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the STUPID HARDWARE FLAWS thread...
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View this Thread in Original format
| Inertia |
yes. because every manufacturer has a product that would be great, yet somehow, they manage to it up with a stupid ass flaw.
there are some that suck, but are pretty logical. for instance, Pioneer makes the 200, 800 and 1000 in their CDJ line. the 200 and 1000 have super accurate pitches, and while the 800 is superior to the 200 in that it has vinyl emulation, the 200 is more accurate while being cheaper. why? well, if they gave the 800 a pitch as accurate as the 200 and 1000, very little, if any, people would feel the need to pay the extra money for a 1000 just for a few more features. so, yeah it sucks, but you can't expect them to shoot themselves in the foot.
HOWEVER, there are some gems that really make you wonder what they were thinking. let's see the ones i can name off the top of my head:
Allen & Heath XONE:32 3 Channel DJ Mixer
Fatal Flaw: the damn gains on the back
there is just NOOOOOOOOO explaining why they did that. i mean, SERIOUSLY, why? someone try and give me a good reason. did it save them any money? no. does it make it any easier to use? no. does it ruin an otherwise perfectly good entry/mid-level mixer? yes.
fine, so the flaw doesn't make the mixer unusable, but i don't feel like giving A&H my money, and then having to 'settle' for whatever that design team pulled out of their ass.
Allen & Heath XONE:62 6 Channel "DJ" Mixer
Fatal Flaw: 6 channels, with 2 useless inputs on channels 1 and 2
another genius move on the A&H design team's part. make a very well rounded mixer with good sound quality. give it 6 channels. you have made a very affordable club installation mixer, that's still affordable to some bedroom DJs. now, make 2 channels useless by default. raise your hands how many electronic music DJs use 2 mics? yeah, i knew most of you spun hiphop and scratched with 2 MCs at once.
this flaw was so dumb, it apparently got fixed in a later version or some people modded the 1/4" inputs into RCA inputs, based on some few pics i saw once on google image search.
Pioneer DJM-800 4 Channel DJ Mixer
Fatal Flaw: damn beat jump buttons on the FX unit.
Pioneer makes 2 mixers geared towards the DJ, and one towards the club. the DJM-400 is the entry level mixer, and the 800 is the biggie, and they both have FX units. then, there's the 6 channel DJM-1000, which is all about club installation. since there is no FX on it, it wouldn't matter for this discussion.
the DJM-400, just like Pioneers beautiful little effects boxes, the EFX-500 and EFX-1000, has beat buttons on its unit:
if anyone has used a beat-based effect, they will agree how comfortable it is to jump from one beat signature to the other. yeah, i'm on my 400 or one of the FX boxes, and i can go from 4/1 to 1/2, then to 2/1 and jump back to 3/4, and fun stuff like that. while on a mixer with a price tag of nearly $1800US, i have to tap from one signature to another. meaning if i am at 1/4, and i want to go to 3/4, i'd have to pass over 1/2 first, and unless my hands are ninja fast, my timing will be a little off, producing unwanted echoes.
one could argue if they put this feature on the 800, no one would buy the EFXs. but as it stands, no one in their right mind would buy an 800 AND a seperate effects box unless they have a lot of money to burn, or are really dependant on their effects. for instance, for travelling around, if i am really into FX, i'd buy the EFX-1000, so i'm sure i am set up no matter what mixer they give me. but if i am just a bedroom DJ really into this hobby, it would make no sense for them to expect me to buy a DJM-800 AND an EFX-1000. i just don't get it. they could have even given it a limited beat button layout (like the 400) and left the larger rande of buttons for the effects boxes. just complete your damn hardware.
this concludes it for today. feel free to comment, flame, and whatnot. hell, if you feel like adding some of your own, feel free to do so. |
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| DjWoody |
Here's another stupid A&H flaw...
Why on earth would they put the headphone jack in the middle of their brand new spanking mixer?
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| miamitranceman |
Haha, wow man interesting read. I, too, have a 400 and after playing on a 600 recently, I definitely love the beat button layout on the 400 vs the two arrow buttons...you're right it's a lot more imprecise.
And I'll also add about the 400 that it has 2 mic inputs as well... wtf. |
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| Inertia |
wow... hadn't noticed that championing move by A&H with that new mixer. . seriously. what are they smoking?
and, yeah, the 400 may have 2 mic inputs, but that's just for versatility. the 62 has 2 DEDICATED MIC CHANNELS. i mean... seriously. |
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| Polt |
I do agree it makes no sense. However, if you look at the mixer, there is not a lot of room for it anywhere else. Granted, they could have designed it differently. |
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| idoru |
| The 62 is easily fixable by purchasing the right cords, but even then you're still let down because they didn't place filters on those channels. |
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| mylespower |
| quote: | Originally posted by DjWoody
Here's another stupid A&H flaw...
Why on earth would they put the headphone jack in the middle of their brand new spanking mixer?
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i am not liking the look of those "cue buttons"
those look like a pain in the ass
ive got the 92 and i love the cue buttons on it but those look unpleasant...
i would have to try them to make a conclusive statement...
but those buttons look like they are the type that stay "depressed" when you push down on them and then spring back up when you push them again....
if they are not that kind of button... then maybe its not so bad
i will have to try that mixer out one day |
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| Stu Cox |
The Xone 62's supposed to be an installation mixer, I know loads of clubs who have made great use out of those input channels... it may sound silly, but making them useless to DJs is actually quite useful in a lot of situations cos it means the DJ won't around with them when you want them left alone!
Totally agree on the rest of the points - particularly the DJM400/800 time buttons... also, why didn't they put the sampler in the DJM400 into the 800?? It's SOOO much better than the one in the DJM600, it's not as if they'd be letting the mixer down by including it. |
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| RJT |
| quote: | Originally posted by DjWoody
Here's another stupid A&H flaw...
Why on earth would they put the headphone jack in the middle of their brand new spanking mixer?
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There is a jack on the front of the mixer as well.
And a LOT of the complaints in this thread are common knowledge, and really just seem like nitpicking for the sake of nitpicking. |
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| Inertia |
| quote: | Originally posted by RJT
There is a jack on the front of the mixer as well.
And a LOT of the complaints in this thread are common knowledge, and really just seem like nitpicking for the sake of nitpicking. |
for instance?
yeah, it should be common knowledge that A&H takes some ed up decisions sometimes. sucks, since they do use quality components... |
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| RJT |
| quote: | Originally posted by Inertia
for instance?
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I guess it just seems as though referring to them as "fatal flaws" is a bit ridiculous, when they're at best minor inconveniences (and in the case of the A&H products, you either know of them ahead of time (i.e. the 32's gains) or even if you don't, you can remedy them easily (the inputs on the 62).)
The only one I see that you've posted that I really even find all that irritating is the effects on the 800, but again, it's not really a "fatal" flaw, just odd.
Either way. I guess it's nice to have a thread that points to the kinds of things people MAY not consider before purchasing equipment... |
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