How to use a DJ mixer

A DJ mixer turns two records into one mix. Each record gets its own channel, with knobs to shape its sound and a fader to set its level, and the crossfader and the main fader decide what you hear. Most mixers are laid out the same way, so once you know one, you can find your way around the next.

The layout

In Mix//Sync the mixer sits between the two decks: channel A on the left, channel B on the right. Each channel has:

a column of knobs: Trim, then Hi, Mid and Low, with four small beat dots under them;
a channel fader on the outside edge, with a level meter beside it;
an FX knob under the fader.

Between the two channels is MAIN, the level of the whole mix. Along the bottom are four effect buttons and, under them, the crossfader.

Turning knobs and moving faders

Drag a knob up to turn it right and down to turn it left. While you drag, its value shows where its name was.
Every knob catches at its center, the twelve o'clock position where it changes nothing. Double-click a knob to put it back there.
Drag a fader up or down, and its level shows under it while you drag. Double-click a fader to put it back on the top mark of its scale.

Trim

Trim sets the channel's level. At its center it leaves the record as it is. If one record is much louder than the others, turn its Trim down a little so the two sit together.

EQ: Hi, Mid and Low

The three EQ knobs split a record into highs (hi-hats and cymbals), mids (vocals, chords and synths) and lows (kick and bass). At the center each band plays as it was recorded. Turn a knob up for a little more of that band. Turn it all the way down and the band is gone completely.

That last part is what makes a clean bass swap possible: bring the new record in with its Low down, then swap the lows of the two records on the first beat of a phrase, so only one bassline plays at a time. Phrases and bars shows how to find that beat.

The meters

On a deck you're playing, the meter beside its channel fader shows that record's level after the EQ and before the fader. So you can see how loud a record is before you bring its fader up, and compare the two channels while one is still down.

Green is a comfortable working level. Amber, near the top, is loud.
Red at the very top means the channel is too hot. A boosted EQ knob is a common cause, so bring it back toward the center.
A thin white line holds the recent peak for a moment, so a short loud hit doesn't slip past you.

The crossfader

All the way left plays only deck A. All the way right plays only deck B. In the middle both play, each a little lower than at its own end. A small mark shows the center. When you drag through the middle with the mouse, the crossfader holds there for a moment and is easy to drag past, and a double-click puts it back in the center.

Some DJs leave the crossfader in the middle and do all their blending on the channel faders. Others use it for quick cuts from one record to the other. Both are normal ways to mix.

MAIN

MAIN sets the level of the whole mix, and it's the level your recording gets, so set it before you press Rec and leave it there. After MAIN, a limiter catches peaks before they clip.

Mixing with a friend

The mixer is shared with your partner. Who controls what explains which controls you share and how.

A few habits that help

Start each record with its EQ knobs at the center and its fader down, and bring the fader up as you blend.
Compare the two records by ear and on the meters before the blend, not during it.
Put the EQ back to the center once a blend is done, so the next one starts clean.
Keep the loud parts out of the red. When in doubt, turn something down rather than up.

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