Vestax PMC-06 Pro VCA Headphone Cue / Master Mod

A drawback of some of the earlier Vestax mixers such as the PMC-05 Pro I & II and 06 is that they lacked a master out option for the headphone circuit. This meant that using the headphones could only be used for cueing tracks and that any use of the crossfader wouldn't be heard through the headphones. 

For scratch DJ's this meant needing an external amplifier to plug your mixer into to hear your cuts. To solve this problem when Vestax released the PMC-05 Pro-Q they added a factory mod which enabled the user to enable both. Unfortunately this mod only became available with the PMC-05 Pro III series of mixers skipping out the PMC-05 II and the PMC-06.

However good news for you is that if you own a PMC-06 Pro VCA you can easily implement it. Vestax included the option on the headphone PCB but never installed it. Here are the instructions to enable it.

You'll need the following:

  • Soldering Iron - preferably temperature controlled
  • Solder - I prefer 60/40 Tin Lead solder
  • Electric Drill
  • ALPS SPUN1914000 DPDT ON-ON switch & ALPS UE201011 cap
  • or chassis mounted DPDT ON-ON switch and wires 
  • File if using the ALPS SPUN switch
  • Screwdriver
  • Hex nut tool

To begin, turn off the unit and unscrew the rear chassis cover. Take a mug or ramekin and place all the screws and whatever knobs you need to remove inside.

With the enclosure open remove the two nuts which hold the headphone board secure. You can now see from both sides of the PCB where two jumpers have been installed to permanently apply the cue side of the headphone circuit. Carefully unsolder these and place them in the bin, we no longer require them.

Install the above ALPS switch (SPUN1914000) and ensuring that it’s correctly seated and flush with the PCB, solder it in. You now have the capability to switch between cue and master out.

Next step requires precision. Measure the distance between the centre of the level knob shaft and the centre of the new switch. Once you know the measurement remove the front faceplate from the chassis and draw the centre of where the switch hole will in pencil. Measure the knob and ensuring it’s equally placed around your centre measurement. 

Once you’re confident that your measurements are correct you can use a centre punch to mark the panel to help guide the drill bit. I tend to start small and work my way up but make sure you don’t exceed the pencil marks. Usually a couple of drill holes will do then I finish off the rectangular shape with some diamond files. Take your time, you only get one shot at it. Remove any sharp bits so the edges are smooth.

Since the front faceplate hole is now complete, place a piece of masking paper over the visible side and from the reverse use some black spray paint on your newly cut hole. This will cover the newly cut steel and reduce any corrosion and also improve the finish.

Re-install the faceplate once dry and add the PCB back on. Test the switch with the new cap and hopefully the hole should be wide enough not to impede the action. If it does take the panel off and widen the gap.

Reverse the disassembly process and you should be good to go.