mixers and controllers
mixers and controllers Posted on: 07.09.2009 by Tatiana Grife i have been very interested in starting to learn to mix, and i want a basic mixer or controller with some effects and preferably some kills for a cheap price, but i want it to be a quality piece of gear
. i would be mixing just straight from my computer through traktor.i was just wanting to know what a good product would be to buy to get me started and not break the bank at the same time. i was also wanting to know what the difference between a "standard" (i dont even know if that is the right word for it) and usb controller would be. as far as i know, i have 1 friend that is a newer dj and he uses a standard mixer which plugs into a box that has a usb that then connects to his computer. i didnt know if there would be any advantages to having a usb mixer or controller so you didnt have to have this extra step, or what. please forgive my ignorance on the subject, but i guess this is where i needed to come to figure it out. thanks. | |
| Tatiana Grife 07.09.2009 | i have been very interested in starting to learn to mix, and i want a basic mixer or controller with some effects and preferably some kills for a cheap price, but i want it to be a quality piece of gear
. i would be mixing just straight from my computer through traktor. i was just wanting to know what a good product would be to buy to get me started and not break the bank at the same time. i was also wanting to know what the difference between a "standard" (i dont even know if that is the right word for it) and usb controller would be. as far as i know, i have 1 friend that is a newer dj and he uses a standard mixer which plugs into a box that has a usb that then connects to his computer. i didnt know if there would be any advantages to having a usb mixer or controller so you didnt have to have this extra step, or what. please forgive my ignorance on the subject, but i guess this is where i needed to come to figure it out. thanks. |
| Vernon Positano 08.09.2009 | Alot to cover here! Ok.. firstly.. a 'standard' mixer has no audio interface, in other words, it has to be fed the sounds from either turntables, cdj's or computer software (via the soundcard). The standard mixers function is to 'mix' multiple audio streams together, and allow you to do things like listen to one track, whilst another is playing out live through your speakers. Mixers come in various flavours, some with effects on board, some without. And different mixers support different numbers of channels, from 2 - 6+. A basic mixer will support 2 channels, plus your headphone output. USB Mixers. Some mixers come with more than the standard stuff inside. Some can also act as a soundcard for your laptop, so not only can they receive audio inputs like a standard mixer, they can also generate audio themselves (which is then routed to one of the mixers output channels). Further more, some usb mixers can operate as midi controllers, which means they can control computer software like traktor. These midi mixers may also have soundcards built in. Now... midi controllers.. These often perform the same task as a standard mixer AND decks/cdj's. However, this is ALL done via software such as traktor. The midi controller really has no guts at all, other than the ability to send control signals to the laptop. If the laptop dies, so does your performance! And just to add a further layer of complexity.. some midi controllers are JUST controllers, such as the VCI-100, and will need a soundcard to actually get sound out of the laptop. Others have soundcards built in, such as the VCI-300. Whilst money is always an issue, I would personally recommend you get a basic 'standard' mixer and a midi controller (and depending on the controller, you may also need a soundcard). So, if you've been paying attention, your next question will be.. why do I need a mixer AND midi controller when you just said 'a midi controller can act as a mixer and decks'. The answer is simple. Midi controllers and software do a damned good job, but they still fall short in some areas. For me, one of the main areas that highlights this is cueing uptracks and setting gains. Also, if the laptop were to crash/die, then you could keep playing out audio if you had a deck/ipod/whatever plugged into one of the mixers spare channels. |
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