Condesa Handmade Rotary DJ Mixers

Design - by Open Journal

Through being an electronics technician and engineer by day and a record collector and DJ by night, Medhi El-Aquil developed an ear and passion for high-level, audiophile quality sound. His quest for a DJ mixer that had the qualities of classic analogue rotary mixers from decades past led him to establish Condesa Electronics – and create a hand made, 100% analogue rotary mixer for discerning DJs, venue operators and home listeners.

Years in research and development, Condesa’s first model, the Carmen, has just hit the market. Hand made to order by Medhi in his Adelaide studio and finished in brushed stainless steel and walnut, the Carmen is a beautiful piece of audio gear. Taking sensibilities from an era when DJs such as Larry Levan and David Mancuso mixed on rotary equipment and achieving a rich soulful sound was paramount, Medhi has created a contemporary analogue rotary mixer for the digital age.

From designing and testing audio circuits to sourcing high-end components for its internal and external construction, Medhi talks about his quest to create a non-mass market DJ mixer that fills modern dancefloors with dynamic, rich, high fidelity sound.

How do you describe a Condesa mixer to someone not familiar with it?

Condesa Mixers are bespoke desktop rotary DJ mixers, with a focus on delivering a high fidelity sound. The first model is that has been released is the ‘Carmen’.

What do your mixers do that the industry standard Pioneer mixer doesn’t?

A Condesa mixer is quite the opposite of a Pioneer mixer. Condesa mixers don’t have any digital processing what so ever, they are entirely analogue, with a 100% discrete analogue audio path. The design is all about how the music transmits – it fills the room with a tangible fullness, warmth and clarity.

And of course, each mixer is hand built to order, as opposed to being mass produced in an automated factory! The focus of mass produced audio gear has been to find ways to make production cheaper, so there really hasn’t been the same care given to the improvement in audio quality.

So with this in mind, while Condesa’s base technology of a rotary mixer with analogue processing is has been around for decades, I see these mixers as very relevant audio equipment both now and in to the future.

Can anyone recognise the difference in sound? Even the punter in the venue?

Yes the difference in sound and dynamics is obvious – I’m sure a regular punter (who is there for the music) would notice the difference. It is a more dynamic, more detailed sound.

Is the idea that the club venue buys these mixers, or that the DJ buys this mixer and then brings it to the venue they are playing at?

Both are viable options… The mixers are small enough to be easily portable, so a discerning DJ could take one to the venue. However the Carmen would also work well as a permanently installed mixer on the house system, as the system can then be fine tuned.

Would a record collecting home listener get benefits from using these mixers or is it only beneficial for large club systems?

Yes, this mixer is great in a home setting with a good Hi-fI set up or studio monitors. I am a record collector and DJ and I find the Carmen brings great detail to home listening and mixin

Is there a learning curve for someone used to mixing on a typical Pioneer style DJ mixer and a rotary mixer such as the Carmen?

Yes there is a learning curve, you cannot hide behind extreme EQ or FX. Carmen also does not have a BPM counter, you really have to listen to what you are playing. It comes back to getting to know your music and picking the best sections for mixing…

Using a Carmen does takes patience if you are new to rotaries, but it is rewarding and puts into focus how powerful dynamics, level and high quality sound can be.

What planted the seed for designing your own mixer? And what is your career/background that enabled you to create these?

I have worked as an electronics technician and engineer for over 20 years, working in professional audio for the last 15 years… So I have a lot of experience with the building of and repairing of audio electronics. I have also collected records and have been a DJ for many years.

The initial idea for designing my own product came from wanting a high quality DJ mixer, something that would compare to high-end studio mixers. There wasn’t a DJ mixer that ticked these boxes at a reasonable price. This motivated me to design and build my own, and i saw there was also demand beyond my own.

What was involved in seeing the idea from concept/prototype to completion?

A lot of patience and a consistency for starters. I started with diagrams of the possible ways to design the audio circuits. The next step was to build and test these circuits. I started with the phono preamp, then other parts were built and added and tested. Once I was happy with each circuit, I had to design a full circuit layout.

Faceplate design was the next part, I had a great designer help with this and I have since learned how to do this part too. Then bringing every part together – case, faceplate, circuit.

Finally the fun part, lots of testing and fine tuning… and I’ll always be looking at ways of improving this design from here on.

Is Australia your main market or are aiming to sell these overseas?

Yes, Australia has been great for sales, however the sales internationally have been very good too. We have had interest from all over the world.

If you went back to the start of the process, what is one piece of advice you would give yourself?

Action is louder than words! I was thinking about doing this for some time, so I’m glad I was able to make this happen.

Condesa Rotary DJ Mixers
www.condesaelectronics.com
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