ITX

Hey hiRo,

Just wanted to let you know that I’ve had the Pioneer DDJ-SB2 for almost 2 weeks now, and I couldn’t be happier with it!! It’s faaaaar superior than any Numark controller I’ve ever tested, built like a tank with robust and high quality knobs/faders and metal(!) jogwheels that feel like real CDJ Jogs. The plastic body feels slightly thicker than the one on the MT3 Pro, with a brushed surface making it look like metal. The built-in LEDs are bright and colourful, the pads are not as squishy as on the MT3 and also have a tactile feedback. Sound quality is amazing, I’ve tested it with my home HiFi and also with my Audio Technica ATH-M50s. Very loud even on low volume, no distortion in the upper volume – just like it should be ;). Long story short, I highly, HIGHLY recommend buying the Pioneer DDJ-SB2 instead of the Mixtrack Pro 3!!

I was close to buying the MTP3, but the moment I found out it had no gain knobs was an instant dealbreaker for me. Just ordered the DDJ-SB2 yesterday and I’m happy to have made this decision. Yes, you CAN map any other knob as the gain knob, but this means that you are forced to relinquish another useful feature just to have gain/trim control. Not cool imho!!

hiRo, I was right where you are a couple of weeks ago. I also couldn’t decide wether I wanted to buy the MT Pro 3 or the DDJ-SB2. But like DJ Vintage said: “for me it would be a dealbreaker not having gain knobs” – I’ve had the MT Pro MK1 for almost 3 years now, and the fact that it doesn’t have gain/trim controls didn’t seem like a big deal in the first place, but it became the biggest disadvantage and is now the only reason why I want to buy a new controller!!

It’s not a big deal in Traktor or VDJ, which are customizable via mapping. You always find a knob you don’t use very often to map as the gain knob. But the fact that you have to give up an entire knob you could use for plenty of other features, just to have gain/trim control, is a major disadvantage and hence a dealbreaker for me.