A four-channel rotary mixer with class-leading versatility, the 422 offers a high-end rotary experience at a reasonable price. Greg Scarth puts it to the test.
The new Omnitronic TRM-422 is an evolution of the brand’s TRM-402 mixer, which in turn is related to the two-channel TRM-202. In recent years, Omnitronic have carved out a niche for rotary mixers which undercut the premium options substantially in terms of price. The TRM-202 was the first of a new wave of genuinely affordable rotary mixers, followed in recent months by Ecler’s WARM2. At just over £650, the TRM-422 is still relatively cheap for a rotary mixer, especially when you consider how many high-end features are packed into its four-channel design.
To state the obvious, the TRM-422 is a much bigger deal than the TRM-402, in every sense. In terms of size and weight, it’s roughly similar to a Pioneer DJM-900, albeit laid out horizontally rather than vertically. The extra bulk comes as a result of the many added features over the 402: it’s still a four-channel design, but it offers three-band EQ per channel rather than two-band, an assignable multi-mode filter and assignable crossfader, as well as plenty of smaller features like a second microphone input which can also be cued in your headphones, mic channel EQ, booth EQ and metering, extra inputs, timecode outputs and effects sends.
In terms of build quality and feel, the 422 is impressive. There’s an old-school simplicity to everything, but it’s solid and tactile where it matters; all the controls are well placed for ergonomics and there’s a consistent feel to all the knobs and switches. Hooking it up and getting started, the layout is logical and self-explanatory, with four identical channel strips giving access to a huge 12 possible inputs, a combination of up to four phono inputs for turntables and eight additional line inputs. Sound quality is what we’ve come to expect from Omnitronic: clean and clear if not necessarily as warm and vibey as you might expect from a high-end audiophile mixer. It hasn’t got that analogue magic which you might get from, say, a £3,000 ARS rotary mixer, but frankly very little does at this price point (the Ecler WARM2 is superior in that respect, but it’s got nowhere near as many channels and features as the 422).
The TRM-422 is as much about versatility as it is about the rotary experience. This is evident from small details like the dual headphone outputs (no adapter needed) and adjustable crossfader slope, but more importantly it’s glaringly obvious from the inclusion of extensive EQ, filtering and isolator options. Your approach here can be as subtle or as extreme as you want. Traditionalists will balance frequencies with the channel EQs then perform more dramatic frequency cuts using the isolator on the master output, but the assignable filter section is where things get even more direct. It’s a multi-mode resonant design, allowing you to switch between low-pass, band-pass and high-pass modes, which can be assigned to any of the four channels. There can be a slightly popping sound when engaging the filter, but this certainly isn’t uncommon for analogue mixers and isn’t a deal breaker. The combination of EQ, filter and isolator gives you all the options you could ask for. The option to add effects via the post-fade send and/or master insert gives you even more potential to get creative.
The TRM-422 is clearly designed with flexibility in mind, allowing you to choose how you adapt it to your own playing style. You don’t have to use the crossfader if you prefer not to; setting the channel assign switches to ‘thru’ routes the audio directly to the master output, bypassing the crossfader and allowing you to use the channel level knobs to blend tracks. Conversely, a rotary mixer is highly unlikely to be the first choice of many scratch DJs, but with a sharp crossfader curve applied you can happily use it for fast cuts. It’s nice to have the option to choose whichever approach you want, either for different sets or for switching up your style during longer sessions. It’s rare to see a rotary mixer with so many inputs and so many different performance options. Even the way that digital vinyl system (DVS) users are catered for is impressively slick: dedicated timecode outputs below the four main line/phono inputs allow you to route the timecode signal to Serato/Traktor, with the DVS audio signal connected to the line inputs below. As such, you can have up to four turntables or CDJs connected, with the option to switch instantly between vinyl/CDJ and DVS on each channel.
Options in the mid-range rotary mixer category are starting to get more extensive. The TRM-422 slots in at what’s still considered a relatively affordable price point of just over £650, offering a lot of bang for your buck. It’s a big step up in price to a true audiophile mixer like an ARS Model 1100 https://www.juno.co.uk/products/alpha-recording-system-model1100std-2-channel-rotary/821561-01/ (and even more for a four-channel equivalent), so few people are likely to be comparing the 422 directly to those more exotic alternatives. Those who only need two channels may be tempted by the slightly cheaper Ecler WARM2, which offers more refined sound than the Omnitronic mixers at a very reasonable price. With all that said, the TRM-422 offers excellent value if you want four channels and plenty of filtering options. It’s another very good option to have if you’re hunting for a rotary mixer.
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