It's a solid deck for learning, I'd say. The jog wheel has a nice feel to it, but some say that the interface is lacking a bit. Important for just stepping up to the plate and being able to play, but no problem at all for someone who is going to use it all the time. However, if you can spend $300 on a mixer, I'd say you have a decent budget. You might want to look into an equally-priced Denon or Pioneer double-deck...it'll be higher quality and more of a workhorse. I mean, it might serve your needs, but...put it another way: if you get a used "professional" deck, it will probably still perform better for longer than a similar lesser brand.
Mixers under $300? Go for a UM...erm, yeah...19". Umm...well, how many channels do you need? Gemini CS-19R? Not many toys (But if they add a corner here, they skip a corner there. Not good.) but I hear it is of the same calibre as the UMX series, which is not only the (ex-)best thing in the Gemini line, but really the
only thing you should consider in the Gemini line.
Anyone else? I'm kinda' clueless as far as cheap 19" mixers go. Since you're a newbie, you might want to go digging through past threads about budget mixers. If anything, it'll give you an idea of what's out there and what to look for.
Of course, welcome to FP!
