Effects & processing
Colour FX
Colour FX are the per-channel effects on the knob above each channel — filter, noise, crush, echo. Centred is off; turning either way engages the effect on that deck alone.
In practice
The colour knob is per channel, so it is the only effect you can put on one record without touching the other.
Leave it on filter unless you have a specific reason not to. A high-pass on the outgoing channel while the incoming record keeps its low end is the single most useful move the control offers, and it is available instantly with one hand. Remember it is a detent rather than a switch: the effect is off at twelve o’clock, so a knob left slightly off centre is quietly processing a channel you think is clean.
Per channel
What it acts on
Centre
Where off is
Filter
What to leave it set to
Where these come from: Mixer conventions, not catalog figures — the available effects vary by model. For what we can measure, see the effect it is usually set to.
Why it matters
The per-channel part is the whole reason they exist. Everything in the main effects section acts on whatever it is routed to, usually the master; the colour knob acts on one record, which means you can process the track that is leaving without touching the one that is arriving.
It is also the fastest control on the mixer. One knob, always in the same place, no menu — which is why the filter assigned to it ends up doing more work across a night than the entire Beat FX section.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between Colour FX and Beat FX?+
Colour FX sit on each channel and act on one deck; Beat FX sit in the master section, lock to the tempo and usually act on the whole mix. Different jobs, different positions on the mixer.
Which Colour FX should I use?+
Filter, almost always. It is the one that does something useful on every record and in both directions, and a high-pass on the outgoing channel is the most common move in the whole format.
Why does my channel sound odd with nothing engaged?+
Check the colour knob is exactly at centre. It is a continuous control rather than a switch, so a small offset is a small effect you did not intend.
Related terms
Filter
A filter removes everything above or below a moving cutoff point. A high-pass strips the bottom away as you turn it up; a low-pass takes the top off as you turn it down.
Beat FX
Beat FX are the effects section on a DJ mixer that locks its timing to the detected tempo. Every delay, echo, roll and gate is set in beat divisions rather than in milliseconds, so one setting stays musical across records.
Kill EQ
A kill EQ removes a band completely when the knob is turned fully down, rather than merely attenuating it. On a mixer with true kills, taking the bass to zero leaves genuinely nothing below the crossover.
Noise FX
Noise FX add broadband hiss, usually filtered and swept, on top of whatever is playing. They cover a transition rather than shaping it, filling the join with sound the ear is willing to accept.
Explore: Mixing guides · Filter · Three-band EQ · All DJ terms