Feature Request: XDJ-AZ 4-Deck Mode When Pro DJ LINK Is Enabled

Currently, enabling Pro DJ LINK causes Decks 3 and 4 to be released for use by external standalone players. While I understand the design intent—allowing additional CDJs/XDJs to connect to the mixer—this isn't the only use case for enabling LINK.

In my setup, I want to enable Pro DJ LINK primarily for features such as:

• Accessing Rekordbox libraries over the network.
• Synchronizing with other software and devices using Ableton Link.
• Allowing third-party tools (such as Prolink Tools, Beat-Link-Trigger and TimecodeLink) to read track metadata (title, artist, BPM, key), playback status (elapsed/remaining time, pitch/tempo), and positional data (exact beat, bar, and phrase numbers).

I don't need to connect external players for Decks 3 and 4, so losing access to those internal decks is an unnecessary compromise.

Suggested Solution

Add an additional option alongside the existing Pro DJ LINK toggle that allows users to choose whether Decks 3 and 4 should be released.

For example:

Enable Pro DJ LINK [On/Off]

Enable 4-Deck LINK Operation [ ]

When enabling this option, display a confirmation message such as:

Enable 4-Deck LINK Operation?

Enabling this option will make channels 3 and 4 available to external LINK devices.

Disabling this option reserves Decks 3 and 4 for internal playback while still allowing Pro DJ LINK features such as Rekordbox network access and metadata sharing.

Note: Reserving Decks 3 and 4 for internal playback reduces the maximum number of external LINK devices from 4 to 2 (using LINK slots 5 and 6 only).

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Benefits

This would give users the flexibility to choose the configuration that best suits their workflow:

• Current behavior: Maximum external player support by releasing Decks 3 and 4.
• Optional 4-deck mode: Keep all four internal decks available while still benefiting from Pro DJ LINK features such as read track metadata (title, artist, BPM, key), playback status (elapsed/remaining time, pitch/tempo), and positional data (exact beat, bar, and phrase numbers).

This seems like a straightforward quality-of-life improvement that should be achievable through a firmware update. It preserves the existing default workflow for users who rely on external players while providing greater flexibility for those who primarily use Pro DJ LINK for networking, read track metadata (title, artist, BPM, key), playback status (elapsed/remaining time, pitch/tempo), and positional data (exact beat, bar, and phrase numbers).