FUNKY 9 Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Z2s are being sold at £459 right now so thinking about grabbing one. I recently got a xone 02 an fitted it with an inno pro and loved it. My 05 is knackered and I have been thinking about what to grab for a second set up for playing out an workshops. Was gonna grab a cheap dj tech dif 1s and another set of dicers but for a lil extra I'm now in the realm of a z2. I'm not really interested in using traiktor but I've seen some pretty cool mappings for serato on the z2 so I think I might grab one whilst they are on the cheap. They've been out for a lil while now how is the build quality of the mixer? I'll be using serato so not worried about traktor. Might even keep it at home and use the 02 when out n about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Rock Well Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 That's quite a bargain. They are pretty well built - they're made to a price and some parts are excellent, others do what they have to for the money. I think they've been very clever on spending the money where needed and losing a few frills to keep the overall price down. That said, the main forte of the Z2 is it's integration with the Traktor software. IMHO if you're just going to use it as an analogue mixer with serato, you be much better off with a decent quality analogue mixer (like a Xone 02 for instance) and adding a midi controller. The Z2's not the best analogue mixer by a long shot, especially when compared to something from A&H, Rane, Ecler, Rodec, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djdiggla Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 $599 on Amazon right now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansFree Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 (edited) I recently bought one of these. the mixers is a decent mixer, but i did fine the feel of the mixer at first abit plastically coming from a Rane mixer.After having it around a month or so i'm still happy with it. only strange thing on the mixer is the cut on the upfader and also your not able to apply any settings to them. If possible I would go into a shop and have a go to see if the feel suits you. Edited December 1, 2014 by HansFree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 I like mine a lot and £459 is a bargain, but if you're not using Traktor you're paying extra for both hardware and software that you're not going to use, so yeah - I agree with Rock Well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansFree Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Don't get me wrong i really like the mixer. If you get it i would suggest using or at least trying Traktor because coming from Serato i've been very happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUNKY 9 Posted December 3, 2014 Author Share Posted December 3, 2014 It's funny actually the guy I bought the 02 from actually had replaced it with the z2. I had a brief cut with it and it felt a bit weak but I'm not sure what he'd do e to it but it looked like it had been tied to the back of his car and dragged home lol it was battered. Almost put me off buying the 02 cos I was like does this guy not look after his gear then lolIn the price range of the z2 I don't think there is any comparable mixer really. The 05 with midi is a scary choice for me as vestax are bust so no more warranty on new equipment. I've never used any Of the hak series but they would be similar in price although I may want dicers on top of that. I think they attraction of the z2 was having a semi affordable mixer with midi so I wouldn't have to carry the dicers. I'm not to fussed though as dicers ain't heavy or nothing just thinking about a streamlined setup. Dj tech have another version of their budget mixer with midi so thinking about that or the normal dif 1s with dicersIf I found another 02 for a decent price id grab another one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backtrack Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 My SL1 is slowly dying and I´v been looking at the Z2 cause there is no way in hell I can afford a 62.With the rate NI is putting out gear do you think there will be a new Z2 soon? Or do they prioritize other products?Am also a little a little worried about the quality of the Z2. It seems some people are complaining about cutin and lag.Is it still worth buying? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubba Dutchdj Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 My SL1 is slowly dying and I´v been looking at the Z2 cause there is no way in hell I can afford a 62.With the rate NI is putting out gear do you think there will be a new Z2 soon? Or do they prioritize other products? Am also a little a little worried about the quality of the Z2. It seems some people are complaining about cutin and lag.Is it still worth buying? Build wise the Z2 is very well designed solid mixer, after chatting to a few 62 owners and comparing there info with my experience (I'm very good a breaking mixers) I'd say the rotary pots in the Z2 are as good or even better than the 62. As feature heavy the 62 is, from what I've read and been told I get the feeling that the 62 build doesn't deserve the same legendary status as the original TTM56 and I have to say the keyboard buttons for my computer are more tactile and can take far more abuse than the 62 cue buttons. The Innofader Pro has to soft cut for my taste in the Z2, after two years of inno pro I've re installed the mini inno. The cut in lag felt huge at first but now I actually prefer to be worked and feel my cuts are getting better for it. One thing I didn't like about the Z2 mini inno's are the caps, there far thicker than the now standard size scratchy caps like Rane, Innofader and ProX use. After a long wait its finally possible to buy standard size innofader caps that fit the smaller stem of the mini innofader. For me this small mod transformed the mini innofaders. ProX faders apparently work in the Z2, but that requires some mods as the plugs don't match up, I'd fit a ProX in heart beat if knew how! The line faders are stiff on the Z2, on early versions it was possible to mod the lines to make them move freely but according to some forum chatter on the NI site, the newer versions of the line mini innofaders can't be modded. Should add the line curve isn't popular amongst scratchers neither is it adjustable. The biggest chink in the Z2's armour is regrettably Traktor, I've been using the software since 2008 and there's to many things I love about Traktor to consider jumping ship. But ever since the remix decks were added I've found virtually every update buggy. Version 3 couldn't come sooner, to many big features have been added since Traktor Pro 2 was released, the whole thing needs a rebuild IMO. Traktor Pro 3 is heavily rumoured to be released this year, looking at the current product range, the age of the Z2 and NI's history of updating products around the 3 year mark, it's quite likely the Z2 will get an update sooner rather than later. Personally I'd be very surprised if Traktor 3 isn't released along side some new hardware. The release of the Z2 is the last time NI did anything Traktor "scratch" related, so it makes sense the next bit of hardware NI release will be geared towards Traktor Scratch Pro, but this could be anything from a 4 channel mixer, updated Z2 or a modular controller DVS companion like the X1. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rasteri Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 NI generally drop the price of their products a few months before introducing a new version. Make of that what you will. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backtrack Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Thanks Dubba! That was all I wanted to know.Its a big concern that SW is that bad now. I totally agree with the faderknob thing. I never liked the original Inno knob.I think I will wait until traktor 3 is announced and see whats NI does. Im in no rush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubba Dutchdj Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Coming from Serato I'd say your right to hold out. In 7 years of Traktor use this NYE was literally the first time Traktor has ever crashed on me mid set, fortunately it was a house party so no real biggie, still gave me the right hump. Apart from that Traktors bugs post remix set addition revolve around being unable to flush background tasks when quitting the app which means force quitting and loosing any unsaved actions. The most recent updates that added support for the new S8 space ship has for me been the buggiest in Traktors history, prior to these updates Traktors been rock solid for general use, A to B mixing etc.. but delve into creating remix sets and you'll soon freeze up the software. For the last couple of years Ive treated Traktor like a DAW, every time I tweak settings, midi map, analyse new music and create remix sets I hit master save (hidden feature that you have to map to a keyboard or controller), as it's messing around with these features that can cause Traktor to not shut down properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericuk Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Dubba should be our official traktor guru Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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