Behringer DDM4000 Review by Tukindz

Full behringer DJ Console RMX Review

History

Behringer announced the DDM4000 Digital Pro DJ Mixer late in 2005 promising a 32bit, 5 channel mixer with an automatic BPM synchroniser, DJ software compatibility, 4 phono and 4 line stereo channels simultaneously connectable (8 whole signal sources) and a whole list of features we really don't want to go into.
Suffice it to say, it was an impressive roster of functionalities that quickly generated a lot of buzz about the mixer and forum topics about it popped up everywhere, some palpitating with anticipation, some condemning it for having way too much function to be functional in the "real world".

Several months and a number of postponements later the DDM4000 mixer finally hit the market around the 3rd quarter of 2007 and we at AudioPro Tech have finally managed to get our hands on one of these "deejay monsters" just so we could put it to the "real world" test.

Design

The overall look of the DDM 4000 Pro Digital DJ Mixer is designed with the "wow" factor in mind.
Before you even power up this thing, you know it's going to light up brighter than a Christmas tree and when you do flip the switch it blinks on pretty much as you'd expect it to. Every button has an led light under it and when you push one down it'll change from grey to blue or to orange depending on which section the button is.

With all the knobs, buttons and faders at your disposal it's easy to get overwhelmed by the DDM4000 DJ Mixer's layout. There's a lot going on at the same time, but the basic layout of the system will make learning it a little easier than it's initial impressions will indicate.

The left side of the mixer is where you'll find the Microphone controls. This is where the gain, the mic On/Off button, the LED level monitors, the MIC FX On push button, the 3 band EQ faders, the Talk On button which activates the "Talk-over" function which attenuates the music's volume level as soon as you talk into the microphone and finally, the MIC Setup button.

The middle part is where you find your standard 4 Channel Controllers. You have your standard controls (Gain, 3 Band EQs, Channel Volume faders and your Curve switch which adjusts the fader's responsiveness from soft to sharp). Each channel has a PFL button which changes a channel's signal to your headphones. There are 3 buttons on each channel (the p1, p2 & p3 buttons) which allow you to store your own EQ presets.
As a 4 channel mixer with just one cross fader, the DDM4000's channel controls also have the CF Assign button which will assign a channel to either the left or right side of the cross fader.

The main output and the headphone controls are all found on the right side of the unit with all your standard controls like balance and gain…frankly I could go on forever talking about every small button available in the DDM4000, but maybe it's best that you watch our video instead.

Features & Effects  

This has got to be the most feature packed mixer on the planet, the most interesting part of the DDM-4000 is the effects processor. The effects like most modern mixers are BPM synced & completely adjustable, a nice touch to the DDM 400 being the two independently assignable FX processors/sections which gives you the option to assign two processors to one channel allowing for easy effects layering.

You have all the effects you'd expect in any modern Professional Mixer at you disposal, each easily accessible through the FX section which is smack-dab in the center of the DDM4000.

The Flanger, Phaser, Delay, Echo, Pitch and the Reverb. The Bitcrusher effect is an interesting one that changes the sound of a channel to an almost toy like, Lo-Fi effect.
Elaborating on how the effects are customized and altered would be a laborious process, not because the DDM-4000 is that complicated (well, it is…kind of) but because it has so many available to you. I spent about two weeks with the mixer and I still felt like I hadn't grasped all the tools at my disposal.

To get a full understanding of just how deep the features & effects platform of Behringer's mixer go, watch the video:

Performance

The Behringer DDM4000 is the best mixer Behringer has ever released, in fact, it's probably one of the best Club DJ Mixers available in 2008. When it comes to performance, the same kind of quality you've had in the feature options is carried through. Despite its complexity, the DDM-4000 still delivers without any hitches.

The midi outputs ensure that almost all midi capable instruments can be easily hooked up to the mixer, making  the Behringer DDM-4000 an easily adaptable unit for functions other than club DJing. Despite it's spectacular mixer credentials, the DDM-4000 is a very generously priced unit and even at it's price, it puts most higher priced club mixers to shame.

Behringer DDM4000 DJ Mixer Technical Specs

• 2 Jog Wheels  
• 32-bit digital DJ mixer with beat-synchronized sampler, 4 multi-FX sections, 2 patented* BPM counters, digital crossfader and MIDI
• 4 Phono/Line stereo channels allowing max. 8 signal sources to be connected simultaneously
• 2 Microphone inputs with Gain, EQ, Talk function and FX
• 4 stereo channels with Gain, programmable parametric 3-band EQ with Kill function, fader curve control and flexible crossfader assignment
• Sophisticated sampler with beat-controlled loop function, real-time pitch control, sampler FX and crossfader start option
• 2 freely assignable and BPM-synchronized, high-quality FX engines (Bitcrusher, Resonator, Reverb, Flanger, etc.)
• Ultra-fast, accurate and patented* BPM counters for automatic BPM synchronization of sampler, FX, crossfader and external drum machines, etc. via MIDI
• Digital crossfader with flexible curve adjustment, reverse button and automatic, BPM-synchronized crossfading
• Dual-mode crossfader with innovative frequency-selective crossfading
• Dedicated Headphone section includes PFL Mix/Split and Bass/Snare boost functions
• Recall your last mixer setting at the push of a button
• Digital S/PDIF output for direct recording of your performance

Behringer DDM4000 DJ Mixer Pricing

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Conclusion

The Behringer DDM4000 Mixer is not just another cloned machine with a few extra tweaks, it's an evolution from it's predeccessor,the DJX700.

Despite the DJX 700 gaining popular status mid of 2007, Behringer made the effort to create a unit that could actually stand up against the best club mixers in the market and in this case, they created one that could be considered for the top spot.

AudioPro's Score

93%

Good