Professionals demand quality when it comes to gear. But, for a mixer, what attributes are actually necessary? What separates a middle-of-the-road product designed for an amateur or experimenter with one for professionals? First off, with a mixer, sound quality is paramount above all else. All aspects of a track must ring with clarity, not be mired by fuzziness or a lack of sonic balance. Second, the device must be easy to use yet durable: even with an upgrade, it should still be compatible with existing equipment and software, it must stay strong in transport and performance, and its knobs and other physical features must be sturdy enough to stay in place but still move around with ease. The Ecler EVO 4 encapsulates all of these qualities.
As a four-channel digital mixer, the EVO 4 was built specifically with the professional in mind, designed precisely for club use. On a general level, it is equipped with a 24bit/96kHz, considered the highest in musical sound quality. Along with this are two independent effects processors, two independent loop samplers, and fully assignable MIDI controls. Getting into the specifics, the EVO 4 additionally offers 3 PHONO and 4 LINE inputs; 1 balanced XLR3 micro input; a master output with balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA; a booth output; multiple MIDI outputs; a VU meter per channel; extra-large ergonomic EQ knobs; a fully-assignable crossfader; 60 mm long-life faders; 45mm long-life crossfader; fader and crossfader adjustment; and FX send and return loop to external effects units.
As a professional device, the EVO 4 offers a sizeable bank of effects from two effects processors. 18 advanced sound effects synchronized with BPM include high pass filter, low pass filter, band pass filter, LFO high pass filter, LFO low pass filter, LFO band pass filter, delay/echo, ping pong delay, sweep, bit crusher, flanger, phaser, pitch, reverb, pan, trans, vocoder, and loop sampler. Automatic and manual counters are added to each processor, and an LCD display offers a clear and convenient view for live performances. Along with these are 29 assignable MIDI controls for a dedicated MIDI panel with rotary and push encoders and a MIDI clock.
For professional use, the EVO 4’s sound quality far surpasses that from its competitors. What makes it stand out? Overall, the sounds produced are clearer and some of the most balanced out there. No matter the number of sounds you put together, all are delivered at the same level of cleanness and precision. Sound quality separates the pros from the dabblers, and the EVO 4 makes this rift even more distinct.
But, usability is not compromised for quality. Rather, the two qualities meet each other. While the EVO 4 is compatible with TRAKTOR and operates with hardware upgrades, the knobs, rails, and similar features glide or turn with ease. No DJ or producer will struggle with rigid features when using the EVO 4. On the other hand, these aspects are not so loose that they slip in performance, essentially staying in place as necessary.
