Using different mixers

Alexi

Drench Audio
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May 21, 2007
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Bristol/Southampton
I've recently started playing at an 'open deck night', DJs version of an open mic. One of my mates runs it and because some djs use cds, others vinyl and some serato and laptops, the setup and mixer changes every week.

I know EQing and faders will be similar on most, but things like headphone cueing can make me trip up. I was wondering, for the djs who often play different venues, do you have a basic knowledge of most mixers, obviously DJM/xone go without saying, or is it just a case of practice, watching the dj before you then trying to figure it out as you go along.

Luckily it's quite an informal and relaxed atmosphere so it's not the end of the world if you try to cue something and it ends up coming out of the master lol.
 
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The basic features on most mixers are pretty much the same, I just play it by ear.

One piece of advice though, I recommend learning to cue by having just your cued channel in the cans, and using one can on one off. If you don't already that is. Some mixers have split cue, some have blend etc, but they all have the ability to cue one channel at a time. I used to rely on cue blend until one of the first times I played out, the mixer had no blend so I had to learn very fast how to mix without it.
 
cheers for the advice, I'm alright with that as my current mixer doesn't have cue blend, but as I often mix purely in headphones to save wakin my flatmates up at 4am, the lack of blend is a bit tedius
 
Ask the DJ before man. Generally whoevers on first will know whats going on, just ask what channels are which etc...

Other than that most places youll play out will be DJM/Xone as youve said and thats just a basic knowledge youll build up.
 
Experience. All comes with playing out at different venues etc. Also I pretty much always ask the promotor what the setup is and then google any equipment i don't know and familarise myself with it through pictures, can be proper helpful if the venue has shitty lighting which it will sometimes!

Hope that helps :)
 
I think the most common mixer i come across is the 62...which has no blend cue, as above i had to learn fast thrown in there (Cant use speakers at my gaff either so mix in the headphone - worst practice). Of course a decent monitor and position will help your situation 10fold.

If its a decent club they will use a pio (all have blend) or a&h (xone92) and the setup is pretty much the same from mixer to mixer.

Pios are strange tho...to get a blend dont you have to have the cue buttons on the master and channel you need selected to blend between them on the knob? Someone confirm that I only remeber when i get in front of one...
 
cheers lads, i'm fine with the pioneers cos i've used the djx cheap copy for a while. As for non blending cues, guess i'll just have to get used to mixing quietly or at more social times in the day
 
I think the most common mixer i come across is the 62...which has no blend cue, as above i had to learn fast thrown in there (Cant use speakers at my gaff either so mix in the headphone - worst practice). Of course a decent monitor and position will help your situation 10fold.

If its a decent club they will use a pio (all have blend) or a&h (xone92) and the setup is pretty much the same from mixer to mixer.

Pios are strange tho...to get a blend dont you have to have the cue buttons on the master and channel you need selected to blend between them on the knob? Someone confirm that I only remeber when i get in front of one...

Excuse my ignorance, but what do you mean by a blend?
Is that where you can listen to two channels in the headphones?
 
Excuse my ignorance, but what do you mean by a blend?
Is that where you can listen to two channels in the headphones?

Sort of, its for blending your cue mix with whats coming out of the mixer (main mix). Usualy you'll have a control with the cue mix one side, the main mix the other side, so when its set one side you've only got your cue mix, when its set the other side you've only got your main, then in between blends them together.
 
Blend = Mixed cue = Knob to add some of the master output to the cued channel in the headphones

yeah i thought this was so.
But something I dont understand, is how the xone 62 doesn't have this feature, as stated in a post above, but the £30 numark mixer I started on has this feature. I wasn't a knob, more of a crossfader for the headphone, if ya get what I mean.
Why is it that some mixers dont have it?
I thought it was quite useful, for activities such as mixing in headphones, when housemates are asleep....
 
Hehe got my KRK sub yesterday, cost me all of .. £36.50 hahah! Until the next payment :(
 
But something I dont understand, is how the xone 62 doesn't have this feature, as stated in a post above, but the £30 numark mixer I started on has this feature.

There is a roundabout way of getting a cue blend on a 62. It's something to do with cuing the outgoing channel and Aux out at the same time, then raising the Aux on the channel you want to cue. Or something.
 
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