Reply to Numark MixDeck Review

I haven't seen enough real, detailed reviews on the MixDeck, and when I purchased mine, I almost steered clear of it for that reason, which I believe is rather unfair. So here is my review, good, bad and ugly, I hope it's helpful to those who are looking at it:



The Mixdeck in all its glory. But can this thing do what it claims?

Features:

Numark really went all out with the MixDeck, they obviously set out to create something that would satisfy as many types of DJs as possible using the existing technology they had available. And by existing technology, I'm referring to the actual left and right decks. These decks are, essentially, identical to the NDX800 players Numark released more or less simultaneously. The feature set is identical, though the platters are somewhat smaller.

Each player has a CD drive with the usual MP3 functionality, a USB port for USB sticks and hard drives (make sure your USB hard drives are powered by an external power supply, however) and each deck acts as a standard MIDI controller. Mappings are provided for Traktor LE and Traktor Pro. Virtual DJ 6.07 and above has built in midi maps for the MixDeck.

In the center, you have a standard mixer with a switch on each side for external/phono input, CDJ/USB input or PC mode. Where this differs from your run of the mill mixer is the inclusion of an Ipod dock.

MIDI Functionality: Rating: 7.5/10

As a controller, the MixDeck is very competitive at this price point. You have full loop editing controls, dedicated effects slider and parameter knob, your start/end knobs, large platters, pitch control, a song selector knob and all the usual controls. I would have liked to have seen more cue point buttons, but I wound up using the keyboard (1-9) for cue points anyway, so it's not a big deal.

NOTE: The MixDeck has to be set to MIDI mode on -EACH- deck. Each deck acts as an independent controller, even though they share the same USB connection. It's very easy to do this, you hit the source button and move the source parameter to the mode you are looking for (Called 'USB MIDI'). There are other modes (For using it as a CDJ system, or as a USB Stick/Drive player).

The downside in MIDI mode is that the mixer itself is NOT MIDI enabled. For some, this could be a serious downside. However, whether it's the computer doing the fading/EQ work, or the mixer itself, it still works well enough. Some might not like the lack of customization (especially for the crossfader) that you lose here, though. Also, some compatibility issues cropped up, and required a firmware update, though Numark made this a relatively painless process, and already has the fix on their website.

The Good: Powerful controls on each deck, almost everything you could want. Great price, looks awesome.

The Bad: Mixer is NOT MIDI enabled. Might be an issue for some. A firmware update was required out of the box. I would have rated this controller a 9 if the mixer had been MIDI enabled... it's disappointing, but not necessarily a game-killer.

The Ugly: Has to be switched into MIDI mode, instead of automatically dropping into it. This is a minor inconvenience. BPM display on the actual PLAYER LCD is not always accurate. This is also a minor inconvenience, as it does not effect how the controller operates Traktor and Virtual DJ in any way.

CDJ Functionality: Rating: 9.5/10

Two words: Epic Win.

As CDJs, I put these above even some of the mid-range Pioneer decks which are twice as pricey. The platters are touch-sensitive, you have all the controls you could want, full USB functionality, accurate BPM detection, hardware effects... the list goes on. Having all of these features in one solid rig that costs less than a single Pioneer CDJ800 is just epic.

The mixer, in CDJ mode, is exactly what you would expect. Some don't like the crossfader, but you can unscrew it and replace it easily if you don't. You have reverse/standard modes and fade/cut modes as well.

The downside here is the display. When you have USB hard drives with many gigs of music... it's a bit of a pain to navigate the folders. In all fairness, so are most CDJs, though the high-end Pioneer units solve this problem, they are not anywhere near this price range. So if you expect the MixDeck to be the very best, you will be disappointed. If you expect it to be the best for the price range, well that's a very different matter. I'd say Numark hit the target with this one.

The Good: Great sound, amazing feature set for the money, competitive with the mid-range Pioneer offerings.

The Bad: LCD display makes complex folder navigation annoying at best.

The Ugly: Some might not like the crossfader. I don't mind it myself, but there are some complaints floating around. Fortunately, you -can- replace it very easily.


Ipod Functionality: Rating: 4/10

When Numark announced an all-in-one unit, well.. we expect to see an all-in-one unit. Unfortunately, it seems more likely that the Ipod dock was simply tacked on after the fact. While the Ipod dock, when combined with the Ipod touch, allows for easy, direct recordings of your mixes, that's about all it's really good for.

You have NO pitch control on the Ipod

That's right. The decks don't do anything with the Ipod. You can play songs, or you can record your mix, that's it. I do find the recording ability mildly useful, but if all you can do is hit play on your Ipod songs, it's almost useless. Once or twice, I've had someone hand me an Ipod at a party, needing a particular song, and I'll admit, it's nice to be able to throw something up if I need to... but Numark missed with this.

At least they placed the Ipod dock on a separate volume slider. I'm glad Numark put the dock in there, but a little more thought would have been nice.


Overall Rating: 8/10

One might be tempted to go "wtf" at my overall rating, given the low Ipod score, but rather than trash it for lack of pitch control on the Ipod, I take the view that you just shouldn't buy this if you really need advanced Ipod functionality, the MixDeck wasn't made for those users.

What this is made for is a CDJ who is making the move to Controllerism (and wants a unit to bridge both worlds), the CDJ who needs inexpensive, powerful players, or the Controller DJ who wants to have a good backup in the event of computer crash, hard drive failure or anything like that. Literally, if your machine crashes, you flip a switch and you can keep the sound going. That's incredibly powerful, and really puts my mind at ease. Most of my tracks are on an external hard drive, so I can literally plug that into a deck and it's good to go.

So the MixDeck is a win in its own niche, if you take into account it's dual-use ability and its relatively low price. Pure controller DJs with the cash are probably better off with some of the other offerings out there, but even then, the MixDeck is a pretty competitive offering. It's at least worth a look.

The Good: Great value for the money. Great feature set, large, sensitive platters. Dual-use capability. Hardware players will be useful for many. Looks very professional.

The Bad: Useless Ipod Dock. Plastic construction (it is tough plastic, but still be careful with it). Mixer is hardware only, not Midi.

The Ugly: Having to do a firmware update out of the box is annoying. Better offerings definitely exist, though they cost considerably more.

More Images: