Reviewer: Markski from Pedestrian • Date: February 2006 • Price: £85 • Link: Vestax

Intro

Vestax have always understood the importance of the cross fader in the make up of the scratch mixer. From introducing the first range of professional VCA equipped scratch mixers to releasing their authorized Penny & Giles replacement cross fader, Vestax do listen to the small but vocal turntablist market. With the advent of a series of new competitors to the replacement fader throne, Vestax have taken it upon themselves not only to develop a new cross fader for their PMC-08 mixer, but to release it as a drop in replacement product for their existing PMC PRO range.

Disclaimer

Now let’s get one thing clear from the start. The CF-CC is an official Vestax replacement part for the following Vestax mixers….

PMC-05Pro2
PMC-05Pro3
PMC-05Pro3VCA
PMC-05ProSL
PMC-05ProSLVCA
PMC-06ProA
PMC-06ProAVCA
PMC-07Pro
PMC-07ISP

This series of scratch mixers are pretty much the industry standard and as such the majority of replacement VCA faders (such as the Penny & Giles) are designed to work with them. Vice versa, if you can fit a Penny & Giles fader into your mixer then it’s pretty much a given (with some exceptions such as the Stanton SA12) that you can also use any fader designed to fit one the mixers above, but more on this later. Vestax themselves are selling and marketing this part as a replacement part for Vestax mixers so play at your own risk.

Whats in the Box

1 x CF-CC fader and fixing plate, 2 small screws, a standard Vestax black fader knob and an A4 sheet explaining all you need to know to fit and use it.

Aesthetic

The first thing that strikes you about the cross fader is how big it is. Certainly compared to more recent fader products it’s twice the height and almost double the weight. It's similar in size to the older ALPS faders but heavier and a little thicker. It certainly looks like a Vestax fader (as you look down into it has that familiar metal plate), but with the addition of two raised dials situated towards the front. These differentiate the fader from both its predecessors, and the model fitted into the PMC-08 which has the lag controls mounted directly on the front of the mixer.

Fitting

The size issue really comes into its own when you try to fit the fader into your mixer. In order accommodate the additional electronics, the whole front of the cross fader is hidden behind a PCB. Thankfully this is covered with a sheet of protective plastic, but greater care than usual needs to be taken whilst fitting. Once screwed into place however it’s a snug and secure fit. Thankfully due to the clever placement of the lag adjustment dials on the top of the cross fader it’s not something your going to need to do too often.

In Use

The bread and butter of the CF-CC revolves around those two innocent looking dials towards the front of the fader housing which digitally control the amount of lag on the left and right sides of the cross fader. All those home brew fixes are now a thing of the past as you can tailor the cut in point to your personal preference, both for general scratching or simply to compensate for a weaker hand on one side of the fader. Adjusting the cut in point simply involves rotating the respective dial (left or right) towards the nearest end of the fader to reduce it, or away to increase it. You’d be surprised how much of difference this can make to your technique, particularly with click heavy scratches which will seem easier to perform to the novice yet allow the expert greater speed and control. Vestax are touting this as the world’s fastest cut-in time fader, and although I can’t verify this, I could get the cut in point down to just under 1mm on each side before I got full bleed. Unlike my P&G which would occasionally miss fader clicks, the cut in on the CF-CC is sharp as a knife and will take anything you can throw at it with ease. The dials themselves are robust enough to stand up to regular adjustment although are quite sensitive. A little travel makes a lot of difference to the position of the cut in point so its worth spending some time playing around before you finally replace that mixer plate.

What’s particularly nice about the implementation of the dials is you don’t need to remove the entire fader out of the mixer chassis to adjust the lag or use a specialist tool. Simply remove your mixer face plate and both lag adjust dials are staring up at you allowing easy access for regular reconfiguration.

Feel

The feel of a fader is pretty subjective, plus you’d be surprised how different the same fader can feel in different mixer chassis. The CF-CC is a plastic conductive fader, so you’re automatically getting a smoother travel in addition to a longer working life and with reduced wear. Overall I'd say the CF-CC has the slightly weightier, robust feel of the P&G, with the smoothness of the Pro X-Fade, if not quite the looseness. Personally, there’s something about the feel of the CF-CC fader that just gives it a slight edge for me, although this maybe because I’ve been using a P&G for so many years now and to me the CF-CC feels like a P&G on steroids in every respect. The cuts are sharp, the travel is smooth, it feels nice in the hand and the weight is just spot on.

CF-CC vs P&G vs Pro-X Fade

So how does the CF-CC compare to its rivals, most notably the Penny & Giles and Eclectic Breaks Pro X-Fade? The Pro X-Fade is arguably the most versatile solution with both lag and tension adjust, plus its size and design ensures it will fit into as many mixers as possible. Make no mistake; the CF-CC is a big hunk of fader which may well limit its fitting into some non-Vestax mixers (although to be fair it’s not designed to be anyway). There is no tension adjust on the CF-CC, but the lag adjust is executed in a much sturdier and accessible fashion. Feel wise, as with any fader, it’s a case of try before you buy as there’s not a great deal between any of them, although as stated above, a lot of this is down to personal taste. Regarding the P&G though, I think it’s safe to say that its reign is finally over in the face of the competition.

In Summary

I really, really like this cross fader. If you’re using one of the supported Vestax mixers, regardless of whether you have a P&G or not, you owe it to yourself to upgrade to the CF-CC. It will breathe a whole new lease of life into your mixer, your scratches and your skills - it really is that simple. There are cheaper lag solutions out there (such as Vestax own CLS-1 lag spacers), but the CF-CC gives you so much more in terms of feel, durability, smoothness and bespoke customizability, its hard to tear yourself away from it once its installed.

It’s a slightly different story if you own a non Vestax mixer, where there is a chance that even if your mixer is compatible, the physical size of the fader may make it an uncomfortable fit. Saying that, I’ve been playing with the CF-CC in my Numark SM-1 with no problems and absolutely love it to the point where my P&G has been relegated to the spares pile. It’s a relatively expensive component, but the quality is evident from the moment you remove it from the box until the moment you stop cutting with it. The CF-CC brings back that feeling you got when you first upgraded to a quality VCA mixer and spent all night every night on the cut. Now, bring on the UF-CC up faders please Mr. Vestax.

Pros: Smooth action, rugged, easily adjustable lag, will fit some 3rd party mixers.
Cons: No tension adjust, not officially supported in non-Vestax mixers, price.

Overall - 90%

Big Thanks to Andy at Vestax for the CF-CC, NJ for letting me leech the tech, and Gizmo for continued support.