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Faust & Shortee's SA-3 Overview

The SA-3 embodies all of the essential features of a professional quality scratch performance mixer. Straight out of the box a few things jumped out at us. The light weight and compact size of this mixer are key to the portability of this product making this unit not only great for home, studio and install situations but for the traveling DJ who wants functionality without the big load.

The design looks great and feels like a well made product, not cheap. The layout and design of this mixer's features are generous and balanced. Nothing comes in the way of the crossfader, and the faceplate keeps the area around the faders clean.

Our favorite feature is the efficient range of the upgradeable faders. Many scratch DJs have taught themselves to modify faders to function in other mixers but with the SA-3, you have an array of faders to choose from that are easily installed by the user without additional modification.

The optional 2 position line switches/ flash switches enable maximum flexibility for DJs who prefer one over the other or want both in a mixer. The stock fader is nice, very clean with an extremely wide range of curve which makes the SA-3 good for mixing too.

Another feature we really like in this mixer is the 3 band EQ which not all compact scratch mixers have. The - db EQ specs for this mixer are great for kill tricks and mixing alike making this more than just a scratch unit.

The headphone mute is a useful tool.

The master mute is unique and unheard of especially for a scratch mixer, making it a strong feature for the SA-3 in live applications and recording situations. The microphone mute switch is also a very smart feature allowing the user to leave the mic volume at a desired level and turning it on and off when needed.

The balanced master outputs are great, nice and loud with minimal noise when we peaked it out. The Master/Cue option is vital and easy to use. The Master cue setting is a little louder than the Cue setting but not drastically. It is refreshing to see the dual headphone outputs on Stanton mixers, this is a smart, versatile feature. The reverse options, gains, line/crossfader curves are standard but vital.

Overall, this is a flawless scratch mixer, functional and attractive, great for anybody from beginner's to pro's.

Thanks for letting us play with the SA-3, it's dope.