Hi all,

I recently have developed an interest in mixing. I have created a few mixes with the Mixmeister Fusion software and would like to obtain some low-cost, yet decent, hardware to practice controlling real knobs and mixing live.

My friend told my about the very compact Numark Omni Control. It costs ~$315-350 and from these videos on the Numark website and here, it appears to have a lot of what I'm looking for.

Here is a review of the device.

Again, I'm looking to get the most bang-for-the-buck and not spend a lot of money up front in case I don't like mixing live. If I end up liking mixing, I can shell out more money for some better hardware later.

Have you ever used this device? Opinions?

Thanks for your input

___________________
I am the opiate of the masses.

My mixes:
****Favorite Trance Songs of Early 2012 Mix(July 2012)****
****Love & Loneliness Vocal Trance Classics Mix (July 2012)****

I use a Total Control which is exactly like the Omni except plastic and no soundcard. I love it and it's a great way to learn DJing; great intro setup.

i'm using a numark stealth control together with traktor, which is practically the same device minus the soundcard.

it's very useful and i like that the basic controls you'd also have on a cd-player are there and basically work the same. but i've already spent hours on personal midi-mappings since i'm not using it the way it was designed. i'm using at as an additional controller for decks c&d and always in conjunction with an external mixer. so i've changed everything to work with c&d and re-mapped the eq and channel faders, crossfader etc. and i've merged in some extra mappings to control certain features of deck a&b.

so far i'm very happy with it, and it hasn't let me down yet

___________________
... the deal about djing is: you're using other people's art to create your own ...
... the deal about djing is: to positively surprise the audience with your taste ...
Sure I know how to move you. But damn! Can't you fucking move yourself?
Click here to get MacGyver's Way - Volume 1! Do it. Do it!

Thanks for you advice guys. I think there is a good chance I will purchase it.

___________________
I am the opiate of the masses.

My mixes:
****Favorite Trance Songs of Early 2012 Mix(July 2012)****
****Love & Loneliness Vocal Trance Classics Mix (July 2012)****

I also recently stumbled across this similar device:
Vestax VCI-100SE

It seems to have more control options, but is significantly more expensive (~$550 vs ~$325 for the Numark).

Any thoughts?

___________________
I am the opiate of the masses.

My mixes:
****Favorite Trance Songs of Early 2012 Mix(July 2012)****
****Love & Loneliness Vocal Trance Classics Mix (July 2012)****

looked into that one too, but i thought it was too expensive tbh. try to get your hands on one... i tried it in the store, imo it's not that much of a difference compared to numark.

___________________
... the deal about djing is: you're using other people's art to create your own ...
... the deal about djing is: to positively surprise the audience with your taste ...
Sure I know how to move you. But damn! Can't you fucking move yourself?
Click here to get MacGyver's Way - Volume 1! Do it. Do it!

That's the one I use to control Traktor. It's expensive, but it's damn worth it because the thing is built like a tank and it works perfectly with Traktor.

The only downside is that it doesn't have an integrated soundcard, so you would need to get that separately.

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My Set Archive - MY BLOG

Hmmm... the Numark Omni Control device seems to be out of stock pretty much everywhere. I can get a refurbished unit at the Numark website for $315, which is decent. Here is the site's notes on
refurbished equipment.

Unsure what to do.

___________________
I am the opiate of the masses.

My mixes:
****Favorite Trance Songs of Early 2012 Mix(July 2012)****
****Love & Loneliness Vocal Trance Classics Mix (July 2012)****

Well, Numark's customer service is known for being monumentally shit, so I would advise against it.

How much can you really afford to spend?

If you are patient you might be able to get this setup

Vestax VCI-100 + Native Instruments Audio 2 DJ

For about $450 - $500

The VCI-100 even includes Traktor 3 LE.

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My Set Archive - MY BLOG

quote:

Originally posted by woscar Well, Numark's customer service is known for being monumentally shit, so I would advise against it. How much can you really afford to spend? If you are patient you might be able to get this setup Vestax VCI-100 + Native Instruments Audio 2 DJ For about $450 - $500 The VCI-100 even includes Traktor 3 LE.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I'll stay away from the refurbished units.

I'll let you know what I get later.

___________________
I am the opiate of the masses.

My mixes:
****Favorite Trance Songs of Early 2012 Mix(July 2012)****
****Love & Loneliness Vocal Trance Classics Mix (July 2012)****

Update:

I got the Numark Omni Control a couple weeks ago and love it. Within this short time I am quickly becoming comfortable with the controls and am discovering new things everyday.

I have a question about how to proceed. The Omni Control has a auto-beat match button and a button to keep the song in the same key if I change the pitch. So far, I have been using these two buttons for every transition (that is, I have not been manually beat matching). I figure that I eventually will need to pick up this skill, but perhaps I can wait a while longer until I get better at using the mixer in general.

I would like to hear your opinions on what to do next.

If I wait a while before learning to manually beat match:
Pros - I can spend more time playing with eq'ing, effects, song selection, transitions, etc... while using the 'training wheels' of auto-beat matching.
Cons - I delay learning an important skill.

Also, approximately how many hours of practice does it take to get 'comfortable' with beat matching? I realize that it will depend on the person, but a rough estimate is fine.

___________________
I am the opiate of the masses.

My mixes:
****Favorite Trance Songs of Early 2012 Mix(July 2012)****
****Love & Loneliness Vocal Trance Classics Mix (July 2012)****

What software are you using?

___________________

My Set Archive - MY BLOG