The mixer - the nerve centre of any dj setup, and in scratch DJ terms, perhaps the key piece of equipment that has seen the most improvement over the last decade. Turntables and CD players connect to the mixer (any combination of two or more "decks" works). The mixer produces the output to your powered speakers, home stereo, or speaker/amplifier combination. Prices have come down and quality has improved vastly. Nowadays we are blessed with very high quality contact and non-contact style faders and an ever increasing range of mixer choices.
If you're a battle or hip-hop type of DJ or a DJ who prefers to use just two turntables or two cd players a two-channel mixer will be appropriate. A three channel mixer is for the DJ who wants to add another component to the setup such as a cd player, effects machine or any other device and even another dj set-up into one of its channels so that multiple DJs can daisy-chain together.
A mixer with four or more channels, also known as the "club mixer" typically offers the most functionality and features and usually requires more space. High-end club mixers typically offer XLR outputs, seperate booth and room monitor controls, MIDI capabilities, sampling and advanced effect processing.
Mixers with USB is a new feature and offer some good benefits including the ability to record directly to yor computer.
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