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Mackie - MIXER - Digital X Bus |
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Model: Digital X Bus(Discont.)
Digital Production Console w/ FireWire I/O
COMPUTER, MEET
CONSOLE.
It was inevitable, really. Thanks to their ever-advancing
horsepower and convenience, computers have become central to modern
audio production. Yet no affordable mixing console to date has been
designed to integrate seamlessly with today’s varied audio
and music production techniques—analog, digital or hybrid. So
after more than two years of intense research and development at
Mackie and SaneWave, we proudly introduce the digital desk of the
future: the Mackie Digital X Bus High-Definition Digital Production
Console. |
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A DIGITAL DESK WITHOUT
COMPROMISE.
Developed to bring you features currently unmatched by digital
consoles costing tens of thousands of dollars more, the x.200 and
x.400 offer an upgradeable 192kHz-capable mix engine; dual 15"
touch screens; 100mm Penny + Giles optical touch faders; onboard
control of a variety of DAWs, including Pro Tools, Logic, and
Nuendo; VST™ plug-in support; and streaming digital audio
between the Digital X Bus and your Mac or PC via FireWire. Not to
mention a full rear-panel card cage so you can configure the
Digital X Bus’s I/O to suit your studio’s exact needs,
now and in the future.
OH, BEAUTIFUL INTERFACE.
Because all the advanced technology in the world is useless if you
can’t get to it quickly, we gave the Digital X Bus dual
15” touch screens—a first in this class of console.
These touch screens put all major features and functions at your
fingertips as “virtual” controls, with big,
button-style graphics and a bare minimum of hierarchy (watch the
demo). With advanced 5-wire technology and a proprietary tracking
algorithm, the touch screens deliver incredibly accurate response.
And they’re built tough too, with an operating life
that’s rated at over 35 million finger pokes.
Of course, for fast adjustments, there are 24 rotary encoders (er,
knobs), corresponding to the graphics on the screens directly
above. And commonly used features such as mute, solo, pan, faders,
and switches remain in hardware, just the way your fingers like.
There’s also built-in USB ports so you can use your favorite
mouse or PC keyboard, a smooth weighted jog wheel, and rock-solid
transport buttons. This multi-control approach lowers the learning
curve to the point that most users can start working from the
moment the Digital X Bus boots—without the need for manual
digging.
OPEN ARCHITECTURE & FULLY CONFIGURABLE
I/O
The Digital X Bus’s “modular” hardware
architecture provides access to internal components simply by
removing the rear panel of the chassis. And the Digital X Bus's
full rear-panel card cage allows you to configure the console's I/O
exactly as you see fit, without having to pay for I/O connections
you'll never use. So, as the need arises, you can opt to add more
RAM, swap or add I/O cards, and basically customize the mixer to
your individual tracking and mixing applications. Importantly, the
Digital X Bus platform allows all sample-rate related components to
be upgraded, so you wont be left behind if or when new audio
standards emerge.
STREAMING FIREWIRE
I/O
It’s the 21st Century, so we felt it was time for a console
that could work seamlessly with FireWire-equipped Macs and PCs.
When equipped with the optional FireWire Card, the Digital X Bus
can stream digital audio between any OS X Core Audio (Mac) or
ASIO/WDM (Windows XP) compatible DAW software. FireWire has the
bandwidth to support multiple channels of audio streams going back
and forth between the console and your computer through a single
cable for recording, playback, punch in/out, effect send/returns,
and even using a laptop as a real-time sequencer. You can have
multiple FireWire Cards installed in your Digital X Bus connected
to different computers for complete versatility, as well as taking
advantage of extended processing resources for any number of
applications and projects. The FireWire Card eliminates the need to
buy computer audio interfaces, and makes using the Digital X Bus
with your computer painless, simple, and efficient.
VST PLUG-IN
SUPPORT
Speaking of plug-ins, with the Digital X Bus’s extensive
processing power, it is also the first digital console able to run
select VST plug-ins internally. Currently, the Digital X Bus
supports popular plug-ins from both Waves and Universal Audio (via
the UAD-1 DSP card, included in the x.400 model). Better still, all
plug-in windows are displayed right on the Digital X Bus’s
built-in screens, just as they would be on your PC.
UNDER THE
HOOD
When it came to the Digital X Bus’s internal processing, we
rewrote the book—developing a proprietary architecture with
the largest-capacity, highest-performance PCI-based Accelerator
Card ever created for the pro audio market. This Accelerator Card
employs a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) chip to handle the
conversion of integer to floating-point math. In simple terms, this
means the Accelerator Card does the hard work so the Digital X
Bus’s processor is free to handle the toughest of mixing
applications while simultaneously running VST plug-ins. It also
provides for extremely low total system latency from analog input
to analog output.
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Features |
- Professional digital production
console with selectable operation up to 192kHz
- Dual 15 touch-screen graphic
user interfaces plus mouse control
- Fully configurable I/O via
rear-panel card cage and I/O option cards
- Firewire I/O option for
streaming audio to/from desktop or laptop computers
- Twenty-five 100mm Penny + Giles
motorized optical touch-sensitive faders
- Full channel processing package
including pre and post DSP inserts, parametric EQ and dynamics
section
- Mackie Control Universal Layer
with built-in control for Pro Tools, Logic, Final Cut Studio 5,
Nuendo, etc. See all
- Support for select VST plug-ins,
including the use of the Universal Audio UAD-1 Card
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- Full surround mixing and
monitoring capabilities
- Floating insert points for
accessing external processing equipment from any channel, aux, or
bus
- Tape-style transport with memory
location recall and weighted Jog/Shuttle wheel
- Comprehensive automation system
with event editing and dynamic/scene automation
- LTC (SMPTE), MTC, MMC, and Word
Clock sync
- Various metering options,
including VU meter, full size meter bridge, and scalable metering
ranges
- Full Control Room section
including dual Phones, Talkback, Surround Level control and
calibration to reference level
- Multiple USB 2.0 ports for
connecting CD ROM drives, Flash drives, keyboard/mouse, or other
add-ons
- Internal white & pink noise
and variable tone generator with spectrum analyzer
display
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