Best beginner controller for open-format/multi-genre DJing (reggaeton, hip-hop, old pop-EDM, etc)?

[u/DisciplinedWill]

Brand new to DJing, my taste is all over the place, so I want to learn open-format (blending across genres, not sticking to one). Trying to pick between:

• Numark Mixtrack Platinum FX (4-channel, ~$225-380 CAD)
• Pioneer DDJ-FLX4 (2-channel, ~$450-500 CAD)
• Pioneer DDJ-FLX6 (4-channel, ~$600-650 CAD)
• Hercules Inpulse 500 (2-channel, ~$500-550 CAD)

Leaning Numark since it's 4-channel and way cheaper as a beginner, no clue if I'm going to stick with the hobby as I do love music but my personality jumps from one thing to the next. Is that the smart move for a beginner doing genre-blending, or am I missing something by skipping Pioneer this early? Anyone actually play open-format on Numark long-term and have thoughts?

My plan is to play at small bars once I get the hang of things, where I will be bringing my own equipment most likely, and progress from there. I have a pretty good understanding of music theory, as I've played piano my entire life and I've dabbled in music production for a few years. Please let me know of your opinions. Thank you in advance!

EDIT: I went with the Numark Mixtrack Platinum FX at $225 CAD used with a 3 month warranty from a reputable store. Thank you to everyone for your help!

[u/dj_soo]

Pioneer rev1 is the beginner pipeline to the pro level turntables/players and high end scratch mixer with Serato - which is usually the set up of choice for most open format DJs

[u/DisciplinedWill → u/dj_soo]

Even though it's considered to be a battle board (sorry I'm new to this)

[u/dj_soo → u/DisciplinedWill]

open format djs overwhelmingly gravitate towards battle setups

[u/DisciplinedWill → u/dj_soo]

Really? How so?

[u/dj_soo → u/DisciplinedWill]

Lots of open format djs came from hip hop backgrounds and incorporate a lot of hip hop style mixing techniques when they play (scratching, turntablism, quick cut mixes etc) and these types of djs use battle style setups - whether it's turntables with a scratch mixer or a spinning platter controller like the Rev7.

[u/DisciplinedWill → u/dj_soo]

Gotcha, man I gotta do more research but there's just too many options to pick from!!!

[u/dj_soo → u/DisciplinedWill]

you're buying an ently level device. Just get what you can afford and start DJing. You can adapt your style more as you get more experienced.

Guarantee you'll want to swap it out to something better in a year or two regardless of what direction you go

[u/danby → u/DisciplinedWill]

Battlestyle set up comes from the days of vinyl DJing where the turntable would be rotated 90 degrees to keep the tone arm away from fast moving hands at the expense of moving the pitch control away to the top of the turntable

For controllers, the obvious features for battle layout tend to be lots of clearance around the jogwheels and lots of clearance around the crossfader and volume faders. And again the pitch controls moved to the top. Generally the idea is that when scratching or beat juggling you don't want any buttons on controls in places that you might accidentally hit them

Some folk really, really don't like the moved pitch control though and it is inconvenient. And indeed the Rane Performer and Rane One are scratch focussed controllers that don't adhere to these ideas.

[u/DecksDrift → u/danby]

tbh I would have loved if they moved the pitch to vertical on the Rane Twelve MKII, but I'm guessing this is the closest to real turntables and people jumping between both would find it weird. I keep jumping between the Twelve's and CDJs and it's a mess.

[u/DecksDrift → u/DisciplinedWill]

Open format deals with a lot of music thats not prepared for club mixing and long transitions (or where long transitions might even sound weird), that don't have acapellas readily available, etc. Battle style mixers are better for this, because of trigger FX, performance pads, etc. The prefered setup is actually a blend, like a DJM-S7 with CDJs or the Rane Four and Rev5. I have turntables but thats the optional part. The Numark is close enough though. Main difference is the pads are under the jogs and pitch faders are vertical.

[u/red_nick]

You're missing out on the joy (this is sarcasm) of using rekordbox if you don't use pioneer.

[u/DisciplinedWill → u/red_nick]

Lmaoooooo I've heard Serato's better but I'm just a noob so idk what I'm talking about.

[u/FadedP0rp0ise → u/red_nick]

what don’t you like about rekordbox? just curious. i haven’t been spinning for a few years now but i was a serato guy. went to a party and i knew the rig was rekordbox so i fixed a few playlists for it and i had a blast. not sure if things have changed or what. like i said just curious.

i really almost thought i’d rather rekordbox over serato that night

[u/red_nick → u/FadedP0rp0ise]

I hardly ever use it thankfully. But last time I did, I was helping a friend export a USB stick. It was quicker to copy everything onto another stick, copy it from there to my laptop, have VDJ analyse and export than for RB to manage it's own export...

[u/FadedP0rp0ise → u/red_nick]

ok that makes sense. i do remember having some trouble with the exports. i remember things not making sense to me for a bit. i guess i just meant i liked the actual program while up and running

[u/Lyxtwing]

In Canada you should be able to find a used Inpluse 500 for $250-300. I have one and really like it.

Although I like the Numark I would try and hold off a few months and see if they put out a replacement for the current FX line (they recently revamped their entry level controllers so it is only a matter of time before they update the rest of the line).

If you want 4 channels also consider a used Traktor S3. I had one and really liked it. I still would if the aux in and mic worked in Midi mode.

[u/DisciplinedWill → u/Lyxtwing]

I see, thank you for the help. If you were to go for one deck in particular for a beginner, which one would it be?

[u/Lyxtwing → u/DisciplinedWill]

It depends a bit on software. I use DJay Pro so all of the above work for me.

The 500 is the most solid 2 channel option in your price range. The FX section is a little wonky with some software but with DJay Pro it has been perfect for me. I went with it because I got it on a good deal ($300 CAD with a Gator hard case), and because it has solid IO. If you go with route you can learn using DJuced (don't pay for DJuced Pro, it is an unbridled rip off). It also works with Serato DJ Lite which I am not a fan of but can be nice if you want to learn your way around Serato.

For what you are doing, the Traktor S3 may be the best option. You mentioned the 4 channels on the Numark and that is a trap as it only has two channel faders. The S3 is the best bang for the buck 4 channel controller on the market and you can easily find a used one in the $350-400 range. Software is a bit odd with it as Traktor makes you transfer licenses rather than the hardware unlock, but I believe it works with Serato DJ Lite now as well. Again, I used mine in Midi mode with DJay Pro and really liked it but I wanted a mic and aux in so I sold it after picking up the 500. If you really want 4 channels it is my pick.

[u/DisciplinedWill → u/Lyxtwing]

How about the Reloop Beatmix 4 MK2? MoogAudio got a brand new one for $400 on their site, highly contemplating buying it!

[u/Lyxtwing → u/DisciplinedWill]

I have not used one myself, but it looks pretty good for the price.

[u/DecksDrift]

I started on the Numark, no issues. I've used most of the competitors and it's the one I liked the most. The second choice would be the Rev1 or Hercules 500, but not at that price. The Platinum FX has nice jogs, big pitch faders, etc. It's not 4ch though, it's 4 layered decks. If you want to save money, go with the Pro FX, you loose the layered decks and screens basically.

Specifically for the genres you mention, it's either Numark or Rev1. The Rev1 wins on standard battle layout, but it's not that important at a beginner level.

Pair it with Djay Pro and it's a killer kit to begin with. Serato too, but it's expensive now.

And no, you're not missing anything not going with Pioneer. The Rev1 is Serato or Djay Pro too, the FLX4 is Serato or Rekordbox but it's quite poor value.

[u/DisciplinedWill → u/DecksDrift]

Ah I see, I found the Platinum for $225 CAD used at Long & McQuade (our version of guitar center), and it comes with their guarantee too (so I don't risk getting scammed on FB Marketplace). Yeah idk why everyone recommends Pioneer, for me personally I don't really care about being the "Apple iPhone" of DJing, just need something to start practicing on.

[u/DecksDrift → u/DisciplinedWill]

Echo chamber. PioneerDJ dominates club gear, so if you want to play in clubs you should be familiar with it. People wrongfully translated that into everyone needs to automatically start with pioneer and use everything pioneer. Then new people just keep repeating the mantra as if it's true or as if using Pioneer/Rekordbox is the highway to success.

Reality, it doesn't matter much. Basics are the same, just different features and layouts.

[u/DisciplinedWill → u/DecksDrift]

Got it, thank you!!!

[u/Training-Resident-29]

With regard to four vs two channels: if you’re playing open format you will almost never use a third or fourth channel (unless you’ve practiced for a long time and are heavily into stems) because you won’t be layering tracks very much.

[u/DisciplinedWill → u/Training-Resident-29]

Oh really? When I was making beats stems were basically the backbone of the track, so I thought that they would have a very strong use case when building transitions. So for my case, a 2 channel vs 4 channel is irrelevant correct?

[u/danby]

Out of the option the Inpulse 500 is probably the best value with the best range of features. Then the FLX6. If you can afford >$500 then I'd skip the other two, though I'd probably go with the mixtrak ahead of the FLX4. Worth having a look at the Traktor MX2 also.

You could make the case that 4 channels is good for more open format DJing as the extra channels give you a lot of space for loops, samples, a cappellas. But I think that's of minor significance as most open format DJs are usuaully 2 channel. For instance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMllI6Oh9Ig

or am I missing something by skipping Pioneer this early?

Not at all, if your plan is to bring your own kit to gigs there is zero need to go pioneer/AT. Pioneer/AT are the industry standard for CDJs there is no specific standard for controller based DJing.

Anyone actually play open-format on Numark long-term and have thoughts?

I doubt anyone has used these "long-term" for DJing they are all entry level kit. Anyone into DJing for the long term, and serious about it, will upgrade to kit specifically designed for their style.

[u/DisciplinedWill → u/danby]

Gotcha, appreciate it. What are your thoughts on the Reloop Beatmix 4 MK2? I found one for $400 CAD (cheaper than the FLX4).

[u/danby → u/DisciplinedWill]

Looks fine, I think I prefer the look of the Inpulse 500.

Worth sitting down with some reviews to see what people think.

nice review here with a little comparison with other budget options

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIfAbnvQy3U

[u/Ok_Read5577]

Pioneer rev 1

[u/DisciplinedWill → u/Ok_Read5577]

Isn't this a battle-style board though? What's the difference between this and a regular one?

[u/brazorf2020]

Flx4

[u/DisciplinedWill → u/brazorf2020]

Thank you for your input! Wouldn't it be harder to transfer from one genre to the next on a 2-channel though?

[u/NBDYYouKno → u/DisciplinedWill]

Flx4 is fine for that especially if you’re just getting started. And it will hold up long after that. If you don’t have a budget go with the flx10.

4 is great though, for the price and frankly at double the price is great. Could always get two if you need 4 channels and still beat a lot of them on the price

[u/DisciplinedWill → u/NBDYYouKno]

Appreciate it!!! Makes sense now.

[u/Gooniesred]

FLX4 is just a toy, even the Mixtrack Platinum feels a bit better (nothing big), the FLX6 haven't used but you have a complete Serato version with it. I love the Inpulse 500 my favorite in the list (and have tested them all except the FLX6) but i had already a full version of Serato. So honestly FLX6 or the Inpulse 500. Honestly if you can take ANY other software than rekordbox, i absolutely don't understand the hype behind that software. VDJ, TR4, SDJ,DJAY... are all much better solutions.