4 channel mixer vs. 3 channel mixer?

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-- 4 channel mixer vs. 3 channel mixer?

Posted by trancearmada on Jun-14-2002 19:56:

4 channel mixer vs. 3 channel mixer?

I am having a bit of a head fuck with this.

So I am planing on buying a pair of Stanton STR8-100's, that I have decided for sure. But like I am saying I am having a bit of a problem with the mixer decision.

Do I buy a Vestax PCV-275a and later buy 1 CD deck. Or do I save up for a Tascam TX-9 and buy two CD Decks later? Am I just totally lost or what?
See my problem is that STR8-100's have a line input on the deck so I could technically just buy a CD deck and plug it into the TT.

Or does a 3 channel mixer mean that it has 3 channels for TT's and 3 more could be used for other source? I am just totally new to the whole concept of DJ equipment. Am I just being retarded?

I am so confused. Can some one help my dialema!

Posted by El~ZaPo on Jun-14-2002 20:13:

hey trancearmada.
Most mixers, at the back where you plug in your turntable you'd plug in into the phono connection... but if you use cd players you plug into the line connection. So if you have both turntables and cd players, you can have them all plugged in at the same time. All you have to do to change from one to the other is flip the switch that controls whether the phono or the line is the one giving out sound.

This also means that you don't need a 3 or 4 channel mixer if you're not planning on having more than 2 sources playing at the same time. 3 channels gives you more freedom if you want to use a sampler or anything like that, 4 is overkill imo.

Posted by trancearmada on Jun-14-2002 20:16:

thanx for the info, will note that for the future!

I feel like a moron now!

Posted by JohnSmith on Jun-14-2002 20:40:

Yeah, almost every mixer is phono-line switchable.

in fact, the vestax PCV275 is even better, it has 3 position switches, so each of the three channels can accept a turntable, and 2 line sources.

so, you could conceivably have, 3 turntables, 3 cd players, 2 channels of your computer, and a MD or sampler hooked up all at once.

you can only have 3 of those playing at once though.
in total it has 3 phono inputs, and 6 line.

with your stantons, the phonos can also be a line input, so you could conceivably have, up to 8 line sources hooked up at once!

so, yeah.. get the vestaxPCV275 that's what i have, and i love it.