Z2 vs Rane SixtyTwo (First Take)

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I've owned my SixtyTwo for 4 months now and picked up the Z2 a couple of days ago. I'm not really going to compare software since the Rane was made for SSL and Obviously the Z2 is made for Traktor. As a Traktor user it doesn't matter as they are both completely MIDI mappable.

Size wise, the Z2 is slightly longer (See attachment) and they are roughly the same width.

Effects:

The Rane has built in effects that are usable but not great.

The Z2 has no built in effects but the integration with the new macro fx is great. I always mapped my Rane to use Traktor effects anyway, rarely using the harware FX.

Build quality:

• Pots:

They both have plastic pot shafts. I would expect metal for the Rane price point. But this is expected at the Z2 price point. No issues for me there...

• Knobs:

The Rane has thin a "plasticky" knobs that don't feel very pro. The Z2 has very nice rubberized knobs that feel solid.

1. Chassis:

They both have a very solid metal feel but the Z2 just feels more solid to me while the Rane feels thinner. The Z2 just feels like you could use it as a weapon. Obviously, only time will tell, but the Z2 seems to be the winner here.

• Buttons:

The buttons on the Z2 are larger, more responsive, more comfortable, and don't feel like they are going to break when you hit them.

• Front Panel:

I really like the recessed Curve control knob on the Z2. It's firm, solid, and easy to turn but not loose. I'm always scared that I am going to bump one of the curve knobs on the Rane and break it off. Great job on design here NI!

Another thing that NI did well on the Z2 that seems like such a simple, easy to overlook thing is the Xfader reverse switch. Again.. Solid! On the Rane, I am constantly accidentally switching it. The Rane switch is too small and too loose.

Faders:

I will simply give you my personal opinion on this one as everyone has different fader preferences...

The Rane has very smooth loose faders. They hardly give any resistance and are easy to use. The Rane also gives you the ability to reverse the line faders and offers individual curve adjustment on the line faders.

The Z2 has an incredibly smooth crossfader. It doesn't feel as loose as the Rane but isn't the least bit stiff (if that makes sense?). To me, this is the smoothest, best feeling fader that I have ever used. My old arthritic hands found it easier to pull off certain scratches than with the Rane.. I felt like a kid again! The Z2 also seems to have a much faster cut in time than my Rane.

The line faders on the Z2, while smooth, have quite a bit more resistance when moving. The idea here is to make it easier to make fine adjustments. I love it! I think most people will, but there will surely be people ,especially those who scratch a lot with the line faders, who don't like the feel. Those people may also be put-off by the lack of curve adjust and reverse on the line faders (a complaint many had about the Pioneer T1).

The good news here is that you can replace all three stock faders in the Z2 with the innofader Pro and customize the faders to your personal preference. Even after buying an additional THREE innofaders, you will still be at HALF the cost of the Rane. Even less than half when you take into account that when using the Rane, you will also need to purchase a Traktor Box.

Ahhh the Traktor Box... The Bane of my existence since I purchased my Rane SixtyTwo! A big bulky box that takes up valuable room on my table. More cabling! Two USB cables going into my computer leaving no ports available to my F1! Not that it mattered anyway, because I couldn't use a third deck as a remix deck due to the Rane being only a two channel mixer!

With the Z2, I have one cable running to my computer thanks to the... AND I'm actually using my F1 thanks to the built in USB HUB! THANK YOU!

This is part 1. In part 2, I will be addressing the EQ and Filters. Please let me know if there are specific questions that you would like for me to address.

Thanks!













The Sixty Two is also more than twice the price of the Z2.
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I guess, in short, my reason for posting this review is to show that you get much more for your money with the Z2 vs the SixtyTwo.

 

totally agree. i actually find this the most stunning thing on the Z2. the xfader feels like butter, but without the fear that a hard breath would pull it over to the other side... ^^

btw, thanks for taking the time and posting your experiences so detailed here!

 

Nice & thanks for the appeciated info! I cant wait to get my Z2! WOOOO!

 

What happened to part 2?

Well here in Europe the Sixty Two is around 2050 Euro's, if you convert that to Dollars the Sixty Two costs between $ 2600-2700.
And they say Pioneer is expensive!
The Kontrol Z2 cost the same in and outside Europe.

I wanted the Rane at first but then I found out that it converts every signal you put into the mixer to digital and back to analog.
So when I play vinyl, and I stil play a lot of vinyl, I get 1 D/A conversion.
I can live with that but when connecting a CDJ the signal what already has been converted in the CDJ gets converted again in the mixer.( sadly the mixer lacks digital inputs)

My plans were to get this mixer to use and map with TSP but I would get 1 conversion in my Audio 8 card and 1 conversion in the mixer.
Two conversions makes no sense to me.
The nice people at Rane confirmerd to me in a email that the Sixty Two works this way because it's designed this way.
So I have dropped my eye at the Z2.

Besides the paint, are you still happy with this mixer?
How is the headphone output?
When you compare it with the audio 8/10 how is the sound?
What do you don't like about this mixer?

Thanks

 

I didn't get much interest in pt 1, so I didn't bother with pt2. I also forgot about the SixtyTwo pretty quickly.

I made a great map for the SixtyTwo and all of the MIDI functions were great when working. The problem was the constant driver conflicts that happened when running the SixtyTwo with the Audio10 in traktor. I use TimeCoded Vinyl so having the Traktor interface was a necessity when running TSP. It never played well with the SixtyTwo. I blew a couple of gigs and it just wasn't worth the headaches.

For the price, the Z2 blows everything else out of the water. For me, it's no question. The Z2 connects to my MacBook with a single USB cable and I'm off. The paint is a bummer, but not a huge deal. NI are working (albeit slowly) on making that right. The headphone output is plenty loud and much better than the S4. I can't say for sure but the converters in the Z2 sounds identical to the Audio10.

There is nothing that I don't like about the mixer. It's perfect for my needs. Of course, I have my wishlist of additional features that I would like to see in the next version.

 

I guess the Sixty Two really shines when using SSL, but at this moment I don't want to use SSL.
Mapping conflicts I like to avoid, and I still have to use my audio 8 card with the Sixty Two, which I don't really like.
I owned a TTM 56 and sound and build quality were very good, that's why I was looking at Rane mixers.
If there was a Traktor card inside I bought it without doubt.

True, the price is very actractive and the ease of connecting at a gig is what I want to.

That's good to hear, I'm gonna check the Z2 out.
I'm a bit spoiled using my 909, I hope the Z2 is a worthy successor
Thanks for your input.

 

when i first got the mixer the xfader and peel off face made me say it kinda sucked. not because wasnt good, just because of the problems.

now that ive used it for a while and all the problems have been fixed, im in love. faders are great, layout is great. still havent got the mapping down for serato, but i dont really need it since i use and x1 with it.

used a 57 last nite, which i owned from 06-08, and it felt and looked terrible now that im used to the z2.

 

What do you think happens in the Z2?

 

As far as I know analog signals that come from turntables or cd players are not converted in the mixer.
Only when using digital files from a laptop there should be a conversion, while using the Z2 built in soundcard.
The Z2 is advertised as a analog mixer when not using Traktor, so there should be no reason to convert.

 

I'm fairly sure the Z2 is a digital mixer. Any non-Traktor sources will likely go through a A-D then a D-A conversion from input to output.

 

I think so too, otherwise you wouldn't be able to record a mixed set.
Moreover, an additional analog circuitry simply doesn't make any sense.

Also, as fantastic the Z2 is with Traktor, it simply doesn't compare to the 62,
The Z2 is way more basic a a stand alone mixer, and doesn't nearly have as many hardware options.

Dont get me wrong, I like it, the comparison is just apples and oranges.

 

If you record, you route the audio through the computer.
I'am talking about using this mixer as standalone.

Can you explain why?
In standalone mode you like 2 conversions when a CDJ is connected?
Wouldn't 1 conversion be enough?
You prefer Phono signals get converted?

That is my problem with the Sixty Two, I have a great N.I. soundcard and would have great D/A converters in The Sixty Two, using them at the same time makes no sense to me.

Maybe your right I dunno.

 

Shure,
but if there wouldnt be an AD-stage you couldn´t record on the pc/in traktor when using regular vinyl or cd.

Also from a financial pov an analoge-circuit is madness, when there´s a working digital signal-path that may have a bit more latency (we´re talking bout 2-3ms here)
and will enshure that the output is as closest to the input as possible.

If you try to achieve such a flat-response curve with analog parts, the costs go up by several times compared to a digital circuit
(hence analog studio-gear is as expensive,as you can buy a capacitor for either 0.5cents or for 50cents...)

But what really makes it hard to deny that it´s all digital is the fact, that you can program it (EQ and Filter-response settings in the software)
This is simply not possible with analog gear. You would have to change resistor- and inductor-values, ie. turning a pot or completely exchanging a part for changing filter and eq-curves, or at least have a switch to route the signal differentely, which would mean a different signal-path for each setting...

That way the Z2 would be either more expensive than the 62 or not even producable...

 

Thx for your detailed reply.

I always assumed that mixers with a built in soundcard always had a analog circuit for the analog connections and no A/D & D/A took place with those signals.
I did not know there wasn't an analog circuit anymore.

So, when I understand you right, if I go for the Sixty Two and Audio 8 combination, the audiosignal is less effected with 1 A/D D/A extra, then when the signal is leaded through an analog stage? (If it had one)

 

Most mixers these days use digital circuitry for the actual mixer section. I would assume the Sixty Two is digital also.

It makes little sense to buy the 62 for Traktor with its insane pricetag.

 

If your interfaces are fine (which the A8 and 62 definitely are) I would say so, but what you add is latency.

this days good ad/da codecs need 1-3ms for conversion, which isn´t much, but if you take usb- and sample-buffers into account (i.e. latency in the software and OS) only one added ad/da-conversion might be what feels unnatural to you.

for me there´s a point with the Audio6 when going over 192Samples in the software, where i dont like the feel anymore. anything below is fine for me.

And funnily the difference between 192 and 128 Samples roughly are 1,5ms at 48Khz.

But talking bout sound-quality it all really depends on your taste, so someone might like the pumped up lows of a Xone mixer better than the linear sound of a highend-interface.

If it suits you well and sounds good to you, I wouldnt give a **** about what everyone else say.
So even if I´m wright bout the technical details, I´m not to judge what you like or even tell you what to like.

I mean most discussions are ridiculous, there´s guys debating wether an SL4 or an A10 sounds better, when years ago they both played vinyl with m44-7s...

I do really like the sound of a 12" played with a m44-7, but sound-quality is something else ^^

 

Yes, the Sixty Two is digital also.

Yes I know, but it's on my list mainly because of the hardware effects and the send & return option.
But agreed, the mixer is overpriced.

Oh yeah, and you have a good point about the added latency.

Still have a pair somewhere, boomy bass, not much detail, but stick to vinyl very good.
I never played out with the m44-7's, for scratching these a very good needles and cheap, but soundwise I agree with what you wrote down below.

See above