New Mixer

[Sirch Sound]

However I can symperthise with him paul. After having a look around on a few of these dj forums the general concensus I got was that its mostly occupied by the "Turn it upto 11" djs. The general reccomendations for mixers went on how many Red LED's the vu meters have, how how many buttons it had on.

 

I think, unfortunatly, your stuck in a bit of a hole. People on here are very experienced and probably know the answers to most of your questions ( as shown above) however will very rarely do it without any sarcastic coments. And if you post on a Dj forum you will find out which mixer has the brightest red LED's on the Vu meters, but not any actually useful info.

 

Rich

[mervaka]

nah, I just get a little sharp tounged after a few rounds at the pub sorry if that sounded offensive.

[djsteviec]

Regular readers weren't at all surprised the topic went off on one. As Bob said, back up a way - DJ issues are only dealt with here by a few members with an interest. Many of us see the word DJ and don't participate - just an area of discussion that many BR members are not interested in at all. There are much better forums for this kind of topic. As the term 'DJ' covers such a huge range of qualities, styles, professionalism and budget - it's inevitable that those awful 'turn it up to 11 as soon as the wedding guests have finished eating' DJs are treated badly by some of us. High end, quality production obviously exists, but the wedding reception brigade do rather set themselves up for a bit of light hearted comment. For serious, in-depth technical comment about DJ activities - my own feeling is that the BR isn't the place.

 

 

I think Ill change my username then. ** laughs out loud **. I would like to point out that I am a DJ and have been for 11 years and do believe myself to be one of the better ones. And in which case I am trying to turn my hand to the technical side. In most of the venues I have worked in I have taken it apon myself to fix the lights that are broken when I join the venue and get everything working as I believe it to be a waste just sitting there. I try and get the best out of what I have got. And in bars which is where I normally work, it aint much.

[cfmonk]

Back to the posts about "big name" DJs not worrying about the sound I have to say you are very much wrong IMHO. I work with some of the biggest names in dance music and they are incredibly anal not only about their front of house sound but really special about monitor mixes as well. It's great because they end up producing fantastic music but I'm always grateful that I deal with them from stage / event management point of view and can give them a sound engineer to argue with about the sound!

 

As far as mixers go I love the Allen and Heath Xone 62. They are a cracking mixer and seem to have a less "digital" sound than the DJM series which are more feature rich but need to be played with by DJs who really know what they are doing (although never seen anything less than a DJM 800 so might lose a lot of features towards the bottom end). It really depends on what your DJs prefer. X-Press 2 use DJM mixers (4 x DJM 1000s!!) but John Digweed will only use the A & H. Two very different styles of playing and mixing which influence their choice.

 

Chris

[djmatthill]

** laughs out loud **

 

This is funny !

 

DJ forums r full of " Bedroom DJs"

 

Blue room is ideal for those profesional Djs who use professional equipment and want serious technical advice.

 

If more DJs came on here and asked for advice and it was given freely with out any stereotypical jibes then may be

you technicians would not have to repair so many broke sound system caused by un educated DJs

 

 

Ill keep this can of worms open :** laughs out loud **: ** laughs out loud **

 

 

Matt ( a DJ of the professional kind - I think)

[Bobbsy]

There is certainly some crossover between the two sides of the industry but there are also major differences. While I'm happy to discuss the merits of conventional sound mixers right from a cheap Behringer up to top-end Midas and Cadac (or digital) I haven't the foggiest idea what constitutes a "good" DJ mixer which is what this topic was about. Clearly there are some people here who DO know (or certainly post as if they do) but it makes me feel a bit uneasy as a mod not to be able to have at least a basic idea about the quality of advice being given. That's why, earlier on, I suggested the mobile DJ forums. As far as DJ forums go, that one seems not too bad and we've actually talked to the mods over there about sending appropriate queries back and forth. If, after reading posts there, you think the advice isn't good, perhaps you should drop the mod team here a PM with the details.

 

Where we're talking about gear which is common to both sides of the entertainment industry (EQ, LMSs, amps, etc. etc.) we're happy to try and help but I do think questions about gear (sound and light) specific to the DJ market may be better handled on a DJ forum. However, as for the negative image DJs have, I'm afraid that will continue to "go with the territory" until a lot fewer DJs connect into a system and just turn everything up as high as it goes! (That said, one of the best sound engineers I ever met--a Belgian guy named Andre--was also a DJ, so it can work both ways.)

 

Bob

[djsteviec]

Im not an idiot and asking what mixer has kill switches or super duper effects. Im asking for a professional opinion on makes of mixers that are considered 'good' by you, the genius's of the sound and light world (no sarcasm intended there) All I wanted to know was in your opinion, what would you consider to be good value for money, good quality build with good quality sound. Are you saying that the 'sound technicians' that post on here won't know whether a mixer is of good quality or not just because this isn't a DJ Forum? I'm sure all of the expert guys that visit this forum have worked/used a mixer in their lifetimes, if not loads and can offer me some advice. Which they have and I am very very gratefull for. Thank you.

 

In conclusion for the price we can afford (about £600), I think that we are going for the A&H Xone62.

Thanks for your input and advice guys.

[Bobbsy]

I'm not trying to start a row here djsteviec but I think you've misunderstood my point. I'm also not too happy with the tone of your post.

 

Yes, I've used many mixers (probably well over a hundred different models) over my career. However, in that time I have NEVER used a DJ mixer which is a very different animal to a "live sound" mixer. Since you've mentioned A&H, I can certainly say that they are a good manufacturer, but beyond that I can't comment on their DJ range.

 

The majority of regulars in here will be in the same boat as me. A DJ mixer is NOT the same thing as a "mixer" and, even ignoring flashing lights, the feature set you may want is not something I have any expertise in. That was my entire point.

 

Bob

[cfmonk]

In conclusion for the price we can afford (about £600), I think that we are going for the A&H Xone62.

Thanks for your input and advice guys.

 

Good choice!

[djmatthill]

Just a quick note to the mods.

 

Would it not be possible to have a (tiny) section of the forum for DJ related subjects. As you stated there are members on here who are DJ`s and do have the knowledge to offer advice etc. If the DJ posts were in a seperate section then users who are "dis-interested" dont have to participate in this section . Ie I have no interest in PYRO/FX so iv never ventured in to that particular part of BR. We are all part of the Entertainment industry and should all muck in and work together.

 

The reason that I personally don bother with the DJ FORUM is because it is full of what we call " BEDROOM DJ,S" or your stereotypical Peter Kay type SHABBBA! mobile DJ`s

who post questions about equipment to be used at Wedding Discos or Kids parties , or DJ`s that have no or little technical knowlegde,

 

The reason I participate on BR is because I want Good advice from you "sound proffesionals" on good quality and sometimes expensive Equipment.

 

If I went on to the Mobile DJ forum and asked for advice on Bss Drive Racks , Sound web or The latest RCF TT speaker systems ( Which I own)

I doubt I would get very useful responses ,

 

I understand that some members and mods are not intersted in the DJ THING but there are people out there who want and need to ask serious questions and enlist the knowledge of guys like you or know your stuff.

 

Sorry for waffling,

 

But could you mods take time out and discuss and ponder whether it would be to much trouble to set up little section for us PROFESSIONAL DJ`s

I would be quite happy to MOD that part of the BR as I have 15 yrs experiance as a Pro DJ..

 

 

 

Matt

[johndenim]

Yes, there are DJ's out there who know what they are doing.

 

But there are also alot who like to push buttons.

Matt's idea is not a bad one, but why have the responsibility of being a moderator?

 

I would believe there is a lot more to it than we may think, why not offer to be a mod on the Dj forum?

As you say Matt there are alot of "bedroom djs" that would probably benefit from a DJ like you who knows about sound.

 

John Denim.

 

A concurrent post has been automatically merged from this point on.

 

PS, love the SHABBA! quote!

[Matt Riley]

I'm all for Matt's idea, as long as we can command the type of expertise and debate needed to sustain it without pulling in a the kind of people who are unlikely to DJ to anyone past the cheap picture of Jordan on their bedroom wall.

 

I do a lot of work in (Student's Union) club venues, and would be happy to help in any way I can, but frankly I think that from my experience, every rider I've seen (from oakenfold to vernon kaye to holly willoughby) simply says:

A+H xone mixer or Pioneer DJM series

Pioneer CDJ 1000 Mk3

Technics 1210

 

And so there may be very little room for debate about pro level DJ kit given the clear consensus I have seen about what is the benchmark, and any other stuff like monitors or FOH systems directly crosses over into the live/theatre arena anyway and so doesn't need its own forum.

 

M

[gnomatron]

I always start the night with the channel sliders right up, then I try to match the master and channel gains so they are about the same level (ie both a quarter of the way up) and just turn them both as the night progresses until what I feel is a comfortable level.

 

Hmm, that's not really a great way to do it. We teach our djs here to use the gain to set a consistent pre-fade level, ideally with the channel meter peaking just at 0dB; then you use the faders to determine the relative levels of the different inputs, and the master to set the overall output volume. That way you only turn up the master level as the night progresses.

 

Also re. Formula Sound mixers - they're good, but they're not really the industry standard any more. The vast majority of clubs have Pioneer or Allen & Heath, and certainly those are the two brands that appear on riders - I've NEVER seen a dj rider that didn't spec one of those two brands, though of course there must be exceptions. The rider is the most important document when sepccing DJ gear in a larger club, DJs can and will be picky over what mixer and decks you have and you'll save money hiring if you buy the right stuff to begin with. Formula Sound is great if you don't have to worry about riders, i.e. for a well kitted out pub or smaller club, as they're solid, sound great and are easy to use.

 

For what it's worth, if I have to buy a mixer for work in the near future it'll be an Allen & Heath Xone 92, although I'd be happy with a DJM800 too.

 

As for the comments on professional Djs - I've worked with pro djs up to and including some of the biggest names in the world, and many of the ones towards the top of the tree are just as careless about levels as the ones towards the bottom. The Pro djs on here probably disagree, but the pro djs on here represent Djs who care enough about PA and Lighting to spend time on a technical theatre forum, so of course they're going to be in the minority of DJs that are picky about their sound!

 

I don't think there's much call to have a DJ section on the Blue Room - the forum is in theory a technical theatre forum after all, and DJs really don't fit into the theatrical world at all. Besides that, the only questions I can think of that couldn't be asked in our other sections are "what mixer", "what cd player" and "what record deck", and Matt Riley answers all 3 above - even though they're NOT the best cd player/record deck/mixer, the CDJ1000/1210/Xone or DJM are the ones on 99% of riders, so they're the only ones it makes sense to buy.

[djmatthill]

I personally think there would be more questions asked apart from "What Mixer" etc. Professional DJ`s use PA equipment and often want advice on . DSP , Active Speaker Systems , EQ , DSP , Amplifers , DMX issues , etc, etc to name but a few. Advice and your experise on this subject would be useful. I also disagree that Theatre and the Nightclub / DJ industry are so far apart. We are all in the business of entertaining and thus in the "Entertainment Industry" . I still sense a feeling of dis-like towards us DJ`s.

 

Without sounding dis-respectfull a lot people seem to have bad feeling towards DJ`s is that because people are frightened about things they do not understand ?? :blink:

 

I dont mean the above comment to seem rude or to offend anyone , But simply ask that we are not all stereo typed. :unsure:

 

What do the MODS think about my suggestion of a tiny section of the BR be used to discuss DJ issues.

 

 

MATT :huh:

[mervaka]

likewise, I dont mean to sound harsh, but these are my observations.

 

what is there to suggest a BR DJ forum wouldnt go the same way as every other DJ forum on the internet? it would be the same people using one forum to the next. having a "blue room brand" forum won't solve the problems the others face. I honestly believe a forum is what the community is made up of.

 

now ask yourself the question why DJ forums have problems?