Good 2-Channel Mixer to sit next to an X1?

[Sn0wday]

Alright, here is more info, because even i'm confused on what I want now...

I do not scratch.
I play mostly electronic music ranging from deep (older) dubstep to complextro. I willing be playing alongside other DJs who will play more or less more electronic music. I really don't plan to do anything too crazy in my sets other than the X1 tricks i have up my sleeps or the odd acapella. I focus most of my time as a DJ working on my own productions, as that is what I want to be able to play out consistently someday.

Some use controllers, come CDJ's, no way for me to know what a set-up might look like at a gig.

I currently have an X1 and a mixtrack pro. The mixtrack pro is useless to me (well, gonna keep it around for rowdy house parties), as I mainly use the X1. My main concern here is space; I can't just slam down an NS7 or S4 and expect it to fit as every DJ night is a lineup these days.

So I figured I'd go the X1 and mixer dealio as; if there is already a mixer I can slide right in and do my thing, if not I'd want to have my own mixer ready to go.

I do not have a soundcard yet as the Mixtrack provides this. So my shopping list looks like a mixer and a soundcard, or as you guys brought to my attention some mixer have a sound card built in; such as the T1 or Z2.

Soundcard is a must, as I will need one for production and generally a good thing to have around. If I buy the Z2, can it's soundcard work in the EXACT same way an Audio 8 would? So if I'm at home producing and need a soundcard, I could use it? If I'm at a gig, and there is already a mixer hooked up, could I use the Z2 as just a soudncard and use the current mixer instead of having to reconfigure everything?

Cause the way I see it, the Xone 22 + Audio 8/10 costs just about as much as the Z2 itself give or take.

All well and good getting a mixer with a soundcard but what you going to do at gigs? Bring the z2? That's a bit crazy if you ask me.

So u will still need a sound card no?

What is so crazy about that? I think I'm misunderstanding you, what else would you do with it. It takes up no more space than a lot of controllers these days.

A mixer + X1 would be my setup, and if there is no mixer at the gig (You can't just rely on that these days), and even if there is I still need a soundcard. And it seems logical to kill two birds with one stone and get a top notch mixer specifically made for the program I use instead of a somewhat outdated mixer with a soundcard.

[kooper1980]

If you are ever going to use it with CDJ's or turntables, yes. Keep in mind that the Z2 comes with a full Traktor Scratch Pro 2 license and timecode CD's and vinyl... the DJM-T1 comes with a lesser version of Traktor, which means you would have to purchase a Traktor Scratch upgrade kit.

Not true! T1 comes with a free upgrade to Traktor scratch pro 2.6.

[Wuz]

If I was in that position i'd get a soundcard/mixer seperately as stated above to me it seems a pain to lug a bulky mixer to a gig, yes its narrow but its standard depth. I think carrying an x1 and a soundcard would be much easier - if you mark/label your audio cables correctly setup would be effortless in a booth. You could put an x1 and a soundcard in a laptop bag with a laptop - a whole mixer would require a large bag.

not sure what advice i'd give on soundcard but since you are already looking towards NI their cards are pretty rugged - and people do use them for production.

you'll still need a mixer for home,
perhaps a pioneer mixer would be a better choice as being familiar with it would help as most clubs have pioneer gear - but at the end of the day they all function about the same so it shouldn't be that hard to adjust if you don't have a pioneer at home.

maybe compare pricing and features of whats available and see what your might like as features on the home mixer.


just thought i'd mention an often overlooked Xone:22 feature that i discovered after buying one (documented in the manual):
you can switch some jumpers inside of it to turn the phono inputs into lines

[zimfella]

just thought i'd mention an often overlooked Xone:22 feature that i discovered after buying one (documented in the manual):
you can switch some jumpers inside of it to turn the phono inputs into lines

Nice tip!

[Sn0wday]

Hm... So it looks like Xone 22 and a soundcard is what I'm gonna go for, unles there is any last minute suggestions on the mixer in that price range, no onboard soundcard.

Ack, these soundcards are expensive. I'm probably gonna go with an NI Audio but there are like 2, 4, 6, 8 and now 10. Is a 10 really necessary?

[manchild]

Xone 22 is def cheap. Don't be fooled by the A&H name though, there have been quite a few people w/ quality issues w/ this mixer. Just something else to consider. If it was me.....Rane TTM-56 ($450-500) and Audio 4 ($150 or less). TTM-56 is known more for being a great battle mixer, but nothing is stopping you from blending w/ it. Superior sounding mixer and top of the line faders and build quality

[oliosky]

Hm... So it looks like Xone 22 and a soundcard is what I'm gonna go for, unles there is any last minute suggestions on the mixer in that price range, no onboard soundcard.

Ack, these soundcards are expensive. I'm probably gonna go with an NI Audio but there are like 2, 4, 6, 8 and now 10. Is a 10 really necessary?

If you aren't going to need DVS ability or more than 2 stereo channels of output just grab an audio 2.

[Sn0wday]

If you aren't going to need DVS ability or more than 2 stereo channels of output just grab an audio 2.

Hm... Won't need DVS. Well, would there be a situation where I would need more than that ti play out? Like what would extra channels do for me, because I see in Traktor you can't even choose more than 2 stereo outputs for you output, so what would be the need?

[MaxOne]

I got an audio 10 but actually an audio 6 is ample if you're just mixing two tunes.

This is an expensive hobby but x1, soundcard and mixer is right way to go.

Get the audio 6 and the best mixer you can afford. If you get cheap gear and later upgrade you spend twice

Though an audio 2 and a xone 22 will actually get you pretty far. you just wont be able to preview tracks with the preview deck

But back in the day we didnt have that. its just a luxury i couldn't now live without

[Wuz]

I'd probably go for an Audio 4 or 6 if you can stretch it.
Definitely try to get hands on some mixers on display if you can - should help you decide.