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Let the rumours cease, for here is the official word on the previously teased Allen & Heath xone:DX. At first glance, it's an ITCH based hotwashed xone:4D, but it's quite a lot more than that, and the implications to the scene are much deeper than the in your face first impressions.

Firstly, here's the official release from A&H:


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ALLEN & HEATH LAUNCHES NEXT GENERATION DJ CONTROLLER FOR SERATO ITCH

After weeks of speculation and buzz around the industry, Allen & Heath and Serato Audio Research have announced the launch of the Xone:DX, a new Plug'n'Play DJ controller, the result of close collaboration between the two companies. The DX, another development in Allen & Heath's Xone:D range of controllers, is a 20-channel USB soundcard and features total integration of the brand new 4-deck Serato ITCH software.

Boasting the ability to send up to 168 individual MIDI control messages, a 20-channel 96kHz/24-bit USB 2.0 soundcard, two dual layer deck simulators, and RIAA/phono inputs for external decks, as well as the central 4 channel mixer section which directly manipulates the DSP mixing within the computer, the Xone:DX is the most versatile, high specification professional DJ controller to date. A full version of the new Serato ITCH software is supplied with the DX, providing unique 4-deck control, and a comprehensive set of digital DJ FX, as well as looping and time-stretching.

“Serato has always been an admirer of Allen & Heath’s DJ hardware and we’ve watched the development of the Xone:D series of controllers with keen interest. In our opinion, Allen & Heath design some of the best music production software controllers in the professional field,” explains Serato MD, Steve West. “Rather than a partnership to simply bundle our products, we wanted to collaborate with A&H at the drawing board stage, and design a product that would fully manipulate the new version of ITCH.”

The Xone:DX is also fully compatible with other leading DJ software brands, and has Allen & Heath’s customary pro modular design build and high quality components. It also has bi-colour LED feedback layer assignment, UV light sensitive legend, mix outputs on RCA and balanced XLR, a separate booth output, and measures 50mm deep to fit conveniently in a laptop bag.

“Ever since we launched the MIDI-enabled Xone:92 in 2003, followed by the multi-media Xone:3D in 2005, we have strived to design controllers that would fulfil a digital DJ’s wish list. The Xone:DX is the next step in this journey, with a versatile and wide-ranging set of features in a compact package,” comments Xone designer, Andy Rigby-Jones.

See the Xone:DX unveiled at the BPM show, NEC, Birmingham, 3-4 October 2009.

Suggested retail price is £999 and shipping will commence in November 2009.

www.xone.co.uk

And this is Serato's version of events:

The Xone:DX is a new performance audio controller for electronic DJs and is the result of close design collaboration between Allen & Heath and Serato. The DX has been co-engineered with new Serato ITCH DJ software that now offers 4-decks and DJ FX. The “Allen & Heath Xone:DX with Serato ITCH” (DX:ITCH for short), is making a debut appearance at the BPM Show in the UK over the next few days.

Allen & Heath are the fourth major manufacturing partner to co-engineer on the Serato ITCH platform. Using their 40 years of experience creating world class mixers and specialty controllers, Allen & Heath now provide for the future of electronic music performance.

The DX:ITCH system arms a breed of electronic performer that wants precise control and manipulation of more audio with their DJ performance, in the club and everywhere they travel.

Built with over 100 preset performance commands and some serious audio processing, the 4 channel mix control is routed to a massive 20 channel 24/96k USB sound card. This means loads of extra inputs and outputs for integration with other audio tools or simple blending of your existing external audio gear like a turntable, drum box or sound module.

The 4 virtual decks exist in a clean uncluttered environment on the ITCH software interface. Using the DX library navigation control, you can quickly make selections from your crates. You can then accurately mix 4 audio tracks on the virtual decks along with other external sources. Each of the virtual decks can be assigned multiple Serato DJ FX that are hosted in ITCH software.

The DX:ITCH encourages performers to remix, rework and make new music on the fly. With 4-decks in action and BPM based effects, Serato have adopted new synchronization options for this next generation of ITCH. An additional beat grid has been added to make quick work of more complex mix arrangements.

The collaboration has resulted in a portable piece of digital DJ technology, absolutely brimming with features and high end specification. Because the DX is official ITCH hardware, Serato have made sure it simply works out of the box.

There has simply never been a more ergonomic controller with this many extreme options at your finger tips. It fits in a bag, but has everything you need to melt a superclub.

So A&H are officially aboard the ITCH convoy, that is currently juggernaughting its way through the controller market. But it's the way that they've done it that is most interesting to me.

If you've ever stood in front of a 3D or 4D, you can't help but be intimidated by its sheer mass and abundance of controls - there's certainly a lot of it. So I suspect that A&H thought it might be a really good idea to properly get into the laptop DJ market, thus scaling down the 4D metaphor into a much more luggable size, with a seemingly easier to use interface. Without official confirmation, and if memory serves correctly from playing with a prototype at PLASA, the DX is roughly 310 x 410 x 50mm - easily squeezable into a larger laptop bag, but most certainly sized for aircraft carry-on. And it has the usual A&H high quality feel, albeit squished down a little.
Pulling the image apart, we can glean the following:

• 4 channels with 60mm line faders
• Looks like 2 effects per channel with multiple fx parameter control
• 4 hot cues (hopefully per deck)
• Kill to +6dB EQ with gain
Cross fader assign per channel
Navigation and track loading controls
• Rotary pitch control (just like the other xones) with LED pitch meter
• Full looping (per deck I suspect) with roll control, keylocking and reverse
• XLR mic input with 2 band tone EQ

There are also external inputs for external decks, which I trust means for phono and line level too. Not sure how they'll integrate with the faders though. No pictures of the rear of the DX just yet.

So who wants a xone:DX? Well as is the way of fresh shiny pretty - probably everybody at this point. But examining the needs of DJs, I feel this is aimed squarely at EDM DJs who want something fully featured that is easy to carry around. This doesn't compromise on features at all - 4 full decks with loops, keylocking, effects (I suspect with filters too) - all of which fits in a bag. That's a real draw, especially in crowded booths. This will happily sit on top of a 4 channel mixer, and considering that all you'll need to do is plug into the house sound system with a single cable, the xone:DX is an attractive proposition for a wide range of DJs of all styles.

Obviously it's not quite a 4D in terms of features, but does go beyond what ITCH has been capable of before. ITCH was perceived as the poor man's Scratch Live, but here's the real wake up call for the haters - ITCH has 4 channels and effects. Rane don't even make hardware that can do that yet. People need to understand that ITCH and Scratch Live are 2 distinctly different products for different markets. Each share a common base, but will develop in different ways. For example, the need for 4 channels and effects is much greater in the EDM (i.e. Traktor) market than the Hip Hop (SSL dominated) market, which is why ITCH and thus the DX has them first. ITCH doesn't have a sampler bank, because the Hip Hop guys like to do drops more than use effects. It'll probably happen at some point, but it's all about priorities and stability.

So can we please finally nail this misconception that ITCH is a lesser product than Scratch Live - because that's simply not true. It's just different.

And this puts ITCH very much into Traktor territory with 4 full channels, each with effects too. But interestingly, the DX will also work with other MIDI apps, so Traktor does now have another 4 deck controller to play with, with dedicated effects controls as well. So while some may perceive this as a nail in Traktor's coffin, it could actually be really good for it. Think of it like this - each time an ITCH product comes out, Traktor gets another controller to play with. And if more controllers adopt this 4 channel with effects metaphor, Traktor becomes more accessible than ever before.

One of the biggest draws of ITCH is the scratchability of platters, mainly down to super high speed communications which does cause issues for non-ITCH software. But this unit doesn't need that, so unlike previous ITCH units the xone:DX should be mappable and useable right out of the box. And with Traktor's effects superiority, as well as market share, Native Instruments should really be rubbing their hands together at the sight of the xone:DX. I suggest that that get one ASAP and put out maps for it. The ITCH haters will crave them for sure.

So what about the price? So far, I only have the UK price of £999 - I'm waiting for US pricing. I'm not about to do some fancy and probably bogus currency conversions and nor should you. But the UK price is certainly in line with current ITCH based devices. Take a VCI-300, add a VFX-1 and you're up to £799, but still lacking 2 decks. Probably not a fair comparison as a VCI buyer is unlikely to be quite the same as a DX one. This product certainly begins to draw the lines of demarkation between genres, even if the core code and features are the same.

The xone:DX will be on display at the BPM Show this weekend, and hopefully being put through its paces by Andy Rigby Jones. He's not just an R&D boffin you know - he can actually DJ, which explains why A&H gear is usually bang on target.

Let the commentfest begin.