Beginner DJ Mixer?

[Cooljackdj]

What is the best DJ mixer to buy for beginner?

[Michael_Wisniewski]

MIXERS - supported by djay Pro

---

($) Numark Scratch

---

($$) Pioneer DJM-S5

---

($$$) Rane Seventy
($$$) Pioneer DJM-S7

---

($$$$) Allen & Heath Xone 96

---

($$$$$) Allen & Heath Xone PX5
($$$$$) Pioneer DJM-900NXS2 (macOS only)

[Slak_Jaw]

Are you looking for a mixer or a controller?

[Jru]

Hi @Cooljackdj,

As @Slak_Jaw mentioned, can you clarify whether you are referring to a controller or an analog/digital mixer?

I’m looking forward to hearing back from you and have a nice day!

[Algy_Taylor]

If you’re not sure - you probably want a controller. That’s kind of the whole package (so you can control the decks and also mixer) rather than just a mixer.

After that, it depends on budget. By and large, the more you spend, the fancier thing you get.

If you use Djay Pro already, say on a touch screen - which features do you use most? Cos you’re going to want a controller that gives you hardware controls for the things you use, basically!

If you don’t … personal opinion - if you’re a beginner, don’t worry too much about features. At this stage, you probably don’t have any kind of established style so it’s hard to judge if Feature A will be more useful than Feature B. And to be honest, most features make no difference until you’ve reached a level where you need them anyway. Just go for a cheap-ish controller then upgrade when you have a good idea what you’re ‘missing’.

The things I’d probably make sure are there:

• 2 decks (you probably don’t need 4 if you’re a beginner - I’d argue most of the time pro DJs don’t need 4 either tbh … unless you’re like Jeff Mills or something anyway)
• You probably want a ‘filter’ knob. You’ll likely use this a lot when blending between 2 tracks, so that you can filter out the bits of the outgoing track that clash with your incoming track
• 3 band EQ is quite handy - it’s basically the same purpose as the ‘Filter’, but with more precision (“High” “Mid” and “Low” rotary knobs)
• Hotcue keys can be useful, but most controllers have at least 4 - and personally, 4 is enough for me
• Only if you intend to be a scratch DJ/turntablist - you’re going to want big jogwheels

After that, everything else is just trimmings. Obviously more features are better, but I’d be inclined - if you’re a beginner - to just get a cheap controller, get halfway decent at that, and then work out via the UI what features you don’t have, which actually make a difference.

[Jru]

Thank you @Algy_Taylor!

This is a great response and will most definitely help point OP in the right direction!

[heysoundude]

Start Here