4+ Channel Mixers

7 channels (as the name implies), triple EQ, long-throw faders, XLR and RCA outputs. At the core is the FreeVox disco sound (for big sound systems). The most interesting thing about this no-frills mixer is its sound (the somewhat stiff crossfader might throw off some people. It's not a hip hop mixer, that's for sure). USE It couldn't be easier to use. It's as basic as can be, which gives you the opportunity to discover the joys of its simplicity coupled with a mind-blowing technical level. I've been using it for 10 years and it still works perfectly. You only need to service it a bit to prolong its life. But be careful, you need a rack for this mixer, since the connections are on the bottom. SOUND THE SOUND is the most important thing about this mixer. Freevox made no concessions with it and it's one of a kind. I have never heard anything better. Warm basses, ear-smacking mids and precise highs. What else could you ask for? The EQs are incredibly good. It doesn't matter how fucked up the record is, you can have it sound like an authentic super production with a couple of moves. OVERALL OPINION I've been using it for nearly 10 years and it's still among the best. The Freevox is a legendary mixer. You can find it in the best French clubs (rex club, élysée montmartre...), in Ibiza and even in the States, where French DJs have explicitly asked for this gem. It's the Rolls among mixers! The sound of this mixer definitely marked the sound of the '90s!

(Originally written by warazor/translated from Audiofanzine FR) 100% analog mixer with a huge headroom. You can fully turn up the gain, EQ and master controls and still no distortion, you have endless headroom... XLR master output (the famous 3.3-volt Rodec) and RCA Master output 2 on RCA connectors (you have no XLR on master 2). 5 channels: 3 phono + 1 line/line + 1 line/mic also used as return for external effects (I never used it). UTILIZATION Very simple, very clear. High-quality fader and sloped design (I mention it because it's not everybody's taste!) Crossfader: forget about scratching (anyway it would make no sense with only 25%), but it does what it's supposed to do very well. Accurate VU-meters (except in the overload area, but that shouldn't happen if you boost with the master fader instead of the channel gain controls). Faders curve: linear SOUNDS Regarding what has been written below, I believe Rodec has the best EQs (except maybe for the Technics SHMZ1200). They are musical but don't cut (and it's good so because I'm fed up with those mixers that have nasty kill EQs). Although the Rodec master output is excellent (you need a big P.A. system to actually feel it), I do agree that Xones models sound better. But concerning reliability, Rodec is better! The EQ knobs are a bit too tight... OVERALL OPINION I give it 10/10: indestructible mixer with huge headroom and exceptional EQ. Rodec mixers are top-of-the-line and once you've seen one you'll forget their dull pictures on the web... It's a mixer for vinyl and analog sound fans, for big sound lovers (although it should also match perfectly with a pair of CDJs or a Serato). It's not cheap but if you know what you want, you'll keep it for life...

This DJ Mixer has some cool features that other mixers in the market do not have, such as Dual 8 second samplers, two seperate sets of effects, adjustable Q value for all EQ's and input faders, 100 storable EQ memory settings, and two assingable foot switch inputs that can be assined to trigger effects or starting and stopping samples. However, TASCAM dropped the ball on some basic features. There is latency in the response of the channel EQ's, the BPM counters are very innacurate (which makes syncing effects correctly in time with your actual source difficult), when triggering an effect to a source for the first time it misses the first beat and catches on the second (this only happens when first applying, after first time they work ok). I don't know that you necessarly can consider these anything more then quirks, because there are ways to work around each and everyone of them, but when it comes down to paying $1000 for a mixer one would expect basic technology like BPM counters to be spot on. I mean cheap mixers like those made by Numark and Gemini are able to accurately read BPM from a source so it was surprising that a TASCAM product would be so bad at it. Something also to keep in mind is that Tascam makes mention of an optional Midi-CARD for this mixer. Well the card is not available yet, and one would have to assume that if this card came to fruition that it would be sourcing its time Data from the same BPM circuitry that is innacurate at best. Price paid $1000 UTILIZATION It takes quite a while to get used to this mixer, the first time you use the mixer its overwhelming so many buttons and assign switches all over the place. The placement of the effects buttons and switches are in awkward spot in my opinion. You will definitly be referencing the manual for a while till you are very familiar with the 18 or so different parameters that you can change. Fortunately the manual is very good, you quickly can find what you need to know. This mixer is definilty geared for users who have the time to actually learn the ins and outs of the mixer. No DJ is going to be able to step up to this mixer cold and push it to its full potential. Prior experience with this DJ mixer is required to even scratch the surface, and lets face it most DJ's aren't going to start experimenting with stuff their not familar with in front of a packed dancefloor. As for build it seems solid so far, but this mixers is pretty new so only time will tell SOUNDS Sound Quality is good, seems to have a bit of a digital feel even when playing vinyl. Alot of digital circuitry built in hence the more digital sound. But overall it was good the EQ's are sensitive and very responsive small adjustments can really change the music. The effects for the most part sound typical of those on DJM's and EFX boxes, but you are able to create some unique sounds by really tweaking away at the effects. Its trial and error, but fortunatley you can save those settings into the Mixers memory and quickly recall them later. OVERALL OPINION I liked the Tascam X-9, i thought Tascam had some good ideas but dropped the ball on basic circuitry that is a necessity for todays DJ's. I would recommend checking out the DJ forums on Tascams website to see what others are saying before deciding to drop a $1000 on this mixer Originally posted on FutureProducers.com Posted by: Unknown ( 5-, 2002)

This mixer has everything I would want in a DJ mixer except for accurate level meters. That's the one thing I would have liked to see added to this product. It would have also been nice if they would have used digital faders. I know they could have afforded to put them on this mixer judging by how much it costs new, ($1399.) $400 (second hand) UTILIZATION It's easy to use once you learn how to use the effects board. It's different, but fun once you get used to it. This mixer is very solid. However, I believe that you pay too much for what you get. You're paying mainly for the effects board on the mixer. The crossfader and channel faders are all very tight and don't feel like they're built all that well. SOUNDS Sound quality is pretty good. The effects are GREAT!!! Although I really don't use too many effects. I think that Roland concentrated more on the effects over anything else. So if you love effects, then this mixer would be the tool for you. OVERALL OPINION There are other mixers I would rather have over this one. But it does the job. Originally posted on FutureProducers.com Posted by: Unknown ( 3-, 2003)

3x stereo RCA phono and line, 1x microphone on first channel, shared with line. There is RCA output to main, and RCA to booth. This unfortunately doenst have an special volume knob. UTILIZATION Yes, it takes a couple of tries to get the idea of all the effects (100 FXs). I did not use a manual, as I wanted to try it by myself. SOUNDS A very low, almost undetectable hum. The sound quality is superiour and more natural than the club standards (pioneer), wich have a sertain 'sound'. The EQ is super flexible, as there are a couple of presets on how the EQ responds (full kill, or boost etc) OVERALL OPINION Very versatile, easy to pick up. Its a bit heavy, but when it stands on the table you wont be able to bump it. The mixer has a full metal faceplate wich is detachable with a torx screwdriver for cleaing and fixing pods/changing the x-fader.

The DJM 700 K from Pioneer has effects built right into it like the phaser, flanger or crush effects and there are also 4 different patterns for sampling like the pitch up, pitch down, reverse and roll. I was very happy to use these effects because I was going to be upset with the price of this unit until I had the chance to use it live and work with the effects. I was even able to assign some of the buttons to my effects in my computer to trigger them live. UTILIZATION Setting up this mixer is simple, but if you plan on getting into MIDI and using it with a software program then you might want to make sure you read up on it first because some of the software applications with work with it better than others. But if you want to just use it as a controller then you should be fine in almost any DJ software. If you are a performing DJ I think this is a good mixer to have because of its live functions like effects and quality. If you are not really a live performer than you can get something so much better for a lot cheaper! SOUNDS I have used this mixer with my old vinyl turntables and then a few days later turned right around and used my CDJ turntables with it and it worked great with both set up. It can handle anything and at this price it should be able to. Pioneer always has well made products and I have been using them for 10 to 15 years and they have never steered me wrong. OVERALL OPINION The DJM 700 is a little heavier than I expected at right around 15 pounds but it is not very big. Also it doesn’t come with a case so you will need a good gig case or “hard case” for it.

The Rane MP 2016a is a 6 channel mixer that has effects loops that can be switched and booth plus house outputs right on it. The mic preamp on this mixer is very good, nice an warm and it projects the sound cleanly. Each input on this mixer has a 6 position selector for a source. UTILIZATION You can rack this mixer but it will take up 3 rack spaces, but it is only 5 inches deep. This mixer is great for all DJ’s no matter what style they have. Every DJ can use a mixer like this with a solid construction and nice feel. It has all of the bells and whistles that we all love to work with night in and night out. SOUNDS The headphone output is very loud and has a low noise, I was able to hear everything clearly before mixing in my next song. This mixer is simple to work with and use, and it only takes a few minutes before you feel comfortable enough with it to take right to club and start moving the crowd! OVERALL OPINION I have no complaints with this mixer except for the price, the price was very expensive when it first came out. I am not sure if they price has come down but when purchased it back in 2008 it cost almost 2 grand. That is the reason that I took good care of it and still have it in one of my racks now. This paired with a good sound system and great quality mic is all any DJ could ever want or need. If you cannot afford to spend this much on a mixer then check some of the Numarks rackable mixers. They have some really good ones that do not cost this much. But you will not get all of the features of this unit unless you are willing to pay big money for it.

The Allen & Heath Xone: S2 is a DJ mixer that can be racked. It has 2 mono mic inputs and 4 stereo dual input channels. There are a total of 5 outputs on this mixer. The audio signals that will come out of this unit are very clean. I have used it in a many clubs and never had any issues with it. The price is pretty affordable considering all the features that it has. UTILIZATION Setting this mixer up is very quick and easy, all you need to do is plug in your gear, or if you want to use it as a USB interface you can. If you want to use it as an interface it can record directly to your DAW or you can use your computer for effects. This mixer does have mic ducking, and it will give you full control over the feature by allowing you to control the depth and release of the mic ducking. I have used many units that didn’t give me control over the release and it can get very sloppy when trying to talk over the music. SOUNDS This mixer can be put right in a rack and you will not have to worry about it at all. Even if you do not want to rack it there is nothing to worry about because it is very well built. I have had no issues with it “burning out” like I have read from other users. OVERALL OPINION Also the compressor on this mixer is very good, the limiter too. I didn’t expect to get a limiter as good as the one on the S2 was for this price. It have used this mixer as an interface and a mixer for my turntables before. It can handle just about anything and it is still working great today. I have been using it for almost 3 years now and have no complaints!

The Numark C1 is a rackable 3 channel mixer and at this price, this would be my first choice of a rackable mixer if I was starting all over. It is very affordable and has all of the high end features any DJ can appreciate. This was more expensive when it first came out but it has been reduced to around 100 dollars in most popular stores. There are two switchable phone/line inputs and a mic input that lets you connect this mixer to pretty much any other piece of gear the DJ has in their set up. UTILIZATION This mixer had all of the essentials that I needed and that was the reason that I chose to use it. I used it for almost a year and it never gave me any issues. I didn’t even have to take it off the rack that I had it on because the whole rack was portable. The sound that comes out of this mixer is also very clean and the 5 band EQ is a huge upgrade when considering other models in this price range only have a 2 band or 3 band EQ. If you ever have any issues with the cross fader you can easily replace it and put a new one on quickly and easily. SOUNDS The stereo output for headphones on this mixer is very loud and clean. It is perfect to get your mixing under control. There are no effects on this mixer, and I actually expected there to be some with everything else that it has. OVERALL OPINION The XLR and RCA audio connections you can pretty much run anything in and out of this mixer. I highly recommend this mixer to anyone who has a rack because you pretty much will not want to have this mixer unless you want to rack it because it is large and made for a gig rack.

The VMX1000USB is made by Behringer and it is a great mixer for a DJ to own. This mixer is rackable but it will take up more than one rackspace. I am a big fan of all of the mixers from Behringer in the VMX line, because of the quality and portability of them. This VMX1000 is one of the least portable ones just because of the size of it but it has some really good features. It has RCA inputs which was great for me to run my RCA cables in from my turntable and my CD player decks. It can also connect to your computer via USB so you can work with your MP3’s as well. UTILIZATION Setting this mixer up was not hard at all, if you are familiar with mixers then it will only take a few moments and it will all be ready to go. There are some effects on this mixer but not a lot of them; that was not an issue for me because it was not hard to use external effects from other gear with it. There are a total of 7 channels on the VMX1000USB. SOUNDS This VMX series mixer is not the portable one, it is 3 ½ x 9 ½ x 13 1/10. If you have a rack with some open spaces this will work perfectly for you but if not I would not want to use it unless it was racked just for space concerns. OVERALL OPINION The VMX1000 comes with software if you choose to use it; you can even use your own software that you want to use with it which I recommend. I mainly only use one DJ software for when I am working with this mixer and it is not the one that came with it. The VMX1000USB does come with Audacity (which is free anyways) and a built in drum machine. I just loved the features of the VMX1000 mixer.

The Numark C3USB is a 5 channel mixer that has a 3 band EQ on each channel. You can rack the Numark C3USB up and it will take up 4 rack spaces. The Numark C3USB has no MIDI ins outs or controls on it but it does have 6 stereo RCA line inputs, 3 stereo RCA phono inputs, and 1 XLR mic input. There are 3 stereo RCA outputs and 2 XLR analog outputs. One disappointing thing that I think the Numark C3USB is lacking and should have is on board effects. That is the only feature that I think it is lacking, it only cost 300 dollars but still for that price range you will get some good mixers that have on board effects and as a DJ the more effects you can have the better. UTILIZATION The Numark C3USB will work with your Mac or you PC as long as you are using XP or Vista. I am not sure if they have released a Windows 7 update for it. If you are looking for you first rack able mixer than this one could be a good option for you. It is easy to use, and all of the functions and features are very basic. SOUNDS The Numark C3USB even has a direct USB recording feature. You just plug in the USB cord and have it going into your computer and it can record your performance in high quality right to your PC or Mac via USB. For the beginner DJ that could be great because you will want to listen to your whole mix later on to see some things you can improve on. OVERALL OPINION You can do just about anything with the Numark C3USB, you can do some serious scratching and mixing with it or use it to just run with your software. The EQ’s on it are very good for the price that it cost.

The Denon DN-X1600 is a 4 channel mixer that is on the higher end of the price scale from Denon mixers. It has USB and MIDI in and out connections on it, you can also use it on your PC or your Mac. The Denon DN-X1600 has over 14 effects on, all of them are solid but nothing to make you want to run out and buy the DN-X1600 over. You cannot rack the DN-X1600 and it does not have a built in playback feature. UTILIZATION Setting up the DN-X1600 is semi difficult depending on what other gear you are going to have it working with. There are a lot of inputs on the back of the unit and you will have to be pretty technical in order to figure it all out. Or you can look through the manual which is a pretty thick book, it is very lengthy and not straight to the point. SOUNDS The DN-X1600 is very quiet and does not generate any hissing sounds, it does not even get too warm if you are using it for long periods of time. It is a audio interface as well with 4 in and 4 out connections. There are no digital inputs but 1 stereo digital output and a headphone jack. The DN-X1600 has 5 stereo RCA analog inputs and 2 XLR and 2 stereo RCA outputs. OVERALL OPINION My favorite part of the DN-X1600 is the layout of it, it is made for heavy mixing. I do wish the screen on it was a bit bigger and had a brighter display. All of the knobs and sliders are made well and will last a long time. The cross fader seems to be decent but I don’t see it lasting more than a few years before it starts to cause some issues. The DN-X1600 is a solid buy, but you can get the MC3000 and virtual have the same thing minus the effects and save 500 dollars.