DJ Equipment can make or break a DJ. Without great equipment, a DJ can be limited. With so many choices out there, you may be wondering how to choose a DJ Mixer. Asking yourself four simple questions will narrow down your search for the perfect mixer.
1. How much are you willing to spend?
This can of course greatly narrow your search. DJ Mixers nowadays can start from $79 and go up to thousands of dollars. Keep in mind lower priced mixers may be lower quality, so it may be advantageous to save up for a higher priced mixer. Personally I would recommend putting aside at least $175 for a decent quality mixer.
2. What platform or platforms are you using?
Are you using turntables, CD players, a laptop, an iPod or all of the above? Answering this question will help you choose how many channels you need on your mixer. A two-channel mixer has 2 phono and 2 line inputs. Phono inputs are for turntables and line inputs are for digital platforms. In this case you can connect 2 turntables and 2 CD players or a laptop or iPod with either turntables or CD players. The two-channel mixer will allow you to play any 2 inputs at one time, but not more than two.
If you would like to play more than two inputs at one time, or if you'd prefer to have your other media on different channels, you'll need more channels on the mixer. Two and four channel mixers are widely available. Three and five channel mixers are less common.
3. What type of music are you playing and how will you be playing it?
In the world of mixers, you have ones that are more geared toward mixing (usually house and electronic) and ones that are geared towards scratching (usually hip hop). Hip hop DJs usually prefer 2 channel mixers with scratching capabilities. On the other hand electronic DJs are usually more focused on mixing and possibly effects. Which brings me to the next question...
4. What kind of extras are you looking for?
There are all sorts of extra features you can get on a DJ mixer. Here is a short list of some of the options available today.
Crossfader Options
Hamster (crossfader option used for scratching)
Crossfader shape and cut adjustments
Magnetic crossfaders
Assignable crossfader (to assign the channels to either side of the crossfader)
Effects
Wide range of different effects
Mic effects
Sampling
Loops
Tap effects sync (a tap button that syncs your effects to the beat)
Effects send for outboard effects
Touch screen effects
Assignable effects
Other Features
Midi Control
iPod dock/input
BPM counter
USB
Multiple outputs- Record/Booth/Master
Full kills (to fully cut off low, mids, or highs)
Advanced cueing features
Rotary knobs instead of faders
Mic talk-over
There are many more features available on DJ mixers and will be more as technology advances. Choosing what is important to you will narrow your search for a DJ Mixer. As you can see there are a lot of different options when choosing your DJ Mixer. Answering these 4 questions will help you narrow your search for the DJ Mixer that is right for you.
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