looking for a 4 channel mixer... help?
looking for a 4 channel mixer... help? Posted on: 29.01.2013 by Glennis Bischoff Hey DJ Tech Fools, whats up? right now im looking into finding a decent 4 channel dj mixer, but i dont know what to look for. ive seen a ton of them, but im not looking for anything super special. just a 4 channel that doesnt sound like 1 dollar headphones, and has a decent crossfader, because i do some scratching. i use 2 turntables on a DVS setup, but am looking to expand my setup and a 4 channel mixer seems great. i decided it was time to upgrade now, as i just lost my current mixer in a tragic "dorm-room-shelf-fell-off-the-wall-and-broke-every-fader-off-the-front-of-my-mixer" accident. R.I.P. Pmc-05-pro... anyways, ive decided that i should look into a 4 channel mixer, and i need your guys help. i dont want to spend a ton of cash into a new mixer, as i hinted on before, im in college and i need to save my pennies. but DJing is something i will not just put aside due to an accident. TL:DR good 4 channel mixers at a low price. | |
| Danae Dumler 31.01.2013 |
Originally Posted by bassgoesmeow
To answer the OP, yeah the Denon 1600 is the way to go, especially if you can find one for the price above. I had the 1700 and if the fader is the same, it's great for scratching, super smooth but a bit noisy -- I fixed this with a tiny bit of electrical tape giving the metal-on-metal a bit of bumper. If you're using Traktor it's the way to go -- certified so no extra sound card necessary. I like Denon mixers far better than Pioneers based on build quality, feel, and sound (though the latter is subjective and I believe a non-issue once you get into the digital line of Pios). If you just want cheap, the DDM4000 is a really great buy. The interface is kind of shit, terrible firmware, and no chance of it ever getting updated, the sampler is useless, there are some cool effects but they're difficult to make use of intuitively, and a lot of the effects are crap. But it's midi mappable (get a $10 MIDI-USB interface for it to work) so you can have the buttons and knobs controlling something useful instead. And it has a stupid compressor ("ultramizer" I believe it's called) that you should generally avoid, but you might be able to create some cool effects with it. Edit: Just saw the Rane post; yes an Empath would be phenomenal, but if you're in that price range ($999 new and probably $800 used) there are plenty of other options as well. I'd even look at the Denon DNS 1700 and the Ecler Evo 5, both of which can be had used in the same range (maybe one or two hundred more than a used Empath). The Empath would be cooler but more limited (only 3 channels and no digital features); no question the build quality is completely top notch though. TTM-56 is a terrific mixer; I'd be surprised if you could find a used one in good shape for less than 400. The faders are the best I've ever used, including innofaders, without question. They have quirks (they're magnets and if the posts get dirty they feel really wonky, so you have to take care of them), but they're unbeatable and the channel faders are the same as the crossfader so if you like to do fader tricks you can just go nuts. But there's only so much you can do with that aux in, and it doesn't give you a lot of control over it. Though I've used it before to bring in a vocalist and you can run Traktor effects on the vocals which can be fun (you'd need at least an Audio-6 for that though I believe). |
| Cole Maroto 31.01.2013 |
Originally Posted by itsbentheboy
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| Glennis Bischoff 30.01.2013 |
Originally Posted by James Chen
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| Ena Nouri 31.01.2013 |
Originally Posted by bassgoesmeow
Well, then forget about the resale value, for only $500 you got yourself a decent traktor certified mixer with strong midi mapping capabiility. Isn't this just another reason to grab this mixer? I am a turntablist and my ear aren't trained enough to tell the quality of sound from the mixer to be honest, but there are positive reviews about this mixer. And if you like to use on-mixer-fx a lot, x1600 performs similarly to pioneer DJM series (many cheezy fx, some are nice, some you just never gonna use them). The fx functions a lot like the pioneer djm700. You don't have HPF/LPF for individual channel but you got a big one on the fx section and it can be used either to filter the selected channel, or simply filter the fx (something you won't be able to do with DJM800 model). The channel faders aren't loose enough for scrathcing, but the xfader is decent. I have ttm56s for practicing my kuts and had a djm 700 for mixing. The xfader actually performs well, and the channel faders IMHP, are sturdier than the djm. |
| Glennis Bischoff 30.01.2013 |
Originally Posted by squidot
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| Glennis Bischoff 29.01.2013 | Hey DJ Tech Fools, whats up? right now im looking into finding a decent 4 channel dj mixer, but i dont know what to look for. ive seen a ton of them, but im not looking for anything super special. just a 4 channel that doesnt sound like 1 dollar headphones, and has a decent crossfader, because i do some scratching. i use 2 turntables on a DVS setup, but am looking to expand my setup and a 4 channel mixer seems great. i decided it was time to upgrade now, as i just lost my current mixer in a tragic "dorm-room-shelf-fell-off-the-wall-and-broke-every-fader-off-the-front-of-my-mixer" accident. R.I.P. Pmc-05-pro... anyways, ive decided that i should look into a 4 channel mixer, and i need your guys help. i dont want to spend a ton of cash into a new mixer, as i hinted on before, im in college and i need to save my pennies. but DJing is something i will not just put aside due to an accident. TL:DR good 4 channel mixers at a low price. |
| Danae Dumler 31.01.2013 |
Originally Posted by bassgoesmeow
To answer the OP, yeah the Denon 1600 is the way to go, especially if you can find one for the price above. I had the 1700 and if the fader is the same, it's great for scratching, super smooth but a bit noisy -- I fixed this with a tiny bit of electrical tape giving the metal-on-metal a bit of bumper. If you're using Traktor it's the way to go -- certified so no extra sound card necessary. I like Denon mixers far better than Pioneers based on build quality, feel, and sound (though the latter is subjective and I believe a non-issue once you get into the digital line of Pios). If you just want cheap, the DDM4000 is a really great buy. The interface is kind of shit, terrible firmware, and no chance of it ever getting updated, the sampler is useless, there are some cool effects but they're difficult to make use of intuitively, and a lot of the effects are crap. But it's midi mappable (get a $10 MIDI-USB interface for it to work) so you can have the buttons and knobs controlling something useful instead. And it has a stupid compressor ("ultramizer" I believe it's called) that you should generally avoid, but you might be able to create some cool effects with it. Edit: Just saw the Rane post; yes an Empath would be phenomenal, but if you're in that price range ($999 new and probably $800 used) there are plenty of other options as well. I'd even look at the Denon DNS 1700 and the Ecler Evo 5, both of which can be had used in the same range (maybe one or two hundred more than a used Empath). The Empath would be cooler but more limited (only 3 channels and no digital features); no question the build quality is completely top notch though. TTM-56 is a terrific mixer; I'd be surprised if you could find a used one in good shape for less than 400. The faders are the best I've ever used, including innofaders, without question. They have quirks (they're magnets and if the posts get dirty they feel really wonky, so you have to take care of them), but they're unbeatable and the channel faders are the same as the crossfader so if you like to do fader tricks you can just go nuts. But there's only so much you can do with that aux in, and it doesn't give you a lot of control over it. Though I've used it before to bring in a vocalist and you can run Traktor effects on the vocals which can be fun (you'd need at least an Audio-6 for that though I believe). |
| Audrey Pinda 31.01.2013 | Rane Empath. Don't look back. Also, the Rane TTM-56 has an AUX IN channel which you can use to have a friend plug-into. You can score one of those for 250-400 bucks around these days. Can't beat it for the faders or reliability. |
| Cole Maroto 31.01.2013 |
Originally Posted by itsbentheboy
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| Glennis Bischoff 30.01.2013 |
Originally Posted by James Chen
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| Ena Nouri 30.01.2013 | In this case any 4 channel mixer with nice xfader should work. I'd say go for mixer that is okay to have innofader intalled. Getting x1600 isn't necessary as you don't mind using your sound card to run traktor. But honestly tho, if you can get mint x1600 at around $500, I can hardly believe there's any other 4 channel mixer can compete with it within this price range. (plus you probably don't even need to install the innofader) *Edit: Sorry this is meant to answer the op, itsbentheboy. For some reason the quote function doesn't work properly =___=? |
| Joya Heiberg 31.01.2013 | Thanks James. I'm gonna check it out. |
| Ena Nouri 31.01.2013 |
Originally Posted by bassgoesmeow
Well, then forget about the resale value, for only $500 you got yourself a decent traktor certified mixer with strong midi mapping capabiility. Isn't this just another reason to grab this mixer? I am a turntablist and my ear aren't trained enough to tell the quality of sound from the mixer to be honest, but there are positive reviews about this mixer. And if you like to use on-mixer-fx a lot, x1600 performs similarly to pioneer DJM series (many cheezy fx, some are nice, some you just never gonna use them). The fx functions a lot like the pioneer djm700. You don't have HPF/LPF for individual channel but you got a big one on the fx section and it can be used either to filter the selected channel, or simply filter the fx (something you won't be able to do with DJM800 model). The channel faders aren't loose enough for scrathcing, but the xfader is decent. I have ttm56s for practicing my kuts and had a djm 700 for mixing. The xfader actually performs well, and the channel faders IMHP, are sturdier than the djm. |
| Glennis Bischoff 30.01.2013 |
Originally Posted by squidot
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| Joya Heiberg 30.01.2013 | I saw a mint condition x1600 sell for $500 on ebay. Not sure about that resale value. How is that mixer, btw? |
| Ena Nouri 30.01.2013 | I was like you few months ago, considering what 4 channel mixer to get. I ended up with DN-x1600 cuz it's traktor certified and innofader installation seems easy. Now I've been using this for months now and I still haven't installed innofader... the stock one is actually alright. And since you use traktor, the midi mapping capability on x1600 is endless. Last but not least, x1600 seems to have better resale value than DDM4000. |
| Brunilda Kora 30.01.2013 | For info, guys, the x-fader on the DDM4000 is perfectly fine for scratching. It's nice and smooooooth - but the cut-in is not great. Nothing you can't sort our with teh ol' credit card mod, though... I did it, and it's fine. |
| Cole Maroto 30.01.2013 | op is also going to have to upgrade to an audio 8/10 to make any non-certified 4 channel mixer work to it's potential. that's another ~$150-$500. then have to look into an innofader if he's serious about scratching. cheap 4 channel mixers don't start looking that cheap any longer. |
| Masako Barcalow 29.01.2013 | DDM4000 with an Innofader dropped in. I got mine for $300 USD brand new awhile back from Amazon, and many setup changes later, it is still with me. Full effects section, sampler, and MIDI-mappable, it really is hard to beat it when it comes to the price/features ratio. Some people complain that the level faders and crossfader feel a bit cheap (hence the Innofader recommendation), but given the way I mix I really don't mind. I am a mix/club DJ, not much scratching/turntablism, so take this all with a grain of salt. At $300-400 for a brand spankin' new 4-channel feature-laden mixer, I have found it really is difficult to do better. |
| Layne Koop 29.01.2013 | 12" or 19" format...? 12": Vestax 004xl (~$400 on ebay) 19": Denon X-500 (~$300 on ebay) Neither is awesome for scratching...but both are solid, very well built, have very little noise even in the red, and are great value for $$$. |
| Cole Maroto 29.01.2013 | define "at a low price". if you want dvs you may want to look at something like the denon x1600 since it has a tsp certified soundcard built in. otherwise you are gonna have to upgrade from your audio 4... you could also look at the z2 since it's 2+2 channel and priced nicely. i would go this route if you want to scratch because most 4 channel mixers aren't really built for that out of the box. edit: you could also look at the djm t1 and do some mapping to give you more control over the 3rd and 4th decks. |
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