contributed by: Andre Cato
Manufacturer: Ecler

Product Review from Hard to Find Records UK :

"Compact mixer, 3 channels, 6 inputs, ergonomic design, high mid and low eq with full kill facility, the input faders are designed and situated in a unique way to make mixing and operation more comfortable, comes highly recommended by Hard to Find Hardware Staff".

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In 1997, Spanish based company Ecler released the SMAC range of pro mixers. The PRO20 that we are presenting in this review is the newest release in the SMAC series being released earlier this year. It has been designed with many awesome features packed into one very small (145 x 360 mm panel / 80 mm depth) black box. The SMAC range is also available in a 3 and 4 fader model for those kids with more toys to plug in!

So who did Ecler make the PRO20 for?

At first appearance I thought the mixer was basically a mobile DJ standard mixer, being a very compact 2 fader mixer. It sits nicely between a set of turntables.

It comes with industry standard features like full cutoff eq's and kill switch isolators as well as well balanced faders and knobs that turn with ease. I think it would look perhaps a bit small in a nightclub, you would probably want one of the larger models with more faders.

But a bar or a dj would find this mixer a very good addition to their setup. It is priced at rrp $749 (au$) and this falls into the general price range of good quality or well branded mixers.

So what kind of Speakers and Amps will my pro20 sound good with?

I really wanted to try out this mixer on different systems to see how large a system the mixer could handle, so I took the mixer over to our friends at Tectonic Entertainment to test it on their small and large systems that they hire out throughout Australia.

On a small system, like a home system the mixer really does bring out the bass in the sounds, so watch you don't go blowing the family speakers while practicing on weekends!

On 15" Eon, self powered speakers the output of the mixer was well servicing the capabilities of the speakers. The mixer, once plugged into a large system containing a rack of amps, compressors and a stack of speakers, the mixer performed once again with a warm sound and no feedback…

I really want to play with one of the big ones on a large system. I believe Viper Bar in Melbourne does have a SMACPRO40 installed, showing its creeping into this tight market of quality club mixers.

So how many channels does it have?

There are two main faders on this mixer and the third line is controlled via rotary knobs in the middle of the mixer, above the led display.

This is a great feature for DJ's who use either one cd player or even live dj gear such as samplers, keyboards and synths. The faders for channel 1&2 are on an angle so they point towards the

The two main faders have three part eq low, mid, high and the third channel has a two part eq low and high.

Features

This mixer has some really handy features for DJ's to re-produce their tracks. At first glance you would expect this mixer to be generally made for just mobile applications but its strong outputs and extra effect switches and buttons make this a world class mixer.

Faders

One of the most noticable thing about this mixer is that the two main chanels are ergonomically designed, (and look hot!). Now something that annoys me about many mixers is not evident in the smacpro20 and that is this…. Faders generally are not balanced properly so you get a burst of power either at the beginning or end of the fader length. The faders on this are well balanced and if you are on 5 you have 50% and if you are on 7 you literally have 70% of the power, it is great.

Isolator - (Kill Switches)

There are 3 isolator buttons on each of the main fader channels. The isolator is broken into low, mid and high and cuts off that range of sound when pressed.

This is an awesome feature to add and take things away in a mix or even when just re-mixing the track live in front of a crowd. The instant ability to have control over these frequencies is awesome and allows the dj, (or conductor as i often refer to them as) to rebuild the sound coming through that channel.

Cut/Punch Buttons

Use these buttons to kill and add the sound on one or both sides completely at the press of a button… Well one of 4!

The top 2 buttons inbetween the faders are cut or Kill buttons. So as you probably think, push these and whatever tunes you have running through that channel will be silenced until you lift your finger! On the other hand, if you want to sample something into your set, firstly set the fader at the volume that you want it to come out, then use the bottom two buttons (punch). This will instantly bring in the other channel at the volume you have set on the fader.

Both main fader channels contain a punch and cut button and is very handy for short sampling and for killing the sound in lead up to something huge!

Inputs/Outputs

Well for a small mixer it is certainly equipped with enough plugs to get your digital orchestra set up!

The 2 main inputs both have cd and phone lines and the 3rd extra channel is setup with an extra line and mic input. The outputs on this thing rock!

There are two main outputs run via RCA connection, perfect for small setups, and also comes with a record out that can be used as an extra output!

The headphone and mic inputs are on the front panel of the mixer which ensures they don't get tangled!

Other Specs...

-High power monitoring. The powerful head phone amplifier guaranties enough spare power even in the noisest environments or working with only one headphone.

- Input Gain Control. For each channel, and with a very wide margin of 30dB (±15dB) for channel 1 / 2, and 40 dB (±20dB) for channel 3. Holds any signal source without problems so that you can easily mix vinyls of the 50's with CD's.

- Special Tones. A totally independant 3-band system with a -30 to +10 dB margin allows you to shape a progressive Boost or Kill of your sound.

- Prefade listening. PFL with lever switch.

-The Faders. High quality ALPS, smooth and resistant... just as progressive as Electro DJ's need.

- Headphone connection. Close to the DJ, away from the control panel so that no cable can distirb your performance.

- VU Meter. A brilliant calibrated VU helps you to compare
and adjust the levels of the existing signals through PFL or in the main mix.