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Had a go on a DJM800 at Plasa today...
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| Stu Cox |
And I've got to say I wasn't incredibly impressed...
* There's a lag on the crossfader, making scratching or cutting pretty damn difficult
* The fx, although quite cool, don't sound incredible (they're not e, just not as good as I'd expect)
* The harmonic mixing feature doesn't really pitch shift any better than the pitch shift feature on any other mixer, still sounds pretty rough more than a couple of semitones away from the original pitch
* The filters sound pretty weak - of course you've got no resonance control and the resonance programmed in isn't enough imo - they definitely don't sound any better than the filter on the DN-X1500
* The master volume knob was broken already - admittedly it's probably a demo unit they've been using up and down the country for the last couple of months and will have taken a bit of a beating, but it's definitely a comment on the build quality.
* The master cue comes post- master level... which means that if you're playing in a badly set up venue whereby they've got the amps cranked up and the master turned down to limit the volume, you can't hear a thing from the master channel - one of my main gripes with the DJM500 (and think it might be the case with the 600 too but I can't specifically remember)
I appreciate no mixer's perfect and the other top-end mixers have their issues too, it's just you usually have to use it for a while to spot the problems (I was using it for about 15 mins) - in this case they were all things that I knew to test for because other models hadn't nailed it properly! Most other models have at least fixed issues other mixers had and then turned out to have a few of their own.
In its defence...
* It's definitely very useful being able to use the harmonic mixing/filter/bitcrusher/sweep fx at the same time as the standard on-board bank fx.
* The overall sound quality seemed pretty damn good too, to my ears at least.
* From what I could tell in my short play with it, they've improved on the roll effect better than Denon did with their looping echo which is cool
This isn't meant to knock or scare anyone who's just bought one so I hope it doesn't have this effect! It's a good mixer and I'm sure it'll do you proud - mixers are totally down to personal preference (we know this from the number of Pioneer vs A&H arguments we get on here :p). It's just that I was expecting a bit more and was slightly disappointed so thought I'd report back to help anyone thinking of getting one.
:)
I also had a play on a Xone3D, although not enough to really comment... was impressed by what I saw though, although everything's a bit too squashed - the EQ knobs are even closer together than the Xone92 and imo they were too close as it was! |
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| orange_j |
Hmmm...thanks for the comments.
i guess i will have to go try out a DJM800 before i commit to buying one. I am now condidering the following mixers to upgrade too. Anyone care to comment please feel free, i wantto get as much info as possible before making the purchase.
-Ecler Nuo 5
-Denon DNX-1500s
-Pioneer DJM800 |
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| starboy |
| quote: | Originally posted by orange_j
Hmmm...thanks for the comments.
i guess i will have to go try out a DJM800 before i commit to buying one. I am now condidering the following mixers to upgrade too. Anyone care to comment please feel free, i wantto get as much info as possible before making the purchase.
-Ecler Nuo 5
-Denon DNX-1500s
-Pioneer DJM800 |
I'd get the nuo 4 and an efx for fx if i were you, i have a nuo 2 and everything about the mixer is just quality, dont think i will ever want another mixer unless i need more chanels. |
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| orange_j |
| i like the idea of a few on board FX. I dont use them too much so i wouldnt buy an external fx unit. so having them in the mixer is enough. I like the looping feature offered on the denon and pioneer but ecler has no looping. I use serato with tech 1200 so i have no looping available until i buy a CDJ1000. |
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| Trogdor |
| quote: | Originally posted by orange_j
i like the idea of a few on board FX. I dont use them too much so i wouldnt buy an external fx unit. so having them in the mixer is enough. I like the looping feature offered on the denon and pioneer but ecler has no looping. I use serato with tech 1200 so i have no looping available until i buy a CDJ1000. |
Have you considered the Xone:92?
Doesn't the latest version of SSL feature looping? I know the pre-release version I tested almost a year ago did. |
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| Zild |
| Yeah it has looping. |
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| Stu Cox |
| quote: | Originally posted by starboy
I'd get the nuo 4 and an efx for fx if i were you, i have a nuo 2 and everything about the mixer is just quality, dont think i will ever want another mixer unless i need more chanels. |
Good suggestion... the more I see and use different setups, the more I think that anyone wanting to use fx is better off with an external fx.
Of course if you've got onboard fx and external fx then you've got even more power...
Although mr orange_j says he doesn't really feel the need for external fx.
I've got a DN-X1500 and I'm very happy with it, but it has it's drawbacks - the channel faders have a lag (crossfader is fine so cutting/scratching isn't a problem if you use that for it) and we're still yet to receive the promised update to correct it. Also, the fx take a little while to get used to using and aren't quite perfect in certain ways, like the bpm timing isn't incredible and with things like the transformer effect, it literally just cuts the sound instead of putting on a sharp fade, meaning you often get a little click every time it cuts in/out (this affects a few other effects as well). The build quality isn't incredible but it's fine for home use. It used to have loads of advantages over the DJM600 in that it had manual filters, the looping echo etc but now Pioneer have copied all of those fx!
A couple of things the Denon's still got over the Pioneer though are matrix input assign (so you can put any input on any channel, or one input on more than one channel if you like - you can do some cool stuff with that) and the fx send section is separate from the onboard fx, so if you were to get a separate fx unit, with the X1500 you can apply onboard and external fx at the same time - something you can't do with the DJM800.
Dunno if this helps your decision, just thought I'd add it. |
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| DjWoody |
| quote: | Originally posted by orange_j
i like the idea of a few on board FX. I dont use them too much so i wouldnt buy an external fx unit. so having them in the mixer is enough. I like the looping feature offered on the denon and pioneer but ecler has no looping. I use serato with tech 1200 so i have no looping available until i buy a CDJ1000. |
What version of Serato are you using? Serato has had looping since version 1.5. You don't need CDJs to use it. |
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| DannyO |
| Yea, Serato has had looping for awhile now, you can do it when it is set in Internal or Relative mode, Relative mode rocks my socks. |
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| Abhay |
| I'll stick to trusty Old Pete thanks... (My cheap analogue Numark) |
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| discobiscuit |
I am in the same boat:
ecler nuo5
xone 92
djm800
I'm going to wait till i can go to a store and physically try each mixer because 1200$ is a lot of money...
from what I've gathered on this site, the nuo 5 has a new crossfader and big controols and some good effects (their website gives awsome demos of each effect.
the xone92 is the highest quality and has a unique sound which sets it apart from the competition, great filters, and not as many efx.
the djm800 is packed w/ effects, midi capability, and sounds better than the djm600
I'm leaning towards the xone though... |
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| Trogdor |
| quote: | Originally posted by discobiscuit
the xone92 is the highest quality and has a unique sound which sets it apart from the competition, great filters, and not as many efx. |
Well it has analog filters and an LFO, but no digital effects like the others. And aside from a better build and sound quality, it has two send/returns, and more cueing options than any of the competition.
It also has limited MIDI capabilities. You could, for example, control an EFX-1000 or Korg KP2 (or 3) from the mixer. |
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