A competition between getting what you want vs getting what you need.
When it comes to the different DJ equipment brands out there, while Pioneer DJ is certainly the top dog, Numark is without a doubt the biggest.
Regarded as the largest DJ equipment manufacturer in the world, Numark, as a company, has been known to produce just about anything and everything under the sun, ranging from CD decks to mixers, to controllers.
Their biggest area of focus over the past few years has been producing quality DJ controllers, with two of their most impressive entries being both the Mixtrack Pro FX as well as the Platinum FX.
Numark Mixtrack Pro FX Vs Platinum FX: Comparison
With both coming from the same company, they share a lot in common. Both are entry-level controllers that are meant to appeal to aspiring DJs that want to take their starting career to the next level.
Where they differ, however, is in the method used to achieve that state.
Whereas the Mixtrack Pro FX seeks to offer a functional, effective beginner controller that is more affordable, the Platinum FX instead opts for something a bit more on the extravagant side, showing everything a quality controller can do for the right price.
In this overview, we’ll be comparing both controllers to determine which is the best for you and your goals as a DJ while also going over several of each controller’s various strengths and weaknesses.
Numark Mixtrack Pro FX Explained
Released around the same time as the Platinum FX, the Mixtrack Pro FX was created as a soft alternative to its more flashy sister controller.
The controller weighs around 5.35lbs and has a 21.1-inch width, a 9.7-inch depth, and a 2-inch height.
It comes with an RCA stereo pair as well as a 1/4-inch and 1/8-inch TRS output port.
The Mixtrack Pro FX’s main selling point is that it offers a solid operating experience while at an impressively affordable and competitive price point.
Essentially, it makes a point of being as accessible as possible so that anyone can reasonably jump into DJing.
Read this next: Numark Mixtrack Pro 3: Perfect for Beginners
What We Like:
- Impressive Build Quality
- Attractive Price Point
- Uses Serato DJ Software
- Utilizes Full-Size Tempo Control
Impressive Build Quality
One thing that the Pro FX and Platinum FX both share is impressive build quality.
While it’s not the most durable of all entry-level controllers out there, the Pro FX is remarkably durable, showing that Numark put its best foot forward when deciding to put it together.
The Mixtrack Pro FX is built using higher-end and higher-quality components that are usually seen with controllers that cost twice as much or more.
Many of the same pieces that are used here are also used in many Denon DJ controllers. This is all suffice to say that, unless you’re being careless, you shouldn’t have any issues here.
Attractive Price Point
Probably the biggest selling point for the Mixtrack Pro FX, despite both controllers having a relatively competitive price point, the Pro FX is pretty much being sold for a song.
Normally you’d expect something sold at this level to be pretty shoddy in its structure and build except that isn’t the case here. As mentioned, you’re getting a quality controller that does everything it’s supposed to do without a catch for next to nothing.
This is sold at such an affordable rate to incentivize people to seriously consider jumping into the DJ space if they were at all interested, and I’d have to say that’s a great argument.
While this would not be the pick for someone with years of experience as a DJ, a person that didn’t know where to start or legitimately needed a beginner entry-level controller would feel absolutely at home with what the Pro FX offers.
Uses Serato DJ Software
Considering Numark has worked with Serato for years, using them in virtually all of their devices, it only makes sense that the Mixtrack Pro FX would have it pre-installed.
If you don’t know anything about Serato, it is arguably the most popular and well-known DJ software on the market to date.
It’s fairly easy-to-use software and comes with pretty much anything you’d need in terms of effects or features for your performance.
Utilizes Full-Size Tempo Control
The Mixtrack Pro FX comes with a full-size tempo control feature that essentially helps with fine-tuning your channels and ensuring that you’re getting the most out of your performance mixes.
What makes this feature’s inclusion such a talking point is that for a device selling at this price point to have something this advanced is virtually unheard of.
Honestly, you’d expect this feature on something two to three times more in price, so the fact that it’s here really makes it clear how serious they were with this controller.
What We Did Not Like:
- No Onboard Display
- Only 2 Channel
- Uses Serato DJ Lite
No Onboard Display
The biggest and most glaring difference you’ll catch between the Mixtrack Pro FX and the Platinum FX is the fact that the Pro FX doesn’t come with an onboard display and the Platinum FX does.
We’ll jump into that later, but I do want to talk about the fact that the onboard display has a ton of useful features that make the controller hard to go back to once you’ve used a controller with the feature included.
While I can’t say everyone will need these features, I can say that they are a game-changer when you have them, which makes their lack of an appearance here all the more frustrating.
Only 2 Channels
The Mixtrack Pro FX is seriously lacking in terms of the number of available channels it has access to.
In this case, while controllers like the Platinum FX have access to four channels, using a button to switch channels along the deck, the Pro FX makes a point of showing just how bare bones it is.
While there are a lot of things great about this controller, if you want to perform with a large group, you may want to consider the Platinum FX.
Uses Serato DJ Lite
Serato is a pretty great software in many respects.
However, one of the downsides to its inclusion (especially for DJs on a budget) is that it can be something of a bait-and-switch if you don’t look at the fine print. In this case, you do get the Serato DJ software, but it’s the Serato DJ Lite software.
Serato DJ Lite doesn’t come with all of the various features that most people would expect.
This can often throw people in a loop when seeing everything a controller can do before realizing many of those features can’t be used until you sign up for the paid monthly subscription, “Serato DJ Pro”.
One silver lining here is that the controller comes with a 1-month Pro trial, meaning that you’ll get a chance to see what is included at the full price before deciding on if you want it or not.
2-deck DJ Controller/Audio Interface with Dedicated Serato DJ FX Controls, Twin 6" Capacitive Jog Wheels, 100mm Pitch Controls, RCA Outputs, and Serato DJ Lite Software
Verdict
The Mixtrack Pro FX controller, while not the best option there ever was, never claimed it was or tried to be.
When you consider the difference in the price between the two controllers (spoilers, it’s not super high), the MIxtrack Pro FX controller will only appeal to DJs that want something that is functional while also very, very affordable.
Simply put, if you’re at all on the fence about getting a controller, the Mixtrack Pro FX is where you’ll want to start. If you’ve made your mind up, however, you’ll start to see the limitations on the Pro FX pretty fast.
Numark Mixtrack Platinum FX Explained
Similarly coming around the same time as the Mixtrack Pro FX, the Platinum FX is meant to be the more extravagant of the two, having everything that made the Pro FX great while building upon it further.
In terms of build setup and design, there aren’t a lot of big differences between the two controllers. The Platinum FX has all of the same ports available while its end-to-end width is the same at 21.1 inches.
The same is also true for the height (2 inches) and the depth (9.7 inches).
As we go over the controller, you’ll see that the Platinum FX is just a better version of the Pro FX in pretty much every category listed.
Read this next: Numark Mixtrack Platinum FX: Any Good?
What We Like:
- Includes Onboard Display
- Offers 4 Available Channels
- Has Full-Size Tempo Control Feature
- Still Reasonable Price
- Great Quality
Includes Onboard Display
Just as the first downside for the Pro FX is its lack of an onboard display, this is the initial high point for the Platinum FX. Here, you have access to a lot of things, at a glance, that aren’t available to the Mixtrack Pro FX.
Just a few of these things include checking the track’s “beats per minute” (BPM), the channel you’re currently operating on, as well as even how far in a track’s time you are in, helping your performance.
Again, while none of these features are required to be a good DJ, they certainly make the job a lot easier while letting you focus on other things while playing.
Offers 4 Available Channels
Another thing that I liked about the Platinum FX was its ability to access a total of four channels among the two decks.
While this isn’t an “ideal” setting for DJs at higher levels, it is a great first step for those that plan to operate multiple things at once, switching between channels one & two and three & four.
The fact that this controller has this feature at all again speaks to its overall value.
Includes Full-Size Tempo Control
The Platinum FX benefits from many of the same reasons that were listed for the Pro FX when it comes to the importance of the Full-Size Tempo Control feature.
In addition to those reasons, however, the included tempo control feature makes club setup transitions considerably easier and less stressful.
Still Reasonable Pricetag
You may have thought that, since the Pro FX’s big selling point was its affordable price, the Platinum FX would be much more expensive.
The reality is that, while it does cost more, the difference isn’t nearly as stark as one would expect.
Put simply, while the Pro FX is great for anyone that doesn’t know, for only a little bit more, you can get the Platinum FX and everything that it provides.
Great Quality
We already talked about how the Mixtrack Pro’s quality far surpassed what many would expect of it. The same is true here with the Platinum FX controller.
Not only that, but you’ll likely notice that many of the different buttons and effect paddles work incredibly well without feeling “cheap” despite being made from plastic.
To further cement this impressiveness, not only are the various parts that make up the controller higher quality than they should be but things like the jog wheel are given the royal treatment as well. In this case, simply making everything feel like it belongs on a controller double the sticker price.
What We Did Not Like:
- More Expensive
- Also Uses Serato Lite
More Expensive
This may seem like a weird criticism, and certainly, I understand the confusion. The reality is that no matter the actual difference or reason for that difference, for some, the fact that the Platinum FX costs more than the Pro FX is all that matters.
I will reiterate that the price difference isn’t so big to “truly” matter, however, if you want something that is a functional controller at the cheapest possible price, that’s going to go to the Pro FX first.
Also Uses Serato Lite
On one hand, the reason I have this here is that, like with the Mixtrack Pro FX, it’s easy to forget that the Serato DJ software you’re going to be using is the Lite-restricted version unless you’re willing to pay the monthly subscription for the Professional option.
The other point is that you’d have thought they would have given some distinguishing features between the Platinum and Pro FX setup. Both come with a one-month free trial of Serato DJ Pro before expecting you to pay afterward.
Since virtually every other aspect between the two controllers is different, you’d have thought they would have offered more for the Platinum FX to distinguish it.
It’s not a huge issue, but its lack of improvement on the base Pro FX version is a slight disappointment.
- Limited software without upgrading
- Plastic build quality
- Limited inputs and outputs
- Large Jog Wheels
- Performance pads
- Integrated displays
- Serato compatibility
Verdict
The Platinum FX is pretty much just a better version of the Pro FX while at a slightly higher price point. All in all, while I can say that there is a market for the Mixtrack Pro FX, that market is very small in comparison to the Platinum FX.
Honestly, if the Mixtrack Pro FX is the first functional DJ controller available, the Platinum FX is without a doubt the first “serious” DJ controller you should get.
Which Is Best?
While both controllers do have their benefits, it’s clear that Numark intentionally made the Mixtrack Pro FX the stripped-down version of the Platinum FX rather than making the Platinum FX an improved version of the Pro.
Ultimately, I would suggest that, unless you truly can’t afford it, you should just skip the Pro FX and jump to the Platinum FX as your starting option. It just does everything that the Pro FX does while doing a whole lot more.
Not only that, but the price tag isn’t something so crazy that making the upgrade should break the bank.
Still, if you truly don’t want to spend anything over the absolute minimum, the Mixtrack Pro FX is a serviceable, functional controller that doesn’t do anything expressly wrong.
It just is a less impressive version of the Platinum FX in every way imaginable.
Numark Mixtrack Pro FX Vs Platinum FX: Summary
Ultimately, when it comes down between the two controllers, it is going to be decided based on you as a DJ. If you want to start with the most affordable option DJ controller to get your feet wet, it makes sense that you’d play around with the Pro FX first before trying anything else.
However, if you’re someone that knows that they are interested in DJing and want to operate something that will be a good practice device, you’ll seriously want to invest the extra few dollars to get the Platinum FX.
Regardless, both controllers are great options and should be looked into before checking out any other super affordable option, especially when you consider all that you get with either controller.
