Hey Guys,
I’ve been mixing for about a year now. Started with a numark mixtrack and an akai lpd-8. Loved them, and they’ve served me well but i feel it’s time to upgrade. Personally i love external mixers because i can get visual feedback from my gear, and not from my laptop, and i want to move to cdjs (preferably the denon dn-s3700).
I just wanted to know if you think it’d be better if i got a DJM-800 and kept my numark and just practised mixing on that (because i love all the efffects it has), or buy a ddm-4000 and a pair of cdjs and upgrade later?
effects on mixtrack? You mean effects on traktor, or what other software you use right? If you like the effects but still want to have an external mixer, my suggestion would be to get an x1 aswell so you can still use the effects of traktor.
I would get the 800 over the 4000 anyday. I haven’t heard TOO many bad things about the DDM, but their track record hasn’t been the greatest.
DJM is midi enabled, and is just a better overall external mixer. Price is much more, but imo it’s worth it. Almost pulled the trigger on a new one, but will wait for a used one next year.
my bad, I didn’t make that very clear. I like the effects on the DJM, that’s why i’ve chosen that mixer over others, plus the DJM are the club standard, so I won’t have much adjusting if I get good enough for clubs
And for the x1, i don’t see how it can do much more than my lpd8 can for effects, but if you can correct me please do
I’ve always told myself if i’ve got the money buy the best piece of equipment thats available at the time, so if i was you i’d get the DJM 800 or even a 900 if you can save the extra cash so you’ll have a traktor certified mixer. Then i’d start saving for some CDJ’s then, or you never know you might want to go to TT’s or even fully midi with more controllers but with the mixer still?
Thanks for the advice, I’ve hit a crossroads though. After looking around i’ve managed to find 2 awesome deals, a DJM800 for 1000, and a DJM909 for 850, and i’m torn between the two of them. I doubt i’ll be mixing 4 decks, and i’m not sure about if i want to go a cdj route or tt route. What would you recomend i get, the 909 or the 800?
Dunno if people are willing to ship to Canada (even if not listed they probably will if contacted), but 909s go for much less than that on US ebay. As for 909 vs 800, its apples to oranges, so I don’t think anyone can really help you figure out your own preferences there.
However, figuring out the rest of your setup (CDJ, TT, DVS?) will make things a bit easier.
909 is a ‘hardcore’ scratch mixer isn’t it? whereas the 800 has 4 channels. Significantly different beasts there - you might want to consider the rest of your workflow, are you likely to use 3 decks?
Honestly, I think you should figure out what you want for an “end-goal” setup, and then go from there.
The mixer is probably the last thing, and the most costly thing, to upgrade IMO. Unless you just spin with an X1 and a mixer, it’s an important part of the setup, but I feel that the decks themselves are more important.
Decide where you want to go. I want to get CDJ’s in the future myself, but won’t be getting them anytime soon. So I just have a 2 channel mixer for now, because that’s all I’m honestly going to be using. If the time comes when I can afford to purchase CDJ’s on top of my TT’s, then I’ll plan accordingly.
But for something that isn’t going to be within the next year or so, I basically don’t quantify planning around it in my setup plans.
Personally I’d suggest getting a good pair of CDJ’s or TT’s and figuring out a mixer that fits into your budget, and then upgrading the mixer down the line. Others will tell you other things, but that’s my personal opinion. While mixers are all pretty damned similar, getting familiar with particular decks is quite important.
ddm is a great 4 channel starting mixer. however, one of the mic channels on mine has a constant feedback loop (sound from hell) going (for no reason), the level LEDs on my channel 4 do not work, and the channels bleed a little. so, it’s a great mixer to get used to mixing 4 channels, but not really pro. the 800 will last you a hell of a lot longer and remain much more in tact.
I ended up getting the DJM800 because i got it for 750 from a local guy, and it was a deal that was too good to pass up. The reason why i wanted the 800 was because although i mainly run 2 decks, but i also use my lpd8 to trigger deck c and d samples. So 800 and audio 8 dj. Can’t wait to start mixing
I thought about what you guys said about the final set up and cdjs vs tt’s, and after going to a store and trying them out, I’ve realized how much more i loved turntables. There’s just something about vinyl. I’m going to go test out a pair of stanton st.150s today!
