i have the orbit 4 le fx & very happy with it. pleased with the switchable 4/3 band ISO, though i do wish it was higher than +6db. the binary counter for effects took me about 90 seconds to learn, then not think about it twice & didn't find it cramped, despite having large hands, but that depends on what you're accustomed to - ultimately, you get used to whatever you're on pretty quickly. couple hours most. i didn't have any issue doing tap tempo with the sync bpm delay, & while i use an external delay, i'd be comfortable just taking this to stay portable. the room reverb is nice; don't like the tech reverb personally. the "Filter" effect is very welcome & end up using that a lot for the LPF & resonance. i dont have any issue smoothly adjusting the "aux send" from channel to seamlessly blend in & out of FX; again - just depends on what you're used to. VUs, summing, headphone cueing, [both internal & external] fx routing is all really "invisible" in the sense that it does exactly what i want with no hassle. build quality & size (especially for the 4) is a lot nicer than expected for the price/feature set. i wonder how much the increased distribution (less "rare" factor) & familiarity/fatigue seeing the same form factor "from mastersounds" seems to have people writing this off or being less impressed. the fact of the matter is, it's a more accessible version of the Mastersounds that plenty of people wanted & loved. i don't blame them for continuing to make it available, & i'm very grateful they did - it's as simple as that. if someone wanted one, now they can get one. of course the rotary crowd has a [rightfully so] requirement of aesthetic, & it's busier than the MS was; but honestly - what a wonderful situation to be in: it sounds & functions a lot better than the price implies & it's more readily accessible.
@dogwalk3 thanks for your breakdown, I just ordered the effects 4 and I’m excited about the rotary thing, I’ve been using 300 dollar numark mixers for years and this unit really sounds like I can sculpt the sounds and have a lot of fun and more creativity during my weekly radio shows. Hails🎶
I bought this unit 3 months ago and I couldn't believe that's such a high quality rotary mixer can be bought for less than a grand with FX integrated. Even though auto BPM delay really does get confused a lot, even with quite clear beat of deep house, the rest of the unit and effects are best bank for bucks you can get. No alternatives out there for this price for sure!
Never understood why A&H doesn't just take the FX unit of the Xone:PX5 and make it an external device. I think it would be a great addition for analog mixers without FX like the Xone:96 for example.
dedicated external DJ FX units are an absolute enigma. . . where are they all? its crazy to me that there are so few dedicated options, ive got an eventide H90, Zen Delay, Strymon Nightsky but they are all for production so there are always work arounds when DJing...the only genuinely 'built for DJs' one is the Pioneer RX1000 still!! The Mastersounds one was pretty limited and mostly just delay like the Zen...
@@Nosh_Feratu Yes I thought about the H9 but was worried it would be really complicated. We need a really user friendly idiot proof box with DB4 effects in it.
@@percyabba the H90 is a LOT better than the old H9, and its not really complicated to be fair, it just requires a load of prep beforehand, and because its so endlessly capable you cant just go crazy on the fly, its not what i'd call creatively or instantly 'accessible', there are so many options if you just pick something random and run with it you could end up with something that sounds awful and ruins your set... prep take a while too...can be a chore. The Zen is great, just very limited. Nightsky needs a lot of dialling in... Ive got an MP2015 so im crying out for something that really fits
@Nosh_Feratu Keinemusik Teil1 Delay and Teil2 Revolo is where it's at Playability and portability. I have both with a 96 and nothing has come close having previously owned a H9 and a Zen Delay One thing I'd like to add now is the Eventide Tricerachorus for a little extra spice on older records
@@djLovelyTime awesome, thanks for the info, much appreciated, i'll check those out!!! cheers! edit: damn, these look and sound amazing!! Might have to get some stuff on Reverb!!! haha.
Thx for review, been waiting to hear your thoughts on this. I got mine just after it came out. I agree the FX aren't great, 99% of the time I only use the analogue delay. Sometimes the BPM delay but only if I'm able to sneak a listen through the master first to see if it’s actually in time before I use it! On the plus side the mixer sounds amazing, the rotary knobs feel great and the summing is spot on.
i definitely found the UA to sound & feel (quality/sturdiness) better than the Eclers. it's all subjective ofc & dependent on what's in the rest of the audio path. i find the summing in this (i have the 4 le fx) is more cohesive than the warm, as well as finding i don't miss the eqs when mixing when the HPF here sounds so good.
In therms of ergonomic design there is no better 2 channel mixer than Henderson Exon 2 imo. Would be very thankful to see Mojaxx’s review of it in therms of quality.
Great review mate! This would be the only mixer I’d be willing to swap out my Ecler Warm 2 for. I like my mixers small and more minimal when DJing with vinyl, especially for home use. Having this onboard effects is awesome. I’m not a huge effects DJ but I do like to sprinkle them in every once in a while to keep things interesting. I might have to pick this one up eventually. The only thing I don’t like is no EQ controls per channel, but I’m being extra picky.
Also patiently waiting for your Elara 6 review to see if it's worth switching from my 96. The fact Andy has made this to directly compete with A&H is classic
I have a Union Audio Four Valve with an RMX1000 and can say its a carbon copy of the Master Sounds having played with them for a while. I can't tell the difference in the sound signature or quality.
I just bought the Ecler WARM2 mixer just a few months ago per your recommendation, so cant' see myself jumping ship toward the Orbit 2 but I am jealous of the onboard effects. I have an SP-404 MK2 and plan to try that with it, albeit not sure how well it'll work without BPM detection. At this stage, maybe aspirational. Thanks again!
Hi Mojaxx, the 3 red leds of fx section represents 3 bits of a binary number for example 8 it's 111 where 8 it's fx number 7 because it's start on fx number 0 that's 000 if you translate a binary number you gonna get it , great sound trough RUclips it's must sound perfect listen to in person.
Mojaxx, when will your review of the elara 6 be out? Im struggling between that and the 4 valve mixer, tho i hate having to lose a channel for mic use on it, it kind of kills the deal for me, even tho it is simply the most beautiful sounding mixer iv heard😮
Great honest review as always MoJaxx..Bravo. I noticed that the UA version of these mixers ISOs note only +6 boost when compared to MasterSounds versions ISOs including the Valve series mixers which all indicate +12 boost. Is there a reason for this and can you notice the difference? I look forward to your review of the Elara 6 as I’m a XONE:92 user myself.. Cheers 🍻
Same problem with the MS FX unit on the BPM delay as well - its shite and doesn't work properly. Never use it. That analogue delay and the reverbs though 👌 mint.
Was it Union Audio who decided they wanted to release their own mixers and so wouldn’t build them for MasterSounds or MasterSounds retreating from the mixer space and Union Audio took up the mantle?
mojaxx talked about it in the "end of mastersounds" video, but Mastersounds was getting out of the dj mixer game & focusing on their other stuff, so Andy from UA continued to produce them under their name while growing outward as well. all amicable
@@djtando it sounds better than everything other than the v10/euphonia under the "pioneer" umbrella. fader curve is linear which isn't common with djm, it's easier/better at smoother blending (but that's something you *don't* want for several styles of djing, where you can stutter or go 0->100 or vice versa instantaneously). you can see what components various mixers use & what gets placed where in the audio path between the input & output jacks to see where a lot of "color" or "transparent/hifi" is made or broken. rotary mixers in general use higher quality components, but it's kinda just a use case for the most part & the quality of the rest of your audio setup outside of the mixer plays into a lot. djm are digital, where this & most rotaries are analogue, which (again, outside stuff like the v10/euphonia or mp2015) sounds better. just different tools for different jobs - there's a lot of subjectivity at the end of the day & how well people's ears are trained to even "hear" what it's offering. one isn't "better or worse" when it comes to that subjectivity - just depends on the scenario/audience & experience as the dj.
significant miss for me compared to the MS line. the layout just seems crowded and kind of … janky. it’s not pleasing to the eye. i get that the isolator is trying to imitate the days of having a separate iso strip above your mixer, but having two large pots above the VUs looks odd, to my eye. don’t really care for a 4-band isolator, either, it just doesn’t seem useful to have a sub cut considering the kick transients normally always sit well above it (and it’s not like you have an eq section to even shape the low ends of the two tracks). the variable Q filter is lovely in the v2 valve mixers by MS, for example, but i wouldn’t want to be stuck with a whoooshy filter as my main method for blending. a shame considering there’s filters with resonance in the FX section?
Sounds beautiful, even on earbuds but those tempo-synced fx are a face-slapping trainwreck...and the hard on/off switching is v weak....showstoppers for me, no matter how cheap.
I have the Mastersounds version, and it really doesn't seem to need the high eq. There is something different about high quality analog summing that seems to render it unnecessary. Overall, I love the minimalist feel of it, and the wonderfully clean and clear sound.
@@vadzuse the LPF FX filter on that channel if you have the fx version. or know your music to use the iso to cut it on the outgoing track. early rotaries didn't have 3 band eqs - just a master isolator. i went from having an eq to just HPF & it hasn't been missed. there's still plenty of options if you find you need it, but i suggest trying it before ultimately writing it off
not in the class of Isonoe, Condesa e Varia but definitely 10 million times better that Aphatheta Euphonia “rotary abomination” which basically is just a glorified sound card with controllers and sold for crazy price to silly uneducated in audio rich kids / djs, i have listened “top djs” in interviews claiming euphonia as “great analog rotary” 🤦🏼♂️ which is a shame being a “famous DJ” and having not a clue what is a digital mixer (dsp binary domain / digital quantisation calculating approximately the analog summing ) and analog mixers which do the real summing in voltage / analog domain ( as reminder Humans listen still in analog not binary DSP 😅)
People who don't have a rotary mixer? I bought the mastersounds version a few months ago, and I think it was very reasonably priced considering the sound and build quality.
I just snagged one for 1000 off sweet water. Sold my condesa Lucia for 4k and sold my older MK2 1200s for a set of the gr2s. I have a full pioneer set up, sometimes the V10 is a bit overkil for just playing vinyl in my home.
i have the orbit 4 le fx & very happy with it. pleased with the switchable 4/3 band ISO, though i do wish it was higher than +6db.
the binary counter for effects took me about 90 seconds to learn, then not think about it twice & didn't find it cramped, despite having large hands, but that depends on what you're accustomed to - ultimately, you get used to whatever you're on pretty quickly. couple hours most.
i didn't have any issue doing tap tempo with the sync bpm delay, & while i use an external delay, i'd be comfortable just taking this to stay portable. the room reverb is nice; don't like the tech reverb personally. the "Filter" effect is very welcome & end up using that a lot for the LPF & resonance. i dont have any issue smoothly adjusting the "aux send" from channel to seamlessly blend in & out of FX; again - just depends on what you're used to.
VUs, summing, headphone cueing, [both internal & external] fx routing is all really "invisible" in the sense that it does exactly what i want with no hassle.
build quality & size (especially for the 4) is a lot nicer than expected for the price/feature set.
i wonder how much the increased distribution (less "rare" factor) & familiarity/fatigue seeing the same form factor "from mastersounds" seems to have people writing this off or being less impressed. the fact of the matter is, it's a more accessible version of the Mastersounds that plenty of people wanted & loved. i don't blame them for continuing to make it available, & i'm very grateful they did - it's as simple as that. if someone wanted one, now they can get one. of course the rotary crowd has a [rightfully so] requirement of aesthetic, & it's busier than the MS was; but honestly - what a wonderful situation to be in: it sounds & functions a lot better than the price implies & it's more readily accessible.
@dogwalk3 thanks for your breakdown, I just ordered the effects 4 and I’m excited about the rotary thing, I’ve been using 300 dollar numark mixers for years and this unit really sounds like I can sculpt the sounds and have a lot of fun and more creativity during my weekly radio shows. Hails🎶
@dogwalk3 can you use the effects on the microphone channels ?
I bought this unit 3 months ago and I couldn't believe that's such a high quality rotary mixer can be bought for less than a grand with FX integrated. Even though auto BPM delay really does get confused a lot, even with quite clear beat of deep house, the rest of the unit and effects are best bank for bucks you can get. No alternatives out there for this price for sure!
the LED effect display is in binary code
off=0, on=1
0 = 000
1 = 001
2 = 010
3 = 011
4 = 100
5 = 101
6 = 110
7 = 111
hope this helps
Thank you Mojaxx for your in-depth review, really helps us all. 👍
Never understood why A&H doesn't just take the FX unit of the Xone:PX5 and make it an external device. I think it would be a great addition for analog mixers without FX like the Xone:96 for example.
Looks like a cool little mixer but it still blows mew away that nobody is making a high end effects unit for these and the A & H 96.
dedicated external DJ FX units are an absolute enigma. . . where are they all? its crazy to me that there are so few dedicated options, ive got an eventide H90, Zen Delay, Strymon Nightsky but they are all for production so there are always work arounds when DJing...the only genuinely 'built for DJs' one is the Pioneer RX1000 still!! The Mastersounds one was pretty limited and mostly just delay like the Zen...
@@Nosh_Feratu Yes I thought about the H9 but was worried it would be really complicated. We need a really user friendly idiot proof box with DB4 effects in it.
@@percyabba the H90 is a LOT better than the old H9, and its not really complicated to be fair, it just requires a load of prep beforehand, and because its so endlessly capable you cant just go crazy on the fly, its not what i'd call creatively or instantly 'accessible', there are so many options if you just pick something random and run with it you could end up with something that sounds awful and ruins your set... prep take a while too...can be a chore.
The Zen is great, just very limited. Nightsky needs a lot of dialling in...
Ive got an MP2015 so im crying out for something that really fits
@Nosh_Feratu Keinemusik Teil1 Delay and Teil2 Revolo is where it's at
Playability and portability.
I have both with a 96 and nothing has come close having previously owned a H9 and a Zen Delay
One thing I'd like to add now is the Eventide Tricerachorus for a little extra spice on older records
@@djLovelyTime awesome, thanks for the info, much appreciated, i'll check those out!!! cheers!
edit: damn, these look and sound amazing!! Might have to get some stuff on Reverb!!! haha.
Thx for review, been waiting to hear your thoughts on this. I got mine just after it came out. I agree the FX aren't great, 99% of the time I only use the analogue delay. Sometimes the BPM delay but only if I'm able to sneak a listen through the master first to see if it’s actually in time before I use it!
On the plus side the mixer sounds amazing, the rotary knobs feel great and the summing is spot on.
Love the review. I’ve got mine already and I love it dearly.
This is actually pretty cool. Thanks for the review
Just in time. I was swaying between the Warm4 and the 4 channel version of this. Your review of the former has totally won me over.
i definitely found the UA to sound & feel (quality/sturdiness) better than the Eclers. it's all subjective ofc & dependent on what's in the rest of the audio path.
i find the summing in this (i have the 4 le fx) is more cohesive than the warm, as well as finding i don't miss the eqs when mixing when the HPF here sounds so good.
In therms of ergonomic design there is no better 2 channel mixer than Henderson Exon 2 imo.
Would be very thankful to see Mojaxx’s review of it in therms of quality.
We really need you to do an A/B comparison of the Elara 6 and the Xone 92 mk2 please. Thanks :)
Great review mate! This would be the only mixer I’d be willing to swap out my Ecler Warm 2 for. I like my mixers small and more minimal when DJing with vinyl, especially for home use. Having this onboard effects is awesome. I’m not a huge effects DJ but I do like to sprinkle them in every once in a while to keep things interesting. I might have to pick this one up eventually. The only thing I don’t like is no EQ controls per channel, but I’m being extra picky.
I love it. Please tell Union Audio to make a six channel version of this mixer. Thank You.
Also patiently waiting for your Elara 6 review to see if it's worth switching from my 96. The fact Andy has made this to directly compete with A&H is classic
Should be getting this to Mojaxx in the early part of next year 👍🏼
Whoever is selling those pots has the business…I see them on everything everywhere all at once 😂 thanks Mojaxx
Always liked the Kaoss pads when had a chance to use one.
I have a Union Audio Four Valve with an RMX1000 and can say its a carbon copy of the Master Sounds having played with them for a while. I can't tell the difference in the sound signature or quality.
The three-bit effect display is hilarious.
Base 2 for the win!
love this mixer. I wish they made an option for midi/computer link
I just bought the Ecler WARM2 mixer just a few months ago per your recommendation, so cant' see myself jumping ship toward the Orbit 2 but I am jealous of the onboard effects. I have an SP-404 MK2 and plan to try that with it, albeit not sure how well it'll work without BPM detection. At this stage, maybe aspirational. Thanks again!
Qu'est-ce que vous pensez sincèrement de la Warm 2 ?
Hi Mojaxx, the 3 red leds of fx section represents 3 bits of a binary number for example 8 it's 111 where 8 it's fx number 7 because it's start on fx number 0 that's 000 if you translate a binary number you gonna get it , great sound trough RUclips it's must sound perfect listen to in person.
Mojaxx, when will your review of the elara 6 be out? Im struggling between that and the 4 valve mixer, tho i hate having to lose a channel for mic use on it, it kind of kills the deal for me, even tho it is simply the most beautiful sounding mixer iv heard😮
Great honest review as always MoJaxx..Bravo. I noticed that the UA version of these mixers ISOs note only +6 boost when compared to MasterSounds versions ISOs including the Valve series mixers which all indicate +12 boost. Is there a reason for this and can you notice the difference? I look forward to your review of the Elara 6 as I’m a XONE:92 user myself.. Cheers 🍻
Effects select knob need to have 8 distinct notches. Weird to have it as a blend pot.
Quality sound compare to Ecler Warm 2? Thanks Mo
Same problem with the MS FX unit on the BPM delay as well - its shite and doesn't work properly. Never use it. That analogue delay and the reverbs though 👌 mint.
I bet it sounds amazing but it just looks cramped, and the isolators should have more margin at the top of the mixer to match the bottom
🔥
Was it Union Audio who decided they wanted to release their own mixers and so wouldn’t build them for MasterSounds or MasterSounds retreating from the mixer space and Union Audio took up the mantle?
mojaxx talked about it in the "end of mastersounds" video, but Mastersounds was getting out of the dj mixer game & focusing on their other stuff, so Andy from UA continued to produce them under their name while growing outward as well.
all amicable
Frankly all these dj companies can make it much cheaper and make it much smaller. I feel there is a lot of gatekeepers in this industry.
👍👍👍👍👍👍
😮😮😮🎉🎉🎉🎉
Dude Question, what kind of dj uses this kind of mixer?
Thanks for getting back @@djstuc. & y not use a DJM of a more standard mixer? is it the sound quality thats better?
@@djtando it sounds better than everything other than the v10/euphonia under the "pioneer" umbrella. fader curve is linear which isn't common with djm, it's easier/better at smoother blending (but that's something you *don't* want for several styles of djing, where you can stutter or go 0->100 or vice versa instantaneously).
you can see what components various mixers use & what gets placed where in the audio path between the input & output jacks to see where a lot of "color" or "transparent/hifi" is made or broken.
rotary mixers in general use higher quality components, but it's kinda just a use case for the most part & the quality of the rest of your audio setup outside of the mixer plays into a lot. djm are digital, where this & most rotaries are analogue, which (again, outside stuff like the v10/euphonia or mp2015) sounds better.
just different tools for different jobs - there's a lot of subjectivity at the end of the day & how well people's ears are trained to even "hear" what it's offering. one isn't "better or worse" when it comes to that subjectivity - just depends on the scenario/audience & experience as the dj.
significant miss for me compared to the MS line. the layout just seems crowded and kind of … janky. it’s not pleasing to the eye. i get that the isolator is trying to imitate the days of having a separate iso strip above your mixer, but having two large pots above the VUs looks odd, to my eye. don’t really care for a 4-band isolator, either, it just doesn’t seem useful to have a sub cut considering the kick transients normally always sit well above it (and it’s not like you have an eq section to even shape the low ends of the two tracks). the variable Q filter is lovely in the v2 valve mixers by MS, for example, but i wouldn’t want to be stuck with a whoooshy filter as my main method for blending. a shame considering there’s filters with resonance in the FX section?
Sounds beautiful, even on earbuds but those tempo-synced fx are a face-slapping trainwreck...and the hard on/off switching is v weak....showstoppers for me, no matter how cheap.
That's a shame about no smooth in/out for the FX, cos they sound unique, but that's a deal breaker, it makes the dj sound like an amateur.
No high eq control per channel? Straaaange
I have the Mastersounds version, and it really doesn't seem to need the high eq. There is something different about high quality analog summing that seems to render it unnecessary. Overall, I love the minimalist feel of it, and the wonderfully clean and clear sound.
@@amosluyk and what if a person loves cutting off highs during transitions from one track to another?
@@vadzuse the LPF FX filter on that channel if you have the fx version.
or know your music to use the iso to cut it on the outgoing track. early rotaries didn't have 3 band eqs - just a master isolator.
i went from having an eq to just HPF & it hasn't been missed. there's still plenty of options if you find you need it, but i suggest trying it before ultimately writing it off
pop on the filter is a no bueno
That effects section looks like a badly botched DIY project.
not in the class of Isonoe, Condesa e Varia but definitely 10 million times better that Aphatheta Euphonia “rotary abomination” which basically is just a glorified sound card with controllers and sold for crazy price to silly uneducated in audio rich kids / djs, i have listened “top djs” in interviews claiming euphonia as “great analog rotary” 🤦🏼♂️ which is a shame being a “famous DJ” and having not a clue what is a digital mixer (dsp binary domain / digital quantisation calculating approximately the analog summing ) and analog mixers which do the real summing in voltage / analog domain ( as reminder Humans listen still in analog not binary DSP 😅)
Who buys these ? Surly rotary fans have their mixer and don’t need another especially at this price point .
People who don't have a rotary mixer? I bought the mastersounds version a few months ago, and I think it was very reasonably priced considering the sound and build quality.
A lot of recent vinyl collectors are buying these to have a bit of fun in their living rooms. The HiFi bar effect.
I just snagged one for 1000 off sweet water. Sold my condesa Lucia for 4k and sold my older MK2 1200s for a set of the gr2s.
I have a full pioneer set up, sometimes the V10 is a bit overkil for just playing vinyl in my home.
@@hippystinx1 4k USD? Someone who just wanted it now and couldn’t wait?