• Personal opinion on the DX

  

  As reviewed by DJ Image on 3/21/2011

  As an owner of the Xone 4D, I knew the DX would be a great controller to use since I was use to the layout. I'm an avid SSL and Itch user. So far I have to say, the DX is a fun controller with a lot of great features. Even though I am use to the layout, the functions still take time to get use too. I certainly have no regrets in buying the DX but do have a wish list of items that would make this controller better: 1. Touch sensitive jog wheels for scratching. You can scratching a little, but definitely nothing fancy or complex. 2. Analog mixer. That way I could hook it to SSL and map the MIDI sections to perform with SSL and still use my turntables to spin videos. 3. A power button. I always hear popping if any speakers are plugged in before plugging in the power line. 4. A rewind to the beginning of the track button. Without touch sensitive jog wheels, rewind the track to the beginning can take a bit longer then it should. All that being said, this unit is awesome. Tons of great features that I am still figuring out how to use in my sets.. Easily portable and built to last. Even though Itch software takes its time to update, this controller will out last most future feature updates. Easy to install and plugin and play.. it's that easy.... Advance usage will take time to get use too, but DJ's familiar with the software should have much trouble. Good luck and enjoy!

  5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

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• Allen & Heath Xone:DX Review by Dj Serge

  

  As reviewed by Serge Mailli on 10/18/2011

  I've been looking for a DJ controller to lighten my load. I've been using the Denon DN-S3500 CD players and the DN-HS5500 as my hardware media player in addition to Traktor Scratch Pro and a Native Instruments Audio 8 USB audio card all in a single coffin. I also have multiple controllers including the Numark Stealth, DMC-2 and Mixtrack that I use from time to time depending on the gig at hand but none of them have a built-in sound card. Everything fits in a large DJ coffin with the weight to match. I decided to simplify my setup and went to my local Guitar Center looking to buy either the Numark NS6, Pioneer DDJ-T1 or DDJ-S1, or the Denon DN-MC6000. My Guitar Center had the Allen & Heath Xone:DX on sale for $ 499. I've seen that controller in the store before but always dismissed it due to it's high price. I simply went ahead and picked it up without any prior research based on the discount (Discontinued, 70% off original retail price of $ 1799) and here is my review. The specs are readily available online so will not go over them. The first thing I noticed was the weight of the unit... Pretty heavy and appears to be solidly built with a metal case. All the knobs and switches were tight with a solid feel and they look that they will survive years of DJ abuse. On further inspection, one big surprise! There are no faders for pitch control but instead you have a rotary control for each deck. I immediately thought that I would have to return this unit because I could not understand how I would work with that. Been riding my faders for years... Since it was already too late to return it on that evening, I decided to plug it in and give it a go until the next morning. I never open software packages for my controllers but always go to the manufacturer's website to download the most current drivers and applications. I went to Serato's website and downloaded Itch 2.0.1. Plugged controller in and started Itch. It immediately popped a message stating that a firmware update was available for the Xone:DX. I installed the firmware and restarted itch. Imported my iTunes music folders and gave it a run. Serato Itch did an excellent job analyzing and beat-gridding most of the music files I used for testing. I tested using some African music, Gospel, Hip Hop and also some acapella songs. The ?pitch by knob? became second nature after a couple of hours and it's no longer a distracting factor. I also realized why they did that.... Switching decks or tracks would have the sliders in position that do not correspond to the actual setting in the song. This problem is eliminated with the know. You would need motorized faders to have an accurate representation when switching between decks and songs set at different pitch levels. You can't scratch while a song is playing but you certainly can use a baby scratch effect while the track is paused which is pretty much all I've been doing with my previous controllers. If you want to scratch a lot you need 2 turntables and a DVS. I also plugged in a CD player and a Microphone (note, Microphone only works on channel 4 set to Thru, make sure to check the MIC/ Line button on the rear of the unit ) and you can use the built in Itch effects for your external sources. There was no delay and I was able to use my CD player as if it was connected to a mixer. That is excellent and I wish it worked this way all the time but alas... No. You need to have Itch (or other software) running to use the Xone:DX as a mixer. Keep this in mind if your software crashes while on a gig... The only negative thing for me is that the Itch interface is not customizable... This is a 4 deck controller and all 4 decks are always on the screen taking valuable real estate. I only use 2 decks so I could use the extra space for files or other information. I wish there was a way to disable that but there is not. Searched online as well and I saw some posts stating that Serato is aware of this issue and will rectify the situation. I can't wait. After testing the entire weekend, I decided to keep the Xone:DX. I can't wait to use it live over the next few weeks. It's an excellent controller that I would recommend to any one except DJ's who scratch. Excellent for electronic and dance music with 4 available tracks and it's now the cheapest 4 channel controller (Along with American Audio VMS-4) at the current sale prices. I also tested the unit with Traktor Scratch and it worked without a hitch using the midi maps available online. Get one while you still can! I do not work for Guitar Center, Allen & Heath nor Serato but I am a satisfied user. Summary: Positive Excellent construction. Expensive and detailed feel. Free full featured software included (No LE or special edition) so no need to buy anything else. Negative: Does not work as a stand alone mixer. Included software (Serato Itch) needs to be more customizable. AC adapter needs to be plugged in Some of the buttons have a long travel. Weird at first but you will get used to it. Play and CUE buttons a bit stiff. The list above has more negative than positive items but all the negatives I listed may not matter to some people. This is an excellent controller and at the current prices.. Buying anything else would be foolish.

  2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

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• Almost perfect

  

  As reviewed by Michael de Benedictus on 8/16/2010

  Finally took delivery of my A&H Xone DX. Have been using it for 3 weeks and must say a few things about the unit. First, it does NOT stop working when tapped as demo'd in a uTube video. Second, it does have a few quirks which everyone must be prepared for. At least once during each nite the software seizes. I have a brand new MacBook Pro with 8 gig ram, 512 gig solid state drive and the i7 processor @ 2.66 ghz. The computer is fully able to drive the controller. When I try to add a new song to the Itch software, it sometimes freaks it out. I am always ready with an iPod or cd unit to cover for the unexpected shut down. The beat grid is totally useless. When the sync feature is engaged the song starts in unexpected place, even when the cue point is set on the first beat. Finally, overall I am happy with this purchase but I can't help but think of the age old advice to "not buy the first release of anything, cause the bugs have not been worked out."

  60 of 69 people found this review helpful.

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