Tips for choosing a DJ mixer
The DJ mixer is a key piece of DJ equipment.
Choosing a DJ mixer can be a little confusing at first. I have aimed this buyers guide at the novice DJ who is doesn't have a strong grasp of what features are important in their DJ mixer. There is a huge variety of DJ equipment out there so I have boiled it down to three mixers that I have used and rate highly. I'll take you through the best features and I have also recommended what I think are the best DJ mixers at 3 different price ranges.
Cheap DJ Mixer:
I think for your first mixer you should spend around $100. At this price I recommend the Numark MX100 which is on special at the moment only $79!. I've used this model and it is actually not too bad.
This mixer is fine for practicing on and playing out at parties. But I found that there was some buzzing noize coming out of the mixer over really powerful sound systems. This is why you pay for a better mixer if you will be playing over big systems.
As you can see it is also compact for easy transportation. This is quite good value even though it is a 2 channel mixer. It has a mic input as well so you can mix two turntables/CD players and a MC on a mic together all at once and adjust all three levels so it sounds good.
If you've got a mate that fancies themself as an MC then you can have some fun practising you mixing while they practice their rhymes. Another important feature is that this mixer has 3-band Eqs. This is a requirement for DJing. You must be able to cut the bass separately in the mix so that it sounds smooth.
This mixer also lets you listen to each channel in the headphones independantly of the main output so that you can beat mix properly (get the next track in time).
The problem with this type of cheap mixer is that the crossfaders are of low quality. After a few months you may get some clicking noises from the crossfader and of course this mixer is not high enough quality to use with a big sound system.
Middle price DJ mixer:
If you want to get a DJ mixer that will let you do a lot more live stuff in your sets then I recommend you get the Vestax PCV175. This mixer retails for less than $400. This is another compact 3 channel mixer. But also lets you adjust the level of 4 mics.
Having more features in one mixer is a good idea. You can always chain mixers together but you will quickly degrade the sound quality and increase the complexity of your setup.
This would be great if you wanted lives drums MC and vocals. The channels can also be sent to an effects unit for even more interesting sounds. It has 3 channel Eqs and kill switches on each Eq. Kill switches let you kill the bass, middle or trebles instantly and are fun to play with and can create some interesting effects.
I have used one of these and they have amazingly quite and smooth crossfaders. This mixer would be perfect for playing over a big sound system in a club.
Top of the line DJ mixer:
If you can afford $800 then get the Pioneer DJM-500 Pro. I have used this mixer a few times and love it. This is a four channel mixer plus 2 mic levels. One thing it doesn't have is the ability to mix the signal running into the headphones. This feature is available on the even more expensive Pioneer DJM-600.
The fantastic thing is the built in effects and BPM counter. I have used some cheap mixers with beat counters and they were completely worthless. I have used this mixer and the DJM-500 beat counters are good enough to mix with. So if you can't beat mix (don't know how or are too smashed) then this DJ mixer will calculate the BPM of each track to you can get them in time with no effort. The other fantastic thing is that the built in effects can be synchronised with the BPM of your tracks so that you get delays in time. This is really effective for vocals.
This mixer has all the other required features for DJing. 3 band Eqs high quality faders and LED level indicators. It is also a great DJ mixer for using CD players. You can also assign the crossfader to any of the 4 channels so that you can effortlessly change from mixing off CD or vinyl. It has a Fader Start Play function thet overrides the pause control to start the music when the fader is increased.
Of course if you want what I think is the best mixer for reasonable money then take at look at the Pioneer DJM-600. This is a serious piece of DJ equipment.
You get what you pay for and this DJ mixer is certainly top of my DJ equipment wish list.
