Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, most scratch DJs & Hip Hop/Open Format DJs will have heard of, and possibly seen MWM’s Phase in action.

For those not in the know, Phase replaces the need to use traditional carts and stylii with your DVS set up, allowing you to mix, scratch & beat juggle without the issues usually encountered with

The benefits are definitely solid! No more noise/bass interference with the control signal, no more need to make sure your turntables’ ground wires are working, and above all else, no more wear and tear on your precious control vinyl – especially those limited Serato collabs/pressings!

Although having heard of numerous problems with drifting (making scratching/juggling impossible, battery life, and even rare cases of swollen batteries since its launch 2 years ago, I was reluctant to purchase Phase. However, since their latest firmware update, which eliminates the need to connect phono cables from the receiver to your mixer of choice, all of the above issues are now a thing of the past!

Being a DJ that plays a variety of gigs from guest slots, to day parties and all nighters, I went with the Phase Ultimate bundle, which includes 4 remotes, the receiver, 2x phono cables and a set of magnetic stickers, which allows me to fix the remotes to my control record (or regular vinyl) of choice.

After performing the latest firmware update, it’s been working like a dream! So far, I’ve been using it for longer sets such as Niketown and for recording my radio shows, and even after a 5 hour set the battery life is still at roughly 60%! Perhaps this may change after a large number of charges, but so far, it’s been solid. The extra 2 remotes do come in handy for those long days with multiple gigs though, especially as I can charge one pair whilst using the other.

The only noticeable issue I’ve had so far is sometimes the pitch may randomly fluctuate, but an easy “double tap” on the remote soon rectifies that. I’m sure that with each update, this will improve.

Overall my experience has been really positive so far, and pretty much most of my peers who own Phase swear by it. It’s definitely worth testing out.