Numark will announce the Mixtrack Quad – a full four-channel version of its Mixtrack Pro 2 controller – at the Musikmesse show this week, we can reveal in our second exclusive Numark story today. The Mixtrack Quad will ship with a four-deck version of Virtual DJ LE, but will also be compatible with Traktor, djay and MixVibes via built-in or downloadable mappings. As well as the option to simultaneously control four software channels, the unit offers “a stunning array of colours on its platters and pads”, according to Numark, including user-definable colours. The company also says that the Mixtrack Quad will feature a higher grade of components that the Mixtrack Pro 2, resulting in its build quality approaching that of higher-end DJ devices.
Much of what we said about the Mixtrack Pro 2 will apply to this controller too, so head over to our Mixtrack Pro 2 review to get our thoughts on that. Improvements here include rotating LEDs on the platters, and colour-coding of control lights to match the four deck colours used in Virtual DJ to reduce any chance of confusion when mixing with all four decks. There are no external inputs apart from the mic thru, so you can’t hook up external decks (you’d need to use the Numark N4 controller for that), and some DJs may be put off by the fact that unlike most of Numark’s recent controllers, this unit doesn’t ship with Serato DJ Intro.
Although Serato DJ Intro doesn’t let you use all four decks (it’s limited to two), including it it would give DJs the option of upgrading to Serato DJ in order to unlock the other two decks. This puts the unit at a disadvantage over its smaller brother, the Mixtrack Pro 2, in this area.
The Mixtrack Quad is class compliant (meaning theoretically you could use it with an iPad, for instance), and by our reckoning is the only four-channel controller out there that doesn’t need external power – although whether using external power is an option is not clear at the time of writing. The recommended price of the Mixtrack Quad is US$349, putting it only slightly higher in price than the Mixtrack Pro 2. We do not have a street date for at the time of going to press.
Do you like the look of a four-channel version of the Mixtrack Pro 2? Does the lack of Serato DJ Intro or an upgrade option to Serato DJ bother you? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Phil Morse
