Discover the playful side of mixing with the Hercules DJControl Mix, a device that proves serious DJing can come in fun-sized packages. While it may not sit at the pro table, it dances to the beat of its rhythm, offering features that delight beginners and hobbyists alike. Because the future of DJing has never looked brighter, and anything that can get you mixing music and mashing up beats is a win for the community!
Our review dives into why this little controller is perfect for those starting their DJ journey or looking for portable fun.
Check Out The Hercules DJControl Mix On Their Website Here
My Favorite Features Of The Hercules DJControl Mix
After playing with this tiny little controller for a weekend and a road trip, I found a few fun standout features that set this thing apart from its competition.
Let’s dive into my favorite features of the DJControl Mix.
Portability
This thing is portable; this feature is its defining quality. But what does that extreme portability get you? Well, you can use your phone as a record crate and hook this thing up to your car’s speaker through Bluetooth, which makes this my new favorite road trip time.
My wife and I had to drive to the other side of the state for some family business, which entertained us the entire trip. Since all the music was loaded on my phone, we had no interruptions in the music as we went through the mountain pass (typically, Spotify loses reception). And the amount of features on this thing makes DJing a breeze, meaning that I could play tunes without having my entire attention span locked into the device – which made my wife happy.
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It’s Damn Fun To Use
As the previous point mentioned, I had a blast using this thing. It was fun, easy, and functional. It has only the bells and whistles that you need to slam some tracks through a mixer and seamlessly play some tunes: no more and no less.
You don’t get distracted by touchy jog wheels, complex FX adjustments, finicky beat matching, or anything else. It’s streamlined and non-distracting, which makes it perfect for the casual situations you will likely find yourself using this thing in (small house parties, road trips, and such).
It’s Cheap For What It Is
This thing packs a fair amount of functionality into a tiny little controller, which is impressive considering it’s only a $109 price tag (at least at the time of writing this).
This price makes it a solid offer, considering that most competitors can sometimes be twice as much for something far less portable. There are other competitors on the market as well; Numark’s controller is only $90 but is far more touchy and hard to use compared to the ease and breeze of this device.
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What I Wasn’t Crazy About
With all the many boons this controller brings, no device for just over $109 will be perfect. After having this controller for some time now and getting familiar with it, here are the things I wasn’t too crazy about.
How Often Would You Use It?
This will be incredibly subjective, as everyone uses their devices and toys differently. But this controller serves a particular purpose, and it does that incredibly well, but to me, it is a purpose that is more fun to talk about than use in practice. It’s been a while since I’ve been to an actual house party with its DJ, but I can only imagine a DJ using such a controller wouldn’t look nearly as cool as the trendy young adults in the advertisement above do.
It’s a fun toy, but I can see its novelty having a shelf life.
It’s Not Built For The Pros
This one might seem obvious to anyone who has been DJing for over a few months, but it bears repeating if only because I know the price point may attract many who think this is the ideal first controller for them or their child.
While it might be just that for the right person or family, that money might be better invested in a more significant controller with features similar to industry-standard controllers and turntables. If you’re serious about learning a craft, you should have access to the full breadth of its features and tools found in one of Hercules’ other offers.
Sure, they might be more expensive, but it’s worth the long-term investment.
Specs On The Hercules DJControl Mix
Mixer controls
– Crossfader
– Master volume knob
– Headphones volume knob
– 1 bass/filter EQ knob per deck
– 1 volume knob per deck
Deck controls
– 2 touch-detecting jog wheels (for scratching)
– 4 pads × 4 modes (Hot Cue, Loop, FX, Sampler)
Speaker use
1. Speaker built into smartphone/tablet
2. Bluetooth® speaker with smartphone/tablet
3. Wired speaker connected to headphone jack on smartphone/tablet
4. DJ splitter cable (included) connected to headphone jack on smartphone/tablet:
– Wired speaker on Master output
– Headphones on monitoring output
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What comes with it
DJControl Mix
– Body: 13.4 x 3.9 x 1.9 inches / 34 x 10 x 4.9 cm
– Weight: 1.1 lb / 0.5 kg
DJ splitter cable (to be connected to the headphone jack on the smartphone/tablet, providing separate outputs for a wired speaker and headphones
Stand for smartphone/tablet
Power cable – USB (type A)
Snag Your Hercules DJControl Mix Controller On Their Website Here
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
