Best of 2013: Top 10 DJ Gear

There have been some seminal new DJ gear releases in 2013. We got hands on with a fair few of these in the AskAudio Mag labs, and after much debate decided upon these as our top 10 favorite bits of tech gear for use in a DJing context.

This list is in alphabetical order by manufacturer... Let us know in the comments if we missed out your preferred hardware DJ controllers/mixers from our list.

Hot Hand USB MIDI Controller

The Hot Hand USB MIDI Controller, while not strictly DJ-only gear, would work as nicely on stage as it would in the studio. This little device will give you some serious Sci-Fi style wearable tech control... And have the crowd waving right back at you.

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Native Instruments Traktor Kontrol Z1

Whether you DJ on iOS or Mac/PC, NI's range of Traktor apps is likely to fit your cueing needs. One of their most affordable controllers of 2013, Traktor Kontrol Z1, might well fit your needs as Hollin Jones finds out.

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Native Instruments Traktor Kontrol Z2

A step up from the Z1 is NI's 2+2 channel DJ mixer. And as you'd expect it's designed for Traktor, but can be used as a standalone DJ mixer too. Sara Simms pushes and pulls it in all directions in this review.

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Novation Launchpad Mini

Novation's Launch series of controllers have proved very popular... With a little customization, this pad filled controller would be as at home at a gig as it would in your studio. We put the Launchpad Mini under the microscope.

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Novation Twitch

Need a DJ controller compact enough to throw in a rucksack, featured enough to control all popular DJ apps, and with good build quality? Mo Volans scratches below the surface of the Novation Twitch.

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Numark MixTrack Edge

A truly mobile DJ controller for only $150? Surely that's too good to be true...? Sara Simms spins some tunes on Numark's Mixtrack Edge and finds it easy to use, fun, functional and more at this price.

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Numark Mixtrack Pro II

How can you improve upon an already successful DJing solution like the Mixtrack? G. W. Childs discovered the Mixtrack Pro II provides more 'bang' than its low 'buck' suggests.

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Pioneer CDJ-2000nexus

With the launch of the CDJ-2000nexus earlier this year, Pioneer once again jumped ahead of the rest of the DJ industry. Sara Simms put it to the test in this in-depth review.

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Pioneer DDJ-WeGO 

Pioneer's new DDJ-WeGo controller packs a mean punch in a small package. At first glance, it's affordable, feature-filled and portable. Upon closer inspection, Hollin Jones discovered it can go pretty "pro" too.

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Vestax VCI-400

The big addition to the Vestax fleet of VCI DJ Controllers in 2013 was the VCI-400. Later in the year Serato DJ was released for this beast. Before then, Noah Pred put it through its paces and liked what we saw.

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