I have a Xone 92r (not the Rane) and love it !
Understand your gripe with the cue, you can only listen to cue or cue mixed with master…but if you place the rotary @ cue only then you can toggle between cue & master by deselecting the cue button (no cue selected = master signal to headphone).
Hmmm not sure i get you… Can you blend the amount of volume you hear with the cue/master then slam it over to just master? You saying you deselect the cue?
It just seemed not intuitive. No multiple cues set at the same time?
You can cue and mix just fine in headphones on the 92. You can also select multiple channels to cue by pressing the cue buttons at the same time (it’s not like a DJM where they toggle on and off, you have to hit them at the same time to cue multiple) and you have a cue/master mix knob.
Urei was their own company back in the day. They were kind of epic. They also made one of the most classic (and popular) studio compressors of all time, the 1176.
They’re awesome.
Anyway…Souncraft bought the rights to the 1620 and tried to make a clone that didn’t sell well. Soundcraft themselves are owned by Harmon now.
I’d honestly love to have one, even though it’d mean using another mixer to run my cue signal. But there’s a very good chance my next mixer is going to be an Empath Rotary. I almost bought one with my turntables and decided I didn’t want to spend the money if there was a chance I’d just end up wanting an S6/V6 or DJR-400.
Like besides the warm sound is there any bennifit to rotary mixing? I am just curious. i dont even own an actual mixer
Warm sound has to do with the circuitry, not the faders.
The reason is that it feels smoother to turn a knob than move a fader to a lot of people…much more precise volume adjustments and harder to over-adjust and miss the level you were going for.
Rotary doesn’t = warm sound. Just original mixers used to be rotary so it’s an old skool vibe. Also the original were more handcrafted analogie mixers so had a lovely analogue sound.
Some say you can mix smoother twisting a rotary knob.
There are limitations if you like to slam a fader. Not really for turntablist…
I’m gonna have to go back and try and work out the headphone thing on the 92.
Asking the experts: Are Rotary pots for faders usually on a linear curve, rather than logarithmic? Is that another reason they’re preferred for certain styles of mixing?
I spent ages almost buying a relatively cheap 92R, that has since been bought by someone else. I think I’m going to kick myself for not pulling the trigger for another year or so.
Also, analog doesn’t always mean better.
It doesn’t come up as much in DJ software (because we’re all using 16-bit files anyway) but the noise floor on digital mixers (whether hardware or software) is quieter than on any of the original analog DJ mixers.
“analog warmth” usually means a combination of noise, distortion, and limited frequency response. It’s a specific thing. Not a specifically good thing.
There are no perfect, available to buy mixers.
I would get the v6 if i could walk into a shop and get it it.
It’s driving me mad.
That had one Ina shop in Miami that I went to during wmc/UMF a couple years ago.
Yeah… doesn’t help me that much 
I’ve got one for sale with the expander pm me for a price and deatails
Fwiw, I used some friends’s Empath (linear faders) and liked the feel of the unit, just found the monitoring a little awkward to use, I’m sure you can get used to it quickly though.
(for reference, I’m an A&H guy, got a 42 at home, kinda like the Ecler Nuo3.0’s big chunky eq knobs too for eq mixing).
Cheers mate, what do you mean monitoring was awkward? Monitoring is kind of what I have issue with the xone 92. No ability to pan between cue and master (which the empath looks like it has). Could you expand? I’d love to have a go on the empath but none of the stores near me have one on display…
yes it does. It’s the knob above the headphone volume labeled “cue” on one side and “add mix” on the other.
He’s probably referring to the level meters…which are a bit limited on the empath. They show you everything you need, but they’re definitely not as extensive as some. Whatever…get the rotary version, run your gains a bit hot, and then just don’t bother turning the levels up the whole way.
Yes it does- cue/mix knob right above the headphone volume knob. ‘Mix’ = Master
Yeah but you cant pan fully to the master. Like how it works in traktor for example. With the 92, the volume of the cue stays the same, you only “add mix” of the master. And the cue is too dominant, theres no way to pan it out or low in the headphones. Not a problem when using monitors but an issue when trying to mix in headphones alone.
Its not the same as on traktor or pioneers or even the empath by the look of it. Unless i was doing something wrong, but i’m sure i wasn’t.
I mentioned this in previous post, if you like to mix on HP this is how I do it:
Cue the channel you want to mix and put cue/master pot @ 50% (more / less, like you prefer).
Beatmatch the track then cue & play when you want to mix…then deselect the cue.
After deselecting the cue, you should hear the master & you can start mixing in the track (if you want to check pitch you can toggle the cue a few times before you mix in to 100% or use eq to blend)
It’s a bit different (work around) but once you get used to it you can mix in cans only.
Ps. xone 92r doesn’t have linear rotaries, the punch is in the last 25%
yeah ok cheers, i get that, that is a work around and its doable of course.
I just kind of want my next mixer to be my last, certainly for a while and i just don’t want too many niggles. All mixers have quirks but I want it to do some fundamentals well.
I got rid of the DJM800, which I actually think is a fantastic mixer and just does everything, as a tool really well. It’s not missing much. The effects aren’t the absolute best but i don’t really use em tbh. Sound wise I actually found it to have fantastic clarity… but it does miss a certain something in the sound… just a smidgen of warmth/soul maybe? I could have just got the rotary upgrade for it tbh and that might have kept me happy.
Most of the anti pioneer brigade I suspect have never owned the DJM800 and have probably only used battered ones it in shitty venues with meh systems but, at home with my VXTs, it was a really crystal clear sounding mixer… just a bit clinical/transparent, no real character.
So to replace it, I want a mixer that does all the basics well but has soul… The 92 has soul for sure but, for me, it might have a couple too many quirks and not do the basics of what i need to my liking (cue thing/pre eq monitoring/send return bit odd).
I’m thinking it’s got to be the empath… I just wish I could try it out first