Numark Scratch

As someone who has been buying records and DJing since 1986, I’ve been through my fair share of mixers over the decades—from the Gemini MX-2200 and Scratch Master PDM-1008 to the Vestax PMC-05 Pro and Pioneer DJM-350. I still use the same Technics 1210 MK2s i purchased back in 1988, but age has made it increasingly painful to haul crates of vinyl to gigs. While I continue buying records, I’ve recently started digitising my collection and wanted a way to run sets from my laptop using my turntables with control vinyl and without spending a small fortune on a new mixer.

Enter the Numark Scratch, which has completely transformed my setup.

The biggest selling point for me was the post-fader effects, something that historically required Serato software and much pricier mixers to achieve. Pair that with the Innofader crossfader, and this mixer becomes an absolute game changer for cutting and scratching. The precision, smoothness, and responsiveness make scratching feel effortless and fun again.

The recent addition of Serato Stems support takes things even further. With four pads per channel, switching between stems, loops, and effects is fast, intuitive, and more than enough for any creative DJ’s workflow. Despite my long history of hitting limitations with gear and needing upgrades shortly after buying something new, the Numark Scratch feels different. I’m genuinely impressed with its sound, feel, build, and feature set.

For any DJ working with Soul, Funk, Disco, or Hip-Hop, or anyone wanting to elevate their performance without spending €1,000+ on a high-end mixer, the Numark Scratch is an outstanding choice. Highly recommended.

The mixer is of very good quality for the price - Five stars! The delivery was also fast.

The crossfader is smooth and the pads have a nice feel to them with a clicking sound. The phono preamp level seem good for vinyl records too. I have not yet used the mic, so I cannot speak about that. From a size perspective, the mixer is relatively small and I was able to fit it in a backpack.

Once plugged in, Serato switches to DVS mode, which is what I bought it for, but when I plugged it to my Linux computer, the device doesn't seem to be recognised as a sound card by ALSA at present (in case you want to use it with Mixxx and Linux in the future).

One other thing I don't like is that the effects are all Serato based, bar the low/high pass filters for each channel, but I already new that before buying and there's nothing better out there for the price. Thomann also had the lowest price with delivery!