Allen & Heath announces Xone:96, its first flagship DJ mixer in over a decade

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    Mon, Jun 11, 2018, 01:17
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  • It's the first update to the industry standard Xone DJ mixer since 2003.
  • Allen & Heath announces Xone:96, its first flagship DJ mixer in over a decade image
  • Allen & Heath has released details of the long-awaited Xone:96 DJ mixer. First designed in the early 2000s by Andy Rigby-Jones, the original Xone:92 is a staple in clubs and festival stages around the world thanks to its precision four-band EQs, analogue filters and effects sends. The new Xone:96 is the first major update since 2003, but it's designed to be instantly familiar to anyone who's familiar with the Xone:92. Although it retains much of the analogue architecture of its predecessor, the resonant filters now feature a Crunch control, which adds harmonic distortion before the filter to bring drive and grit to the signal (the underused LFO feature has been removed). The four-band parametric EQs are largely unchanged, featuring full-cut low and high frequencies and 10db of boost on the two mid frequencies. The 60mm faders are voltage controlled and now have adjustable slope settings, while the crossfader has been upgraded with a Mini Innofader. There are two 32-bit soundcards on-board featuring six stereo ins and outs each, making the Xone a powerful tool for interfacing with DJ mixing software or setting up complex routing with DAWs. DVS support for Traktor comes standard, too. Back-to-back sets are streamlined with a dual cueing system, allowing two DJs to line up tracks on the same mixer. In addition to two stereo sends with three-band parametric EQs, there are now four cueable return channels and a dedicated master insert, providing extensive possibilities for integrating effects and other processors. The booth output has its own EQ, and MIDI can be sent over the USB inputs or via a five-pin input on the rear panel. Additionally, there's a new 1/8-inch output labelled Audio Sync Out but there aren't yet any official details about its function. There's also an X:Link port for connecting controllers without using up a USB port. Details on price and release date aren't currently known, but you can expect the Xone:96 to come out some time later this year.
    Watch a promo video for the Xone:96.
    Learn more about the original Xone in our Industry Standards feature.
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