Numark Mixstream Pro Review – The Ultimate All In One

Less than a month ago, we reviewed the superb Engine 2.0 operating system installed in the flagship range of Denon DJ players. That update promised to open Engine OS up to new brands and devices in the near future. The Numark Mixstream Pro is the first of these new devices. A relatively cheap, all in one unit, promising the whole Engine experience at less than half the price of the Denon equipment. Is that even possible? And if so, what’s the catch? Well, as you’ll see, this new Numark is probably the best device we’ve ever reviewed. Find out why it’s so impressive in our full review below!

Key Features

• Built-in Wi-Fi for access to streaming services: Beatport LINK, Beatsource LINK, SoundCloud Go+, TIDAL and Dropbox
• Engine DJ operating system for laptop-free performances
• Built-in speakers with dedicated volume control
• Engine Lighting control for Philips Hue and DMX lighting
• 7″ multi-gesture high-definition touch screen
• Professional XLR and RCA Speaker Connections
• RRP £499/€599/$599

What is the Numark Mixstream Pro?

The Numark Mixstream Pro is a two-channel, all in one device built around a seven-inch touch screen. A complete all in one solution, the Mixstream Pro doesn’t require connecting to a computer or even speakers, with four custom-tuned speakers at the DJs fingertips! The built-in Wi-Fi allows the unit to connect and stream music directly from streaming providers. Ideal for beginners, this will enable DJs to play without first building and preparing a music collection.

DJs who have already built their music collection can easily access it via the two USB ports, one SD card reader and even wirelessly connect to DropBox. Like other Engine devices, the Mixstream Pro can even convert Rekordbox and Serato DJ collections on the unit itself! In fact, the Mixstream Pro, despite its price tag, doesn’t lack any of the advanced Engine DJ features! Meaning, just like the Denon DJ Prime 4, this little entry-level product is capable of key shifting, controlling advanced lighting and even connecting to Ableton LINK!

Build Quality

The Mixstream Pro features an impressive layout, allowing the unit to remain somewhat portable. The chassis sits 12 inches wide and is mainly constructed from plastic, ensuring the weight stays down. Metal grills cover and protect the inbuilt speakers with no rattle or distortion coming from the unit, even when turned fully up. The seven-inch touch screen is covered by plastic, and we imagine it would take a heavy hit to damage. That said, we would always recommend using a deck saver when transporting the decks.

Sharing much of its construction with the Mixtrack family of controllers, the Mixstream will feel very familiar to anybody who’s used a modern Numark controller. The unit features the same paddle effects section similar to those found on professional battle mixers. Although we don’t think the Mixstream Pro is designed predominantly for budding young turntablists, the inclusion of paddles is a clever use of space. The effects can be momentarily applied by pulling the paddle towards the DJ or locked on when pushed away. Although we’re happy with the four preselected effects (Echo, Delay, Flanger and Phaser), we do find it a shame that the effects’ parameters can’t be changed. Want a 1/2 beat echo? Not possible at the moment, sadly. We do hope Numark will update this in future firmware.

What can you use the Mixstream Pro with?

With a name like Mixstream Pro, it would be easy to assume that the unit is an online-only player. You may also be forgiven for thinking that the Numark, thanks to its low price, doesn’t cater for professional DJs wanting to use XLR connections. Amazingly, both of these issues have been addressed with a rather impressive collection of connections. The Mixstream Pro features an internal SD card reader and two USB-A ports for playing music back from local devices.

Running Engine 2.0, the unit is capable of analysing and converting music internally. This means DJs can playback Rekordbox USB drives, Serato Crates and even unanalysed tracks! The unit’s speed converting Rekordbox files, leads us to believe this unit, despite its price tag, is running the same internal specs as the Denon DJ Prime 2 and Prime GO. Finally, the USB-B port allows the user to connect to a computer. We don’t expect software support for the Numark from Serato or Traktor but given their experience mapping Engine OS, Virtual DJ will most likely be available shortly after launch. 

Audio

With four inbuilt speakers, the Mixstream Pro is capable of providing enough sound to entertain the DJ and a few friends. These speakers certainly won’t replace stand-alone monitors, however, they are much better than using a laptop. On top of the inbuilt speakers, the Mixstream Pro also features XLR and RCA speaker connections. This enables the DJ to connect to professional sound systems with ease, something that is very rare indeed on lower-priced equipment. Although the Mixstream Pro lacks DJ Booth outputs, the internal speakers can be used alongside the external speakers. This creates an onboard monitor. Ideal for small bars and quieter DJ booths!

Performance Features

With Engine OS onboard, the Numark Mixstream Pro is a very capable unit when it comes to performance features. We weren’t expecting to see the full engine experience onboard given the units price, but no features seem to have been removed. This means this small all in one is capable of key shifting, connecting to Ableton Link and much more! Numark has even included Engine Lighting, meaning this unit can perform its own light shows with Philips Hue over Wi-Fi or DMX fixtures with a dongle. You can learn more about Engine Lighting in our dedicated guide here!

The smart scratch feature makes a debut on the Mixstream Pro. Essentially slip but only for the jog wheel, the feature allows the DJ to scratch the track without interrupting the natural progression of the track. The track simply continues playing silently underneath the scratching, returning to full volume once the scratching is completed.

At the bottom of the decks are four performance pads, these allow the DJ to access hot cues, manual loops, auto loops and roll. The performance pads are dual-layer, which is great. A further tap on the pad mode reveals a second layer for more beat divisions and access to up to eight hot cues! Sadly the unit doesn’t feature manual loop controls, meaning the performance pads are the only method of setting and activating loops. The lack of an encoder also means moving the loop sadly isn’t possible either. Finally, there is no beat jump control on the unit which is a shame, again though, this is something that could be possibly added on-screen in a future update!

In Conclusion

Although its plastic construction, brand name and price may usually be associated with the beginner market, the Mixstream Pro is a device that will appeal to all DJs. It’s a unit that can play almost any DJs music, connect to any sound system and pack almost the same punch as the Denon DJ Prime Two! It really is a great all in one package, that’s far more capable than it looks. Sure it’s not perfect but a lot of our minor complaints could be fixed with firmware updates. Given that the SC5000 players are still receiving regular major updates, we envisage the Mixstream Pro will be supported for many years to come!

Factoring in the cost of buying a laptop, controller, speakers and then building a music library, the Mixstream is somewhat of a bargain for a beginner DJ. Even for the experienced DJ wanting a personal set of decks, there really isn’t another unit as capable, anywhere near this price point. We’d have been impressed with the Mixstream Pro had it been more expensive, but at £499, we’re over the moon with it!

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