I have a massive tip - get the new scratch friendly fader plate from Numark. I have one here - the slot is narrower for a sharper cut. It does mean that the fader stem hits the inside of the slot rather than rubber washers inside the fader body, so expect clicky clicky action.

I've just fit it and will report back when I've tried it out, and will also report on how to get it from Numark. But I believe it's free to all registered owners of the NS6.

cheers man. sounds ideal....clicky clicky is what i'm used to and i never hear it when gigging anyway.

unfortunately registration is only available to users in the U.S. at the moment.
I'm in the U.K.

could you post a link to where you found this fader plate please, i'll see if i can get one from there.

I've just tried it and it's so tight. The lag distance is 0.5-0.6mm. I'll get the full details from Numark, unless they'd like to chip in here. Either way, it's so easy to get tight crabs now. Oooeeer.

^haha

i've sent a support request to numark too but nice one, lookin fwd to details, think that may make this product the top of the bunch.

Thanks Scratchworx! I remember hearing about the new fader plate (maybe it was in your review?). Sounds like just what I need. Any info on how to get one would be greatly appreciated.

Mmmmm... does the click, click sound as sexy as the oldskool vestax !! :P

to be honest i think this makes things worse i put extra rubber washers in my fader axis
to make the cut sharper.

after a large amount of abuse of the fader stem smashing into the plate it starts to cut through
the stem and the fader snaps off eventually .

As the NS6 wasn't aimed at turntablists, I'd say this free upgrade is about as good as you can expect. It would of course have been better if the retooled D-Type inside the NS6 had done this in the first place.

^this.

but in the meantime i'd def still like to know where i can one of these plates in the u.k.

scracthworx: is that a dj name or are you on the team who do all the reviews at scratchworx.com?

if so: good work fella, nice balanced reviews that i trust.

Bluefoot - I am Gizmo aka Mark Settle. I own skratchworx.com, and along with a very small collection of devoted DJ tech freaks, we bring you those nice balanced reviews and all the news that you need.

you collect devoted dj tech freaks! the image that has put in my mind makes me rofl.

seriously: keep up the good work man.

i bet you get bored by people offering you reviews to read but i just posted this on the ns6 if you're interested:

www.ausdjforums.com

written with a major hangover but still buzzing with excitement from my new purchase so probably not as balanced as i normally am.

Hello All,

Numark is offering a FREE crossfader plate! It's a simple replacement for the existing plate, allowing users to perform even tighter cuts with the NS6’s high-quality D-Type Digital Fader. Visit www.numark.com to learn more and to request yours!

Best Regards,
Joe

Has anyone used 1200's for the phono input on their NS6 ? I"m Itching to get the NS6 vs the NI S4 which a great machine as well. But when I look the S4 I see a bunch of chaos.

I would really like to mix my Vinyl again, I'm curious is the output levels of the pre amp or how ever they process the sound decent to play your old tunes ?

"User Registration/Login"

FAIL!

i have been using my ns6 with my 1200 since i got it sounds great

So I've used vci 300 for a good while. Im debating Vestax pcv 275 with pair V7 ? Same price roughly gets me NS6.
My debate is analog mixer for quality sound and better mixer lay out. Ns6 4 channel mixer stand alone but cramped lay out with good options of course.

Vestax mixer classic quality build, with V7 should be less stress on cpu. I dont need 4 channel with all the fancy features.

NS6 all in one package, portable flashy. 4 channels for options to improve the mix, better fx I just dont like the mixer section.

you will have more versitility if you get the v7's and a good mixer ... never know if you want to move to something else and need to start from scratch again

I seen some v7's in action on Youtube. I do like playing with the NS7 just not a fan of bulky. So would one say it's like any controller just going to take time to get adjusted?

i got my replacement faceplate today :)

me too :)

How long was the wait? I got a confirmation email saying they're sending it, just curious.

3 days i think

yup bout 3 days.

Nice, I figured a few weeks at least. Can't wait to try it out.

just out of interest... are you guys in the U.S.

I'm in the U.K. and been waiting 2 weeks already.

Yes im in the US

Where do I find the serial # on my NS6?

on the back

yes i am in us and it was sent us mail

is it the number under the bar code?

cheers for that you lucky americans. I'm still waiting...

p.s. satsun: numark serial numbers generally begin with the number 21 in brackets followed by a capital "N" followed by the rest of the serial number.

Like this (21) N*************

so those that have it what do u think?

Got mine today. thank you thank you thank you.

Will fit tonight just in time to go to outdoor festival for the weekend.
Willl post thoughts on it on my return.

thank you again Numark and especially NumarkJoe for sorting that.

^going tmrw so got the plate in and had a mix...

Numark NS6 scratch friendly crossfader plate review

What a difference a few millimetres makes!
Now let me make this clear: I am not a turntablist. This product is not aimed at turntablists as far as I know. But I like a scratch, a tickle, a dibby dibby, a wigga wigga. I like to transform. I don't do orbits, clicks or even flares, but i like to cut every now and then. I beatmatch, fade and cut mix, I do very basic juggles and mash hot cues and loops if the mix suits it. I'm an all rounder, a jack of all trades but master of none.

This fader plate made my NS6 the unit I though it was going to be.

The plate only reduces the fader lag by a few millimetres on either side. The original plate had a "no mans land" on either side where no sound came through but the fader stem still hadn't reached the edge of the slot in the plate. For smooth fades this is fine but for cutting and all transforms this meant the fader had to cross the "no mans land" before audio came out.
For scratching it is best if the fader cuts off all audio when the fader stem is as close to the edge of the plate slot as possible. Ideally the audio will be cut abruptly as your fader stem reaches the edge. It will then be available at full volume by nudging the fader stem back away from the edge by a tiny amount.
I don't understand why Numark left such a long lag on the factory standard plate. Having the scratch friendly cross fader plate means the audio cuts at exactly the edge and is at full volume with the slightest touch of the fader towards the centre. This makes cutting much easier. If a DJ wants a smooth fade on the cross fader they can simply use the curve adjust to set this regardless of the change in lag.

The fader is still a pretty basic one and the fader slot cannot be modified to take any other smoother or tighter fader to my knowledge. The fader has a pretty tight curve adjust which I have set to it's tightest or "scratch" setting.

Previously I used vinyl and a Vestax DMC 05PROII, then I had a Pioneer DJM 909 with CDJ1000s, I added Traktor Scratch Pro to my CDJ set up. The fader (with modified plate) on the NS6 doesn't compare to the Pioneer DJM909 fader. It does compare to the Vestax DMC05PROII. I cannot make comment on how well it will last as have only had it a month or two.

The fader stem is a noisy clicker. Anyone used to transforming may know how loud the clicking gets, and this one is pretty loud. The fader stem actually hits the edge of the plate not washers at the edge of the fader slot. There are reports of it starting to cut into the plate or damage the stem (see links below). I don't click that hard so am not concerned. If I'm mixing in headphones at home I can hear it. It isn't noticeable live.

Now… 1st things last: Actually fitting it took a few tries for me. Not because it is a difficult job, there are only 4 small screws which need one of those hex keys a bit like allen keys. You can pick up a multi-tool at a petrol station/store for not much $. The reason it took a few tries is because the lag is so tight that any tiny slip of the fader between it's mounting screws can result in the fader stem not cutting off the audio at all when fully at the edge. Having done this I recommend the following:

1) Fit the two fader mounting screws through the plate and into the fader loosely at first (these are the two innermost screws on the fader plate).
2) Slot the fader with plate into it's slot.
3) Turn on, boot up, check the fader works as expected. Don't start cutting, just gently check it turns off audio when at both edges.
4) Turn off.
5) Tighten the fader mounting screws.
6) Attach the plate and fader assembly with the other two plate mounting screws (these are the two outermost screws on the fader plate).
7) Turn on, boot up and check again.
8) Mix.

On my plate there was a tiny amount of manoeuvring available when mounting the fader to it's plate so I had to be gentle while tightening screws so as not to alter the desired position.

Overall: I really like the NS6. I had been waiting for a lightweight "best of all worlds" midi controller for a while. I had tried the S4, MC6000, Torq Exponent, Hercules series, mixtracks etc etc but I wanted one that felt comfortable to actually scratch on and responded well to my manipulation. This has satisfied me. the Itch software it comes with is straightforward but not very easy to modify. I find it fine. The NS6 will work with Traktor and midi maps are available. Actually scratching on the NS6 platters is about as close to the feel of CDJ1000s as CDJ1000s are to vinyl IMO. I think unless you are a 100%vinyl turntablist you could probably switch your skills to a NS6 quite quickly. Like when a guitarist changes guitar you would have to wear it in. You may want to spend hours getting comfortable with it, discovering where the cues, faders, pots etc are, setting drum loops and bass lines and accapellas and scratch samples on it's very easy to use 4 decks, enjoying the FX which aren't ground shaking but do the job when a mix needs it. You would probably want to record a few sets internally and reimport them so you could overdub and build up your own basic tracks…. but i go on; you'd get used to it. It's a very versatile, lightweight, so far reliable and solidly built 4 deck unit with FX, itunes support for browsing and now a suitably scratch friendly plate.

P.S. Thank you to Numark and especially Joe for getting my plate all the way to the U.K. NS6 users cannot currently register their product if they don't live in the U.S. and for a while I was worried I was going to fall foul of this when trying to obtain a plate. All went well so great work Joe.

I use a Macbook Pro with a 2.3 GHz Intel i5 Processor, 4GB RAM running OSX 10.6.8.

Other info on the NS6:

Faderplate request form: www.numark.com

Forum discussion: serato.com

DJ Cerla Demo: youtu.be

Review: www.skratchworx.com

NS6 Product Page: numarkns6.com!home

Itch Product page: serato.com

I have DJ'd bars and clubs, done live cutting on tour with bands and done a fair amount of mobile DJ functions. I've never been big and you won't have heard of me, but I think I can DJ for a room.

nice...

@bluefoot - Very well written and articulated...

:)

Any chance i will get the plate shipped to Poland, Joe? I already applied for it, just cant wait and wanna know if you will do it.

Hello Hono,

Please contact our distributor in Poland:

DJ-DISTRIBUTION
PI. RODLA 1-2 LOK. 40 A 70-419
SZCZECIN
POLAND
Tel: +48 91 453 96 19
www.numark-dj.com.pl

Best Regards,

Joe

still waiting for my fader plate..its been almost 5 weeks... and I've done it twice!! =(

i've resorted to a credit card mod....

maybe doing it twice voided it?

fwiw i actually like the original fader plate better

lol... i hope not!... good thing i didn't do it a 3rd time..lol...

ive been waiting around 5 weeks for mine too

fyi mine took 5 or 6 weeks to arrive. I am in U.K.

def happier with it than the original fader.

I'm quite aggravated with Numark right now, after waiting over 10 weeks for my fader plate, I live in US, i decided to go re-fill out the form, and now the page is gone. Looks like Numark has decided to no longer fix the shit it screwed up on. I purchased my ns6 for mixing and to learn how to scratch better and with the original fader plate its like trying to learn how to play baseball with a hole in your glove. I think its quite irresponsible for a company to advertise equipment as capable of use for scratching, release it with a manufacturers defect which makes that feature almost useless, advertise a fix for it then decide to take it away. If I could return my equipment right now I would, Guess I'm not buying those red wave headphones as well. If your looking at buying a NS6, open the box and see if the fader plate is the screwed up one, if it is, get a DDJ-S1 or something else.

How would you know by looking at it?

looking at the fader there is a white line on each side where the fader is at full cut, left or right, if the cut out that the fader runs along goes past this line than you have the old fader plate and a 1mm gap between full cut and start of sound when using the crossfader, sound like such a small amount, but try doing some clicks and you'll know that its a big deal

I was planning on getting the ns6. do the new ones have any issues is it worth getting

Cool. Thanks...

do you know anyone who sells the fader plate? i actually traded my ns7 for an ns6(only 3 months old), however Numark says there is no warranty and I don't qualify for the free upgraded fader plate. any ideas of other faders that could work?....or where i can purchase an upgraded fader plate??

so if i bought one now it would come with it or do i have to go to numark

I have one for sale! They sent me 2 by mistake! I will put it on eBay. Good luck

Search for

Numark NS6 Tricked Out Fader Plate

on ebay

the original fader is not that terrible....

so uh yeah if i buy it where would i get the new fader or does it come with it. can some one answer that please

i think new ones come with the 'new' fader

thanks. i guess i pull the plug on these now that they cost 750. my vci-300 is damaged goods, too unreliable to buy another.

How do put extra rubber washer into the cross fader? I've contact numark numerous times about this free fader plate but all I got were run around from them.