DJmixerTech

Review: Citronic SMFX-200 2-Channel Mixer

2009-01-03T13:02:00.000-08:00

Citronic reports that there is a new DJ mixer is added to their mixer line-up: The SMFX-200. This mixer had been exhibited during the Frankfurt Messe 2008 in Germany. Now he's also become available.

This mixer is also reflected in our Gear Base (Citronic SMFX-200). It is a versatile 2 channel mixer Citronic built with DSP (digital sound processor) securities unit and mix effects in controlled crossfader. Phono, line and USB inputs allow you to connect different audio sources. Each channel has a gain control, 3-band equalizer with -35 dB CUT and can independently effect the unit are assigned.

Features:

USB In-Output (option record)
7 inputs: 2 Aux / Phono, 2 Line, 1 Mic and USB 2
Gain control per channel
Dual 10 LED VU meters and pre lice Fuck
3-band EQ with CUT (-35 dB) per channel
Dedicated mic channel with 2-band EQ and talk about
X-fader effects: echo, brake-and-transform function with auto-mix effect
Auto BPM and BPM-tap display
Headphone cue mix system
VCA X-fader curve with 3 selection
VCA channel faders with adjustable sweep
Faderstart for X-faders and channel faders
Built-in effects: echo, auto pan, flanger, manual filter, auto-filter, reverb, pitch shifter and send / return.

Specifications:

Frequency response 20Hz - 20kHz
Signal / noise ratio> 80dB
Crosstalk> 70dB
Connection voltage 100-240Vac, 50/60Hz
Dimensions 297 x 223 x 106mm (7U)
Weight 3.5kg

Source DJWise

Review: Numark CM 200 Mixer

2009-01-03T12:18:00.000-08:00

DJs seem to be musical gadget collectors. Years ago we had two turntables and maybe a microphone. Then we added cassettes, CD players, mini-discs, computers and MP3 players. We also had our wireless system (or two) maybe even an effects generator. There are always new toys to add. And, we usually wait till our backs complain, the rack is full or we've run out of mixer inputs before we get rid of the old toys. Well thanks to Numark's new CM-200 mixer, we won't be able to use the mixer and rack excuses anymore. The CM-200 is a mid-level mixer offering a class leading 16 inputs in just four rack spaces. It is just what the doctor ordered for those of us that suffer separation anxiety at the thought of disconnecting any gadget.

The CM-200 is a fairly standard 19" rack-mount mixer. Each of its five channels has a 3-way input selector, gain trim and a 3-band equalizer. The channel EQ and gain trims are located to the right of the channel fader rather than in line with it. This space saving layout leaves the knobs nearly centered between faders, creating the potential for confusion although I had no problems. Either side of the replaceable crossfader can be assigned to any of the five channels. A button on either side engages the fader start for that side.

Features:

5 Channels
Inputs: 10 line; 3 phono; 3 mic
EQ: 3-band per channel w/ -30dB kills
Pre-Fader-Listen (PFL)
Split/blend headphone selection and cue/pgm mix control
Balanced and unbalanced main outs
1 zone (unbalanced)
Rear-mounted on/off switch
Fader start
19" rack mount - 4 spaces
Replaceable crossfader

A sixth channel is dedicated for the DJ mic. It offers a front panel XLR/¼" combo connector, level knob and 2-band equalizer. Numark also included a convenient mute switch for this channel to prevent constant fiddling with the mic gain. However, they chose not to include an auto-ducking function on the mic channel. Perhaps it is because there wasn't room for another button but I won't miss it. I have yet to find a built-in auto-ducking feature that works to my liking.

The master section includes a full-length fader for the main output and a knob for the zone control. A stereo/mono button, L/R balance knob and a cue/program mode button for the VU meters round out the master section. The meters flank both sides of the master fader, which helps make it stand out. The monitor section includes your basic headphone controls, a knob for volume, a fader for the program/cue mix and a button for the split/blend mode control. The headphone jack is also front panel mounted.

To fit all these controls into four rack spaces, Numark had to eliminate the 12v light socket found on many other rack-mount mixers. The mode control buttons also feature center-mounted LEDs rather than panel-mounted indicators. It is a nice touch that not only looks better; it helps you find the buttons in the dark. Another smart decision was to move the on/off switch to the rear panel.

Despite the four rack-space layout you'll need to leave a fifth space free above the mixer. The back panel isn't recessed and all those wires need to go somewhere. Of course, you might be able to cover that space with an external mixer light.

In use:
The first thing I noticed when I unpacked the CM-200 was that Numark mounted short-circuit plugs into the phono inputs. These plugs prevent unwanted noise from entering through any unused phono inputs. I commend Numark for including these but that made my second observation even more surprising. The manual is only three pages long.

I doubt any DJ will need a manual to operate this mixer and that is not my point. Techies like myself want to know things like maximum input/output levels, EQ frequencies and connection impedances. We may represent just a small percentage of the DJ market but it would only take an extra page to include the data. That's cheaper than one of those plugs that they did include. On the positive side, the short manual leaves out all those idiotic warnings about operating electrical equipment while sitting in a bathtub.

The crossfader had a light touch and smooth action. Although I couldn't measure it exactly, it seemed like the fader has both channels at full volume at the center position and attenuates linearly until the end points. Hip-hop and club DJs may prefer different fader profiles but there is no adjustment control on this mixer. Numark may offer replacement faders with different profiles. As expected for a new mixer, the crossfader and channel faders produced no audible clicks or pops.

The mixer produced a minor amount of hiss with the inputs turned all the way up and no sources connected. It is about par for mixers in this price range and not noticeable with music playing. The headphone output was plenty loud but I detected considerable distortion at the highest volumes. Of course, part of this may have been due to my headphones themselves. I doubt many DJs turn the levels up that high outside of clubs.

Bleed between adjacent channels was not detectable. However, there was audible bleed between different inputs on the same channel. I would highly recommend that a source be stopped or muted before switching the channel to a different input.

Source DJWise

Review: Pioneer DJM-707 Mixer

2009-01-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

Firstly let me start by saying "this mixer is incredible" as a little brother unit to the 909 so I'd imagine that the 909 will make me piss my clothes (Damn). Anyway, here goes. After intense practicing for the KoolMixx Dj Battle (which I've won the first prelim on May 4th), for the upcoming DMC heat, laying scratches for the two new Public Enemy albums, as well as using it live at Hip/Hop-Drum-Bass raves this mixer can take a beating. With it's punchy sound and powerful EQ's not once have the faders bled or shown signs of static or sound degeneration...nice.

The optical crossfader actually brings out the beast in my scratches.....I love the feel, the sound quality and durability. The hex adjust is cool for scratching but I found it gets too loose for juggling (it bounces back towards the middle rather than staying on the side you smacked it to which causes both decks to be heard instead of the one you're juggling to which equals unclean juggles. To combat this I found a sweet spot in the hex adjustment...not too loose...not too tight.

The upfaders although not optical have a nice feel to them as well and really helps with new scratches....a lot of mixers get it half right...they have a nice crossfader but the upfaders either cut too sharp with no fade or fade too much and lacks sharpness...both can hinder routines/performances.

But the 707 is the exact opposite with nice upfader curve adjustment so you can do fades or hardcore upfader scratches (crabs, stabs, etc) with ease and the reverse switches on cross/upfaders are just icing on the cake. Being that I use the Pioneer EFX-500 in my sets I figured I'd use it with the 707 live at my most recent rave (April 15th...Rimini, Rome)...the results...dope!....the combination was great.....I don't know the extent of the 909 effects but this combination was also powerful. I really appreciated the high volume headphone levels as well...that is essential when cueing at high capacity venues.

In summary:

The Pioneer DJM-707 mixer is awesome. It's a solid battle mixer, which caters to the professional battle/scratch dj. It gives straight up control to the artist from the clean powerfully equalized sound to the detailed curve adjustments of the faders with NO bullshit.

Source DJWise

Review: Behringer BCD2000

2009-01-02T07:36:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, there were only a few routes you could take when wanting to mix together your favourite tracks – but even a modest spec computer can thread together a mix with relative ease nowadays. Digital download services mean budding djs from all over the world can get quick and easy access to fresh tracks too.

But, we are all human after all, and very few are content with control purely through mouse clicks and keyboard shortcuts. It’s certainly possible, but a few knobs and sliders can always help. Some of us old timers have also been conditioned with hands on control, so a bit of familiarity is always welcome.

Welcome to the world of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), a protocol that is still going strong since its inception in the early 1980s. It’s a standardised way for equipment to talk to one another, and tell each other what to do. For most purposes this is all you really need to know, but if you want to learn more I would suggest the excellent articles from the Sound On Sound archive (in the August to December 1995 issues – http://www.soundonsound.com ).

The BCD2000 falls broadly into the category of MIDI controller, but it also features a built in audio interface and comes bundled with some software for DJing too. Therefore, with a suitable PC and some kind of monitoring system, you are good to go (some music would be useful too….)

As well as the MIDI controls, the BCD2000 doubles as a 4-in / 4-out soundcard – though the channel input set-up is a bit strange. The outputs are fairly straight forward; you have a pair of RCA connectors at the rear of the unit as well as a headphone output on the front. These are your stereo pairs of CH1-2 and CH3-4 respectively. You can flip these around in the software control panel if you like (using the ASIO drivers in ‘Advanced Mode’). There are actually two pairs of RCA connections for the input section, but also a balanced XLR microphone input too. The mic input has a level control, 2-band EQ, talkover switch and an ‘on air’ switch which routes the signal to the master output.

RCA input A is phono level, whereas input B is phono / line switchable – which seem a lot more sensible in this day and age. Quite why Behringer decided to have only one channel switchable is beyond me, and seems a strange design decision. I can’t think of a good reason. The eagle eyed amongst you will realise that there are more input sections than the 4-in spec will allow. So software input A is actually shared between the phono level RCA connection and the XLR microphone input. You have to choose which you are going to route into the PC with the software control panel.

The MIDI is transmitted over the USB connection, so don’t go hunting for physical connections for MIDI cables! The BCD2000 comes with plenty of sliders, switches and rotaries. All the standard CD player style transport controls are there, as well as extra buttons for looping and FX control. In around these are the mixer controls – gain, EQ, crossfader and channel faders. The symmetrical layout seems a bit counter-intuitive but I don’t think there is a way around this seeing as there are mixer controls too in a very compact space. Separating the transport controls in a more logical way would take up a lot more room. The markings match up to software controls in the supplied B-DJ package, which is developed by Xylio ( http://www.xylio.com ). I didn’t really get on too well with the B-DJ software, so decided to ditch it in favour of trusty old djDecks ( http://www.djdecks.be ).

Technically, any piece of software which responds to MIDI control should be useable – but can take a bit of effort to set-up if support for the BCD2000 isn’t ‘native’ (i.e. someone else has done the hard work so it’s more plug and play). Most applications will have some kind of MIDI learn function, and then you can save the control settings as a template. I managed to assign most of the controls to Native Instruments Traktor DJ Studio without too much hassle, with the exception of the jog dials. I’m getting too old to be spending time using intermediate MIDI control applications to get the results I want, so I stuck with djDecks instead.

Source DJWise

Review: Denon DN-X100

2009-01-02T07:20:00.000-08:00

Denon's range of CD decks is well know and given glowing reviews already by our goodselves as a testament to their turntablist abilities. But for a long time there wasn't a mixer in the Denon range to really bring out the scratchiness within the decks. The X1500 was brought out to bridge the gap but for the money, really didn't have the performance we need to do our cuts justice. A software update has been released to bring the fader nearer the mark but what was really needed was a dedicated scratch mixer. So blow me down if Denon didn't bring 2 out at the same time. This one, the DN-X100, is designed to compliment the additional baby DN-S1000 CD deck but has pretensions of being a quality entry level scratch mixer. So lets see what's on offer.

It's miniscule. It's like a nano-mixer in comparision to pretty much everything else on the market. But like all of Denon's other mixers, is designed to compliment their CD decks and this it does wonderfully. Stood in front of a pair of 1000's with a 100 mixer between them is a site to behold. This truly is a mobile DJ's dream. Denon have clearly hit a niche market - the mobile DJ who still needs performance as well. I hereby coin the phrase nano-dj. Obviously, as you can see in a vinyl turntable setup, the mixer is somewhat lost, but between a pair of CD decks, it looks right at home.

As with all other Denon gear, the quality of this little box is outstanding. There isn't anything about this mixer in terms of build that is even slighty iffy. Despite it's diminutive stature, this mixer feels like it's carved out of a solid lump of metal. It's probably just the fact it's so small that gives the impression of solidity.

This is all pretty standard stuff across pretty much all mixers. But where it get's interesting is the front panel. Included are curve controls and reverse switches for ALL channels. And not your usual budget (and often not so budget) 3 setting curve switch - the X100 has full curve knobs so you can set the faders for whatever style you see fit. For a mixer of this price range, this really is something I wasn't expecting and clearly is a nod towards the scratch fraternity.

And because this mixer is designed to work with Denon's range of CD turntables, the X100 also has full fader start features. This is selectable for all faders, including both sides of the crossfader. Not having a Denon deck, I checked this out with the Vestax CDX-05 and it worked perfectly. Some nice effects can be achieved using a line fader as a fader start and the cross fader to cut. Simplicity is the key here. As I mentioned previously, each channel is split into 2 line inputs, but 1 input is switchable between line and phono at the flick of a switch on the rear panel. A microphone jack sits just above the fader start ports. and completing the setup is balanced and unbalanced outputs.

Power is delivered through a special Denon transformer with an RJ45 connector. I'm still a big fan of kettle leads over these often flimsy connectors but seeing as so much has been shoehorned into such as tiny space, it's obvious why a transformer has been used. As with so many mixers these days, Denon have gone for Alpha faders. Nothing special here - just nice dependable faders that will last a reasonable amount of time provided you care for them and don't abuse them too much. It has to be said that the cut-in and lag times are very good indeed - somewhere around 1.5mm.

But something weird is happening here. When I cut very slowly, the fader response is good with excellent lag and cut-in. However, when I turn up the speed a little, the response tails off dramatically - almost as if the faster I go, the worse it gets. It's amost as if the curve knob is being moved, softening the lag. Now I can just about get away with fast electro cutting, but faster finger techniques are almost impossible. My technique has come on somewhat over the last few months but I'm findings crabs and twiddles just aren't achievable. Sorry Denon, but once again, your fader implementation is somewhat lacking.

As a test, I switched out a P&G from the Denon 300 mixer. The performance increased marginally (but not up to 300 levels), leading me to believe that the circuit is at fault. So it seems it doesn't matter what fader you add in here, it's never going to be good enough to be a true scratch mixer.

Sadly, the X100 isn't software upgradable so this is as good as it gets.

Source DJWise

Review: iPod Mixer Numark iDJ2

2009-01-01T02:59:00.000-08:00

Cast your minds back a few years, to a time when people began to lose their minds and thought that the revolution was starting with the iPod. From with the belly of the Numark R&D lab came the original iDJ, which on the face of it had some merit but when you scratch just beneath the thin veneer of wow factor, was sadly flawed from a DJ perspective. Needing 2 iPods and having no pitch control really wasn’t a great start for the supposedly DJ oriented product.

So off back to the labs for Numark. Smarting from the wounds of the scornful masses, work started on a successor, the first fruits of which were seen at MusikMesse 2006. It took them long enough to get it out there, but now the iDJ2 (not squared anymore apparently) is ready and out in the wild - and receiving much critical acclaim.

About the review: I had written the best part of this review back in November, but was informed that a new firmware upgrade (v1.09) was due and that it might be better to wait until it was out there. Well it's February 2008 and now it is out there, and from what I can see it was very much worth the wait.

Hell yes. The iDJ2 has been seriously remodelled from the original lack lustre edition and embraces all that is good and proper in the professional DJ scene. Stakes have been seriously raised in all areas and great lengths appear to have been taken to make sure that the iDJ2 shakes off the lightweight image.

In a nutshell, the iDJ2 takes the Numark D2 Director, flattens it out with a rolling pin and adds a mixer, a stunning colour screen and a shedload of ins and outs. What you end up with is a complete (and I don’t use the word unadvisedly) DJ solution that fits in a large laptop bag.

The original had a distinct toy like feel, worthy of not much more than a students pad where yoofmans would turn up with their iPods, plug in and pump out random chooons but some feel that they were DJs while knocking back blue drinks. But this is a whole different kettle of fish. This IS for DJs of all style and levels.

You’re certainly on familiar Numark ground with a well developed look and feel permeating through the iDJ2. having got used to a stream of small iPod consoles, it actually feels bigger than you might expect. I suspect that Numark really wanted this to work properly as a professional level DJ tool and adjusted the layout accordingly.

Broadly speaking, the iDJ2 is a conventional DJ metaphor (as adopted by the slew of MIDI controllers) with decks, mixer and EQ sat around the big colour screen. Everything is where you would expect it to be and nothing is really out of place either. I’m sure some would argue that the pitch controls should be at the side of the jog wheel but it really doesn’t matter.

Quality wise, this is the usual Numark mix of solid and slightly flimsy. The case is a really tough plastic - one for a change not prone to scratches or fingerprints a la Total Control. The knobs are confusing - the main knobs on the top have just too much give for me, whereas the front controls are absolutely rock solid. The buttons are the now familiar squidgy rubber ones used on every Numark device every and do give solid feedback. The pitch faders work but like the knobs have too much side to side movement. Consistency Numark.

One of the obvious key selling point of the iDJ2 is the iPodability (yes a new word). Sat right at the top of the unit is a universal dock. It’s adjustable so even your tiny Nano should fit snugly. Provided you’ve taken the time to prep your iPod properly, you’ll get a seamless integration between the iDJ2 and your music.

The key is in the preparation of the your iPod because once it’s plugged in to the dock, it’s simply a vessel for your music, with the iDJ2 grabbing music and feeding it to channel A or B. But the iDJ2 can act as a very large and expensive dock for you to not only play your music but also to watch video as well. Entering “direct mode” turns channel A into a big iPod controller that plays your music just like you were using your scroll wheel. Not only that, you can also watch videos from your suitably equipped iPod via the S-Video port on the back of the iDJ2. Neat and nifty, but not nearly enough to make you buy it on its own - just a nice side effect really.

But it's not just iPods that are catered for - being the digital age, a serious volume of music is being kept on external devices. This can be simple USB keys or Flash media storage, all the way up to huge terabyte disk holding all the music ever made ever. And the iDJ2, via the USB ports can handle the best part of these USB devices as well. On the back are 2 USB ports, but you can also daisy chain USN hubs if you so wish. And with the advent of the v1.09 firmware, you can also use external CD and DVS drives and have the files operate in almost the same way as digital data files. The release notes do state that using tracks from the same CD at the same time isn’t a great idea though.

Each device appears as “USB#” on screen if plugged in directly and as “USB#-#” if plugged into a hub. It entirely depends on how you want to manage your music - you could keep one huge music collection that goes everywhere with you (and run the risk of losing all your music in one go), or keep a selection smaller devices to spread the load and have some sort of fail safe should the worst happen.

In the digital file format wars, there were winners and losers but overall some firm favourites emerged with those people wanting to spin 1s and 0s and the 1s and 2s. It does seem that the mixture of compression and quality has won out with lossless falling by the wayside with DJs. So it's no surprise that the iDJ2 handles MP3, WAV and AAC only. In the previously discussed iPod direct mode, you can also play DRM protected i.e. iTunes Store music as well.

Perhaps other formats will be supported in further firmware upgrades but working with MP3 will keep just about every potential customer happy.

Source DJWise