whats the consensus on Mixers????

jolly wailer · Post by **jolly wailer** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 2:22 pm

been peeping the numark site trying to pick a product - from the looks of things $ is not too much of an issue since I could probably cop even their higher range stuff... but..

I was wondering - what is the consensus on preference between just your high end straight ahead solid 2 or 3 channel mixers and the mixers that have all those bells and whistles like on-board phaser and delay effects, toggle wheels, BPM LEDs, tap buttons and the like??? Is all that shit unnecessarily kitschy shit or is it actually a useful addition to what was already a functional unit...

I guess I was leaning towards a straight forward mixer without all the little lights and dials to confuse me... I don't even know if I dig when DJ's throw a phaser on top of the whole mix.. seems like its well overused innit?

discuss

elgato · Post by **elgato** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 2:35 pm

my opinion, perhaps misinformed but...

if you can afford high grade then buy with the added bits, they're fun and you can be creative. i think Allen & Heath are widely regarded as the ones

but i would always choose high quality components and build over features. i had to replace mine, and i just bought this one cos im brass...

http://www.chemical-records.co.uk/sc/se ... k=VMC002XL

and its sick, the eqs are awesome, you've got high quality, balanced XLR outs, the build is strong, and im confident that the components will last well

roqqert · Post by **roqqert** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 2:38 pm

you could get cool mixers if youre creative with your hiteck mixer .... you can build own breaks/climaxes with all that kinda fx. instead of an controller and a laptop with ableton live, you use 2 records and a bitchass mixer with all that kinda fx or you just mix with a standerd mixer and own with your mixing skills..... its what you wanna do on the stage

decklyn · Post by **decklyn** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 10:34 pm

Lots of high end mixers DON'T have loads of effects and shit.

Rane Empath is $1000 and it's not all fancy like that - just a solid piece of gear.

Sharmaji · Post by **Sharmaji** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 2:47 am

if yr rockin' parties mixing tune by tune... then something like a pioneer 800 will give you some fun little transition tools (filter sweep, phaser, etc) but not much else.

if you're looking at your room and you're like... hmm... i've got 2 decks, serato, ableton, and reason, with finished tunes in all 3 that i could dub out if only i knew how to get everything sync'ed..... then you can do some serious, serious things w/ it, all live.

all about how you exploit the tools that you have... if you're in the above situation and without the $$$ for a mixer that'll do it all for you, you'll find another way.

dirtycash · Post by **dirtycash** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 1:33 pm

not keen on preset dj mixer effects.
my preferences are based on club use on big systems, for a home mixer i dont think it's that important...id spend less and spend the change on some other kit if it;s for personal use..dont think you need a A&H in ya bedroom, unless you just one lotto, have rich parents etc....

Allen & Heath...best mixers period. Loud, clean & crisp, easy to use ,solid build.

Rane. Not quite as loud, (and what i mean is signal when jacked into a large P.A), so not that important for home use.
Great little mixers, easy to use, a few nifty features, watch the model with stupid power adapter thing that is prone to falling out mid gig

Numark. Good functionility, not that well built, low end models are lacking basic features

Pioneer. What the fuck is up with the headphone set up?...layout is borrowed of Allen & Heath, ie sensible

Vestax..piece of shit, noisy, difficult to use pieces of crap.

dirtycash · Post by **dirtycash** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 1:46 pm

heard the urei mixers by soundcraft aint too bad?
never used them...
mechanics based on legendary urei gear of the 70's...still used in plastic people i think?

jolly wailer · Post by **jolly wailer** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 1:55 pm

^ yo informative post... laid it down to the point... good one chief

__________ · Post by **__________** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 3:23 pm

dirtycash wrote: Vestax..piece of shit, noisy, difficult to use pieces of crap.

that's complete bullshit! you think numark make better gear than vestax?

how is that difficult to use?

if i was buying a new mixer on a budget, i'd get urei or vestax one. no need to spend top dollar if its for your home. personally, i think that the newer numark mixers feel cheap and horrible, but the ball is in your court.

cryptic · Post by **cryptic** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 4:14 pm

yes defiantly get a Allen n heath or vestax!

Vestax cross faders are also easier to find than other brands. plus most clubs use them allen n heaths!

Also good thing about vestax, is that the corssfaders only goes 99% to the end,so there less breakages on the corssfader!

__________ · Post by **__________** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 4:25 pm

the faders on ranes are superb, i fell in love with them when i had a razz on one. they're easiest crossfaders to crab scratch on, in my opinion.

jolly wailer · Post by **jolly wailer** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 11:39 pm

word... I kinda got the impression that some of those numarks were cheap looking when I was comparing their models... I'm definitly looking at the allen and heath's but I need to do some research on their models... I'm looking for something with a few more channels than just a straight ahead 2-channel..

but my question wasn't really about brands (although the comparisons in this thread have been helpful) it was about the mixers that have the on-board effects as opposed to the ones that just effectively handle the task of mixing itself and not much else... and I'm kind of coming to the conclusion that FX mixers land on the sort of cheap end of things..

thanks folks

dirty · Post by **dirty** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 11:27 am

just make sure the eq's are really good, you can have all the effects in the world but if the eq's are shit then it will sound butters!

Have you had a look at any DENON mixers?

jolly wailer · Post by **jolly wailer** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 12:01 pm

nah not yet but I'm open really to anything anyone has experience with and is willing to talk shop about... I'll peep.. thanks mate

i978 · Post by **i978** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 1:49 pm

Personally, I go for simplicity and quality rather than bells and whistles. At the end of the day, any mixer on the market will do the job but some just ooze quality. More features just mean more shit to go wrong. If you want FX, you can always get a Kaos Pad later on (but do check for sends and returns on the mixer).

Don't know if anyone has mentioned them yet but Ecler make some nice mixers. The Hak360 is pretty cool 2-channel mixer (more designed for turntableism but does have x-fader curve adjust which you can set up for beatmatching).

blip · Post by **blip** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 8:15 pm

I am considering a new mixer, and so far on top of my list is Ecler Nuo2 (or 3) coupled with a Kaoss Pad Mini. I could get a mixer with effects with that money, but I like that you can have an effects unit that you really know and can easily take to gigs.

kenneth sulu · Post by **kenneth sulu** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 10:38 pm

Proud owner of an Ecler Nuo5. Mainly got it for the amount of channels, but the effects surprised me by being better and more versatile than Pioneer. Overall it's an incredible mixer with a TON of features and most importantly, good sound and EQ.

Otherwise, most products from Ecler, Rane, A&H, Vestax or Pioneer should do the trick. Beware of Numark and completely avoid Behringer, Gemini, etc.

Happy hunting!

blip · Post by **blip** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 1:58 am

A friend has a Numark DMX-06 (guess that is the code) that has great sound, effects, and for my taste, ergonomics. Regarding copycats Behringer and Gemini, agreed.

daft cunt · Post by **daft cunt** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:47 am

Blip wrote:A friend has a Numark DMX-06 (guess that is the code) that has great sound, effects, and for my taste, ergonomics. Regarding copycats Behringer and Gemini, agreed.

Hijacking the thread for a second.
What you people reckon about the DXM-06/09? I don't really care about the fx unit but I'm looking for a 3-channel mixer for an average 300 EUR/200 GBP and this one is in the top 5 best-sells at some of the most popular dealers.
The only con about it seems to be its lack of resistance to repeated gigs but it could be a good home mixer.

__________ · Post by **__________** » Sat Sep 01, 2007 10:45 am

the crossfader wears out very quickly on the dxm 09, but i must say the delay effect on it is suprisingly good. its great fun mixing reggae on it.
its easy to mix with, as the pfl buttons are easy to see and the killswitches are well positioned and functional. the cons are the xfader like i said, the fx can be a bit fiddly to select (and most of them sound shit) and the tap button is a waste of space.
sound quality is ok, the mixer feels cheap but it does the job.
if you're not interested in the fx, i'd say go for another mixer, cos i expect you're mainly paying for the inbuilt fx with the 09, and they ain't worth the money imo.

whats the consensus on Mixers????

whats the consensus on Mixers????

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