What Mixer?

[Lead_Head]

Lo all,

I'm gettin myself a pair of very nice decks, but I will need a mixer to go with it!

I'll have about £100 to spend, but obviously if you can recommend cheaper ones for me then I would be grateful!!

Let me know wat u've got / can recommend and where to check them out!

Cheers,

Nick

[ACiD303]

I'm gettin myself a pair of very nice decks

U getting Technics?


For that sort of price, you're looking at entry-level mixers really (brand new) . . . Id probably go for the Behringer DJX-400 - very much a cheaper clone of the higher respected Pioneer DJM300. Has beat sync indicators, and BPM counters for each channel (2) - some can be against these things, but all you need is a postit to cover it. Costs about £99

There are also the Gemini Mixers (something in 5 series and 6 series) - very popular for starters (in the £75-£100 bracket), Gemini, and a lot of people would recommend them (you can get a 3 channel kitted out mixer for about £99), but I have had 2 bad experiences with Gemini mixers that I refuse to buy or encourage anyone to buy them. Similar story to Numark, though their mixers are not as bad as their decks - but Ive never liked the feel of numark mixers.

If you want to maybe save even more money, Behringer do a £70 one (VMX100 i think) - only has a 2 band EQ, but for the price, you get a lot for your money. Though if you can extend your budget, £10-£20, you can buy the Behringer VMX-200 - which is something Id go for. Has VCA (basically last a lot longer, wont start to crackle as quickly) faders too and at that price it's a steal.

[Lead_Head]

Where have you seen these prices?

I've got a contact in the industry ya see - so if you ever need anything

I'm not sure on the technics :/ I know they are the dogs nutts - but they look so ugly!!!!

Whats the difference between all the diferent versions of the 1210's?

Nick

[ACiD303]

All Technics use the same motor/platter system, the torque is the same.

The 1200s are the silver editions of 1210s - there is a difference in them but it's not anything that matters (something like a power regulator or something).

1210 MK3 - minor revisions, a dipless pitch control (doesnt "click" into place at the 0% area) and the pitch doesnt fluctuate (as much) as the MK2 in that region of pitch. Instead, it has a Quartz pitch lock button which you can press for true 0% pitch. Also has a weighted headshell (for improved tracking and non-skip), though it's kind of pointless for some people because the Concorde-type headshells are the biz Not too sure if the extra money it costs is worth the "upgrade" to be honest.

Mk5 - not too sure, it's got different lights going around the place. I think it has a higher pitch range -+10% I think (ony snag I have with Mk2/3 is +-8% isnt enough), but Ive never looked into the MK5 so Im not too sure what the difference is.

The standard in about 90% of clubs or anywhere else you're going to be playing will be equipped with MK2/Mk3's - and if you have them yourself you will be already experienced with them.


Personally, for a machine thats over 20 years old, I think it's a stunning piece of kit - you do "feel" the difference in production between Technics and other decks, they are sturdy and done with finesse imo

But its a lot of cash whatever it is you go for so it is whatever makes you happy

[Lead_Head]

The Technics are the industry standard. I noticed all but 1 had them on my night out on Saturday...

The thing is tho, they might be good for a club/bar etc - but for home use and messing about on them you wouldnt need them, you would need MORE functions on the deck itself surely?

The mixer will be the Behringer VMX100 for the timebeing

I'm awaiting on a price for the Citronic PD45 Ultimas and the Numark TT200 (as a budget one)

I will probably go for the TT200 but we will have to see!

Nick

[ACiD303]

The thing is tho, they might be good for a club/bar etc - but for home use and messing about on them you wouldnt need them, you would need MORE functions on the deck itself surely?

Well, this was my mistake - of course, this is just me personally - but I went for functions of the deck and it looked "smarter" than the Technics. But I was young & wanted to just pay someone to give me nice decks at the time!

My decks have reverse play, 78rpm, a stylus holder, a quartz digital LCD display, +-10% - Technics had none of these. The only real feature Ive used is the +-10%. The rest are novelty items gone stale. by all means, the extra features and functions you have ARE fun to play with, but whether or not you incorporate it into your style is another thing. And if you do incorporate it into your style, you're going to have to make allowances if you play out that you may not have these extra features.

Sorry if I keep pushing the Technics issue, but I know a few people who are like me who want to upgrade to Technics later on, but it has been years on now and I dont see myself upgrading in the foreseeable future! You may well not want to ever have Technics, which would be a good thing coz you save money! Just looking back, I shouldve invested in Technics . . . at least Id be able to get a good price on them if I decided to sell my setup!!

Since you've not bought decks before, aside from my Technics rant, the best other advice is to play on other peoples decks first - see how you like them and compare them. Or even pop into your local Soundcontrol or DJ shop and ask if you can audition. A simple test is to put your hand down on the slipmatt whilst the turntable is running and "feel" the torque. Then try and stop it with the pressure of a couple of fingers - the easier it is to stop, the less torque it has (bad). You can also test this by touching the side of the platter and let it run through your fingers and gently apply pressure to see how much it slows down. My first pair of decks would just stop if I even touched the sides - they were BAD.

[Lead_Head]

I've had a play on the Numark TT1650's... They felt real crisp!

I think i might plump for the TT200's, dependin on price - they are less than half the price of the Technics.... Theres always eBay if I want to flog em!

Nick