Founded by longstanding DJ + producer Richie Hawtin and Andy Rigby-Jones, PLAYdifferently has stood as an intriguing brand within the music industry for years, known for its belief that a DJ’s tools should be “as creative and as unique as the artists who use them.” They first released their flagship MODEL 1 – a 6-channel analogue mixer – back in 2016. Today, they’ve taken their next step forward with the announcement of the new MODEL 1.4 – their next, all-analogue DJ mixer.
A MODEL 1 mini-me
The MODEL 1.4 is a compacted version of the original MODEL 1, offering 4 channels instead of six. The PLAYdifferently team described its design intention as “ideal for home studio use, or as the ultimate tour-able analogue mixer…so you can take your analogue core wherever you go.”
It will cost $2,299 – so still a big ticket item, even for DJs who list after the sculpting EQs but have no desire for a six channel mixer.
Key features
The MODEL 1.4 offers a swath of features beyond its four channels and 100% analogue build, including:
- 2 High Performance Phono Preamps
- Studio-grade TKD 60mm Faders
- Precision Sculpting EQ
- Master high & low pass resonant filters
- Three-band Master EQ
- Two-band Booth Eq
- Contouring low & high pass filters
- Analogue overdrive
- Two Independent Cue systems
- Mixer Link allows linking multiple mixers
- Balanced Mix Bus with >110dB of dynamic range
- D-Sub In/Out
It can also be used standalone, or paired with a MODEL1 to get a total of 10 channels to mix with.
The DJTT store added the Model 1.4 to the catalog today, so if you want to make a preorder with a small business run by real DJs, it’s available here.
A useful tool in the future, perhaps
Although artists may not be touring anytime soon (thanks, pandemic), we’re interested to see if it will pop up in clubs as they reopen down the road. It’s not as large or bulky as the MODEL 1, and its portability is appealing for both home DJs with less room (and/or gear) and artists who eventually aspire to tour with their own gear.
For analogue mixer lovers, we’re curious to hear what you think of it. Would you prefer this over the MODEL 1? Why or why not?
