Rotary DJ mixers with synths?

The Lounge Other Gear
#1

So lately I have been really into the pair 2 items synth/sampler and then go to town making performance oriented programmed music. I was trying to figure out a good small mixer for preforming live with. I have the Bastl dude but I’m not sure if I want to trust it in a live setting I mostly use it to add saturation to stuff I sample, realistically the house mixer is usually fine for what I am doing. But doing my mixer research I came across stuff like the DJR-200 and the Mastersounds Radius 2. Which seem potentially awesome for synths, the isolator and filter type stuff in them just seem like they would add quite a bit to a performance and seem to be mostly used by DJs that mix stuff like electronic/house music. Any of you guys taken the plunge on one of these?

doesn’t hurt that they are pretty to look at, but damn that price around $1,500 for a 2 track stereo mixer is a bit fierce… I saved up enough for a euro rack set up but I might just drop the cash on one of these.

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#2

Mastersounds also has a pretty cool little fx box that pairs with it :thinking:

But maybe I would be better off getting a little eurorack mixer with fx to do a similar job?

#3

What do you want to do? I have no experience with any of the gear you mention, but I do run analogue synths through an analogue mixer and make full use of the eqs and driving the signal to shape the sound, sounds absolutley epic to my ears. Something digital mixers dont seem to do.
Just curious, why do you specify rotary dj mixer? Surely any mixer that does what you want will do?

3 Likes
#4

there’s also…

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MP2015--rane-mp2015-4-channel-rotary-mixer

1 Like
#5

I have an akai MG614 as my main home mixer and really love the parametric EQs on it but I want something small to take out and found the EQs on most small mixers a bit lacking and even on my main mixer its hard to preform the EQs with how they are a stack of 2 knobs but I think the crossover isolator stuff sounds fantastic in videos I have watched same with them and the more subtle hpf on the mastersounds unit… I guess part of it is they are simple, small, sound good to me and look like you could easily preform all the settings while still also hopping around between other gear.

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#6

Ah gotchya. So you are after a mixer that is more playable. Nice. Good luck with your search, those two in your links look lush.

#7

I think Kieran hebden of four tet-fame swears by that e&s one. Not that it should matter, but somehow it does to me :slight_smile:

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#8

btw that rane 2015MP mixer is digital.

I’m not sure I’d invest money into those rotary mixers. What I’ve checked, the spec sheets smell “audiophile” and not “pro audio”. But if you have a way to demo em without buying first, or are allowed a test period, then why not.

Most of those rotaries require rca cabling also

For money like that, you could buy all kinds of mojo inducing audio processors and a mackie VLZ4, and achieve maybe even more euphonic sound. Like running through 4 neve preamps, tube DIs, silver bullet etc

3 Likes
#9

yeah most all DJ gear is standard rca to my knowledge… I have some vintage samplers and rompler stuff that uses rca so I already have cables that go dual TS to rca. I hear what you say especially given the costs about the audiophile nature of it. I’m not really specifically looking for extra mojo (not against a little mojo either) though just a nice easy interface of a mixer in a small package but the more I think about it I think the 3 band isolator is probably the thing that is most interesting about them. I think there are some decent DIY kits to make those, maybe that is the route to go and just use it as an fx with a mixer that I basically don’t touch.

#10

isolators are quite common in DJ mixers. Even my Ecler nuo 2.0 has isolator EQs (A great mixer btw!)

#11

The Rane MP2015 Rotary DJ Mixer looks bad ass. A little expensive tho.

#12

If it s about playability then most DJ mixers beat live/studio mixers hands down, at the cost of lower channel count. In fact i m waiting for the delivery of my Xone:96 mixer for exactly this reason (plus fully stereo signal paths) to replace my Mackie 1642vlz4.

Those rotaries are indeed jn the audiophile regions of the DJ market. Some people I know swear by them. If they bring something that is worrh the investment to you, then go for
it.

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#13

yeah annoyingly it is mostly form factor that they bring as some of the DJ mixer features I really don’t need. So the simplified controls seem nice but yeah… paying audiophile prices for smaller size and simplified controls is maybe not the wisest investment.

#14

Back when I was DJing (many years ago!) I used to lust after Rane rotary mixers. Never had enough money and had to stick with my Vestax tho!

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#15

I agree with @dtr, if it brings you joy, get the cool mixer you want. Never settle for ‘that’ll do’.
If you take your music seriously enough to invest in gear, then invest in gear! If you are doing shows and want something flash to use at those shows, get something flash! It will make a difference and you will love it, the crowd totally pick up on that and they will respond in kind.
Having the right gear is inspiring.

3 Likes
#16

If eurorack was already in the picture what about befaco hexmix coupled with hexpander - would be cheaper and has more channels and sends.

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#17

One of the best shows I played recently was done using a volca mix, two pocket operators and a modal skulpt. The rig looked like a toy LOL. In a dark room, no-one will give a rtas ass what your gear looks like.

Now then, if a particular piece of gear is insiping to the player themself… yeah, thats another matter!

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#18

I was talking about the player.
Crowds pick up on the enjoyment of the player

What that gear is, and what it means to the player, is totally personal.

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#19

I use this Rotary, it is cheap and does the job for 2 channels

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#20

After much research I invested in a mastersounds R4V. It’s the centrepiece of my studio and the input limits are worth the enjoyment I get out of blending various sources. The ultimate for me is sampling vinyl through the mixer into octatrack- it has completely satisfied my Concerns about OT sound quality. It’s a lovely interface and fun to use. I bought a second OT with a view to a R4V with main and cue from each OT into the mixer. Yummy.

1 Like