yo i just copped this mixer off ebay. any reviews?

yo whats good all. i went on ebay and copped a Stanton SK-2F battle mixer. you know the one witht he focus fader. i got it for mad cheap. today i am copping a vestax pdx 2000 off my boy for 125. is this mixer decent to learn on? i been **** with my boys 05 pro and i like it, but he said the focus fader is mcuh nicer and may even be better then rane. anywhere i can get a review on it. i googled and i only seemt o find the same damn article every time. peace

http://remixmag.com/mag/remix_stanton_skf_professional/

http://www.djbooth.net/index/dj-equipme ... ton-sk-2f/

http://www.i-dj.co.uk/reviews/reviewspage.php?ID=27


I think it's a good mixer, especially if you got it cheap and are just beginning anyway.

for the record though, the rane is the best fader IMO ... good sht though.. i personally love having the 05 around regardless. Time to get busy !

I got the sk 2f...

Be warned the focus faders are wack, thing is theres a design fault and due to that the rails inside twist over time causin the fader to stick like crazy (doesnt have a very long life), im still usin my sk 2f but with a standard alp fader untill i get somin like a pro x fade or a penny and giles.

By the way its not just my fader, i know 3 other peeps who used same mixer and had same happen with theyre focus fader, then when lookin on forums seems LOADS of peeps had the same prob.. so its not just a 1 off..

Besides that its a nice mixer, once ur fader does die on u get a good replacement (somin diff to the focus one) and u'll be cool..

I gave it to my dad and he managed to open it and fix it, feels cool messin with it (how it moves compared to how it stuck) but i dunno how it is properly yet coz i havent tryed it back in mixer ( i stuck stickers over the face plate screws and dont wanna rip them off just yet to try the fixed fader lol)

c0mplex wrote:I got the sk 2f...
theres a design fault and due to that the rails inside twist over time causin the fader to stick like crazy (doesnt have a very long life), im still usin my sk 2f but with a standard alp fader untill i get somin like a pro x fade or a penny and giles.

You can easily fix this sticky problem by adding Caigs' Lube droplets to the rails (even though most info out there is probably against this).

I went through about 3 focus faders when I first got the mixer, each one lasting about 2-3 weeks before it started sticking. Fortunately, Stanton's customer service was on point and I generally had a new fader within a couple weeks, but dang, it took me like 2 months to send it in due to, uhhhh, lazines...

Anyways, where was I...oh yeah, I finally took ish into my own hands and fixed it with the Caig's lube (they'll send you a free sample if you go ask...that's what I did, or you can just pick it up at Radio Shack I think).

Haven't had a problem since, and I skratch a frickin' lot. A LOT. You have no idea how many hours I have put on that fader and it hasn't stuck since. I haven't even added any more lube. Been on the same fader since '02 and I love it. Very light and sensitive.

I do, however, want to drop a Pro X Fader in there (apparently it fits seamlessly) since you can vary the cut-in time, as well as adjust the fade and fader tension. One of my only gripes about the focus fader is that it has a real on/off sound when cuttin', so there's no gray area...which is obviously key to music.

Good luck with your new mixer. It's very solid once you fix the fader fiasco.

Peace.

don't listen to JHouse: he's world famous for being on drugs and snorting the cali loob

:wink:

i'm looking to get one of those AudioInnovate mixers with the proXfade as standard...analog effects and lfo's built in for some trip-out action? On it... my old scratch mixer is on its last legs, last last last artificial legs and crutches etc

JHouse wrote:I do, however, want to drop a Pro X Fader in there (apparently it fits seamlessly) since you can vary the cut-in time, as well as adjust the fade and fader tension. One of my only gripes about the focus fader is that it has a real on/off sound when cuttin', so there's no gray area...which is obviously key to music.

It doesnt just have to have a real on / off, u could have a real sharp fade instead..

But remember cuttin is diff to usual 'music' .. same with choppin samples, and havin choppy beats with real noticable chops and gaps sounds dope, but ur traditional musician / engineer who aint involved in hiphop wouldnt see / hear it like we do, theyd prob f**k up some dope mad chopped premo beat by over usin delay to 'blend' each chop into each other and fill the gaps...

u need to remember and concider that... and it makes alot of diff when cuttin, cuts with pro x fade sound clean and nice as f**k.. theres no need to worry about pure on / off cut coz where cuttins concerned its just gonna make ur cuts sound cleaner and much nicer..

And thats good that u fixed ur fader with cailube, ur fader must not have been that bad then coz trust i seen / fuct with plenty that was beyond any sort of fixin like that, to the point that they'd have to be opened up by some one who has some kind of engineering skills (not music engineering im talkin like metal work etc) and physically fixed.

c0mplex wrote:they'd have to be opened up by some one who has some kind of engineering skills (not music engineering im talkin like metal work etc) and physically fixed.

dang.

i have a p'n'g fader that i take apart just like my old alps styles... clean it all up, qtips on the contact and bending the brushes/forks/whatever-you-call-them back and put it all back together, rubber band and all, no problems...focus faders require metal work? good thing I don't have one of them thars...

bobbybigbeats wrote:

c0mplex wrote:they'd have to be opened up by some one who has some kind of engineering skills (not music engineering im talkin like metal work etc) and physically fixed.

dang.

i have a p'n'g fader that i take apart just like my old alps styles... clean it all up, qtips on the contact and bending the brushes/forks/whatever-you-call-them back and put it all back together, rubber band and all, no problems...focus faders require metal work? good thing I don't have one of them thars...

well metal work to fix yeah.. its all due to a design fault with the rails.. they actually twist, which is recognized by stanton, shame they didnt sort that out before so many peeps had the sk2f tho.. i seen so many of those focus faders go to waste.

c0mplex wrote:

JHouse wrote:I do, however, want to drop a Pro X Fader in there (apparently it fits seamlessly) since you can vary the cut-in time, as well as adjust the fade and fader tension. One of my only gripes about the focus fader is that it has a real on/off sound when cuttin', so there's no gray area...which is obviously key to music.

It doesnt just have to have a real on / off, u could have a real sharp fade instead..

Unfortunately, I have the FFV1 which doesn't allow you to adjust the xfader fade, so it's basically on/off. The FFV2 allows it though. I know I can drop in the included Alps fader, but I done f'ed up one of the upfaders, so I'm using the Alps for that.

The only mechanical work I did on the FF was open up the fader and apply cailube to the rails.

Peace.

JHouse wrote:cailube

i think you mean CALI_LOOB

honestly, your much better off with a vestax PMC model.

once your Stanton crossfader dies, go cop a PMC

D-iLL wrote:yo whats good all. i went on ebay and copped a Stanton SK-2F battle mixer. you know the one witht he focus fader. i got it for mad cheap. today i am copping a vestax pdx 2000 off my boy for 125. is this mixer decent to learn on? i been **** with my boys 05 pro and i like it, but he said the focus fader is mcuh nicer and may even be better then rane. anywhere i can get a review on it. i googled and i only seemt o find the same damn article every time. peace

This is my Mixer History:

1. Gemini Scratchmaster
2. Numark DM1150
3. Stanton SK-2f
4. Numark PPD01
5. Pioneer DJM-707
6. Rane TTM-56
7. Mackie D2 with Firewire
8. Pioneer DJM-909

I did not spend more than $580 on any one mixer at any given time. My opinion is that my favorite one is the Pioneer DJM-909.

As for a starter scratch mixer, you will wear out and bend the focus fader depending on how hard and how often you practice. In the beginning you will be scratching a lot just to get use to scratching.

good luck with your choice.

i had one of these. fader sticks after a while for sure

does have 3 band eq if i remember correctly, which is useful for sampling i suppose

1. i would never buy any of those stanton mixers. the focus fader sucks after 2 months of usage.
2. i've bought the pro x fade and the performance ain't that good for that price. and it clicks way to loud (for all the people who can't turn up the volume in their cribs, this loud metal clicking is killing nerves). and like someone said here, is has no real on/off performance.
3. after some series of whack faders, vestax is returning to good quality. to avoid loud clicking to can put in the xestax rubber spacers which gives you a super smooth, springy feeling. for real on/off sound you can use the adhesive tape technique (as shown on the asisphonics page).
4. in my opinion the best new mixer with the best faders with real on off switch is the Ecler HAK 360.
5. however, i wouldn't take any of those new mixers instead of mine:
CLASSIC!