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 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.
A DIGITAL DESK
WITHOUT COMPROMISE
Developed to bring you features currently unmatched by consoles costing five times as much, 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’ I/O to suit your studio’s exact needs, now and in the future.
Designed for professional tracking and mixing applications, the X.200 model offers 64 simultaneous inputs and outputs, accessed from a variety of 8- channel analog or digital I/O cards. Its flexible I/O card cage supports up to 64 analog mic/line inputs featuring digitally controlled mic trims; digital interface cards in formats such as AES/EBU, TDIF, and ADAT optical; as well as FireWire I/O cards capable of streaming audio and MIDI to any FireWire-equipped Mac or PC.
For those doing surround and post-production, the X.400 model ups the performance ante with dual processors for massive mix horsepower, an extra card slot providing an additional 24 channels of I/O for a total of 92 inputs and 100 outputs at 96kHz, as well as more advanced surround sound functionality
with up to 24 busses. In addition, the X.400 ships with Universal Audio’s UAD-1 DSP card preloaded, providing instant access to a full complement of powerful Universal Audio™ plug-ins.
OH, BEAUTIFUL INTERFACE
Of course, all the advanced technology in the world is useless if you can’t get to it quickly, so we gave the Digital XBus 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. 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 console boots—without the need for manual digging.
