Mixed up

The introduction of new digital mixing and control interface technologies has radically transformed the professional DJ equipment market in recent years. S&S takes a look at some of the best new DJ products from the industry's leading players.

Pioneer

Pioneer's range of entry-level DJ mixers and turntables have proven incredibly popular among budding DJs and club operators across the GCC region, thanks largely to their price competitiveness, reliability and the quality feature set on offer.

One of the company's best entry-level offerings is also one of its most recent releases. Boasting a new symmetrical design, the DJM-400 mixer is specifically designed for use with Pioneer's CDJ-200 CD turntable and features an all-digital mixing bus (24bit/96kHz) which incorporates seven onboard effects, including an all-new in-loop sampler, which Pioneer claims is a world-first at this price point. The technology automatically detects the tempo of a song during playback, samples it for a length of four beats then loops the sample. Samples are automatically stretched and compressed to match the beat. The mixer can store five samples onboard for a total of 12 seconds of sample time.

The DJM-400 offers a number of key features for professional DJs, including the ability to select one of two mic connections or one stereo line connection; a peak level meter that monitors audio input levels and a talk-over feature. In terms of professional mixers, Pioneer's DJM-800 offers a compelling mix of features, including four-channel 32-bit DSP; 61 assignable controls; and a three-band equaliser providing level control within a -26dB to +6dB range for high-, mid-, and low-bands, respectively. The mixer also incorporates a dual-shield structure to eliminate digital noise, in addition to Pioneer's innovative Harmonic Tuning feature, which takes the key of the source audio and adjusts the pitch until it is that of a standard note. Other features include a highpass/lowpass filter, notch filter and bit crusher effects on all channels, and cross fader assign and fader curve features.

Middle East distributors: Eastern Commercial Agencies (UAE); Gajria Electronics (Bahrain); Qirtas & Gajria (Kuwait); Mohsin Haider Darwish (Oman); Ahmed Ali Badgaish Electronics (KSA); Les Fils De Georges Haddad & Co (Lebanon); El Mobayad & Sons (Egypt).

Stanton

US-based Stanton has worked hard to re-establish itself as one of the industry's leading suppliers of turntables and mixers after a number of years spent in relative commercial obscurity.

The company's flagship SA-5 ‘battle mixer' ranks as one of its most important launches in recent times in terms of re-establishing its brand presence.

The SA-5 packs a significant punch feature-wise given its competitive price-point, the most notable being the fact that it uses faders exclusively for control functions, instead of rotary knobs, which is a huge advantage when it comes to managing technical aspects including the mixer's OS-2 phono/line switches. Other notable features include fully-assignable Penny & Giles crossfaders with dual curve adjustment, glide faders for the three-band EQ and left and right pan controllers, and a three-position cue select function.

Meanwhile, Stanton's M.505 club mixer features five-input channels and a separate mic channel, an onboard effects loop, the company's patented Superior Sound Technology (SST) and fully-assignable Penny & Giles crossfaders.

Middle East distributors: Harmann House, Dubai (GCC countries); Triangle Sound & Image, Lebanon (Levant).

Denon

Industry stalwart Denon has expanded its range of professional DJ products in recent years, upgrading various popular models to compete with rival technologies.

One of the most notable in this respect is Denon's DN-X1500 four-channel mixer, which incorporates the company's proprietary Flex Fader technology, a built-in sampler, matrix switching, parametric EQ, and onboard effects.

Denon claims the mixer, which is powered by a SHARC DSP engine, sets new industry standards with the inclusion of eight-channel input matrix control and a host of other features including 45mm channel faders, gain control with PFL levels, and three-band EQ (on/off switchable) with parametric frequency adjustment, as well as a 45mm multi-channel assignable crossfader with tension adjustment and contour control.

Another highlight of the DN-X1500S is the inclusion of an eight-second sampler, which utilises audio from up to six mixer sources and offers edit options including loop, reverse, reverse loop and single playback, with 100% pitch control adjustment.

Other features include a USB port; nine effect types, including delays, echos and filters; an auto/tap/manual BPM counter; and a host of auxiliary options including a digital (coaxial) output featuring a 24-bit converter for optimum sound quality.

Another notable recent addition to the Denon DJ range is the DN-HD2500 40GB hard drive-equipped media player and controller. The all-in-one control centre features external USB device support for portable hard drive devices including Apple's iPod, keyboard support and an intuitive file navigation system, four built-in effects and three platter effects, as well as pitch range and deep pitch resolution capabilities.

Other features include a large 3.8-inch display, a four-way BPM counter, two hot starts and seamless looping capabilities, and a range of digital outputs.

Middle East distributors: V.V. & Sons (UAE); MRE (KSA); Techno Q (Qatar); Hitec Centre (Oman); AMAC (Lebanon); Ocean Star Trading (Kuwait); Yusif Bin Yusif Fakhro (Bahrain); Media International Trading (Egypt).

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