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Which? DDJ-SX2 or Reloop Terminal Mix 8

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  • January 20, 2015 at 1:22 pm #2124861
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    Well the first thing you will notice is the layout of both are quite different. Coming from vinyl too (and I am 40) I can only say that I feel more at home with the jogwheels of the Terminal Mix as they perform much better, even though they are not motorized you can do things like backspin, which is not possible on the SX2.
    Also I like the layout (jogs at the bottom and performance pads on top) better, but that is personal workflow.

    The SX2 has however some functions the TM8 has not: It can act as a standalone mixer, it is DVS ready (you have to purchase the Serato plugin and Control vinyl extra of course and have 2 decks you can connect) and it has native Serato Flip support.
    Also the SX2 has typical CDJ jogwheels with LEDs in it, so typically it caters more towards people switching from CDJ setups. However due to the CDJ typical “breaks” in the jogwheel things like backspins are not possible.

    Now I for myself do not need those features, so I got the TM8. As for Serato Flip I can use a reloop Neon as an addon controller and it will even have more features (also for the sample player and hotcue management) than the SX2.

    So you see there is not really a better controller, but rather which one suits you more.
    For home use it will not make a huge difference I think, as you most likely will not use DVS or standalone mixer functions and as I said if you start to use Serato Flip you can get the Neon as an addon.

    You can check out the forum sticke thread “forum video” for a TM8 video by me.

    January 20, 2015 at 1:36 pm #2124881
    Lee Dee
    Participant

    Thanks for the info Terry, I’ll have to look into the Serato Flip as i have no idea what that is.

    I should say i used to have Serato SL2 when it first came out but sold my decks. I do like the small easy to carry form factor of these new digital controllers.

    Never used any CDJ’s so I’m not sure what you mean by no back spin, do you mean that you cannot move the wheel backwards to find the start of the record? with vinyl i’m used to finding the first beat and mixing from that point.

    Never used cue points etc so a whole new world but looking forward to the new challenge.

    January 20, 2015 at 1:37 pm #2124891
    Lee Dee
    Participant

    p.s. will check out your video thanks!

    January 20, 2015 at 1:58 pm #2124901
    Hulmeman
    Participant

    Terry_42 is, as per usual, the voice of wisdom! I own a numark controller, and with hindsight I would have got the TM8. I’d wait till after NAMM 2015 (if you can?) as the price is very likely to go down after the announcement of new gear/tech being released in the coming year? BTW the TM8 is nearly half the price of the DDJ-SX2.

    January 20, 2015 at 2:43 pm #2124911
    Lee Dee
    Participant

    Terry_42 and Hulmeman, thanks for the wise advice 🙂

    I’ll wait till after NAMM 2015 but if nothing better appears I’ll get the TM8.

    BTW Great videos Terry_42! (only wish I could see all 4 VU meters for channels instead of pressing a button at the back).

    January 20, 2015 at 2:58 pm #2124921
    Groovepunk
    Participant

    What an oddly well-timed debate! I literally just picked up an SX2 – which will be replacing a TM8 as my primary controller.

    Terry_42 is totally correct (as always) when he says that it’s completely subjective and frankly you can’t go far wrong with either controller.

    The TM8 is an amazing piece of kit for the price. It certainly has a premium feel, great jogs and hasn’t let me down. For me it was actually the size, layout and overall feel that prompted the switch. It’s hard to nail down, but I just prefer the layout of the SX2. To me the control positions feel more natural and the knobs, pads and faders feel more robust. I also really like the needle search, the way loops are handled and do plan on using the DVS functionality.

    As you asked in your original post, there certainly aren’t any ‘killer features’ that separate the two – just lots of little differences that may mean you may prefer one over the other. As always, if you can go to a shop and test both, that would be the best thing to do.

    If you have any other questions about either controller, I’ll happily test them out and let you know!

    January 20, 2015 at 11:23 pm #2125011
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    Backspin: If you have a slipmat on your turntable you could simply spin the record backwards and with a little force the record would still go backwards for a few spins even after you lifted your hand. The reloop jogwheels behave exactly the same where as the SX2 jogwheels will stop immediately after your release them making for a more sharp stop and not letting you do the traditional backspin transition often used in hip hop or latino (but also some use it in house or techno).

    I also thought the VU would bother me, but it turned out to be less a hassle than I expected.

    GroovePunk pretty much nails it. He probably is used to a much wider workflow with more pad control, which some DJs do and of course for such a workflow the broader platform of the SX2 will give you better control, which you pay for with an even bigger form factor and a little more weight.

    I am quite the opposite as I was used to big record decks and very small DJ mixers with some addon gear which was also sometimes quite tiny. So actually the form factor of the TM8 is quite big for me already and I personally never used the needle strip as I am much faster with the shift+jogwheel for fast search in tracks. So you see it is all about workflow and your preferences.

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