A two-channel mixer mixes two sources at a time, which is all you need to blend one deck into another, and it is the layout battle mixers use for scratching. Buy four channels when you want more than two sources connected at once, such as turntables and media players together, or the layout of a club mixer like Pioneer DJ's four-channel DJM-A9.
What a channel is
A channel is one input path through the mixer. Each channel takes a single source, such as a turntable, a media player or one deck of DJ software, and gives it its own controls, so you can shape one track without touching the other. A standard DJ mixer channel has:
- an input selector, on mixers where a channel can take more than one source, such as phono for a turntable or line for a media player
- a trim (gain) knob to set the input level
- EQ knobs, usually high, mid and low
- a cue button that sends the channel to your headphones
- a channel fader that sets its volume in the mix
The crossfader then blends between the channels assigned to each side. The channel count is how many sources you can mix at the same moment: two on a two-channel mixer, four on a four-channel one.
When two channels are enough
- Two decks. One track playing and one cued is the whole job of mixing, so two turntables, two media players or a two-deck controller need only two channels. The Pioneer DJ DJM-450, the two-deck pick in the best DJ mixers, has two, with a phono and a line input on each.
- Scratching. Battle mixers stay at two channels to keep the crossfader and the pads close together. The Numark Scratch, Rane Seventy and DJM-S11 are all two-channel. The DJM-S11 still controls four decks of Serato DJ Pro or rekordbox from its touchscreen, so the channel count limits what you plug in, not how many tracks the software plays.
- A small table. The DJM-450 is 230 mm wide; the four-channel DJM-750MK2 is 320 mm.
- One extra source now and then. Some two-channel mixers have a spare input for a phone, sampler or microphone without giving it a full channel: the DJM-450 has an aux input, the Allen & Heath Xone:24 a third channel for a mic or aux source, and the Seventy two aux inputs.
When you need four
- More than two sources at once. Four channels let turntables and media players stay connected together, so you don't swap cables between sets. On the DJM-750MK2, every channel has both a phono and a line input.
- Mixing three or four tracks. Layering a loop, an acapella or a third track over a blend needs a channel for each one. The DJ transitions guide covers two-track blends first.
- Practising for a club booth. Pioneer DJ calls its four-channel DJM-A9 a club standard mixer and keeps "the functions and layout that have become club standards" from the DJM-900NXS2 it replaces, per its product page. Reviewers describe the DJM-750MK2 as most of the DJM-900NXS2's layout for a home or bar setup. See what a DJ booth is for the rest of a club setup.
Some mixers go further. Pioneer DJ's DJM-V10 is a six-channel mixer, per its product page.
Four channels don't always mean four of everything
Check what each channel accepts. The Numark M6 USB has four channels, but only two switch to phono, so it takes two turntables, not four; the other two are line inputs for players. Its USB connection carries one stereo channel, so reviewers and owners note it can't run multi-deck DJ software or DVS, while the DJM-750MK2's sound card runs rekordbox and DVS over one cable.
Controllers follow the same rule. A two-channel controller plays two decks of software, and a four-channel one such as the DDJ-FLX10 gives four tracks their own faders; the best 4-channel DJ controllers compares them, and DJ controller vs DJ mixer explains when you need a mixer at all.
The mixers on this site, by channel count
| Mixer | Channels | Phono inputs | Booth output | Built-in sound card |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reloop RMX-10 BT | 2 | 2 | No | No |
| Numark M2 | 2 | 2 | No | No |
| Pioneer DJ DJM-250MK2 | 2 | 2 | No | Yes |
| Pioneer DJ DJM-450 | 2 | 2 | No | Yes |
| Allen & Heath Xone:24 | 2, plus a mic/aux channel | 2 | Yes | No |
| Numark Scratch | 2 | 2 | Yes | Yes |
| Pioneer DJ DJM-S7 | 2 | 2 | Yes | Yes |
| Rane Seventy | 2 | 2 | Yes | Yes |
| Pioneer DJ DJM-S11 | 2, with four-deck control | 2 | Yes | Yes |
| Numark M6 USB | 4 | 2 | Yes | Yes, one stereo channel |
| Pioneer DJ DJM-750MK2 | 4 | 4 | Yes | Yes |
Each product page lists its full connections, the software it works with and what owners and reviewers say. The best DJ mixers and best DJ mixers for beginners pick between them by situation.
How this page is made
The channel counts, inputs and outputs come from each mixer's specification sheet on this site, taken from the makers' manuals and product pages, and the reviewer and owner points from each mixer's opinion record; the sources are linked on each product page. The DJM-A9 and DJM-V10 details come from Pioneer DJ's product pages, read on 14 October 2026. We haven't tested these mixers for this page. The earlier version argued that two-channel mixers resell better and that four-channel mixers are better for future gear; neither claim had a source, so both are gone. The methodology explains how the site works.
