Audio Innovate AEM-100 DJ Mixer Review (Continued)

Fader Cuts

The last gem of the AEM-100 is the mixer’s dedication to cuts (using a system the company has trademarked as Fader Cuts.) Given that the closest I come to scratching in a club context is when I cut my forearm on the edge of the mixer (though not on this unit, whose corners are rounded), I’m the last person to evaluate the hip-hop capabilities of this mixer. But even I can tell how smart these controls are. Each channel’s cut function (which momentarily cuts out the signal) contains controls for both Cut Time and Cut Slope, allowing you considerable leeway in fine-tuning both duration—at full right, Cut Time silences the sound until the button is decompressed; anywhere in the middle, it creates a variable dropout, from mere milliseconds to maybe a half-second or so—and attack, ranging from a clipped staccato to an elegant legato. Additionally, each channel’s Cut function can be set to In or Out. Out is the most obvious, creating the aforementioned dropouts. But with In activated, you have the option of cutting single moments of a record into the mix-an added kick drum, say, or a peak-time snare smack.

(Audio Innovate offers the AEM-100i without the Fader Cuts, for those who, in the company's words, "thought it was too much and got in the way of scratching.")

As opposed to most mixers, which feature only a single Cut button, the AEM-100 comes complete with four per channel, ergonomically arrayed in an arc rising above the crossfader. Scratch-savvy DJs will undoubtedly find this configuration an invaluable addition, allowing them to cut to their heart’s delight without spraining thumb, pinkie, or any of the little guys in between. You can even drum your fingers up and down the set of buttons to create fluid, undulating transforms.

The AEM-100’s crossfader is a third-party piece of gear, the Eclectic Breaks Pro X Fade crossfader, rated at four million cycles without breaking, featherweight smooth and factory set to one millimeter within the cut-in points. Fader slope can be set in the usual permutations, and front-panel switches allow the crossfader to be set in Normal, Off, or Reverse positions, alongside a Reverse switch for Fader Cuts.

Conclusion

The AEM-100 is an impressive, portable piece of machinery at a profoundly affordable price point. While it’s best suited to hip-hop and electro DJs who do a lot of cutting and scratching, DJs of all styles will find a wealth of potential—from subtractive soundshaping to additive sound-making—literally at their fingertips.

Philip Sherburne

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