Review: Numark Mixstream Pro
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17.12.2021

Review: Numark Mixstream Pro

numark mixstream pro review
Words by Pablo Francois

Electric Factory | RRP $1,199

The DJ controller space is booming right now, with beginner and experienced DJ’s alike being lured away from traditional decks and CDJ setups, in favour of the convenience, portability and simplicity these powerful USB devices afford. 

This makes a tonne of sense, especially when we take into account how far DJ controllers have come over the past few years, with touch screen beatmatching, built-in wifi for song library access, and a vastly improved tactile experience becoming the norm.

Read more product reviews here.

The new Mixstream Pro by Numark, is a perfect example of the state of the art, bearing all of the above, while also adding a bunch of input flexibility, elite processing power, and a featureset designed to make it the ultimate all-in-one standalone solution for the budding DJ.

As one of the founding fathers of DJ specific equipment, Numark have forever etched their name in the culture with their storied history in turntables and Mixers and it is awesome to see how well they have navigated the gradual shift from traditional hardware, to the modern laptop inspired workflows. 

Notice that I said ‘laptop inspired’? That’s because the beauty of the Mixstream Pro is that its internet connectivity, deluxe, king-sized touch screen, and ease of navigation emancipate it from the laptop, making it one of the simplest setups out there for the budding DJ (and that’s before we even mention the built-in speakers for at home practice!).

With a name like ‘Mixstream Pro’ you can probably guess exactly the kind of workflow this one is concerned with and suffice to say, it comes through in a big way in regards to streamability and library access. 

Featuring in-built wi-fi and with easy onboard access to streaming service like TIDAL, Beatport LINK, Beatsource LINK, Soundcloud GO+, and your own personal Dropbox cloud, the Mixstream Pro is possibly the most flexible controller out there at the moment for streaming tracks directly from cloud or streaming services. The manner in which tracks are buffered into the internal memory serve as the perfect insurance policy for mixing in the heat of the moment. Of course, there are also USB and SD Card inputs for DJing with existing native music libraries, just in case you are sitting on some dope underground stuff.

Only a DJ knows how stressful load times can be in a performance context and suffice to say the processing power on the Mixstream Pro is nothing short of impressive. Tracks buffer and load extremely quickly and this, coupled with the streamline nature of the menu navigation and track selection, really goes a long way to saving you valuable seconds in the lead up to a transition. 

Operating on the awesome Engine DJ OS, the Mixstream Pro takes full advantage of the ever-evolving embedded software platform, in turn resulting in an incredibly intuitive navigation and an elite system of organisation. Equipped with intuitive and familiar touch screen workflows, lightning fast library navigation and song loading, expanded connectivity, plus a multitude of other performance features, Engine DJ provides DJs with the tools they need at the creative level.

To be perfectly honest, the wi-fi connectivity, navigation, and buffer speed alone would have been enough to impress me. What I wasn’t expecting was the quality of the tactile components and the smoothness and reactivity of the 6” scratch wheels and the naturality of the ‘Smart Scratch’ feature. Whether this is a bi-product of the advanced processing power, the choice of components or any combination of both, I found this to be one of the most memorable and enjoyable hands-on controller experiences I’ve had in recent memory.

The ‘platters’ on the Mixstream Pro themselves are a cut above, eschewing the lacklustre responsiveness of other lower spec controllers and  providing an extremely satisfying tactile experience for anyone coming over from the world of ‘physical’ DJing. The same can be said for the faders, EQ section, and effects pots. All moving parts were sturdy, well indexed and above all else, just incredibly responsive. 

One particularly fun feature of the Mixstream Pro, is its ability to connect directly to the Philips Hue Smart Home. 

As someone not fully familiar with the Philips Hue Smart Home (I’m neither smart nor a home owner), I was actually quite blown away with the reality of what this meant in practice. After a bit of digging, it became apparent that the Mixstream Pro actually has the ability to integrate with the Philips Hue Smart Home software and hardware adapters, thus allowing house lights and dimmers to be controlled from within the actual DJ unit itself. Mind-blowing stuff! 

This visual functionality is only further expanded when you take into account the fact that the Mixstream Pro also features full DMX functionality, with the ability to arrange and trigger light shows from the console itself. With the summer coming, there is little doubt that this will come in handy, particularly for house parties.

Given their prevalence in the performance space, we are at a point in the product’s evolution where today, there is a DJ controller to fit every lifestyle and to suit every occasion. For anybody looking for an all-in-one solution for house parties and semi-regular gigging, the Numark Mixstream Pro is an awesome choice. The power of the processing, the onboard wi-fi capabilities and ease of navigation make it one of the most user friendly controllers out there. The quality of the user experience, especially in regards to the scratch wheels really takes it up a notch, with a responsiveness on par with some of the finest controllers of its type. 

Whether you are just starting to DJ, or an old vinylhead looking for an easy entry point into the world of all-in-one controllers, the Mixstream Pro is without question one of the funnest options out there.

For more information, head to Numark’s website. For local enquiries, reach out to Electric Factory