Xone DX vs S2? - Page 3
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Thread: Xone DX vs S2?

  1. #21
    Tech Guru deevey's Avatar
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    I picked up a new DX for a mate a few weeks ago for around $599 which was a total steal IMHO, it is for all intensive purposes a 4ch Allen and Heath mixer with a midi controller bolted on.

    The buttons were the hard silver plastic variety (I would have preferred rubber TBH) ...its got a 10x10 sound card, so you could use it with various DVS systems, deckadance / torq / Mixxx / Mixvibes

    The pitch control per deck is a rotary encoder, personally I prefer a fader, but on a controller I would just hit sync normally anyhow.

    Itch is a super piece of software and integration is really tight but I actually think that Traktor layout favors the DX better than Itch, If it were me I'd remap the pitch to key.

    There are pro's and cons to each .. the build and soundcard certainly favors the DX, but if you like jogs the S2..... hell. how many 10x10 sound cards can you pick up for $600, never mind an A&H one.

    The original 1299 price tag most certainly put most people off buying one in the first place, there's no way A&H were going to compete in the Sub 1k all-in-one controller market, much the same as BMW don't compete with Suzuki in the compact car market - you'll notice the ones being sold @ $599 are all marked as "refurb" I have my doubts, probably they just don't want to be seen to sell at a low price as they end-of-life the DX.

    For the current price of a DX is ALOT of bang for buck in the Audio Dept but it completely depends on your workflow and requirements.

    If it were me, I'd consider the DX as my "master controller" and possibly add on a 2 of the behringer PL1's or maybe even Denon's if I needed touch jog functionality in the future.

    There is "something" about A&H ... but the S2 is a solid lil controller and does come with a full version of Traktor, if you didn't need the ins/outs might be ideal.

  2. #22
    Tech Guru keeb's Avatar
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    I swear we had this exact same thread within the last month... Actually maybe it was S4 vs. Xone DX, but about 90% of the points made in that thread hold true. The summarized version is that the DX has shitty jog wheels, has an A&H soundcard but is not actually an external mixer so the sound quality gain is not that significant, the S2 is high res and intended for Traktor. For this particular comparison, the fact that the S2 is cheaper AND comes with TP2 makes this a no brainer, IMO, aside from the fact that the DX is 4 channel. Still, most DJs sure as hell don't actually utilize all 4 channels, so that's a bit of a dubious benefit.
    Last edited by keeb; 02-14-2012 at 10:31 AM.

  3. #23
    Tech Guru geminimech's Avatar
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    We did have this conversation last month. But as is customary on DJTT and I presume all other forums, topic redundancy is commonplace.

    The jogwheels aren't 'shitty'. They just aren't touch sensitive. For what they were intended for, they are perfectly adequate. They can scrub, seek, and pitch bend, just like any other jog wheel.
    Cheers!
    | 13" rMBP | KORG ZERO4 | NOVATION TWITCH | 2 X CDJ-200 | KONTROL X1 |

  4. #24
    Tech Guru geminimech's Avatar
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    OP, if you are going to spend your time in Traktor, consider the S2 more than the DX. DJTTs deal is a damn good one.
    Cheers!
    | 13" rMBP | KORG ZERO4 | NOVATION TWITCH | 2 X CDJ-200 | KONTROL X1 |

  5. #25
    Tech Guru keeb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by geminimech View Post
    We did have this conversation last month. But as is customary on DJTT and I presume all other forums, topic redundancy is commonplace.

    The jogwheels aren't 'shitty'. They just aren't touch sensitive. For what they were intended for, they are perfectly adequate. They can scrub, seek, and pitch bend, just like any other jog wheel.
    I say they're shitty because they're not very big and they're not high resolution. I haven't actually used the DX, to be fair, but having used an S4 and a VCI-100 (even with the 1.4 firmware) the difference a high-res jogwheel makes is substantial enough to warrant the "shitty" remark. The DX style jogs are better than not having jogs at all, but they're not in the same league as the S4/S2 jogs. I'll put it this way - I wouldn't want to attempt to beatmatch on a DX, whereas beatmatching on the S4 was pretty equivalent to a CDJ just with a smaller pitch fader. Which brings up another point - no pitch fader on the DX.

  6. #26
    Tech Guru geminimech's Avatar
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    Hmm.

    Agree to disagree. Seeing as how 'beatmatching' in a traditional sense doesn't really occur in software as it's more of a phase match, anything that can nudge pitch at all should be more than ample. I can assure you, phase matching two tracks with these jog wheels is no more difficult than my DDJ-T1, or an S4 that I've used, or a VCI-100 that I had a chance to get very intimate with. Also, being that the encoders allow you to manipulate BPM's by the 100th, matching numbers is, well...

    I'm not following why a pitch fader is so important other than to maintain the traditional tactile feel. If anything a rotary encoder allows for more refined control of BPM's. I think the problem is that we vary on our definitions of beatmatching. I'm thinking of having a nearly useless BPM aid on a cd player and riding a pitch fader and jog wheel to keep tracks in time. I don't consider quantized tracks, matched to their exact bpm's and nudged together beatmatching. I would agree that if these were on a cd-player, I would have a problem, but as they are on a midi controller I don't really have one with them. Do I wish that they were touch sensitive? Yeah, but I don't think it's a must have for me as I don't scratch with it.
    Cheers!
    | 13" rMBP | KORG ZERO4 | NOVATION TWITCH | 2 X CDJ-200 | KONTROL X1 |

  7. #27
    Tech Guru deevey's Avatar
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    I haven't actually used the DX, to be fair, but having used an S4 and a VCI-100 (even with the 1.4 firmware) the difference a high-res jogwheel makes is substantial enough to warrant the "shitty" remark. The DX style jogs are better than not having jogs at all,
    I can assure you, phase matching two tracks with these jog wheels is no more difficult than my DDJ-T1, or an S4 that I've used
    High res wheels only make a difference if your style of mixing is defined by them, e.g. scratch and release. For scrubbing to the first beat and pitch bending thereafter high res makes no difference whatsoever.

    I wouldn't bother manually beatmatching on a rotary either unless I absolutely needed to its just not comfortable.

    Its the old story of Manual vs Automatic for cars, although in this case its more like Semi Auto Vs Manual, most of the time you won't need to shift gears but the option is there if you really want to.

  8. #28
    Tech Guru keeb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by geminimech View Post
    Hmm.

    Agree to disagree. Seeing as how 'beatmatching' in a traditional sense doesn't really occur in software as it's more of a phase match, anything that can nudge pitch at all should be more than ample.
    Sorry, what? Yeah, you can simply adjust the bpm on both tracks to be identical or sync and then you're only adjusting phase, but you still certainly can actually traditionally beatmatch in software. Just because you can use sync/match up BPMs that doesn't mean you have to. I find it a lot more satisfying to actually beatmatch than to sync, even though I know there's a lot of beatmatching hate on this forum. I used to be a proponent of sync as well, but I'm not going to get too off-topic here; what I'm saying is that it's nice to have the CDJ-style workflow on the S2 because it prepares you a lot better to be able to use CDJs or TT (with or without timecode) thus making you a more versatile DJ. I wouldn't mind the DX jogs for sample deck control, but for my primary deck control I don't think I'd like them. You're perfectly entitled to like the DX, I'm just not a fan for the reasons I listed in this thread and in the S4 vs. DX thread.

  9. #29
    Tech Guru geminimech's Avatar
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    So you don't pay attention to the BPM's in Traktor? You use your ear and let it fly?
    Cheers!
    | 13" rMBP | KORG ZERO4 | NOVATION TWITCH | 2 X CDJ-200 | KONTROL X1 |

  10. #30
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    I will chime in here, as I also had the same debate in my mind recently...

    Guitar Center in the States has Xone DX models new-in-box for $470 presently. This price is franchise-wide btw. I just picked mine up on Sunday night.

    I am a first time controller buyer coming from a old-school cdj/mixer workflow, the question I had no answer for was ~
    "where in the world was I going to find a solid build, quality soundcard, 4-deck mixer for under $500 USD?"

    Answer: was I wasn't, so I hopped on it.


    Crazy thought then occurred to me.... as I had anticipated spending $1000 likely on a 4-deck controller, given the current price of the DX ($470) and the S2 deals ($399) until end of March, why not buy both?

    This way I have a versatile 4-deck controller mappable to any software, a 2-deck controller that has jogs and sample decks, Traktor Pro 2 software - full version (Serato Itch is freeware).


    If I do all this in a 30-day span, I can see which one fits my needs and return the controller of choice.... OR.... keep on in the studio and make the other my mobile kit.


    The price is right. Either controller you can't go wrong. It really depends on
    a) your needs (jogs/scratching, pitchbending/mixing)
    b) your software preference (Itch vs TP2)
    c) your preferences (4-deck, 2-deck, others)

    The two controllers are really two different beasts aimed at different audiences IMO.... Allen & Heath = smooth mixing, NI S2/S4 = controllerist

    Best of luck deciding.
    Last edited by Eizhauz; 02-14-2012 at 01:31 PM.
    Xone DX, SE-DJ5000, Itch
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