BehringerCMD STUDIO 4a 4-Deck DJ MIDI Controller with 4 Channel Audio Interface

When I first heard about the studio 4a and checked the specs, I was skeptical. It sounded too good. A 4 deck controller, with a soundcard, effects assignable to both decks, plus an led gain display? Those are features normally reserved for controllers $350 and up. Throw in the extra large platters, metal surface, and pitch control, and it just didn't make sense to me.Now given behringer's sometimes iffy reputation and past foray into the dj controller market, I expected this thing to be a piece of crap. Sure it sounds good on paper, but will it really perform? Well, I didn't want to find out honestly, but I recommended this to a friend who was looking for a controller, so I had a perfect opportunity to do so. Was it right for me to recommend a potentially terrible controller? Well, he did come to me..When I first saw it in action, I was blown away. The thing was sexy, and big. Unlike my previous mixtrack, you cant throw this into a backpack, or a laptop bag for that matter. Fit and finish were top notch. Each knob has this rubbery matte coating and perfect amount of resistance that feels weird for something as cheap as $200. The faders are also very good.There is LED feedback on every button, which is awesome when you jump to decks 3 and 4. You can see exactly what's happening without having to squint at your laptop. The pitch slider is extra long and super precise. Now personally i don't manually beatmatch but if for some reason you'd want to do that you definitely could with the studio 4a.I read one review complaining about the software that comes with the studio 4a. Well, if you aren't using traktor with this, you're doing it wrong. While the studio 4a may have its proprietary software, the factory mapper for traktor works almost perfectly(no flux mode control), which I believe was intentional. Even the effects layout is the same! If you are looking to DJ for events, invest in traktor, there's a reason so many big-time artists use it for their sets.That being said, there are a couple very minor problems I have with this controller. Two are with the platters. Now on the picture, they are obviously metallic, but your model will be plastic. Don't worry, it looks fine. Second, there's about 0.5 to 1mm of up and down wobble when you spin the platters, but it does not affect performance.Third, I run my music through a second software for EQ and bass compression, and when I run that through the studio 4a soundcard, the results are imperceptible. I suspect there's a limiter in there somewhere, or possibly, the internal preamp just can't take the signal very well. Either way, it bothers me. But for those who run audio straight through the dj software to the controller, the soundcard will amplify that fine.At the end of the say, this thing is awesome, and dare I say it, professional grade. As someone who's spent a lot of time playing around with the traktor s2 and s4, which are the benchmarks of dj controllers, the studio 4a is not that far off. Its place is about in the middle of the two. It looks just as good (IMO) and has identical features with the S2, save for the fancy loop control. Think about the studio 4a as an s2 with 4 deck control.Using the 4a, I don't feel like I'm missing much at all, but if you're really craving that extra functionality, you can buy an add-on minicontroller from both traktor and the CMD series. I'd imagine they're both awesome.At the end of the day, this thing is awesome. It looks, feels, and works too good to be $200 dollars. I suspect this will dethrone the mixtrack as the best entry level controller.

This controller is very responsive and is outstanding in performance. None of the buttons, knobs, sliders, and jogwheels feel like they can break easily. I has an nice finish with a finger print proof metal plate on top and a lightweight plastic casing. The jogwheels are pretty big and are perfect for scratching. I like that there are kill buttons for the high, mid, and low eqs. However the software that comes with it is not to my liking. The scratching is delayed with the controller. Meaning that if you were to backspin the jogwheel for a track and put your hand down to stop spinning, there will be a noticeable delay. Some say that it was done on purpose but i prefer to have it on instant. Pitch controls are very precise. The led lighting is colorful and bright. You could be under the sun and still be able to see the light. It does not come with a microphone input but i'm guessing that this is more for a beginner that does not want to spend so much money on a dj controller. It is at a great price for what you are getting. It is not as good as a numark mixtrack pro 2 but is is very close. In the box, you will have the controller, a usb cable to connect to your computer, an ac adapter, software license, and a sticker. There are 2 rca outputs and a headphone which is nice because some have to have the sound come out from the computer or a sound card which will limit your performance. Overall i would recomend this product. I see nothing wrong with it and it is set at an amazing price

The controller makes DJ-ing for beginners simple, it comes with effects switches, EQ Kills and an LED VU meter for adjusting your volumes. This controller is great for something it's price, it will be a breeze with music ranging anywhere from EDM to Hip-Hop. It ships with Deckadance 2.0 LE but you can also use it with Traktor pro and Virtual DJ being that mappings for the studio 4a have recently been available on there sites. The one thing I wish the controller had was something to control the gain. But that can be ran around by remapping the controller to your liking. Over all this is a great piece of equipment for DJ's like myself who need something as a backup to take to events, or beginning DJ's who want to get into the industry. You won't find another controller this well for this cheap.