STANTON SK-2F Professional Battle Mixer
Apr 1, 2001 12:00 PM, By Robin Smith
A new turntablist mixer featuring the revolutionary Focus
Fader.
For years, Stanton made its name as a manufacturer of turntable cartridges and styli. Its 500AL no-skip cartridge, a staple among early turntablists, made a good match for a Technics SL-1200MK2 turntable. Now, Stanton has added another good match: the new Stanton SK-2F Professional Battle Mixer, featuring the Focus Fader. With its sights set squarely on Vestax's and Rane's share of the battle-mixer market, Stanton has come out with a solid scratch mixer at a very appealing price.
The first thing that impressed me about the SK-2F is the almost friction-free fluidity of its crossfader movement. Simply picking up the mixer and tipping it to the left causes the crossfader to slide in that direction. This has to be the slickest crossfader I've ever seen.
SHARP FOCUS
After hooking up the SK-2F to my turntables, I discovered that the Focus Fader is not only as smooth as silk, but also has the quickest and best-positioned cut-in of any turntablist-style crossfader I've played. Designed by DJ Focus of Phoenix, the Focus Fader features a true optical (and thus static-free) design with an on-off-type cut-in. A mere 1 mm of travel changes the crossfader from all the way off to all the way on. In addition, the point at which the cut-in occurs is only 2 to 3 mm from the extremes of the crossfader's travel. This makes the Focus Fader ideal for performing crab-style scratch techniques and should appeal to all turntablists, from expert to newbie.
The mixer also has a crossfader cut-in adjustment located on the front vertical panel. When you use the Focus Fader (a regular crossfader is also included), the adjustment serves no purpose — the Focus Fader has no adjustable cut-in — it is just sharp, sharp, sharp. While this might be a problem for some DJs (beat mixers especially), the Focus Fader is so well designed and scratch-friendly that I am more than happy to give up the adjustability.
As with most turntablist-oriented mixers today, the SK-2F's front panel features the ever-popular hamster switch that allows you to switch the crossfader direction — that is, crossfader to the left turns the right turntable full on, and vice versa. The device also includes hamster switches for each of the main faders. Engaging them turns the fader upside down: when the fader is down, the audio signal is on; when the fader is up, the audio is off.
SMOOTH OPERATOR
The SK-2F is housed in a silver-colored case with a blue anodized faceplate called the Protekt Panel that is designed to make the mixer's top surface as smooth as possible. Removing the Protekt Panel allows you to replace any of the faders and adjust the line/phono switch orientation.
Many turntablists use the line/phono selector switches for doing transformer scratches. Interestingly, the SK-2F's input switches include a third position — labeled Flash — that, according to the manual, “allows users to quickly trigger the phono input.” I found the travel required to engage the Flash feature equal to that required to switch from line to phono — and in both cases, it was more travel than you ideally want for fast transformer scratching. I also found it easier to perform transformers with the crossfader, especially considering how sharp the Focus Fader's cut-in is.
The SK-2F is 10¼ inches wide and 3½ inches high, the perfect size for nestling between a pair of standard DJ turntables. The SK-2F's back panel includes gold-plated line and phono inputs and a pair of phono ground terminals. Additionally, the device features a ¼-inch mic input, a power switch, a pair of unbalanced RCA line outputs, and a pair of balanced ¼-inch TRS outputs that allow multiple hookups to various audio systems.
The SK-2F's powerful headphone amp enables switching between the master output signal and the cue signal. Another nice feature is its headphone kill switch. Located between the main faders, the switch provides quick and easy headphone muting during a performance without forcing you to stray too far from the crossfader.
SLIGHT BUILD
My main criticism of this mixer is its construction quality. Although the product feels solidly made, certain features show a lack of attention to detail. Some of the rotary dials (EQ and Gain) are slightly off center, and in general the SK-2F doesn't feel quite as polished as the top-of-the-line Vestax or Rane models. That said, its quality is quite good for a midpriced turntablist mixer.
The Stanton SK-2F is well designed, and the excellent Focus Fader alone should ensure its popularity. Stanton has also infused this mixer with many other turntablist-friendly features in a configuration that will not disappoint.
PRODUCT SUMMARY
STANTON
SK-2F Professional Battle Mixer
$599
PROS: Focus Fader's sharp cut-in. Hamster switches. Smooth faceplate. Competitive price.
CONS: Too-long line/phono switch travel. Slightly poor construction quality compared with top-of-the-line models.
Overall Rating (1 through 5): 4
Contact: tel. (954) 929-8999
e-mail info@stantonmagnetics.com Web
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