I’m looking for a DJ mixer and I know very little in this area of gear. There are a number of features I would like to have on it. I recently acquired another 1200 after fixing a few of them for a friend. So now I have two 1200s. I have been djing with Ableton (yeah it isn’t dj software but I got stuck in my ways) using a Korg Kontrol and an Audio 2 DJ. I would like to have the control and soundcard capabilities in a DJ mixer that I can also run phonos into.
I’m expecting there are people in the forums here with more knowledge in the DJ realm.
USB
Two channels that can be set from USB. Like the Audio 2 DJ.
Midi controls using USB.
Regular phono and line inputs on at least two channels.
Level meters on each channel and on the main output (I like to watch my levels).
Any input would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Edit: It would be great if elektron made such a mixer but I can’t wait that long.
DJ Tech is starting to make some interesting and affordable mixers. If the DIF-1M ever comes out, it has the midi capabilities, but not the usb audio…is that what you are after? I think they have currently have some with usb audio.
Though honestly, I’m not seeing what point you are getting at mentioning the audio 2 dj and then wanting usb audio in the mixer…if I understand you correctly. That would be redundant.
I would forgo the USB audio in a mixer anyday for a better quality mixer, and usb soundcard.
I would personally also probably forgo the midi control from the mixer for a dedicated controller.
But that’s just me (and I’ve been doing it a long time, and know what I like)…
the Pioneer DJM-700 sends midi data from it’s controllers…but again, if those same controls are controlling audio I don’t get why you would want them as midi controllers, too.
The DIF-1M does have dedicated midi controls, though I’ve not used it and not sure if they cover enough of what you want.
Good to know about that mixer, but the AH ZED10, from what I can tell, is not a DJ mixer at all.
For all the features you want, you might end up paying a lot of money. Having said that and looking at the xone db4 suggested earlier, I am not seeing where that crazy pricetag comes from. The inputs / outputs on that thing leave a LOT to be desired…I guess the functionality is all digital within the device / computer.
I stand by my suggestion to look for a Pioneer DJM 700 (has the metering you want), or look at what DJ Tech has to offer.
Well the DB4 has a midi layout on the mixer so basicly u cold use it without midi interface or cdjs…just plug the computer in. 4 soundcards in the db4 one for each channel, shitload of onboard effect + filters and a looper on each channel. But dj mixer is very much up to taste…i dont like the pioneer mixers but love Ecler and Allen&Heath
The DIF-1M looks promising! Yeah, I might have to just use the Audio2 DJ. I was looking for something that would power more usb so I wouldn’t need three USB ports to run everything. I was looking to simplify my setup while getting the new mixer.
Also with the four channel ones with effects, I know I only need two channels and no effect. But they have all the meters, booth output, crossfader kill switch, that I like. Yet, they are 5 times more expensive then the next lower thing. There is a huge gap in the mixers these days.
Also it can’t be expensive anymore to throw together a two channel mixer with audio and midi on usb for a few hundred.
Back when vinyl control was first getting popular, there are guys that literally installed cheap usb 4 in/4out interfaces into their mixers. A classic vestax such as the pMC 05 has plenty of empty space in it…so if you really want usb built /hacked in, that is a very cheap option.
But also consider again what you are doing…I don’t get the point of having the audio controls double as midi controllers because you really can only use them for one purpose at a time. So I’ve never gotten that desire except that it doubles as a midi controller when it’s NOT being used as an actual mixer. Personally though, I set it up in one configuration and use it as is. A hercules midi controller (I recently sold one for $20) is a great midi controller (and sound card, btw)…which keeps the mixer as a mixer. In theory, I could have hooked that up to a $50 vestax and had everything you ask for, bargain bin off fleabay.
So many options - I advise to just buy used / available / cheap, and let your exact needs / wants present themselves as you use it. No need to spend $$$ on new (and take one off the market if its a hot item ;]) if you are going to find you don’t really need those features in the end.
I just snagged a good deal on an Allen & Heath XONE:4D - it has literally been a game-changer in how I make music, with MIDI on both side and a soundcard in the middle. As an alternative consider one of their standard DJ mixers (a XONE:xx where x=a number) and add some 1D’s to the side for midimapping.
