Good 4 Ch. Mixers with FX

[Lo_loKO]

Hello!
I have a question 4 all u experts out there

I finally got the money for a new mixer and it is equivalent to $1000...... but I can get more..... if I wait.....I dont need the mixer NOW... Ok........ a mixer under 1250.....

Help me!!


Please tell me what mixer you would choose.... and why.... so I can understand your point and make the best choice for me...I mix house + trance... I need 4 chan. so I can use 3 TT + sampler.... but there are too much mixers in the market and I just cannot try them out...

THANK U!!!!!! U R THE BEST

[Angelic DeeJay]

u can get the Pioneer DJM-600 for 900$-950$...
it's a 4 ch. mixer with effects, good mixer, amazing layout, nice sound, very durable... it's the industry standard
OR! u can get Allen & Heath Xone:62 for 1000$-1200$, it's a 6 ch. (4 "active" + 2 "passive") mixer, no effects (tho it got AMAZING filters), amzing sound an built, top quality mixer with GOOD and USEFUL features!
for the price range u got, u got lots of options, all u gotta do is choose
and don't buy a mixer cos' it got effects and samplers and gizmos built in, cos' those gizmos usually suck in quality and control (meaning: they are EXTREMELY limiting)
REMEMBER: u can always add effects! with an external effector (and it will give u much better results)

if i were in ur place, i would get the Xone (i got one ) and external effect unit, something like Korg Kaoss pad (~250$), Alesis Air FX (can get one for 140$-200$), or Electrix Mo-Fx (ONLY 99$!!!) tho it's more of a studio unit than "live performance" unit

[Lo_loKO]

Yeah...... Hou bout the Rane 44, Roland DJ 2000?
Is the Roland comparable to this class of mixers?

Vestax PCM 400 (think it is this one)?

[Tricky]

Personally id go with the roland dj 2000 over the others. otherwise hell forget all of them and wait a month for the Tascam X9 !!!!!!! it should retail under 1100 $ . its gonna be worth waiting for. !

[Angelic DeeJay]

i don't think the Roland or the Pio or the Vestax are in the same league as the Rane and A&H....
IMO, if u got the cash for Rane or A&H, get them! no doubt about it!

[Undercurrent]

out of all the mixers you have mentioned the highest quality by far is the Rane mp44.

the xone's i have had bad experiences with and lots of people in my city have had bad experiences with, i can actually say i hate them.

the roland whilst being heavy on features (the midi clock output is the main one i dig), the units i have used have felt like they were about to break in my hand and the build quality felt comparable to the cheaper mixers. i like the pioneer's theyre good solid mixers and if you got one you would be familiar with the mixer that 75% of clubs use.

my vote is the rane. and then add effects later like the roland ef303 or pioneer efx 500 or korg kaos pad.

[dj alonzo]

I say either get the Rane or wait a few weeks and buy the Tascam X9!!!!!

[Lo_loKO]

I think the X9 seems a good mixer.....

....... looks like a tank.........

[Undercurrent]

yeah but do you really want to be buying a first generation product? who knows what bugs still need to be ironed out of it before it works perfectly? i mean just look at what happened with tascam and the cd302............and look at allen and heath, shortly after releasing the xone series the released revisions that solved some minor issues, i still think theyre junk though.

go for a mixer from a company that has been making dj mixers for many years (rodec, pioneer, rane, vestax, etc.......)

[Dj Thy]

Hmmyeah, I respect your thoughts about the Xones, but my opinion is different.
Maybe you guys know I was a big fan of Rodec (I still am), but still I'm going to buy a Xone instead.
Allen & Heath is using it's huge experience in audio building to provide what is one of the best mixers around. So, yeah there were some problems with some units that fried out. Oh you think only Xone has that? Think again. I've seen more DJM's blow up than any other mixer (last month was the most recent), maybe that's why I'll never buy one. All respect to the guys that love their DJM's and why it became the standard (it's ease of use), but it really doesn't cut it for me. You know, even Rane's and Rodecs can die (quite easily in fact).
All piece of equipment have flaws, but the difference between crap manufacturers and good ones is that the good ones learn from their errors (and have good customer support). Need I remind you that some of the known Rane mixers are revisions too? (TTM series for example).
Just to give an example : the DJMs, how many DJMs are there in circulation right now? Yeah, I've seen a lot blown, but generally the quality is good enough to ensure you it will work for a long time.
Buy a budget or badly designed mixer and you'll know FOR SURE that something will break down after I while.

As for the Xones, the second revisions were mostly estethic/design changes. The first version had shiny plates, you know well enough how difficult it is to keep it that way (fingerprints anyone?), the EQ knobs where black, but some dj's want to see the knobs in the dark.
The only real big change is the xfader. They probably thought that for the price you pay the Xone, they might as well give you the best you can get (and believe me the ALPS one isn't really crap either). But for the rest the electronics didn't change much at all. It works, so why change it.

It's just a matter of preference. It's like you would compare a Ferrari to a Lamborghini. Both are jewels, but some will say Ferrari is crap, others will say the opposite. (I'm more a Lambo man myself ).