5 of the Best Beginner DJ Mixers
Top beginner mixers from Numark, Allen & Heath, Native Instruments, and more!
Not sure where to start? These are the best beginner DJ mixers on the market for all kinds of DJs – and for all budgets.
5 of the Best Beginner DJ Mixers
Best Beginner DJ Mixers
There’s little else out there to compare with DJing. Keeping a dance floor enthralled and taking it with you on a journey – that’s what it’s all about. Getting to that point takes practice and experience. The path before you is clear: take that step.
Congratulations if you’ve made it this far. It sounds like you’re ready to start your DJ journey. Now you just need some gear. Depending on your genre and style, you may need a DJ mixer. If you’re playing vinyl or working with a DVS system, you’ll definitely need a mixer. Mixers are also useful if you have a hybrid setup, one that combines decks with instruments like drum machines or Eurorack. There are lots of ways to go about it.
Here then are the best beginner DJ mixers on the market today at a variety of price points. I’ve purposely kept the price points low and restricted the number of channels to two or three. You can always level up later in your career once you have the basic skills under your belt.
Best Beginner DJ Mixers: Numark M4
Let’s start with the Numark M4. Numark is a long-standing and well-respected name in DJ mixers. My first DJ mixer way back in the 1980s was a Numark, actually. The M4 has the same classic feature set as the one that I cut my teeth on, features that beginners can easily understand.
To start with, it’s a three-channel mixer with six input sets, including two turntables and four lines, meaning you can switch between devices on the fly. Very flexible. There’s also a microphone jack for your MC or announcements. Each channel provides three EQ rotary kills for frequency manipulation, and the replaceable crossfader offers reverse and slope adjustment if scratching is your thing.
- Numark M4 product page
Best Beginner DJ Mixers: Allen & Heath Xone:24
You may have heard the name Allen & Heath before. Although the company is best known for its studio mixers, it also makes a line of DJ mixers. Called Xone, they’re famous for their sound quality and for being rinsed by some of the biggest names in electronic music. Last year, Allen & Heath upgraded its entry-level mixer to Xone:24, and that’s what I’m recommending as one of the best beginner DJ mixers.
A two-channel mixer, Xone:24 lets you switch between line and phono devices. Each channel features low, medium, and high-frequency isolator EQ knobs, plus assignment to the famous Xone:VCF filter, with both low- and highpass modes, and a resonance knob. As for the crossfader, it’s a Mini innoFADER, with three curve settings and an on/off switch.
Given its pro pedigree, you’d expect even an entry-level Allen & Heath product to have gorgeous analog sound, and you’d be right. Choose the Xone:24 C if you need a soundcard and MIDI inside.
- Allen & Heath Xone:24 product page
Best Beginner DJ Mixers: Omnitronic TRM-202 MK3
The earliest DJ mixers used rotary knobs rather than faders. Although there have always been DJs who preferred rotaries, that style is back in a big way. Rotary mixers are also known for their sound quality, with many DJs who use them also audiophiles. Of course, top sound comes at a price, so rotary mixers are generally out of the reach of beginners on a budget. With a few exceptions.
Omnitronic’s TRM-202 MK3 manages to be both a rotary and affordable. It’s got two channels, each with a phono input and two lines (one line channel is shared with the turntables). Those channels offer high and low EQ, with a three-band isolator section on the output.
It’s no slouch in the component department either, with Blue Velvet RK27 ALPS potentiometers and high-grade parts used throughout.
- Omnitronic TRM-202 MK3 product page
Best Beginner DJ Mixers: Native Instruments Traktor Z1 MK2
Most DJs working entirely with digital files will probably want to start with a DJ controller. Unless you’ve chosen Traktor as your DJ ecosystem, that is. There are some excellent controllers available for Traktor, too, like Traktor MX2, but you could also get away with just a mixer as a beginner.
I’m talking about Traktor Z1 MK2 from Native Instruments. You can control up to four decks with the slim mixer, which offers two channel faders and a crossfader. It’s got three OLED screens, onboard effects, dedicated stem control, and a transparent undershell with functional lighting that lets you know when a track is looping or about to end. Clever.
- Native Instruments Traktor Z1 MK2 product page
Best Beginner DJ Mixers: Pioneer DJ DJM-250MK2
Pioneer DJ’s DJM-250MK2 may be getting a little long in the tooth but it’s still a fantastic mixer, especially if you’re planning to mix on turntables – either analog or digital.
The two-channel mixer includes dual channel faders and a Magvel crossfader with adjustable curves and fader direction. Up top, you’ve got a three-band isolator per channel to tweak the highs, mids and lows, or totally eliminate each frequency range. You also get a dedicated Sound Color FX filter on each channel. There’s also a built-in USB sound card so you can run it straight into your computer to capture audio. And, being a Pioneer DJ/AlphaTheta product, it supports rekordbox.
- Pioneer DJ DJM-250MK2 product page
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