Vestax PMC05 Pro4

[l0rdr0ck]

Well here goes....

I just picked up a Vestax PMC 05 Pro 4 Black.....

In theory this is a great piece of kit. note in theory.

Overview:

Very, very nice new crossfader, feels very solid
Nice knobs, good texture and feel
Transformer switch is very nice being such a big paddle
Finish is excellent

Thoughts:

I cannot use this mixer professionally.
I cannot forsee using this for production.
This is the most overpriced piece of kit i bought
I have returned this equipment with prejudice.

Fair? Let me just justify this with real detail, maybe it won't be an issue
for someone else. I did check it out thoroughly beforehand, and i suppose
i talked myself into it despite some misgivings.

Issue:

Let me start with the MAJOR problem on this device.....

Press the shift button (MIDI), the lights change from blue to red to indicate the shift mode. Listen to the master out, the booth out, the headphone out or the aux out and WHAM! buzz buzz buzz, very loud at least 10db in the headphone. This is without anything plugged in. Powerplug on a conditioned powersupply, grounded. The red lights are on, and you have a wonderful
white noise generator.


Secondary Issues:
1. WTF no pan? I cant live with this, i cannot pan the master!!!! I can never accept this.
2. Non symmetric gain? WTF!!! in the DVS inputs you actually have to put more line gain on the second deck, how is it even possible they arent the same circuit design? Phono 1 is louder than phono 2!!!! I would have checked and seen if the entire second channel is this way regardless of source....but i just
packed it up and sent it back.


I cannot recommend this mixer.

l0rdr0ck

[tito]

hello, i have a question, for what are you using the pan control while you are mixing?

[djfil007]

pan sounds ok in the headphones and maybe home speakers... but almost never sounds good on a larger club/party setup.

[l0rdr0ck]

Granted this is a scratch mixer, i almost never pan the master, this i can understand.

I have many real uses of left/right panning. I'm sorta boggled no one uses pan?? There are so many uses of a left right pan.

Sometimes i pan one channel back and forth as i mix it into another channel.

Sometimes i take two songs i have in mix and phase one left and one right then re-converge to center.

Sometimes i use a track with a sine wav sample and like to pan it around left right with a transform cut.

Sometimes i use two copies of the same track, slip the track by a beat, pan it around to highlight.

It also occurs to me how much more i have been using pan and effects with Traktor,
the looping paradigm, and hot cues has really allowed me to use snips of audio to
creative effect, in ways i didn't have physical time to do with vinyl in the early days.
things nearly physically impossible to achieve with two hands.

[l0rdr0ck]

I have tried a different power supply, noise is reduced somewhat, however
the noise is across the entire board, i hooked up an oscilloscope and scoped
it out, this is internal. Essentially need to rip some resistors out replace them
so the light does not glow as bright and place more magnetic shielding from the internal
powersupply. Locate an AC power supply that is grounded to replace the stock one,
then put some chokes on the powerline. I do not feel i want to take this much effort
and i cant assure myself it will fix the problem.

I've owned, alot of mixers:
Intimidation Blue
Rane MP24z
DJM500
PMC05pro
PMC05pro2
PMC07proISP
Rane Empath
Rane MM8z
Ecler Hak360
Mackie D2.pro
Korg Zero4

[tito]

Wow, thanks for your reply and explanation. I have been dj for more than 15 years and never before see the use of pan in that matter. Seems like start to try some of the uses you point and experiment with it. I have a xone 4 d with no pan but I can try on traktor int mode.
Cheers

[l0rdr0ck]

I guess i was always using pan, when i bought the PMC07proISP, i bought
it because it had that weird 4 way pan joystick. I could do positional mix
with 4 speakers. Back, forth, left, right. It was really weird. From the print copy...

PMC07 Pro ISP (Invisible Skratch Piklz)
"The world's first quadraphonic (4 channel) output allows DJ's to expand their performance to 3D level.
Q4-stick controls the dimension of each input source among 4 speakers. The beats and scratches fly around front, back, left and right."

[l0rdr0ck]

also, just peeking around a biton DJTTT here is a nice thread on panning

http://www.djtechtools.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7597

It kinda drifts into 5.1 surround sound talk but the concepts are true. Some
instruments are panned differently to create space, it really is more a production
oriented mindset.

[DjWindzOne]

Granted this is a scratch mixer, i almost never pan the master, this i can understand.

Sometimes i pan one channel back and forth as i mix it into another channel.

Sometimes i take two songs i have in mix and phase one left and one right then re-converge to center.

Sometimes i use two copies of the same track, slip the track by a beat, pan it around to highlight.

I knew there was something I was missing when i went digital!!:eek:
I used to love using those small little tricks when I was using pure vinyl (On occasion I still do), but I forgot about those lil tricks I used when I first started Djing.

[DjWindzOne]

I guess i was always using pan, when i bought the PMC07proISP, i bought
it because it had that weird 4 way pan joystick. I could do positional mix
with 4 speakers. Back, forth, left, right. It was really weird. From the print copy...

PMC07 Pro ISP (Invisible Skratch Piklz)
"The world's first quadraphonic (4 channel) output allows DJ's to expand their performance to 3D level.
Q4-stick controls the dimension of each input source among 4 speakers. The beats and scratches fly around front, back, left and right."

And I remember this mixer very very well. . .That Quadraphonic panning was definitely original. . .beyond what people could achieve back then before Powered speakers and set-ups. . .

@l0rdr0ck
Sucks to hear that. I was actually looking forward to this mixer. . .I'm not at all sure with those kinds of issues anymore, I guess my only replacement for the 05ProIII is the 05ProIIIDX. . .or put more loot down for a Pio or Rane. . . .