Buy the Mixtrack Platinum FX if you want screens in the jog wheels showing BPM, time, pitch and key, or plan to layer four decks once you pay for Serato DJ Pro; all twelve professional reviews in its record recommend it. Buy the Mixtrack Pro FX to spend less on the same 6-inch jog wheels, FX paddles, pads and mixer, with printed markers instead of screens and two decks only; both are current Numark models.
Which one for which DJ
- A first controller for the least money: the Mixtrack Pro FX. Numark's two user guides list the same controls on both, apart from the jog screens and the deck layer button: the same jog wheels, FX paddles, 16 pads, loop buttons, pitch faders and 3-band EQ with a filter per channel. Digital DJ Tips calls it "a great choice for learning to DJ on".
- Track information on the decks: the Mixtrack Platinum FX. Each jog wheel has a colour screen with BPM, platter position, time remaining, pitch and key, per Numark. Twelve sources in its record praise the screens, though two reviewers find the track position on them lags behind the software.
- Learning to scratch: the Pro FX, or a scratch controller. Crossfader says the Pro FX's printed needle markers "will appeal more to aspiring turntablists and scratch DJs", and DJ TechTools suggests the Pro FX for anyone interested in scratching. Both have the Fader Cuts pad mode for crossfader-style cuts. For a battle layout, the best Serato controllers picks the DDJ-REV1.
- Four decks: the Platinum FX, with Serato DJ Pro. Its Deck Select puts decks 3 and 4 on the same two channel strips; the Pro FX is a two-deck unit. Serato DJ Lite plays two decks, and six of the Platinum FX's sources say it holds the controller back, with no recording or four-deck mixing until the paid Serato DJ Pro upgrade. For four real channels, the best 4-channel controllers picks the Numark NS4FX.
- rekordbox rather than Serato: neither. Both are built and labelled for Serato DJ Lite. The DDJ-FLX4 runs rekordbox and Serato DJ Lite free and is the first-controller pick in the best DJ controllers.
Numark Mixtrack Platinum FX
A Serato starter controller with screens in its 6-inch jogs and FX paddles; Lite limits and a plastic body are the cost.
The Mixtrack Pro FX and Platinum FX compared
| Numark Mixtrack Pro FX | Numark Mixtrack Platinum FX | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | May 2020 | May 2020 |
| Status, October 2026 | Current | Current |
| Decks | 2 | 4 (layered) |
| Jog wheels | 6 in capacitive-touch, printed position marker | 6 in capacitive-touch, with colour display |
| Jog screens | No | Hi-res colour display in each jog wheel: BPM, platter position, time, pitch, key |
| Performance pads | 8 per deck (16 pads): Cue, Auto Loop, Fader Cuts, Sampler | 8 per deck (16 pads): the same four modes |
| Effects | 6 Serato effects (Echo, Reverb, Flanger, Phaser, HPF, LPF) with 2 paddle triggers, Beats and Wet/Dry knobs, Tap | The same |
| Mixer | 3-band EQ and filter knob per channel | The same |
| Censor (Shift + Scratch) | Yes | No; Shift + Scratch switches deck layers |
| Audio | 24-bit / 44.1 kHz | 24-bit / 44.1 kHz |
| Outputs | 1 x RCA stereo pair, 1 x 1/4 in TRS headphones, 1 x 1/8 in TRS headphones | 1 x RCA stereo pair, 1 x 1/4 in TRS headphones, 1 x 1/8 in TRS headphones |
| Mic input | 1 x 1/4 in TS mic, to the master output only | 1 x 1/4 in TS mic, to the master output only |
| Power | USB bus power | USB bus power |
| Software | Serato DJ Lite (included); upgrade-ready for Serato DJ Pro; 2 months SoundSwitch | Serato DJ Lite (included); upgrade-ready for Serato DJ Pro; 2 months SoundSwitch |
| Size (W x D x H) | 53.6 x 24.6 x 5.1 cm (21.1 x 9.7 x 2.0 in) | 53.6 x 24.6 x 5.1 cm (21.1 x 9.7 x 2.0 in) |
| Weight | 2.4 kg (5.35 lb) | 2.3 kg (5.0 lb) |
| In the box | Controller, USB cable, user guide, software download card | The same |
Sources: Numark's Mixtrack Pro FX and Mixtrack Platinum FX pages and user guides (Pro FX, Platinum FX), read through each product's sheet; Numark's controllers page, which lists both; Serato's Mixtrack Pro FX and Platinum FX pages for the software. Dotted figures link to their source on hover.
The differences that matter
Numark built both on the same body and the same controls. What separates them is the Platinum FX's jog screens and its four-deck layering, against the Pro FX's lower price and printed jog markers.
Jog screens or printed markers
The Platinum FX's screens show the active deck, platter position, BPM, key lock, pitch range, pitch, a pitch direction guide for matching the other deck, elapsed or remaining time, and a ring that flashes as a track nears its end, per its user guide. They let you look at the decks rather than the laptop. Digital DJ Tips calls them "unessential but cool-looking"; DJcityTV says they are worth the step up. The Pro FX has a needle marker printed on each platter to line up cue points and scratches by eye, and DJ TechTools notes the same markers in its review of the pair.
Four decks, and what they need
On the Platinum FX, Shift and the Scratch button switch a hardware deck between layers: deck 1 controls layer 1 or 3, deck 2 controls layer 2 or 4. Decks 3 and 4 play through the same two channel strips, which DJ TechTools says makes four-deck mixing "much more limited" than on a four-channel controller, and Crossfader finds it can get confusing. Serato DJ Lite plays two decks, so four-deck mixing needs the paid Serato DJ Pro upgrade. If you won't buy Serato DJ Pro, the Platinum FX's extra is the screens alone.
What both share
The effects are the same: six Serato effects, picked by button and thrown in with a paddle that latches up or holds down. Digital DJ Tips points out that only one effect runs at a time across both decks, and finds it quick and fun to use. Eight of the Platinum FX's sources praise the long pitch faders for manual beatmatching and eight a build that feels solid for the price, while three of the Platinum FX's sources find the plastic body toy-like and three find its wide body awkward to carry. Both have one RCA master output and no booth output, and the mic input is mixed into the master in hardware, so it never reaches the computer for recording or streaming.
Software
Plugging either one in unlocks Serato DJ Lite, which streams from TIDAL and SoundCloud. Recording, extra cues and loops and four decks need the paid Serato DJ Pro, per Serato. Serato DJ Lite vs Pro covers what the upgrade adds. Both come with a two-month trial of SoundSwitch lighting software.
What else you need
A laptop, powered speakers on the RCA output and headphones with a 1/4 in or 1/8 in plug. The supplied USB cable is not USB-C, so Digital DJ Tips notes that a USB-C laptop needs an adapter.
How this comparison is made
Specifications come from Numark's product pages and user guides, read through each product's sheet and linked above. Reviewers' views of the Platinum FX come from the opinion record on its product page, which links every review and retailer page it draws on: twelve professional reviews and eleven owner reviews. The Pro FX's reviewers' views here come from three reviews we read for this page, from Digital DJ Tips, Crossfader and DJ TechTools, and all three recommend it; its product page now has an opinion record of ten professional reviews. We haven't tested either controller for this page. The methodology explains how the site works.
