the pioneer freezes up. is this normal, or is this something that could make this pioneer a lemon? just checking. one other question, what is the best way to clean the top/platter of the pioneer? i got lots of fingerprints on it etc from doing my gig because i was licking my fingers etc. for traction. any advice would be great! thanks.

clore46 1:15 PM - 29 January, 2007

If i fast foward then try to back up with the platter it does freeze up for a few seconds. I have origional cdj-800s

DJ Shutout 2:14 PM - 29 January, 2007

Quote:

Yeah, update the system and it's fine.

I already updated my denon's to version 99, what else is there to do? Honest Question...

tig ol' bitties 3:39 PM - 29 January, 2007

Quote:

I appreciate everyone's input on this. I had to bite the bullet on this one and return the 3500 and I exchanged it for a Pioneer CDJ-800Mk2. And, I tought myself how to use it in 1 hour, then after having it for that hour, I brought it out with me and used it solely (with the reverse input function on ssl) for my gig. It ran flawlessly. I must admit, the cdj is MONEY! Granted it doesn't have the spinning platter, but like everyone said, you get used to that within minutes. The response on these things is too perfect, and being able to manipulate the jog dial from the sides to speed up or slow down the track is just what I needed. The one thing I have a question about though is earlier on in this thread, i mentioned that the denon would freeze after backspinning real fast for more than a few seconds. Then it was pointed out that it's because denon has a 10 second audio buffer. It was said that Pioneer does not have this issue/limitation. I noticed that when trying to cue forward for many seconds at a time, the pioneer does not freeze up, and back-cueing realatively fast, the pioneer does not freeze up,,, but,,, if i back cue very fast for more than a few seconds, the pioneer freezes up. is this normal, or is this something that could make this pioneer a lemon? just checking. one other question, what is the best way to clean the top/platter of the pioneer? i got lots of fingerprints on it etc from doing my gig because i was licking my fingers etc. for traction. any advice would be great! thanks.

damn mayne!! you fucking rocked shit that night too, better then most people who use two tables. I was mad impressed. My peeps all thought you did a bomb ass job too.
dont even wanna know what it would have been like using two tables :)

Dj Shamann 3:39 PM - 29 January, 2007

Quote:

Yeah, update the system and it's fine.

I already updated my denon's to version 99, what else is there to do? Honest Question...

Wow I dunno dude, the way I did it was I put in my 98 disc (because I couldn't find the 99) and I reset to default, when I found my 99 disc I put it in and everything's been fine since. I read on the Denon forums somebody else had the same problem and that's what he did too.

DJ Dynamight 4:09 PM - 29 January, 2007

Congratulations, ditc!

Quote:

if i back cue very fast for more than a few seconds, the pioneer freezes up. is this normal, or is this something that could make this pioneer a lemon? just checking.

I noticed this as well on the CDJ-800MK2. That is normal behavior. The CDJ-1000MK3 on the other hand, has a bigger buffer and does not have that issue.

ditc 4:38 PM - 29 January, 2007

cool. as long as it's normal, i don't mind it that much. i'm very happy w/ the pioneer. it's too bad about the denons though, i just didn't want to have to worry every time i brought the denon out.

DJ Young Herrera 6:08 PM - 29 January, 2007

The pioneers were good with serato? No issues?

ditc 7:11 PM - 29 January, 2007

what's up young h! yeah man, zero problems with the pioneer. i really wanted to give the denon more of a shot, but i got shook with some of the negative comments about them etc. i knew i only had a 14 day grace period to mess w/ it before my time was up, so i figured i'd get the pioneer and see what happened. granted i've only used it one nite, but so far,,, mega impressive. so we'll see what happens.

DJ Shutout 1:50 PM - 30 January, 2007

Well I picked up my second replacement deck last night and it came with version 97. I had it running for over three hours putting as much work on it as I possible could (Scratching, changing pitch, loops, hot starts etc.) and so far so good. I'll upgrade to v99 tonight and see how that goes.

Has anyone tested out the new version (1.7) of SSL with the 3500's? Just wondering if theres any feedback yet...

DJ Young Herrera 2:19 PM - 30 January, 2007

Yo Ditc, glad to hear you found something that works for you. I'd like to get a hold of some pioneers and really play with them for a while. Just to see how they are different. And how the non-spinning platter is...i dunno, maybe i'll switch to vinyl TTs...

Shutout, I'm running 1.7 with my 3500s with v.98.

So far so good. I like having keylock back =-) Now I can speed up all my crunk and snap to like 120bpms and bring my ghettotech down to match up with it...hahahahahahahahaha

Dj Shamann 4:45 PM - 30 January, 2007

Quote:

Has anyone tested out the new version (1.7) of SSL with the 3500's? Just wondering if theres any feedback yet...

I'm on the 1.7.1 candidate and it's running amazing. The best so far.

ditc 4:58 PM - 30 January, 2007

i wish i still had one to play with that actually worked, i would've liked to have spent more time w/ the denon before returning it. does the new 1.7 work well with the cdjs?

Dj Massive Vx 6:41 AM - 12 February, 2007

well i have my denon 3500 for awhile now i think about 6 months and recently i have been noticing some cue slips kinda like a roll that u get from a drum meachine but only on 1 of my decks i dont know if something is loose or its a problem within the software since i updated to 99 haha...

but yeah i was thinking on gettin serato for my denons and i read some of the problems u guys have with urs...

but one of my main question is when u guys ssl crashes is it because ur guys are running on pc or mac ?

and this might sound stupid but i have been planing on buying a macbook intel duo core processor with 1G of Ram would that be enough to run serato?

BriChi 1:36 PM - 12 February, 2007

The crashes really are not because people are running pc or mac, It's mainly corrupt files, bad cables, People not hooking things up properly but they blame serato, etc.... The Macbook you want to purchase is perfect for ssl, I know many people including myself on a Macbook with the same specs that run perfect. Good luck

Dj K.Smith 6:13 PM - 12 February, 2007

Quote:

well i have my denon 3500 for awhile now i think about 6 months and recently i have been noticing some cue slips kinda like a roll that u get from a drum meachine but only on 1 of my decks i dont know if something is loose or its a problem within the software since i updated to 99 haha...

but yeah i was thinking on gettin serato for my denons and i read some of the problems u guys have with urs...

but one of my main question is when u guys ssl crashes is it because ur guys are running on pc or mac ?

and this might sound stupid but i have been planing on buying a macbook intel duo core processor with 1G of Ram would that be enough to run serato?

Denon 3500 user for over a year w/ Serato and no 3500 problems ever...

DJ Bananas 4:50 PM - 24 February, 2007

Anyone having problems using the effects with the 3500? When I sample a sound and then change the song the sample is gone and a sample of the new song is there (does that make sense). I have all these effects on the 3500 and can't even use them with SL1. I've done the firmware upgrade as well.

BriChi 5:00 PM - 24 February, 2007

you cannot use the effects on the 3500's with ssl, only stuff like looping, hot starts, etc...

dj disturbed 5:25 PM - 24 February, 2007

Quote:

Anyone having problems using the effects with the 3500? When I sample a sound and then change the song the sample is gone and a sample of the new song is there (does that make sense). I have all these effects on the 3500 and can't even use them with SL1. I've done the firmware upgrade as well.

yes.. you cant use the effects (the ecco works to a point).. and for the sampler.. remember its just sampling the control signal... not the acutal sound coming through the speakers... so yes.. when you use the sampler on a song it will work on THAT song.. but whenyou load a new track it control signal that is sampled will controll the new song loaded. The nly way to use a samplerthe way you want right now is to have a sampler set up through the mixer (after the audio goes out of the sl1 box).

Nex85 6:17 AM - 18 May, 2017

What's up everyone I have a pair of denon dn-s3500 with a numark M6 USB mixer controller.....i recently purchased a new dell Intel core i5 ,256gb SSD,8gb memory ...and I also just the denon dj ds1 interface that comes with serato dj....my problem one turntable works with it when I first start program then after one song it stops working right..then on top of that turntable #2 doesn't play any audio out of it at all and the needle on serato program runs counter-clockwise.....i know when I installed serato dj it ask me to install quicktime 7 and I click no but serato still installed onto my laptop without quicktime....could that be the reason for it not to work or if not has anyone in here had the same issue I'm having now or know how to fix it??.....i just want to get this fix so I can get to djing again it's really stressing me

DJ Guayo 5:35 PM - 19 May, 2017

Check to make sure your RCA cables are not crossed over. The counter clockwise is usually attributed to RCA cables being connected backwards somewhere along the signal chain.

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