The History of the DJ Mixer
In the 1960s DJs increasingly left the comfort of their radio booth for clubs and dance floors. The new situation demanded new equipment, and the portable DJ mixer became a key weapon in the DJ's arsenal. Essentially, the mixer controls the volume and tone of various audio inputs (like turntables), headphones and microphones.
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History
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In his thesis paper "A History of the Development of DJ Mixer Features; An S&TS Perspective," David Cross writes that the first DJ mixer was created by Alex Rosner, who designed the equipment for use at a dance club called Haven.
Arguably, the most important contribution that Rosner made to the evolution of DJ mixing technology was installing a headphone channel. "It sent the assigned audio signal to the headphones, independent of what was coming out of the speakers at the time." This way the DJ could cue up his next song without anyone hearing the selection and cuing process.
Rosie was a prototype at best, and only one Rosie ever existed. The first commercially sold mixer was designed by a colleague of Alex Rosner, Louis Bozak. He called it the Bozak CMA-10-2DL. The name might ring a bell with hip-hop fans, since the name was invoked in the Beastie Boys' hit single "Sure Shot," with the lines, "Pull up at my function and you know I kojak / To all the party people that are on my Bozak."
Features
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A key difference between the Rosie and the Bozak was that the Rosie was manipulated via sliders, whereas the Bozak was based strictly on a knob-control design. While the knob-control ensures that a DJ can micro-adjust his sound, it will inhibit the DJ from doing so very quickly. The slider, on the other hand, offers quick adjustments in volume. Today's mixers feature both knobs and sliders, depending on the function.
Function
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One function that hasn't yet been mentioned is the all-important cross-fader. The cross-fader is a horizontal slider that allows the DJ to quickly shift his output from one turntable to another or play them both at the same time.
"The exact origin of the first use of a cross-fader in the DJ world has proven difficult to track down," wrote Rick Jeffs in RaneNote, issue 146. "The earliest example documented so far was designed by Richard Wadman, one of the founders of the British company Citronic. It was called the model SMP101, made about 1977, and had a cross-fader that doubled as a L/R balance control or a cross-fade between two inputs."
In today's DJ culture, the lack of a cross-fader is unimaginable. The innovation made is not only crucial for quick fades between two records, but also indispensable for scratch DJs, who use the cross-fader rhythmically.
Types
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While the mixers discussed have been primarily used for mixing vinyl records, today an array of new mixers exists. The CD mixer has been the most common new sighting, but iPod mixers have gained some steam for their superior portability, and even traditional vinyl DJs have incorporated new technologies, like mixing via laptop.
Misconceptions
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With all the fancy gear on the market, it is important to remember that the earliest hip-hop DJs didn't have mixers. Without money for top-of-the-line equipment, DJs improvised with limited resources. The Godfather of Hip-Hop, DJ Kool Herc, ran down his equipment circa 1973 in Jeff Chang's "Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation." "I got two Bogart amps, two Girard turntables, and then I just used the channel knobs as my mixer. No headphones."
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