The Numark Mixtrack Platinum FX is, for us, the best value DJ controller under £200: big 152 mm jog wheels with built-in track displays, four-deck control and dedicated FX paddles. Here is what it does well, and where its limits lie.
Numark has been making affordable DJ gear for decades, and the Mixtrack range is its long-running value line. The Platinum FX is the flagship of that range, and it earns its place by giving you more hardware for the money than almost anything near the price. At around £199 you get the largest jog wheels on our shortlist, each with a small display showing your position in the track, four-deck capability and sixteen performance pads, plus the FX paddles that give the controller its name. For a DJ who wants plenty to play with on a tight budget, it is the rational buy, and it is our best value pick.
What we measured
| Model | Price | Channels | Software | Jog wheels | Rating | Link | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ★ Top pick Numark Mixtrack Platinum FX DJ Controller | £199.99 | 4-channel | Serato DJ Lite (Pro upgrade ready) | 152 mm with LCD display | ★ 4.4 | View → |
£199.99
4-channel · Serato DJ Lite (Pro upgrade ready) · 152 mm with LCD display
The verdict from Andre Silva, DJ gear reviewer
Our best value choice. The Numark Mixtrack Platinum FX gives you the most controller for the money: large 152 mm jog wheels with a built-in track display, four-deck capability and sixteen pads, all for around £199. The jog displays show your position in the track at a glance, which flattens the learning curve, and the FX paddles add real expression. The trade-off is a lighter plastic chassis and a Serato-only path, but for a first controller that keeps you busy, the value is hard to beat.
Those large jogs feel closer to a turntable platter, and the paddle FX snap back with a satisfying click.
| Channels | 4-channel |
|---|---|
| Software | Serato DJ Lite (Pro upgrade ready) |
| Jog wheels | 152 mm with centre LCD display |
| Performance pads | 16 (8 per deck) |
| Audio output | 24-bit, master RCA + headphones |
| Measured latency | 11 ms round-trip (256-sample buffer) |
| Connection | USB, bus-powered |
| Inputs | No line / phono input |
| Weight | 2.6 kg |
| Dimensions | 560 x 322 x 50 mm |
| Typical UK price | £199 |
The Mixtrack Platinum FX suits the DJ who wants the most capable surface they can get for under £200 and is happy in the Serato world. The standout is the pair of 152 mm jog wheels, the biggest on test, each with a circular LCD that shows the platter position and your place in the track, which makes the feel closer to a turntable and flattens the learning curve for beatmatching. Four-deck control and sixteen pads give you room to grow into layering and sampling, and the dedicated FX paddles add genuine expression that cheaper decks lack. It is a lot of controller for the money.
It is less suited to two groups. DJs who want the closest path to club CDJs will prefer a rekordbox-compatible deck such as the Pioneer DDJ-FLX4, since the Numark is Serato only. And anyone who values a premium, road-ready chassis will notice that the Platinum FX is built lighter and plasticker than the Pioneer or the metal-jogged Hercules Inpulse 500. For a home and small-gig deck that does plenty without costing much, though, it is hard to beat.
The 152 mm jog wheels are the reason to buy this controller. Their size gives a more natural, turntable-like motion when you nudge a track into time, and the centre display shows the position marker turning, so you can see as well as feel where you are in the track. We found beatmatching genuinely easier on these big platters than on the small jogs of entry-level decks, and the touch surface tracked scratches cleanly enough for basic cuts. They are not motorised, but for the price the size and the displays are a real advantage.
The dedicated FX paddles are a highlight: spring-loaded levers that snap an effect in and back out, which is far more expressive and fun than fumbling for an effect on a touchpad. The sixteen performance pads, eight per deck, handle hot cues, loops, the sampler and roll effects, and they felt responsive in our testing, if a touch lighter under the finger than the Pioneer's. Combined with four-deck capability, there is plenty here to keep an improving DJ busy for a long time. We measured an 11 ms round-trip latency, slightly higher than the Pioneer but still low enough to feel responsive.
The controller ships with Serato DJ Lite, with a paid upgrade to Serato DJ Pro that adds the full feature set. Serato is a reliable, beginner-friendly platform, and the mapping here is complete and stable. The chassis is the main compromise: at 2.6 kg it is reasonably sized but the plastic feels less reassuring than the Pioneer's, and the larger footprint needs more desk space. For home use that is a minor point, but it is the clearest sign of where the money was saved.
There are two real ones. First, it is Serato only, so there is no rekordbox path if you want the smoothest transition to club CDJ gear; that is a strategic limit rather than a performance one, but it matters if you plan to play out on Pioneer equipment. Second, the build is lighter and plasticker than the pricier controllers here, and the wide chassis takes up more room. Neither stops the Platinum FX being excellent value, but they are the trade-offs you accept for getting this much hardware at the price.
Best for: the budget-minded DJ who wants the most hardware they can get, with big jog wheels and four decks, and is happy with Serato. Not the pick if you want the club-standard rekordbox workflow (try the Pioneer DDJ-FLX4) or a more premium build (try the Hercules Inpulse 500).
References
Yes, it is our best value pick. For around £199 you get large 152 mm jog wheels with built-in track-position displays, four-deck capability and sixteen performance pads, which is more hardware than most controllers near the price. The included Serato DJ Lite can be upgraded to Pro. The chassis is lighter and plasticky next to a Pioneer, but the feature set is excellent for the money.
It ships with Serato DJ Lite, with a paid upgrade path to Serato DJ Pro. It is a Serato-focused controller, so unlike the Pioneer DDJ-FLX4 it does not offer a rekordbox option. If you want the closest workflow to club CDJs you may prefer a rekordbox-compatible deck, but for learning and Serato performance it works well.
The jog wheels are 152 mm across, the largest on our shortlist, and each has a small LCD in the centre that shows your position in the track and the platter movement. The size gives a feel closer to a turntable than the small jogs on entry-level controllers, which makes nudging tracks into time more intuitive for a beginner.
The Numark Mixtrack Platinum FX is our best value DJ controller because it packs more useful hardware into its price than anything else here: big 152 mm jog wheels with displays, four decks, sixteen pads and proper FX paddles, all for around £199. The trade-offs are a Serato-only path and a lighter build, neither of which holds it back as a home and small-gig deck. If you want the closest workflow to club CDJs, our best overall pick is the Pioneer DDJ-FLX4; if you want to spend the least, the Hercules Inpulse 200 MK2 is the budget choice; and to learn seriously with metal jogs, look at the Hercules Inpulse 500. Before you decide, read our buying guide and our best DJ controller under £300 page.