Allen & Heath Xone 4D

[lovethehouse]

Hey,

This isn't meant to be a facetious comment, so please don't anyone take it the wrong way! I've been looking at the xone 4d in awe for an age now, and dreaming about being able to use it with Traktor etc.. the only problem is obviously the steep price tag. I've also been thinking hard what mixer to get, as I'm obviously really accustomed to using a DJM 800 (as they're absolutely everywhere I go...) - which made me think -- is there any point in splashing out on a xone 4d, with all the midi mapping, if i could only use it in the studio? It seems far too hefty to take round, and would be a pain in the arse to whack out at a venue, unless the event was being organised and the equipment being hired..
I'd really appreciate everyone's opinion on this - is this just an elaborate toy for the bedroom DJ, and for extremely classy mobile DJs? Because if that's the case, then I don't think I'd be prepared to splash out the cash on one of those bad-boys, when I could get some sort of portable midi controller that I could actually play out with in venues.
Enlighten me!
Cheers
Belch

As far as accessing these features at gigs, the standard at the moment is CDJ's with a midi plug so that DJ's can plug their laptops into. You can still use your own software, but you need to map it for the hardware being used and be familiar with the decks on offer. Time will come (as it did with CD's) that clubs will be buying MIDI's and all the DJ will have to do is plug and play. (Theses day's can't come soon enough). Regarding "bedroom" or "studio" then from what i've seen and heard (and i've also had the privilege to play with Xone 4D) this is the best of the best and will become industry standard. It is already used on all major tours so most DJ's are used to it and once the cost comes down, clubs will start buying them.

For Venues at the moment i would be reluctant to bring them, regardless of the size because the other DJ would be all over it and you would never leave. lol

My thoughts. If you have the money and are serious about it, then buy it because they will be everywhere. And if money is tight and you want to just learn Traktor and the whole MIDI game, buy a BCD3000. It's cheap and trust me, a hell of a lot of fun.

My 2 cents.

[Cliffm]

I don't see the Xone 4D being a standard in dj booths for several reasons. In order to use it you need the drivers installed on your laptop and more importantly your music software configured to use it. Not only does it take a great deal of time to get the mapping set up, but learning the mapping so it is second nature also takes time. Most Dj's do not have a Xone 4D at home to do this with. Without the preparation, its just another mixer. The last thing any Dj wants to do during a set is spend their time trying to figure out what the many knobs and faders do, which is different depending on the software and user preferences.