If there’s one thing you can count on from a Serato-based controller is that it’s going to give you value for your money. It’s a well-known fact at this point, and the Numark Party Mix Live and the Numark Party Mix II DJ controllers both prove it here in spades.
From the audio interface to the built-in light show, to the impressive-sounding speakers, these controllers do it all.
In addition, the controllers work incredibly well while being compatible with both Mac and Windows.
The Numark Party Mix II & Numark Party Mix Live also work well with other supported DJ software types, like Algoriddim Djay Pro AI as well as DJ Player Pro, for the iPhone and iPad respectively.
Ultimately, while neither of these controller options is 100% perfect, both of which certainly accept their fair share of compromises, they are also a ton of fun while at a super affordable price range.
Is the Numark Party Mix any good? (in short)
For those just starting out in DJing, if you need a solid controller that works well enough when you are learning DJing, these are certainly not the worst options on the market today. Fun, well-built, and great to get a party atmosphere going!
Numark Party Mix II & Party Mix Live Review
First Impressions – The Physical Build
So, first things first, we’ve got to give credit where credit’s due. While both of these devices operate largely the same, it only makes sense that you’re attention is going to jump to the Numark Party Mix Live.
It’s only understandable when you consider just how much of a fun light show it offers on top of being a functional controller.
Still, once you get past the pretty lights and the fun colors, the Party Mix Live and the Party Mix are pretty much equal in their overall breakdown.
So, with that being the case, we’ll go over both of them at the same time, highlighting any specifics about either as we go along.
Physical Structure
Fresh out of the box, what you’ll immediately notice (after the flashing lights) is that both controllers are dense and durable.
You can tell that Numark wanted to make a point here, as the Mix Live and the Mix II both feel much sturdier and more capable than the original Party Mix ever did.
You’ll also notice that both controllers are relatively small, having the general width of a 13-inch laptop computer.
They’re also equipped with a standard functioning two-channel DJ mixers that sits right at the center of their respective decks.
Where there is a bit of a deviation, however, is with the Party Mix Live. Though technically the same size, because of its in-built speakers, it feels a lot bigger than the Mix II.
This is also made more apparent considering it is a slight bit taller as well.
Performance Pads & Buttons
Both controllers have fairly hard buttons that feel have a bit of weight behind them so you know you’re pressing down on something.
Each controller also comes with four pads that can be cycled through, all of which have their function:
Hot Cue buttons, Loop functions, Sampler, and FX.
This isn’t too far removed from the original Party Mix controller, so old-school veterans should feel right at home with this setup.
Pitch Sliders & Filter Controls
The Live and Mix II both retain the original Mix’s short pitch sliders, which is a shame.
That said, the large touch-sensitive jog wheels have become entirely capacitive touch, getting rid of the “vinyl behavior” buttons entirely, instead offering a single “vinyl mode” button at the top of the controller.
For the mixer section, both controllers gain filter knobs control equal to their number of channels while also having a two-band EQ.
While this is great from one perspective, it becomes a bit of a problem because, in exchange, they removed the headphone mix knob.
On one hand, this doesn’t innately stop DJs from mixing in privacy. Still, the fact that you can’t just plug in your DJ headphones and mix the music with as direct a channel to the music is certainly an annoyance, to say the least.
Full Demo in This Video:
Party Mix Live Speakers
Taking a look specifically at the popular DJ controller Party Mix Live and its built-in speakers, we see that it comes with its own set of additional functions and high end features.
For one, the left-hand side comes with an on and off switch while the right-hand side has a power input connection, which also has its own on/off power switch for the controller at large.
This is largely due to the fact that the built-in speakers require a considerable amount of power, more so than what a laptop can provide via the USB cable.
As such, this feature is entirely missing from the Mix II, which simply needs to be hooked to the computer to play.
The speakers are stereo sound, each sitting just above their respective high quality jog wheels with a plastic grille set atop both of them. This further works to distinguish the Live from the Mix II, as the Live is a few inches deeper.
Connection Options
In terms of the various connection options, both the Live and the Mix II smartly have moved all of their output ports over to the left-hand side.
Now, the main output port, as well as the headphone jack and USB port have all been shifted to that side alongside their respective minijack 1/8th-inch output.
This is used for plugging into external speakers, a particularly useful option for the Mix II.
Taking A Deeper Look – Overall Features
Now that we’ve gone over both controllers and their overall physical builds and how they’re designed, let’s now take a look at their different features and how to set them up.
Software & The Installation Process
If you’ve used a Serato DJ device in the past, you’ll know that they are incredibly beginner-friendly.
The initial setup process is very easy, with the free Serato DJ Lite being available directly from their website. Once the DJ software has been downloaded and installed, any Serato DJ device is recognized immediately once plugged in.
One thing you’ll need to keep in mind for both the Mix II and Mix Live is that both come with a USB-B to USB-A cable.
This means, that if you’re computer only uses the newer USB-C cables, you’ll need to use an adaptor. Either that or use an alternative cable for the devices themselves.
Both controllers work with the fully paid Serato DJ Pro version, though your best bet is to use the free Serato DJ Lite, as it has most of what you’ll need at the start.
This includes free trial access to Beatsource LINK, Beatport LINK, TIDAL, and SoundCloud Go+.
If you don’t have access to either Serato DJ service, you can still use either controller with Algoriddim’s djay Pro AI software, which is available on iOS. You can also use the controllers if you have access to a Virtual DJ or the DJ Player Pro iOS app.
Speakers (Party Mix Live)
First, let’s talk more in-depth about Party Mix Live and its speakers. We mentioned their overall setup earlier, but now we’re going to go into the overall dynamic sound quality.
As it turns out, they’re just “ok”. I won’t go so far as to say that they are “bad” by any means. Rather, a more apt saying would be that they are more akin to a transistor radio than a full-range audio experience.
You aren’t going to be adjusting their bass or their volume all that much.
The volume is especially tricky, as any adjustments over two-thirds of its max level will start presenting some pretty gnarly sound distortions.
This means that pretty much any speaker setup you’ve already got going for you is going to be objectively better than this.
It’s meant as a pseudo mixing audio stereo that you can use in a pinch as opposed to a dedicated speaker setup that you’ll be playing with for anything.
Lights
Next are the light programming features. Similar to the original Party Mix, the lighting features are built-in aspects of either controller, available as a selectable option via a button on the right-hand side of the deck.
The light modes features aren’t particularly ground-breaking, with pretty much only two settings: Always on, and in line with the music beat.
While they aren’t anything to write home about at any time, they do gain a bit of a “fun factor” when in a dark room. The problem is that they are on the front of the controller.
This pretty much means you can never do anything with them outside of a private setting, lest you’re interested in potentially dealing with legal blowback for accidentally blinding someone.
Key Controls
As for the rest of the different controller controls, they all are relatively good enough in their functionality. The jogwheels, in particular, feel pretty great, coming across as surprisingly smooth and responsive.
This is especially impressive when you consider that most controllers at and around this price range rarely come across that way, more often than not feeling flimsy and having more than a bit of an untrustworthy stutter.
Meanwhile, the backlit pads and faders, while hardly perfect, do their job well enough.
Again, if you consider how much either controller goes for, the fact that everything runs as well as it does is already a bit impressive, all things considered.
Final Thoughts – Is it Worth Your Time?
It needs to be said that, while both controllers are super fun to play with, they are not free of criticisms nor are they particularly getting away scot-free in terms of what was sacrificed to get them down to their overall price point.
The pad mode control features are all fairly limited in what they can do when compared to some of the more expensive controllers out there.
For example, the loop buttons aren’t able to go under a single beat loop while there is no dedicated “shift” button to allow for an additional layer of controls.
Neither controller has a dedicated microphone port and, as mentioned before, there is no headphone mix knob, meaning you’ll have to mix in the studio if you want to mix at all.
But, with all that said, it’s still worth asking the question, “Is either the Numark Mix II or Mix Live worth your time?”
I’d say that it strongly depends on what your situation is.
Throughout this review, I’ve said multiple times that, while they certainly share their fair number of flaws, both controllers are incredibly fun options while coming in at a very competitive and reasonable asking price.
Ultimately, I think that, if you are just a beginner, and don’t know what controller to consider, either of these is a great starting point.
Not only are they incredibly easy to get started with fast, but they are durable enough that you can really experiment with how things work without fear of it accidentally breaking down or falling apart.
Similarly, if you are a bit more advanced and want something that’s just dumb fun (provided you have the money to essentially throw away) then these can also be worth playing around with.
I would hardly say that these are going to ever really be your “go-to” option, especially if you’re anything outside of a legit beginner.
However, if you want something to play around with within your home DJ studio, and don’t feel like cracking open the big guns, the Numark Party Mix II and the Party Mix Live both have a lot going for them.
Numark Party Mix DJ Controllers: The Verdict
Overall, both the Party Mix II and the Party Mix Live were a blast to play around with and offer such easy mixing control. No, they aren’t going to be something you use too much professionally, nor are they going to be your end-all controller option.
However, if you are looking for something that’s good, fun, and something you can pick up and create a party atmosphere with from time to time, either of these controllers is a great option.
What’s more, for those just starting out, if you need a functioning controller that ultimately works well enough when DJing, these are certainly not the worst options on the market today.
