What do I want in a mixer?

I just made an awesome recording but I got up to look at my computer and Audacity fucking crashed. That software sucks. Plus the part of the recording that did get saved sounds shitty because of my no good mixer. What should I do with a mixer than only serves to RUIN recordings?

The mixer
In Espanol restaurants
The people and staff they clap
The mixer sweats
In comic type letters the voices are saying
Clap, clap
The mixer
sweats
The mixer sweats

The mixer of Jamaican origin
Born, raised in the US*
observes the Victorian [press/prayer]
Clap, clap, clap
Clap, clap

The BLBDS is overeasy on the [carpets/compress]
And the mixer sweats.

[First eqipment line]
[Second equipment line]

The mixer is close to me
He turns his head
and smiles at me**

[spoken] 'It possessed the sort of bright sound microphone with audio pickup pattern.
It can produce broad responses, hi-fidelity quality, no feedback and no
howling etc. We can express good sound of your voice, an excellent
melody orchestra, a self-contained filter control, explosive breath
sounds, controlled explosive breath sounds ...... wind noises, in
different locations....'

Mixer sweats

* [In the Peel session version, US is replaced by South Yorkshire --Ed.]
** [In the Peel session version this line is His face is looking / over at the Insect Posse --Ed.]

"OS2 compatible"

The SMX-501 looks like it retails for ~$400, but Froogle found one for ~$300 and it looks like ebay has a some lower prices. Although I would like to go sub 200 if possible. But will that bite me in the arse?

What other features do mixers have that I might be interested in?

I've never used a BPM counter but I've never felt the need to have one.

I briefly looked at some of the other Stanton mixers but I didn't notice any cheaper ones that had FX send/return. I don't think you'll find the features you want for sub-200 (except maybe on EBay) but $300 - $400 new sounds like a fairly good price for this mixer.

As for other features, lots of pricier mixers have built-in effects, but you obviously want to use your own effects so that's probably useless to you. I love having more than two channels -- three channels are infinitely better for mixing noise/ambient. You might also want to take note of the # and types of inputs. IIRC, the SMX-501 has six inputs (three phono, three stereo), but depending on what you're doing, six inputs can fill up fast (I have used 2CD's, 2 turntables, 1 computer so that's five right there but fortunately my mixer has nine inputs so I don't worry about running out of space).

The RM-3 Froogles at $135 for a sample model. What do you think?

Yeah, that's fairly essential. From the picture (even the large one), I can't tell which switches do this, but surely they're there. And that's a fantastic price for the RM-Three, shit, I won't tell you what I paid for it four years ago.

Re: the pitch lock removal -- that's just another reason for me to feel good about buying Vestax instead of Technics.

nothing about effect send...

Does the RM-3 have effect send/recv? That didn't seem clear to me.

http://www.turntablelab.com/index1-eq.html

but scroll down and check out the Pioneer DJM-707. At that price, that's a very good mixer. I use one of these in the bar where I do parties on weekends, and I own the Rane TTM-56i which Turntable Lab compares it to. The fact that they'd even make that comparison is telling as the Rane is several hundred dollars more.

I don't recall the aux issues with either as I've used neither.

Verdict: Minuses
While this mixer is undoubtedly great for home use, it probably won't be up to par in club situations. If you are comparing this to Rane's Empath and wondering what the big difference is, it comes down to quality. In addition to the Rane's extra features, it also has better sound quality and a higher standard for construction and components. The SMX-501 is nowhere near poor quality, but it isn't on the same level as the Empath.

For the super cheap 201, they say "Low cost, but long term durability might be an issue. For casual or beginner use."

Turntable Lab doesn't mention the 301, but the new M.304 looks like they're trying to fight that reputation, focusing on the quality of construction.

This is actually quite key, as the act of dragging your equipment from place to place always seems to produce more daily wear-and-tear that actual usage.

I'm being offered a slightly used Vestax PCV-275 for $150. From what I've read, it's a sturdy, entry-level mixer, and the asking price is pretty much in range with what current offers I've seen, but I was wondering if anyone would care to comment...

eManuel

Just looking for a good solid basic mixer to use with two turntables - want to be able to record mixes right into my laptop with minimal fuss.
Any recommendations? There look to be a couple of basic Numark models in the $100-ish range.

also something I can use for gigs, so something tough would be good.