OK, let's be clear on this: I'm not having a go at those that favour rotary.

That said......

I've just got back from having a stab on a friends rotary DJM800. I own an 800 too (for those that weren't already aware..... ). Now then, mine's got the standard faders, his has the rotary kit. I used the rotary kit tonight and could find no advantage in smooth mixing over me mixing with my 800 and using my trim - which I often do for a smooth fade out, or if the notion takes me to fade in. To me they achieve exactly the same thing. OK, so with a rotary kit you've got something a bit more chunky to hang onto - but that's it.

To my mind, having a a standard linear fader as well as using your trim gives you more flexibility over rotary. You've got the features that rotary brings to the table as well as the luxury of being able to cut if you want to.

Maybe I'm missing something fundamental here - and I'd welcome being enlightened, cos to me at the moment rotary options are about as unnecessary as bottled water.

May I just stress, once more, that I am in no way having a pop at those that favour rotary.

Actually, I've just mixed on my 'standard' 800 again, and I've noticed something. If I wanted to fade in from 0 using the rotary method by twisting the trim then I'd not be able to hear the cued track in the phones.

Suppose I've just managed to effectively disagree with myself. Awesome.

Regardless, you get more control over the volume with a rotary knob...

The gain knob adjusts gain, which is the volume of the line before it goes through the rest of the mixer.

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it's also more natural for your hand to rotate than pushing the slider

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Much more natural movement

quote:

Originally posted by Jarvmeister OK, let's be clear on this: I'm not having a go at those that favour rotary. That said...... I've just got back from having a stab on a friends rotary DJM800. I own an 800 too (for those that weren't already aware..... ). Now then, mine's got the standard faders, his has the rotary kit. I used the rotary kit tonight and could find no advantage in smooth mixing over me mixing with my 800 and using my trim - which I often do for a smooth fade out, or if the notion takes me to fade in. To me they achieve exactly the same thing. OK, so with a rotary kit you've got something a bit more chunky to hang onto - but that's it. To my mind, having a a standard linear fader as well as using your trim gives you more flexibility over rotary. You've got the features that rotary brings to the table as well as the luxury of being able to cut if you want to. Maybe I'm missing something fundamental here - and I'd welcome being enlightened, cos to me at the moment rotary options are about as unnecessary as bottled water. May I just stress, once more, that I am in no way having a pop at those that favour rotary.

I use the trim exclusively on non-rotary mixers. You must admit is affords less accuracy and precision than a nice chunky rotary fader. So for myself I would love a rotary mixer. But you're right I make do by using the trim and the linear faders as you describe.

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quote:

Originally posted by Jarvmeister Actually, I've just mixed on my 'standard' 800 again, and I've noticed something. If I wanted to fade in from 0 using the rotary method by twisting the trim then I'd not be able to hear the cued track in the phones. Suppose I've just managed to effectively disagree with myself. Awesome.

With rotaries you want most of your mixing to be between 6 and 8.

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quote:

Originally posted by Tony Morello it's also more natural for your hand to rotate than pushing the slider

I disagree.

To my natural instincts, a slider seems far more "right". When it's in the "up" position, the volume will be high, whereas with rotary I find that my mind doesn't naturally associate something turning on it's own axis as "up" and "down" the way a moving fader does.

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quote:

Originally posted by Zild With rotaries you want most of your mixing to be between 6 and 8.

There is no way to say that. Every sound system is different.

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i got a rotary mixer because i think it is much smoother to mix with one. i never liked faders, they're just too easy to move too much accidentally. and i don't like using the gains to mix with as, like you said in your second post, it fucks up the cueing.
i don't really feel like i need linear faders even when bringing something in fast as rotary knobs can be turned quite fast or then you can use the line/phono switches to cut something in.

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quote:

Originally posted by skip .....then you can use the line/phono switches to cut something in.

Not sure that would give me the control I get from faders, it's to sharp.

But I've been thinking. If you had 2 CDJ1000s which have a phono and digital out, with a 4 channel mixer like the 800 for example, if you had a hybrid rotary on channels 1 and 2 and linear on 3 and 4 you could get the best of both worlds. You hook the digital of CDJ1 to channel 1 and the phono to channel 3. And follow the same process for the second CDJ to channel 2 and 4.

It's not going to happen though is it?!

quote:

Originally posted by Jarvmeister Not sure that would give me the control I get from faders, it's to sharp.

yes, it is very sharp (can't get any sharper than that really), but sometimes that's what i need at least. if i need something less sharp i'll just twist the knob really fast. but i do agree, that for cutting and tricks etc. linear faders are better. i just prefer rotary as i don't really cut much or do any fancy tricks, i just like to mix as smooth as possible most of the time.

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