NUMARK EM-460 DJ Effects Mixer
Apr 1, 2001 12:00 PM, By Erik Hawkins
Wreak serious Kaoss with this pro DJ mixer.
Numark and Korg have had a baby! Well, actually, it's more like fraternal twins. Numark's new line of professional DJ mixers combines the company's excellent board-building skills with Korg's patented Kaoss Pad dynamic multi-effects technology. The first product of this series to hit retail stores was the EM-360. The EM-460, its sibling, boasts more inputs and features and comes with an identical onboard Kaoss Pad.
THE RIGHT CONNECTIONS
The EM-460 is a nice-looking mixer with a red anodized-aluminum finish and a surplus of lights — it has several LED meters, and the Kaoss Pad's touch surface is illuminated. The 19-inch-wide rack-mountable unit takes up seven rackspaces and is about 3¼ inches deep. A removable IAC Type II cable supplies power — very practical and much more convenient than those cumbersome wall-wart power supplies. A rocker-type on-off switch is located on the mixer's backside. You can easily change voltage between 115V and 230V using a switch that's also on the unit's rear, so taking the EM-460 overseas is a breeze. A 12V BNC connector on the front panel accepts a standard gooseneck lamp to provide extra light in dark DJ booths.
The EM-460 offers a total of four input channels, all switchable between different source inputs. Channel 1 is either mic 1 or line; channels 2 and 3 are phono-aux or line; and on channel 4 you have a choice among phono-aux, line, and mic 2. The phono-aux select switches are located on the mixer's rear panel. As you would expect, toggle switches on the front panel — just above each channel's fader — allow you to select between the sources. There are two ¼-inch microphone inputs on the backside (mic 1 and mic 2); a Neutrik combo connector on the front accepts either ¼-inch or XLR. Though it isn't labeled as such, the front-panel microphone jack is also a mic 1 input. Both mic 1 connections are available simultaneously.
The mixer features four sets of RCA stereo outputs: Master, Zone 1, Zone 2, and Rec. It also includes balanced XLR jacks for the master outputs. These professional-quality output connections make hooking up the EM-460 directly to a sound system, powered monitors, or recording consoles a snap. Zones 1 and 2 have associated level controls on the front panel. The Rec output is handy for recording your performances on cassette or MiniDisc. The Zone 1, Zone 2, and Rec outputs are all pre-master fader.
PROPS TO PROPER CONTROLS
Each channel, including the master output fader, features a pan control and three bands of EQ (low, mid, and high). Each EQ band control offers a +15 dB boost and -30 dB cut range and is centered at 40 Hz, 1.36 kHz, and 20 kHz (low to high). The EQ provides ample range to pump up or cut out bass, vocals, or synth lines. Each input channel has a prefader level gain control, and a toggle switch above the master fader allows you to switch the main output between mono and stereo operation. You can assign the mixer's smooth crossfader to any two of the four input channels.
The input channels all have their own dedicated 10-segment prefader LED meters, wonderful for monitoring the signal going to each channel: you never have to question whether signal is coming into the board. Two easy-to-read, 12-segment LED momentary peak hold meters handle metering of the master left and right output levels.
A headphone jack and an associated volume knob are located on the unit's face. You can set the headphones to monitor cue send, master out, or a mix of the two. A handy button lets you choose whether playback is split (you hear the cue send on your right and the master out on your left) or blended (you hear both the cue and the master outs in stereo). Each input channel has its own dedicated cue button, and there's even a cue control for the Kaoss effects. Red LED indicators let you know when the cue buttons are engaged.
CREATING KAOSS
The onboard Kaoss Pad is identical to Korg's standalone version. Run your fingers across the translucent pad to morph between effects parameters for some crazy signal processing. The 60 preset patches include lowpass filters, delays, reverbs, phasers, pitch-shifting, distortion, and sampling. Though you can't write your own patches, the unit does provide plenty of great-sounding presets — especially the filters and multi-tap delays. An infinitely rotating, detented knob lets you scroll through the programs, and a big 2-character LED registers the program number. Six buttons just above the pad act as quick keys, allowing you to store the presets for instant recall — very convenient.
The Kaoss Pad provides up to 5 seconds of sampling at a fixed 48 kHz sampling rate. The unit can automatically trigger sample recording when you input a sound, or you can record samples manually by pressing the Rec button (which incidentally doubles as the Effects Main on-off button). When you press the Sample Record button to end sampling, the sample automatically loops. Presets 51 to 60 are the dedicated sampling patches; select one of them to create and play back a sample. The sample playback presets incorporate time-shifting, pitch-shifting, and amplitude and loop-point changes to create incredibly wild sounds. Unfortunately, the unit does not offer a way to save samples: if you select a preset other than those between 51 and 60 or turn the power off, your sample is history.
The effects unit integrates nicely with the mixer, and its ergonomic controls are easy to master quickly. Each input channel includes an effects send button. Press one of these buttons, and a yellow LED shows you that the effects send function is engaged for that channel. A single master wet-dry effects mix knob found above the master fader's EQ section lets you dial in the balance between the original and processed signals. A Hold button to the left of the pad freezes the current effects parameter setting, allowing you to remove your fingers from the pad and operate the mixer.
A MIDI Out jack located on the mixer's rear transmits Continuous Controller (CC) messages from the Kaoss Pad's controls. You can change the CC numbers as well as the MIDI channel. This feature would mainly come in handy for controlling additional MIDI effects units; however, a function for saving samples probably would have been a better investment of resources.
IT JUST FEELS FLY
The EM-460's sound quality is very good, though the effects do bleed into the headphones a hair, even with the effects unit disengaged — but that's not a big thing when you consider how noisy most clubs are. The Kaoss Pad's program-select knob seems a bit delicate, but luckily the quick keys will serve nicely for heavy-handed patch recalling. A built-in bpm counter would have been a nice addition, especially since the unit offers a MIDI output jack that you could link to a sequencer or drum machine. Maybe Numark will add this feature in a future model.
The unit's manual is rather oversimplified, and the numbers corresponding to the explanations of the Kaoss Pad's controls are wrong. If you aren't familiar with DJ mixer operation or don't understand much about effects sends, don't count on the manual for elucidation.
The EM-460 feels great and offers a wide variety of pro features, such as EQ for each channel and balanced XLR master outputs. Despite its lame manual, the unit is very intuitive to use. The crossfader feels smooth, and the up faders are just stiff enough to remain in place after you've adjusted them. The Kaoss Pad is a blast to experiment with. The EM-460 even offers fader start-stop jacks (of the standard miniplug type). I plugged Tascam's CD-302 dual CD player — which also has fader start-stop — into the EM-460 and was in DJ heaven. What raw mixing power! This board isn't cheap, but it's well worth the bucks when you consider all that it offers. However, if $950 is too much to pay, you can always settle for the mixer's less expensive fraternal twin, the EM-360, which lists for $650.
Erik Hawkins is a producer and remixer working in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit his Web site at www.erikhawkins.com for more equipment and project-studio chitchat.
PRODUCT SUMMARY
NUMARK
EM-460 DJ Effects Mixer
$950
PROS: EQ and meters on every channel. Two zone outs with independent level controls. RCA and balanced XLR main outs. Built-in Kaoss Pad is well integrated into the mixer.
CONS: Weak manual. Kaoss Pad doesn't provide user presets or save samples. Somewhat pointless MIDI jack.
Overall Rating (1 through 5): 4.5
Contact: tel. (401) 295-9000
e-mail info@numark.com
Web www.numark.com
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