Scratch mixer comparison: Vestax PMC-08 Pro vs. Pioneer DJM-707 or...???
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Scratch mixer comparison: Vestax PMC-08 Pro vs. Pioneer DJM-707 or...??? Posted on: 19.08.2013 by Lavenia Markwell (First and foremost - I'm not interested in Rane products, just like I'm not interested in Technics 1200s. They are out of my current budget and I really don't believe they are worth the extra money. Just my humble opinion.)I'm looking for a 2 channel scratch mixer with good EQ (preferably full kill), good fast cutting faders, and durability. I'm working with a pair of Gemini TT-04 decks + Shure M44-7 on the headshells. These decks handle really well so far and have plenty of torque for scratching. I'm only playing vinyl right now (not DVS)- mixing and sampling for beats. My mixer budget is currently between $200-400. I'm looking for insight about the Vestax PMC-08 Pro and the Pioneer DJM-707 (or 909, if I can find a great deal!). Any users here of either mixer? Or any other mixers in this price range you'd recommend (not Rane)? Much thanks! | |
| Lavenia Markwell 11.09.2013 |
Originally Posted by Vekked
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| Federico Vilas 04.09.2013 |
Originally Posted by Vekked
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| Lavenia Markwell 04.09.2013 |
Originally Posted by DjLiquitATL
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| Nelida Ghouse 04.09.2013 |
Originally Posted by DjLiquitATL
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| Lavenia Markwell 31.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by momo217
Thanks for the offer on the mixers. Its not really what I'm looking for feature-wise... but maybe I'll look around and see if I have anything I can offer for a trade for the Vestax PMC-06 just for a future project.
Originally Posted by Mavis Concave
Anybody here selling a Rane 56 or 56s, Vestax PMC-08, Pioneer DJM-909, or Traktor Z2? I'm ready to buy... |
| Lavenia Markwell 11.09.2013 |
Originally Posted by Vekked
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| Nelida Ghouse 10.09.2013 | good call man! it should be with you for quite a while... and now you're gonna hate other faders cuz none feel quite like Rane faders |
| Lavenia Markwell 10.09.2013 | OK, I got my Rane 56s mixer today, plugged it in and got down to business... I am officially taking back everything and anything negative I've ever said about Rane mixers being expensive an/or over hyped. I love this mixer. Sounds great, plays great, is great. Thanks for all of the helpful advice! |
| Federico Vilas 04.09.2013 |
Originally Posted by Vekked
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| Lavenia Markwell 04.09.2013 |
Originally Posted by DjLiquitATL
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| Nelida Ghouse 04.09.2013 |
Originally Posted by DjLiquitATL
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| Federico Vilas 04.09.2013 | not really a need for an innofader in a rane mixer. The faders a good already BUT since its already installed it doesn't matter. I believe i'm going to keep my Z2 and just put PNP's in the line faders to fix my problem |
| Lavenia Markwell 03.09.2013 | OK so I struck a deal with a pretty cool guy on Ebay. One of the best sellers I've dealt with thus far. Got a RANE 56s mixer (red/white 12" skin) with a new Innofader Pro installed, a pair of new Ortofon MF6 needles, and a Superseal scratch record for a pretty decent price. I believe I'm set with a good scratch mixer, assuming Rane and Innofader are as good as everyone says.... |
| Vickie Scheier 31.08.2013 | No worries, just thought I would throw it out there. The old pmc mixers are solid mixers but definitely lack in bells and whistles. I hear the mixer in the link are a poor man's Rane. The Denon DN-x300. Pretty good price on it as well. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dj-Denon-Mix...item3384f84163 |
| Federico Vilas 31.08.2013 | I may be willing to sell and part with my z2... Pm me and we can chat...and I have good feedback on here, eBay, and PayPal |
| Lavenia Markwell 31.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by momo217
Thanks for the offer on the mixers. Its not really what I'm looking for feature-wise... but maybe I'll look around and see if I have anything I can offer for a trade for the Vestax PMC-06 just for a future project.
Originally Posted by Mavis Concave
Anybody here selling a Rane 56 or 56s, Vestax PMC-08, Pioneer DJM-909, or Traktor Z2? I'm ready to buy... |
| Vickie Scheier 31.08.2013 | Oh, I also have a Gemini 626fx mixer. I got it with the TT-04s actually. It came pretty much new. It's a 3 channel mixer with effects. The crossfader isn't really scratch worthy imo. The cut isn't up to my standards. If you could put an innofader or some other aftermarket CF in it, it would probably make a decent scratch mixer. I really have not used it to mix or scratch on to be honest. I use it as a sort of interface to all my other hardware. You would have to see what crossfader are compatible. Below are some crappy pics of both taken on my ipad. I will also price out the parts needed for the vestax if you're interested. I could do $60 each + shipping. Trading is preferred but I am really open to any offer within reason. Let me know... |
| Vickie Scheier 31.08.2013 | Hey Manis, how are those TT-04 tables holding up? I was impressed with them and knew you would be too. I have a Vestax pmc 06 slim collecting dust. It needs a power supply, faders and some knobs but it is fully functional. I had an innofader installed in it and it worked flawlessly. I switched back to my pmc-05 so that is why those things are missing. I would sell it or trade it for just about anything. Again you need to replace some parts but you could add an innofader, pwr supply, and new knobs for well below your budget. I did put a carbon fiber vinyl cover on it so it looks a bit different. I can upload a pic if your interested. Just shoot me an offer. |
| Lavenia Markwell 28.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by DjLiquitATL
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| Federico Vilas 28.08.2013 | the rane ttm 56 and 57 sl have so much room inside their mixers I could almost install a SL1 and an Audio 6 if I really wanted to |
| Lavenia Markwell 27.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by DjLiquitATL
How?? |
| Federico Vilas 27.08.2013 | There is plenty of room for an Interface mod in that mixer |
| Lavenia Markwell 27.08.2013 | Once again, thanks for all the helpful feedback. I really took all your input seriously and considered what I really need right now and in the next 5 years. I'm gonna have to eat my words a bit from the original post... Today I bought a Rane 56S for $400 used on eBay. I decided to invest in longevity and reliability. Fortunately I found a mixer just within my budget. The seller told me he is the original owner and it has only been used about 3 times at home, never gigged. So hopefully when it arrives its pretty clean and awesome as advertised! Looking forward to having a mixer capable of scratching... FINALLY! I'll post back and let you all know how I like/dislike it. |
| Federico Vilas 23.08.2013 | yup, your finals routine was pretty sick...voted for you last evening ...wah wah won me over haha |
| Nelida Ghouse 23.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by Mavis Concave
And thanks a lot man, glad you liked it . Don't believe I'm going to win this one but I believe I improved on my last year's set so that's all that really matters. |
| Lavenia Markwell 23.08.2013 | OK, I'm starting to understand more why Rane mixers are so sought after. Not having to clean or replace faders is HUGE... I have a friend locally who might let me borrow his Rane Empath for a day or two just to see what all the Rane hype is about. I know its different from the 56/57 but at least I can check out the EQ sound and overall flow. Off topic for a moment... VEKKED - Just saw your DMC Online Finals routine. It floored me. You definitely have my vote. Best of luck!!! |
| Norah Legowski 21.08.2013 | the rane 56 is a good mixer but I believe (not certain) that the vestax 08 may have a better integrated monitor section and more outputs. It really boils down to personal preference... |
| Federico Vilas 21.08.2013 | Vekkeds answer is the best. 08-pro's are hard to find now. If you don't want to do any routine maintenance then I would go for the rane 56. The vestax is my preference but without a deck saver you need to clean and maintain the faders. I'm currently trying to locate a 05-pro IV redbeat. I like my Z2 but really love vestax mixers in general. |
| Lavenia Markwell 21.08.2013 | What is your opinion on the Rane Empath compared to the Vestax 08 or Rane TTM56? Thats one of the only Rane mixers I've ever really considered... |
| Nelida Ghouse 20.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by Mavis Concave
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| Norah Legowski 19.08.2013 | I replaced my crossfader with an innofader after about five years because the post was getting stiff but that's the only change I've had to make. As far as a decent price is concerned, it would depend on what conditions it's in. Paying more than $250 and having to replace faders on top of that would be a deal breaker for me... |
| Lavenia Markwell 19.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by juan2
If I buy used, should I be concerned with crossfaders or upfaders have lots of wear? Are they pretty durable on the 08? What would you say is a good price for a used PMC-08? |
| Norah Legowski 19.08.2013 | Vekked summed it up nicely. The reason why I love the vestax 08 is because I have multiple samplers that I can output to without having to swap cables, plus the EQs allow me to shape the sound to my liking without having to rely solely on the effects on the samplers (handy for filter bass lines and such). On top of that I just like the layout in that the way it's organized suits me... |
| Lavenia Markwell 19.08.2013 | Thanks for such detailed feedback! I will most definitely take all of this into consideration. I'd LOVE to go straight for the Pioneer 909, but its out of my range at the moment. I do plan to eventually go DVS via Traktor, but I'm sticking with vinyl for a while to get away from my computer. I'm in a "back-to-basics" mode right now... Started with controllers a few years ago, worked my way back to turntables and definitely understand now why its so important to experience vinyl mixing. Anybody else have input to add? |
| Nelida Ghouse 18.08.2013 | Vestax 08 is clearly better than the 707. 707 is a mid-line scratch mixer, 08 is high end and is up there with any 2 channel mixers. The good things are the cut and curve control on every fader is really good, nearly full control, the only mixer with better options is the 909 which gives you pretty much 100% control over the cut and curve settings. The sound quality is good, on the higher end, the x-fader is solid and smooth... it's not quite an innofader or Rane fader maybe but it's barely worse. Upfaders feel nice but they're analog if I recall so they may need replaced eventually however I used mine a bunch and had no issues. The effects loop is one of the best, mainly because it has 2 independent loops that both have great control. The EQ is sick because it has 2 settings, 1 for isolation, and 1 that gives you more boost, so you can choose either depending on what you're looking to do. The only draw back is maybe that it has a gimmicky matrix option that is pretty useless... it turns your mixer into a 1 channel mixer, and both channel control 1 side... not that useful, lol. But yea Pioneer 707 has a good fader cut/curve/durability wise, but it feels really clunky/heavy. The upfaders are kinda wack, and the sound quality on the mixer is mehh and gets worse at higher volumes for some reason. I'd avoid it really. Pioneer 909 is the 707 with digital upfaders, better control, built in effects, and improved sound quality (no issues at high volume). Probably top 3 two channel mixers that aren't DVS mixers. Kind of unlikely you'll find one in your budget but not unheard of. Rane 56 is pretty much just solid/classic. It doesn't do anything crazy/different from any other mixers, it just has no real flaws/draw backs. Faders are all non-contact, sound quality is among the best for 2-channel non-DVS mixers, super durable (except for the old power supply, but new ones have no issue). Effects loop is on point. Whereas a lot of 2-channel mixers try to do stuff to be different, Rane just focused on the basics but making everything solid. So yea, the reason it's hyped up is because it has no "flaws" whereas basically most other companies drop the ball at least a tiny bit. On the used market they're probably 550 on avg but I've seen them for 400, so probably near the top of your price range. Ecler Hak 360. Super slick fader, EQs are nice (although they're horizontal which some people don't like). Build quality and sound quality are both top notch. They dropped the ball super hard on the FX loop for both the 360 and 380 though. I believe the problem is different for both, one doesn't have a proper wet/dry control, and the other you can only put effects on both channels or none. So great mixer aside from the effects loop, which could be annoying if you plan on using it. Also it's a bit more rare than Vestax/Rane so it might be more expensive or at least pretty hard to find used. It kinda depends whether this mixer is short-term or long-term. For long-term The Vestax 08 and Rane 56 are both great mixers, and probably the top 2 I'd go for on your budget used. I know you don't wanna hear it but Rane is gonna be a safer bet used, Vestax are more likely to have some issue, but as long as you get to check it out/test it you should be fine. If you plan on getting DVS in the near future, I might consider going with that new DJ Tech mixer that is $200 with a mini-innofader, then saving up for a used TTM 57 or a new Traktor Z2 which both aren't that far out of your budget for a mixer, and even better value when you consider you don't need to buy an external box once you have them. Personally I believe DVS mixers are the bee's knees and basically any mixer with DVS built in is better than the best non-DVS two channel mixer... except maybe the 909 which has an edge purely because the effects are so good. |
| Lavenia Markwell 18.08.2013 |
Originally Posted by juan2
How are the EQs? Clean and vibrant? or flat sounding? How is the crossfader and curve adjustments? Is it durable? I've read the EQ sliders are plastic... any issues with things breaking? Thanks! |
| Norah Legowski 18.08.2013 | I have a vestax pmc 08 pro and I love it. I have to admit that I started with a RadioShack mixer then went to an 18 inch Gemini, cant remember the model/name, then went to a Gemini 626. A friend of mine let me try his pmc 06 slim and I fell in love! when the pmc 08 came out I made the jump... |
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