Numark Mixstream Pro Go Review

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Numark’s Mixstream Pro all-in-one goes portable to become the Mixstream Pro Go.

The world’s first fully standalone mobile DJ unit!

Dropping in time for summer, DJs can now perform anywhere, simply with a Wi-Fi connection and a streaming subscription or just locally stored jams, headphones and this battery-powered piece of hardware weighing no more than 3.7 KG!

Taking performances to new levels and locations, this third-generation Mixstream promises to be the ultimate value device for beginners, streamers, creatives and pros looking for insane features crammed into a convenient package.

The device will also act as a fully mapped controller for Serato and Virtual DJ and has comprehensive wireless lighting controls!

In 2021 we reviewed the original Mixstream Pro, but how does this 2023 offering compare?

Here, we revisit the standalone series to see if a new battery and feature updates warrant the $240 price hike.

Key Features

Built-in Wi-Fi for access to five streaming services, plus cloud sync to Dropbox or a computer on the same network
Battery power makes the device fully portable
Built-in loudspeakers
Integrated 7” High-Resolution Multi-Touch display
Running Engine DJ OS, so there’s no need for a laptop
Engine Lighting to wirelessly control smart lighting and more
Professional XLR speaker connection and ¼” Mic jack

What is the Mixstream Pro Go?

Numark’s ultra-lightweight standalone is a battery-powered revision of a well-loved piece of DJ kit.

A one-stop shop for beginner DJs, it takes the guesswork out of quickly getting in the mix, and now it can be taken and used anywhere!

Comprising two decks with performance pads, a competent mixer with onboard effects and built-in loudspeakers, all wrapped around an impressive 7” high-resolution multi-touch screen.

This comprehensive hardware alone makes Mixstream worth considering. For both beginners looking for an easy first device and more advanced performers who can take advantage of its portability and vast features.

Mixstream Pro on the Go!

The addition of battery power means this Mixstream is designed to go places!

Whether at a beach gathering, a luxury poolside or on an open-top bus, with its sleek new gunmetal finish and a subtler lighting accent, it blends in to almost any location.

At only 3.7KG, it’s super easy to carry, and its loudspeakers do a great job filling a space for small gatherings.

Set-up time is minimal. There’s no fiddling with cables and various bits of kit, giving DJs more practice time, simply jump on and go!

Designed for streaming

As its name suggests, built-in Wi-Fi enables Mixstream all-in-ones to have plenty of streaming options.

DJs don’t need to have their music collection on a USB stick or SD card, though it does include these ports so music from other platforms can easily be converted with all performance data.

Users can subscribe to specialist DJ music providers Beatport Streaming and Beatsource Streaming, or can stream from commercial vendors Amazon Music Unlimited, SoundCloud Go + and TIDAL.

Plus, there’s cloud access to music stored in Dropbox or a local computer’s Engine DJ playlists, provided it is on the same Wi-Fi network.

Handy if Mixstream is used in a studio or home environment to save hard-wiring computers into the device

This generation Mixstream also includes access to Amazon Music Unlimited. Great for those unsure about taking out a streaming subscription specifically for DJing. Now they can do both with a single domestic subscription!

With a decent internet connection, streamed tracks are performance ready within seconds!

DJ without a laptop

As for needing a laptop like with other digital DJ gear, a powerful processor teamed with the very capable onboard library management and performance software means the device itself takes care of computer grunt work like analysing music.

Users can be up and running, practising their mixing within minutes of unboxing the device without any external computer involvement.

This is a total revolution for the digital DJ industry and means newcomers don’t need to invest in a performance laptop or smart device to go with their gear!

Central 7” High-Resolution Multi-Touch Display

The central screen sitting above the mixer and adjacent to the decks rightfully pulls focus as it plays host to all of Mixstream’s power.

Even though it technically debuted in 2017 on the Denon DJ SC5000, the 7” high-resolution, multi-touch display still looks impressive.

It easily displays all of the necessary data for two tracks in the mix and has even proven to manage four on the Denon DJ SC Live 4 from last year.

Its resolution is sharp, and its colours pop, it has wide viewing angles and remains the most similar screen on the market to a smartphone or tablet for touch gestures.

Unlike competitor devices, Mixstream can be used for music preparation and performance, so having a multi-touch screen means it can perform the preparation functions of a computer more effectively.

From beat grid adjustments and library management to adjusting the crossfader curve or tweaking set recording particulars, navigation of Engine DJ OS’s many functions is easy with an intuitive layout and UI.

Engine DJ OS

We’re definitely impressed with how much Engine DJ has evolved since its introduction on the original Denon DJ PRIME equipment six years ago.

Surprisingly, Engine DJ OS running on the Mixstream devices is untethered and unrestricted, despite being entry-level products.

Users can access all the same features they expect to find on the top-flight Engine equipment.

A feature that Engine DJ is now known for is the ability to read and transfer playlists and performance data from other platforms like Rekordbox.

This means if you already have a vast library set with performance data created with another DJ software, the Mixstream Pro can swiftly read and translate it into Engine DJ with ease!

Effective mixing hardware with built-in loudspeakers

Speakers

The built-in loudspeakers are surprisingly decent and offer great overall sound quality.

Fine-tuned to sound full and bass-rich, they’re loud enough for a small gathering, for practice sessions, or to be used as a booth monitor as Numark suggests, providing the DJ booth is not too close to the main speakers!

Decks

The deck sections host well-sized 6” jog wheels without any feeling adjust but still feel great for scratching and nudging in the mix. Not exactly built for DMC world championships, but for the vast majority of DJs, they will do a great job.

Unfortunately, the tempo adjustment sliders are a little on the short side, but Engine OS compensates by allowing a tempo range of +/- 4%. This means pulling off manual blends is workable with tracks where the BPMs are not too dissimilar.

Although this is a minor drawback, it is unlikely to be an issue for beginners as most will use the available SYNC feature to beatmatch anyway.

MixStream Pro does a great job of being compact and portable, but another compromise is that it can only host four performance pads in place of the usual eight.

Performance Pads

Even though there’s only four per deck, the performance pads are high quality, like those found on a producer’s drum machine or sampler, such as an Akai MPC device.

Their modes are CUE, SAVED LOOP, AUTO LOOP and ROLL.

Each pad has access to a second page of memory banks, so the functionality of having eight pads is not lost.

A common gripe with the previous Mixstreams is that there is no alternative way to set loops on the device, only with the performance pads. The same is true here. However, this is by no means a deal breaker, as it’s easy to create loops with the pads.

Built-in Drop Sampler

All Engine OS hardware features access to a built-in Drop Sampler. Eight slots to store and trigger samples or entire songs!

Access to this useful tool is somewhat restricted on Mixstream Pro as users must toggle between two pages laid out over four performance pads rather than having direct access to all eight at once.

Access to a sampler is a killer feature taken for granted on top-flight controllers.

Its inclusion on all Engine standalone gear allows DJs to switch comfortably between controllers and standalone kit without needing an external device.

Mixer

Although not necessarily for open-format or scratch DJs, the central mixer section has adopted a battle-style layout.

This is actually perfect for beginners as the relatively bare design emphasises core DJ functionality over an abundance of overwhelming features.

The two-channel mixer sits below the central screen and has all the essentials you’d expect: Three-band, full-kill EQ and per-channel filters.

The device’s LED volume meters are short but capable and can display either the master output or per-channel levels. This is certainly enough for beginners but is perhaps a little limited for use in a professional environment.

Effects

There are also four built-in effects triggered by Effect Paddles, a feature not typically found on DJ devices in this price bracket.

The effects are currently not switchable with software but are well-chosen and offer enough variety to keep mixes interesting.

Thanks to an Engine DJ OS update, the built-in ECHO, DELAY, FLANGER and PHASER are now customisable.

Users can quickly set the beat fraction, depth level and affected frequency band of their chosen effect before engaging it via intuitive controls that now live at the bottom of the central screen.

This is a welcome revision for many DJs as when the original Mixstream launched, the only control over the effects was to turn them on or off.

Touch FX

This new feature turns the entire central screen into an X-Y pad for a completely hands-on way of engaging with four combinations of effects. FILTER ECHO, FILTER REVERB, FILTER ROLL and LFO WUB ECHO.

This awesome addition is really enjoyable to use and makes the whole Mixstream series feel revitalised.

Although Touch FX is a native part of Mixstream Pro Go, a firmware update will put it on older devices.

I/O

All the Mixstream Pro units can plug directly into a professional sound system, appealing to both beginners and professionals alike.

Other than the XLR outputs, Mixstream Pro is limited with its I/O, it has a master feed on RCAs for hooking into domestic amplifiers, hi-fis or speakers and some USB and SD card sockets for plugging music in.

Plus, there are dual headphone ports covering ¼ inch and 3.5mm sizes, a professional ¼ inch microphone jack and a 12.0 V, 3.0 A DC power jack.

Engine Lighting

With the built-in lighting control software, DJs can integrate smart lights from NanoLeaf and Philips Hue via Wi-Fi, so there’s no need to purchase external hardware for an impressive light display or to make your smart lights pulse in time to the music.

This feature has come into its own since the boom of post-COVID live streaming, cementing the Mixstream as a device that can cater efficiently to all DJ types.

Professional DMX lights are also controllable within Engine Lighting with a paid subscription to SoundSwitch. Simply plug them into the device with a DMX-to-USB adapter or cable and enjoy the same convenient control.

The first all-inclusive solution for DJing on the move

The Mixstream Pro Go is the Swiss Army Knife of a DJ’s toolkit.

Ingeniously packing big features into a travel-friendly device that delivers everything most DJs will need to perform and offers insane value for money.

Thanks to Engine DJ OS firmware updates, many features of the Mixstream Pro have been levelled up since our initial review two years ago.

The fact that the first-generation device now incorporates most of the updates outlined here reassures us that killer functions such as Touch FX can easily be added to the whole family of devices down the line.

Streaming is definitely the future of DJing and is slowly becoming the norm, but it’s great that Mixstream Pro allows users to plug and play with locally stored tunes as well.

And there’s good news for fans of Serato and Virtual DJ: Go will soon be an official accessory fully mapped for both. This means it can double up as a controller, although a paid subscription may be required.

Whilst the Mixstreams have been very well received, there are some drawbacks.

A popular suggestion about previous models was to ditch the speakers to make room for eight performance pads and a full-length tempo adjustment fader.

Although it’s a shame the Pro Go doesn’t feature these, it’s understandable on this model. Now that the device is portable, having built-in loudspeakers does make sense.

The lacking features are also easily overlooked when considering Engine OS is constantly being refreshed with updates.

An upcoming one is daytime mode for the Go’s display to tackle glare. A great reason to get the decks out and DJ alfresco!

Check out our video review and see Mixstream Pro Go’s features in action

Time to sharpen up your Engine DJ skills? Check out our dedicated Denon DJ courses, which centre around using the Engine software to its full capability!

We’ll show you how to perform on all Engine enabled devices and more with plenty of universal techniques, theory and practice to strengthen your DJ skills as a whole.

And if you want to become confident on any DJ gear and accelerate your path to success as a DJ, check out our Complete DJ Package. Guaranteed to help you become the best DJ you can be, or you money back!