Long story short our DJM-800 went out and I gotta get a replacement.
I found another used 800 on craigslist for 800 bucks, and found the new 900 for 1600 bucks online.
I know the 900 has the quantization on effects, and is traktor certified, but is that really worth an extra 800 bucks in your opinion?
Our current setup is a pair of CDJ-900’s, the mixer, and the S4 when we feel like using it. It’s about 50 / 50 on the laptop with Traktor… sometimes we use it, sometimes we just rock the CDJ’s.
Opinions are much welcomed! Is it worth an extra 800 bucks for the DJM-900?
Well you can look at it this way: how much does a NI Audio 10 cost?
Then add other improvements to the mix and see Personally, I wouldn’t buy a new mixer in this digital age without a sound interface in it (traktor certified doesn’t matter too much - timecode is pushed aside with controllers and HID)
are you serious the xone 92 has much better sound quality, filters, eq, faders, 6 channels, it’s not built like a tin either the xone 92 is solid and the only mixer that is better than it is the Xone DB4.
I doubt there’s any difference in sound “quality” between the 900 and the 92; perhaps a bit lower noise floor in the 900 due to it being digital but nobody’s ever complained about the noise floor of the 92, and a lot of Xone-heads prefer the coloration of the Xone analog mixers. And most people much prefer the EQs in the 92 - both the frequencies affected and the extra knob (the 92 has two separate midrange EQs so it’s got 4 knobs to tweak per channel). That high mid is really nice for mixing. As for FX, if you like Pioneer FX sounds, the 900 is the way to go: they’re easy to use and well laid out. But to me they sound heavy handed; whenever I have to play on a 900 or 800 I avoid them except for the filter. But the filters sound MUCH nicer on the Xone, and they’re a lot more convenient to use. (But the downside is that’s the only FX you have on the 92. If you really want to add Pioneer FX I’d say get the 92 and save up for a RMX 1000).
Alternatively, grab a DB2 for about the same price as the 900; the best effects you’ll ever find on a mixer (though without the hammer-head quality of the Pioneer FX), digital soundcard (if you really think the 92 noise floor will bother you), and a Filter EQ mode that will absolutely revolutionize the way you mix.
I sold my DJM 800 to get a DJM 900. Went into the shop to demo, then order one, but they didn’t have one set-up. They had a DB2 though, and here in the UK they are substantially cheaper than the DJM 900. Had a wee look at around it, it looked good. EVRYONE in the shop suggested the DB2 was better than the DJM 900. They ALL preferred it (this was a proper DJ shop, not a musical instrument shop with a DJ section).
Went home that evening and started researching Xone mixers. I bought the DB4. The FX are amazing. MUCH cleaner than the Pioneer offerings. Best of both worlds really would be a DB2 + RMX. In the UK, that comes to about the same price as the DJM 900 anyway, but you get soooooo much more. I LOVE mixing with the Filter EQ mode. I use it ALL the time.
My money would go on the DB2 if I were you. No brainer to me. People will tell you that you wont see a DB series mixer in a club, so you should go industry standard. And they may have a very small point. However, a mixer is a mixer when it comes to how it actually works. You already had a 800, so you know the Pioneer layout, so that wont be a problem. The DB mixers are leagues ahead of the Pioneer offerings when it comes to sound quality and effect quality though. And there are over 50 effects to choose from on the DB mixers. Much more than on DJM.
If you’re going to go for a DB, don’t waste your time with the DB2. The meterings useless, the awesome EQ modes are borderline crippled, and the filters are actually more irritating than the Pioneer offerings. Definitely doesn’t go toe to toe with a DJM, even with a few extra delay modes.
There’s realistically no reason to go with a Xone unless you’re either springing $2,600 on a DB4, or obsessed with the extra EQ knob the :92 has. People gush ad infinium about the “supreme quality” of Xone mixers, but it’s really marginal over DJM “quality,” at it’s absolute best; in addition to all the little irritations and limitations the hardware has.
Well I have the DB4 so I can’t speak too well to the DB2 on this, but what exactly is crippled about the EQ modes? I thought they functioned the same on the DB2 as the DB4. Anyway I spent $2100 on my DB4 so shop around if you do go that route.
The EQ modes are a global setting in the menu rather than a per-channel switch. Not only do you have to use the screen to switch between them, you can’t really blend between them with the matrix.
Makes sense. Personally wouldn’t be an issue for me - I use filter mixing all the time these days - but that’s definitely a limitation compared to the DB4.
all of their top end mixer/cdjs are sold out (refurbished). been out for weeks. i check everyday, maybe 30-50 times a day. im a freak. a super freak. super freaky.
The fx on a db4 might be more subtle but I’m not mad into fx anyway.
Also you might get really masterful on using the db4 fx but you’ll almost never be able to use that skill in a club because you will never find a db4 in a club.
IMO better to master what the djm900 fx offers because that can be replicated in a club.
Also if I was mad into fx I’d want a rmx1000 so i could bring that with me to clubs and the db4 doesn’t have send return even.
It’s all just opinions at the end of the day but mine is that a DJM 900 is the most relevant mixer to own for pro / aspiring club djs at home
I ordered the 900. I’ll post up an opinion when it gets here.
If it was a personal mixer I may have went to check out the db4 you guys talk about, seems like a lot of people giving it great reviews.
Fact of the matter is that any DJ we bring in should have experience with the pioneer mixers. I wouldn’t get a mixer that people might not be familiar with because it might limit what they would do while working.
In addition the pro link on the nexus looks really cool. Tight integration with our cdjs and rekordbox software. Reads the bpms from the cdjs and quantize the effects without tapping. That’s a win in my book.
I’m currently debating buying a nicer mixer at the moment because I find that I have more of a need of one. It’d be nice to practice on at home, and then I’ve also been bringing my 1200’s out to more shows recently.
Currently I’m looking at the Xone 92, DJM-800 or DJM-900. I don’t use Traktor, so the soundcard is pretty moot for me. I’d think about the rane 68, but it almost seems like complete overkill and something completely different than what people are used to using in clubs. It’s still a thought on my mind though.
Did you go with the 900 just because it’s the Pioneer and most people are familiar with them? And once you get it, let us know how you like it. I’ve spun on all sorts of mixers at this point (can’t stand rotary mixers- but that’s a totally different story) and it’s tough deciding what to get.
I don’t use many FX myself (at all) but it just might be partially because I don’t have a mixer with them, and I haven’t had enough time on a fancy mixer to fuck about with them and get to use them correctly. It’s one of those things I don’t feel comfortable using out unless I’ve had hours to mess about with it at home, one reason I’m leaning toward the Pioneer offerings.
Not to derail the thread, but would love to hear some input.
Personally, I wouldn’t buy a new mixer in this digital age without a sound interface in it (traktor certified doesn’t matter too much - timecode is pushed aside with controllers and HID)