Need help choosing a 4 channel mixer
Need help choosing a 4 channel mixer Posted on: 21.11.2010 by Cedric Ojha Hi guys, I am looking to buy a new 4 channel mixer and currently I'm stuck on which one to buy. I really like the DJM 800 but can't really justify the price tag. I would like a cheaper mixer with similar features, possibly even with MIDI control so I could control traktor with it as well.I plan on hooking up 2 cdj 1000 mk3's and 2 technic 1210's. I will be connecting my audio 4 as well using vinyl timecode at times. Thanks | |
| Layla Portela 04.12.2010 |
Originally Posted by Filterkat
I just can't get into the cold flat sound of the Zero4, and no matter how much I fiddled with my friends EQ settings I could not get the EQ's to operate like how I expected them to. Perhaps I have been spoiled by the amazing EQs and pristine audio quality that A&H's Xone series has, but to say that the Zero 4 has amazing audio quality I find to be simply inaccurate. |
| Teresia Janusch 30.11.2010 |
Originally Posted by the voice of truth
if you honestly believe behringer mixers are better than pioneer, that just tells me that either your ears dont work, or more than likely your very inexperienced in the world of DJing and sound in general. is numark better than allen & heath? is gemini better than ecler? is soundlab better than formula sound? but, then again i've only been in the game for 11 years, so what would i know? |
| Kala Pellar 06.12.2010 | Tekki uses a reloop, looks like a very nice mixer for the price. |
| Janyce Jardon 04.12.2010 | id actually have to agree with that... they do sound a bit thin... not quite beefy enough for a full club setup unless it was running through an external compressor or external EQ unit...i wouldnt say they have amazing audio quality... but id say they fit the price tag quite well... undoubtably the A&H mixers, along with rane mixers have amazing EQ's/Filters... but youve gotta pay for them... The zero4 gives you an abundance of features, good build quality, and descent sound quality for a very honest price... otherwise i could have reccomended him an Xone4D or an Ecler nuo5... but that would be pointless... they cost just as much, and even more than the pioneer 800 P.s. from what ive heard aswel... the reloop mixers arent bad... have a descent sounding EQ, quite simmilar to the pioneers, and also have good build quality... you can get them pure analog, As usb/interface, or USB/interface with full midi functionality aswel... ... played at a club a few weeks ago that had a 4 chan Reloop mixer and for the first 2-3 minutes of playing... i thought i was playing on a pioneer... then after looking at the line faders and LED's i realised it wasnt... haha... mind you the EQ knobs look/feel EXACTLY the same... but yeah... good sounding EQ/build quality for the pricetag also... cheaper than the korg zero4 aswel |
| Layla Portela 04.12.2010 |
Originally Posted by Filterkat
I just can't get into the cold flat sound of the Zero4, and no matter how much I fiddled with my friends EQ settings I could not get the EQ's to operate like how I expected them to. Perhaps I have been spoiled by the amazing EQs and pristine audio quality that A&H's Xone series has, but to say that the Zero 4 has amazing audio quality I find to be simply inaccurate. |
| Janyce Jardon 04.12.2010 | p.s. ive had 2 mates who bought the berhinger ddm4000 as soon as it came out... one of them is already falling appart... wiggly knobs... couple knobs missing even... faders missing covers... build construction aint great... the other guy has reported that it wigs out in midi mode and is quite buggy... sometimes doesnt display the values according to the fader positions etc. etc. BOTH of them have reported that they have a static buzz sound starting to come out of at least one of the inputs... onr of them which i heard and its pretty freakin bad... and he tells me its getting worse... Im not hating on berhinger... i love their midi controllers like the BCR and all that. and they make some great entry level products for people on a budget... Im just sayin... you get what you pay for... dont expect it to last 5 years... |
| Janyce Jardon 04.12.2010 | i cant see anyone here having mentioned the Korg zero 4... there freakin awesome mixers... not nearly as expensive as the 800's... sound exellent unlike the berhinger... have full midi... a bucketload of effects... about a million switchable imputs... and built like a tank... what more could you want from a mixer... honestly? If only it brushed my teeth in the morning... hmmm |
| Rolanda Clodfelder 30.11.2010 |
Pioneer are all grunt and no go. Behringer bring out good quality desks on budget to suit real musicians who dont obsess about kit. It takes pioneer how many attempts to design the 'latest must have dj mixer', what model are they on now, Djm 8million? Oh, and ive been slammin tunes since b4 the m25 was built son!
@the voice of truth - I smell a troll and i know I should not feed but anyhow... Pioneer are and probably will for a long time be great mixers, no not the best in the world but reliable, tried and tested; personally I'm not a fan and prefer A&H or Formula Sound (who have been in the game alot longer than pioneer). You are advocating that Behringer are great - sorry to disappoint but if you've been dj'ing for so long and know your stuff alot of it is complete crap! and your talking out yer arse! Pioneer have not brought out "that' many model's they have discontinued many of them and presented ergonomic changes to the interface, and introduced new features on some of their range .. they have listened to the requirements of DJ's and innovated on ones that were never thought of. A&H also have many models flame them too ? Their desks for the most part are crappy build, noisy and have as many downfalls as their DJ mixer range. Behringer DJ mixers though known fall apart and be generally, unreliable and honestly would not touch any of their DJX, VJX, VX etc ... mixers with anyone elses. Their compressors, gates, eq's, feedback killers however are great pieces of kit that are reliable sound decent a low fault rate at a bloody good price. When the Pioneer DJM was first released it was a decent sounding MID range mixer which stood up to pro abuse, what sold it was its FX section which was previously not available on any "Club Class" mixer and alot of heavy marketing and rider requests by some top jocks and CDJ 500's were being installed and requested as a club standard making a nice lil uniform kit at a Prosumer price bracket with a USEABLE effects section. BUT The DDM does seem to be the exception to the rule in both features, build quality and reliability ... I've yet to read a review that has said it falls apart, sounds shite, does not perform etc ... in fact the only "real" complaints seem to be on 3 real points and one general and snobby one. 1. Too many features - difficult to get head around "PEBKAC" 2. Headphone Positioning 3. Chris' observation that the headphone not loud enough. 4. Its Behringer - it must be crap Every other review by Pro DJ's, and Engineers alike are glowing. Behinger DDM = Decent Low end Mixer Pioneer = Decent mid range club standard Mixer A&H, RANE, Formula Sound, Ecler = Decent Pro/Studio club mixers. @Chris You've used the Behringer in a live situation ... and you are the only one who seems to have any genuine complaints about it. Guys like you should spread the word about how crap you feel they REALLY are if they are, run some proper SN tests, usability tests, Dissassemble one get a loaner even for a week and put it though its (many) paces. But try to disregard for 10 mins that "its Behringer it must be crap" .. thats mixer racism right there! .. and seems to be the basis of the entire "Dont buy behringer" argument, despite most anyone who have used/bought/reviewed a DDM saying otherwise. Pioneers were not liked by everyone when they came out... "A DJ mixer from a company known for mid range hi-fi gear and car radios" .. Phulllleeeeease, what the hell do they know about DJ'ing. IMHO Pioneer are still a mid range mixer BTW try stuffing the toys of the DJM2k into an A&H and see how much it'd cost :P *PEBKAC - Problem Exists Between Kontroller & Chair </rant> Also even if you don't like the Behringer audio quality, as a standalone midi controller alone its still probably worth the money without feeling cheap and plastic like alot of the midi controllers out there (including their own) |
| Diana Bakkila 30.11.2010 | Technique 1: styling. Technique 2: profiling. Thats my signature son. Carl cox taught me them both back in the day. Any fool can copy and paste stats into a web community . Il print out and paste a faulty label on ur pioneer! U go ask keith moon if he obsessed about kit when he's wreckin the stage. Thats right ya cant, he died of rock! Cuz fuzzin over kit is for losers. So there! |
| Teresia Janusch 30.11.2010 | well, if you look over the last ten years at actually how many mixers pioneer have released compared to behringer, i believe you'll find behringer have released more. Pioneer: DJM-300, DJM-350, DJM-400, DJM-500, DJM-600, DJM-700, DJM-707, DJM-800, DJM-909, DJM-1000 and the DJM-2000 = 11 Behringer: DDM4000, DJX750, DJX700, DX626, VMX100, VMX200, VMX300, VMX1000, VMX100USB, VMX200USB, VMX300USB, VMX1000USB, DX2000USB, DJX400, DX52, DX100, DX500, DX1000 = 18 And i included Pioneers pre-2000 mixers too. also, any 'real' musician i know, do obsess about their kit, it has to be the best they can get and kept in pristine order. and finally if your that old and been djing so long, how come you can't spell Technics correctly in your signature? Techniques is a rookie error. |
| Diana Bakkila 30.11.2010 | Pioneer are all grunt and no go. Behringer bring out good quality desks on budget to suit real musicians who dont obsess about kit. It takes pioneer how many attempts to design the 'latest must have dj mixer', what model are they on now, Djm 8million? Oh, and ive been slammin tunes since b4 the m25 was built son! |
| Teresia Janusch 30.11.2010 |
Originally Posted by the voice of truth
if you honestly believe behringer mixers are better than pioneer, that just tells me that either your ears dont work, or more than likely your very inexperienced in the world of DJing and sound in general. is numark better than allen & heath? is gemini better than ecler? is soundlab better than formula sound? but, then again i've only been in the game for 11 years, so what would i know? |
| Diana Bakkila 30.11.2010 | No offence to Pioneer, but i could make a better mixer with kitchen utensils. Behringer forever baby, for price and ease of use!!! |
| Brunilda Kora 29.11.2010 | Hasn't this dude bought DDM4K yet? What's the hold up??? |
| Irwin Ney 29.11.2010 | 99% of the clubs that you will go will have a 3 band EQ 4 channel mixer as the DDM4000... You dont need to have a loud headphone output if you will be practicing at home You dont need to use the ddm4k FXs if you want to prepare yourself to use a DJM800 at the club... The mixer will provide all the basic functions that you need to mix with 4 channels PLUS a lot of other features. You can choose between use the ddm4k exclusive features or don't use them. Deppends of how do you want to prepare yourself to the next gig. The bang of the buck here is versatility and i don't believe that versatility means that you will use all the functions all the time, means that you can choose, means options and for the best bang ever... |
| Santo Sniff 29.11.2010 | ^^^ 2nd what chris said. imo, one also needs to add shortcomings in design and ergonomics to the list of negatives. for example, the placement of the headphones jack is suboptimal, and it takes too many steps to get an effect up and running. |
| Teresia Janusch 29.11.2010 | I still stand by what i said, I was talking about me, not anyone else. I have played one gig in Belfast using the ddm4000, and i found it to be more complicated than it needed to be, the sound quality was questionable, and the headphone level lower than others etc... The BMW analogy is a load of balls, ever heard of used cars? As i mentioned earlier in the thread, id recommend getting a 2nd hand djm600. its solid (unlike 95% of behringer stuff) and its more realistic option to what you'll be faced with in a club environment. I doubt that any club worth its salt will have a ddm4000 installed. |
| Rolanda Clodfelder 29.11.2010 |
id rather eat my own shit than mix with a behringer 'dj mixer'. worst quality mixers ever
Vestax mixers had their issues too though going back about 12 years ago with dodgy power supplies, DOA mixers, faders that would crackle on first opening the box .. bad humming and more - trust me I sold enough of them! - but they are cream of the crop now. Numark were plauged with QC Issues similar to behringer with almost every mixer being a copy or a copy of a copy ... now they are one of the innovators of DJ gear (NS7 / V7) Behringer BCR/BCF series of midi controllers are being used in plenty of studios round the world .. because they work.. and work well, their compressors and eq's are hired out by almost ALL live sound companies. BUT in relation to the DDM4X its clearly the exception to their crappy dj mixer line, if not strictly a DJ mixer; I have yet to see a bad review.
How very open minded of you, you've clearly read all the excellent reviews about the DDM4000. /End sarcasm.
Not everyone can afford a BMW ... does that mean they shouldn't drive until they can ? Back to the OP's question .... which was he wants a decent 4 channel mixer without spending Uber amounts of cash on a Pioneer / Ecler and would like the option of midi "if possible" ... the DDM4K certainly looks like one of the THE only options out there. Vestax VMC004 FXU / Ecler Mac40 are other options for decent 4 ch mixer without the toys with a decent pricetag .. not much more than the DDM..but reliable and decent club mixers. . |
| Tatum Ansaldo 29.11.2010 |
Originally Posted by deevey
|
| Annalisa Shogren 29.11.2010 |
Originally Posted by djchriswoods.co.uk
|
| Rolanda Clodfelder 28.11.2010 |
I don't know how many channels it has, but it looks like it gets the job done XD
|
| Teresia Janusch 29.11.2010 | id rather eat my own shit than mix with a behringer 'dj mixer'. worst quality mixers ever |
| Gilma Marchini 29.11.2010 | Allen and Heath is pricey, but has the best sound quality. O.O |
| Franklin Momany 28.11.2010 | I don't know how many channels it has, but it looks like it gets the job done XD |
| Matthew Urtel 27.11.2010 | Ecler Nuo 4 |
| Ralph Alderette 27.11.2010 | oh, lol. i thought we were still talkin about the analogous/theoretical e-class benz. DJ Asand.... AWAY!!!! (flys away) |
| Tatum Ansaldo 27.11.2010 | that was a joke, I was talking about a mercedes e-class... |
| Ralph Alderette 27.11.2010 |
Originally Posted by fullenglishpint
ddm4k for its flexibility.. 2 channel traktor plus 2 cdjs/tt's or 4 channel traktor. or 2 channels plus 2 dedicated fx channels AND the ddm's fx. plus it sounds pretty good too! its very underrated i believe. |
| Irwin Ney 26.11.2010 | DDM4000 is perfect if you will use only at home, and it's cheap! |
| Tatum Ansaldo 26.11.2010 |
Originally Posted by deevey
|
| Rolanda Clodfelder 26.11.2010 | Does the e-class have midi ? |
| Kala Pellar 26.11.2010 |
Originally Posted by Patch
|
| Brunilda Kora 25.11.2010 | I've had both the DJM600S and the DDM4000. Although the DJM is 100% dependable, the DDM4000 is head and shoulders above it feature wise. The DDM4000 is seriously under rated. At |
| Fay Scibona 25.11.2010 |
Originally Posted by JesC
|
| Kala Pellar 25.11.2010 |
Originally Posted by JesC
I have heard that the behringer stuff, the DDM especially, is pretty sound nowadays and they have really got their game together but to me they will always be knock off pioneer gear that lasts about a year..... |
| Cristian Carmona 23.11.2010 | +1 with the DJM 700 or 800, sorry behringer but I've gone thru more mixer from your company than any other, and ive been djing since 93 |
| Ralph Alderette 23.11.2010 | the difference between the ddm4000 and the rest of the 4 channel mixers mentioned is pretty big in price.. honestly, for what it does I love my ddm4000. BUT the reason I got it was bc i didnt have the money for a Denon, which has the scratch certification and midi strips too. For the price point, I would DEFINITELY buy the DDM4000 again, but if I had triple the money I would have gone for something else. |
| Tatum Ansaldo 22.11.2010 |
Originally Posted by djchriswoods.co.uk
|
| Teresia Janusch 22.11.2010 | id recommend a 2nd hand djm600, you could probably pick one up for around |
| Alta Corea 22.11.2010 | Im believeing of selling my Pioneer DJM600 for a good price. I want to get a DJM800 now. Pm me if interested. |
<< Back to Reviews of DJ equipment Reply