Decent first mixer (Numark Bluedog 2)

Member Name: MichaelR

Product:	Numark Bluedog 2
Date:	25/01/01 (295 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, simple, robust, lots of features

Disadvantages: Rather limiting once you get past the basics

This will probably be the first mixer you ever own.

It is simple, sure, but when you're starting, do you really want to have to worry about cuts and kills and punches, and pan and 101 other things?

If you're anything like me, then you will spend a fair bit of time just working on your basic beat matching before moving on to anything else, and for that, this little box of tricks will do very nicely.

You get all the basic features, i.e two audio channels, which have phono (turntable) and line (just about anything else, but usually CD players) inputs on each channel, and are switchable by moving a little lever across, so, you can have two CD players and two decks connected to the mixer, and just flip the switch when you want to use a different device.

There is also an input for a 1/4" mic on the front, which has it's own level control, and your headphones plug into the front of the mixer too. These also have their own level control.

As well as the faders for each channel, and the crossfader, the DM905 "Blue Dog 2" also has a miniature crossfader that is used for cue-mixing. Basically this allows you to check if you are in time by varying the amount of each signal in your earphones, so you can choose to listen to just channel one, or equal amounts of one and two, or whatever, and it works just like a standard cross-fader.

A lot of mixers in this price range do not have cue-mix, so this is a definite plus point.

I have to say that the cue mix is not very sophisticated on this mixer. It does not seem to be affected by the gains (which I will come to later) or the channel faders, so what you hear in the cue mix is not exactly what you will hear when you start the live mix, but still, it is an invaluable tool when you are learning, just to check your timing and make sure you don't have any double beats or anything.

The other big thing that this mixer has going for it is in
dependent gain control on each channel. This is new to the mark 2, the old Bluedog did not have it.

Basically, this allows you to increase or decrease the volume of the signal on that channel, so you can maintain a constant level of volume throughout your set, and so that one tune does not get drowned out by the other when you mix.

Again, this marks the Bluedog out from other cheap mixers.

Oh, and it also has a recording output control, that many mixers in this class do not have, so you can plug it into a tape deck or something to record your progress while you learn.

Hmmmm, what else? Oh yeah, there is a mic talkover feature for any of those of you who like to talk over your music. Personally, I don't, but you know, if you do, it's there.

To sum up, this is an excellent little mixer for a very low price, and it's included in some very tasty package deals.

The fact that it is cheap, and still so good (relatively speaking) means that you will have a lot more money to spend on your decks if you go for this.

It's reliable, robust, and has some very nice features.

You will tire of it very quickly once you perfect your beat matching technique, and I found after I moved on, that the sound reproduction when using phono (decks) is quite poor, but you really don't notice it at the time. It's all relative, and I dare say it is probably much better than other mixers in this class.

At only £59, this is a real bargain if you're just starting out, and bear in mind that if you're buying it as part of a package, then you'll get it even cheaper....

Your alternatives in this price range... well, you're probably looking at Gemini PMX-60, or KAM Silver or Red Dwarf. Both are more expensive with less features though, so it's really got to be the Numark Bluedog2 folks....

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