Vestax PMC-07 vs. Rane TTM56 vs. Empath

C

catnap

Major Label Whore
i'm looking for a top notch scratch mixer. originally my search was limited to ones with 3 upfaders, but since that narrowed the selection too much, i decided to look into regular 2-fader models.

so i have two questions for y'all:

1. how does the PMC-07 (standard version; not Samurai, not ISP) stand up to the Rane TTMi56? at first i thought the Rane was more versatile but now i'm not sure.

2. Is the crossfader in the Rane Empath the same as the 56? i'm willing to spend the $$$ for an Empath if it can do the same stuff as a 56, but i can't seem to figure it out. I know the Empath uses P & G faders... does that make it better or worse than the 56? remember, i'm looking at it from a SCRATCH perspective.

thanks,
sim*n
 
The Empath uses Penny & Giles faders, the TTM56 uses proprietary contact-less faders. Both are well suited to scratching but the 56 is more flexible - it allows you to do some funky sh!t with the curve of the crossfader - center click, etc. The Vestax is not as robust as the Rane. In general they don't sound as good and the eq's aren't on par. If your just going to scratch you probably won't need the third channel, making the 56 the best choice for you. Also check out the Xone:02 and the Hak 360 mixers.

-Gene
 
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I have not used an empath, but I have used the other two, ande I have also used P&G faders. After owning a 07 a while ago and owning a 54 now, I can say get a Rane without even pausing to think. The 56 skull****s the vestax and still has enough energy to do a victory dance around the carcass... The faders are a *little* light for my liking, but other than that, the mixer is probably the nicest scratch box that I have ever used. I did not use the fader functions, and I doubt that I ever would, but I guess it is nice to know that they are there. The sound quality and the EQs are far superior on the Rane (even the 2-band 54), and the build quality is more than solid enough for anything that you could think of exposing it to. All that and the fact that Rane is amazing in the customer service dept, and it is kind of hard to go about the high points of the still problematic 07. Vestax scratch mixers are nice, and I am sure that a fair number of people on this board, including me, got to know vinyl better through an ALPS fader, but I think that the Ranes (especially the 56) simply raised the bar over the pro series.
-Peasant Nikon
 
wow.... i'm feeling a lot better about losing an ebay auction today where i was bidding on a used pmc-07... the auction closed at $400 and while i was thinking that was a good price, from what you guys said today as well as extensive searches of this board's archives, i'm kinda glad i didn't get the 07.

so now i guess it comes down to the 56 versus the Empath - i'd prefer a 3rd channel, but not at the expense of scratch ability... so any more thoughts on that?

thanks for the input so far guys!

peace,
sim*n
 
I still lust after the 56, and I would own an empath right now if I did not have two mixers that cater to the two extremes that the empath brings together. The 56 has a few more toys and a little more space, but the empath will still do anything you need it to. I would say that you would probably have a hard time finding faults with either of them (although I say that about the empath without using it based on how confident I am in Rane stuff). You are the guy running three 12s and a 175 right now, right?
-Peasant Nikon
 
Check out the other discussion on the board labeled rane 56 vs. empath. Should answer all of your troubles. I agree with Peasant N. I have a 54 and it ROCKS far and beyond the Vestax I own. Far and beyond....
 
Peasant Nikon said:
You are the guy running three 12s and a 175 right now, right?
-Peasant Nikon
Click to expand...

yeahp! that would be me. this particular topic has become more pressing for me, as i have been recently booked to play a 3-day skateboard contest in Knoxville TN at the end of the month. i'll be tagging for 4 hours everyday with two turntablist buddies of mine, Headstrong and Kwest-On, so i need to get my sqratch abilities, well "up to scratch" :p

i bought a little UMX-5 for $20 off Ebay last week, so i'll be practicing on that until I can get something better.

infradead, i have definately been looking at the HAK 360. i spent a day researching Ecler's HAK series and it seems like they're getting incredibly high marks... it certainly beats the Vestax stuff, but it seems tied with the Rane. I'm going to the Turntable Lab in NYC on Saturday to hopefully get my grubby paws all over the HAK, the 56, and the Empath.

peace,
sim*n
 
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