First Impressions:
The Mixtrack Pro FX is aiming at a beginner's level DJ, that being said, this is a really high quality and I would expect that you could even bring this controller to live shows.
The Mixtrack Pro FX has the large Jogwheel (6") and long fader-distances for the pitch sliders. This makes it really easy to scratch, adjust loops for the same pitch, and to adjust beats per minute.
The first impression is that this is a really good choice for beginners who want to get into DJ'ing.
Use:
The use of the controller is very intuitive, all controls (play, cue, etc) are where you would expect to find them and they are mirrorred for each deck. The EQ (three-band) and effects are working well and the effect paddles where you can switch on effect (move the paddles in up-position) or only have the effect on momentarily by holding the paddle down. The drawback with the effects is, that while you have six effects on the controller, you can only choose one at a time! This one effect will be applied for both decks, so you cannot have different effects on the two decks at the same time! Still, it is easy to add the effect and change between the effects, so I do not feel this as a major limitation, though I thought that I would have.
The controller has eight performance pads, however, be aware that only four performance pads available with Serato DJ Lite, you would have to upgrade to Serato DJ Pro to use all eight pads as performance pads.
The most exciting of the performance pads is the fader cuts, this allows you to rythmically mute the sound. This is simple little function that can make you sound like a DJ scratching, before you have even learned the proper scratching technique. A nice gimmic.
The rest of the functions include a locking function for the key of the loop or song, preventing key-changes when you change the beats per minute of the song. You can easily arrange loops and cue them to start at different positions.
In conclusion:
This is a very good choice for beginners - it offers a good quality controller for the money. It is even possible to open more functions on the Mixtrack Pro FX with Serato DJ Pro, however, you will not have access to four decks with the Mixtrack Pro FX and Serato DJ Pro. Still, the quality you are getting for the money with the Pro FX is very good. This is a system that will cover your needs, especially if you are not a professional and will only be DJ'ing at home or occasionally at parties.
