First spotted by DJTT reader Laserbeam on the DJ Techtools forums, Allen & Heath are teasing the release of a brand new piece of gear, the Xone:PX5. We know very little about this new piece of gear so far, but keep reading for some clues and speculation.
Note that the header image contains an outline of the Xone:DX. We don’t know that it has anything to do with the Xone:PX5, but keep reading.
Allen & Heath XONE:PX5
The teaser for this new Xone:PX5 came in the form of an Eventbrite invite (see flier above) to an upcoming preview show at Berlin’s Kantine Am Berghain, a smaller venue directly next to the infamous Berghain/Panorama Bar.
Xone X Series = DJ Controllers?
The last Allen & Heath Xone product to have an X in the model name was the Xone:DX, a four-channel hybrid MIDI controller and external mixer designed originally for Serato ITCH. The Xone:DX was discontinued in 2012, but had a dedicated fan base that got incredibly upset when the new Serato DJ software was announced to not have support for the unit.
Of course, instead of DX in the product name, it’s PX5. Could the P mean that instead of being DJ-focused, this new piece of gear is Producer focused?
Doing investigation work into upcoming products is extremely fun, so we thought we’d dig a bit into the only other bit source of information we have so far: the artists playing the event.
Torsten Kanzler Hints At A Four Deck Traktor Controller
No artist can resist teasing a new piece of gear they’re working with on their own social media, even if they do it in a very indirect way. In the caption on this Instagram photo, the top-billed techno artist from the event writes (in German, roughly translated): “Something is missing here”.
With the background of the image, it would seem that this new Xone:PX5 is designed with Traktor in mind – with four decks running in Traktor Pro. There’s also a Maschine Mikro off to the left, and many of the other artists playing the event seem to regularly use Ableton Live when playing out – which would suggest there is a live production focus.
What do you think the Xone:PX5 will turn out to be? Let us know your thoughts in the comments on this article.
https://www.facebook.com/DjAcademy1/videos/1823766561178247/ First video
so its a new mixer……
I just found this picture online of the Xone:PX5
I wish they would make standalone FX unit with Xone DB effects.
would make sense, i love my db4 for the effects 🙂 this px5 effects box together with the xone 92 would make a nice combo
or an effects box that would work with the Xone:4D sends…
12th July? A Tuesday? Probably not worth the trip, since I have to travel 400miles…
I’ll wait until someone else tells me how crazy this PX5 got.
going out on a limb, maybe a separate FX box, something like pioneers rmx box, i think that would be something useful…
would love a separate effects unit with the DB2 / DB4 effects in.
[…] Read speculation about what this new product might be here. […]
Intriguing
wish they make a xone K2 mk2 with better pads…love my K2, but the pads are not very responsive when compared to other offerings such as NI’s X1 or F1.
Also add the ability to choose how many layer you want to use…I would love to use only 2 instead of 3 given my workflow.
the k2 doesnt have pads… they are switches with a rubber membrane.
iirc Allen&Heath call it a switch matrix, or is that the name of the lettered switches on the 4D?
doubt they will do any more firmware releases for the k2.
sorry I meant the switches but wrote pads hehe, thanks for pointing out the proper name…but the gripe remains, they are not as responsive as the X1 ones tho.
I doubt it too but a man can dream hehe
I dont think A&H meant for the k2 to be used for drumming, but just for less intensive things ie switching settings / effects on off / play / pause etc.
but even for that, they are not quite responsive as the X1. I have both. Love the mapping capabilities and clean layout of the K2 but the switches are too stiff and unresponsive in comparison to similar offering.
I found myself with the play/pause not working as expected when I needed, so I switch to and X1 for that and the K2 manages effect and ancillary features.
there are also a few audio cables lying loose behind the cloth (jack) so for sure its a mixer, the on on top of the cloth is also a jack plug, the xone k2 is used for tranport in traktor i think, Mashine next to it implies there is a 5th channel, but the RME only has 8 outs…so ?
Maybe also using the K2 as audio interface, but i doubt that due to the poor sound quality is has in comparison to the RME. Maybe a stripped down version of the model one ore at least a mixer with different eq and sculpting possibility…
The translation is more: “Something is always missing…” Which is more of ironical statement. I guess the stage tech had the wrong or faulty mixer provided and they switched it out shortly before his set which created this situation where he has every set up besides the most important part.
the correct translation is : something is missing overhere
Sorry didn’t read it again before posting. Your translation is correct. Still I am quite sure that this wasn’t a teaser for the new A&H device. Someone would have taken a picture an leaked it.
I’d say it might be some kind of unit to switch audio mixers or something like that. Some kind of sound board.
that already exists… Xone:PB
PB = Patch Bay
Yep. That why I was thinking about something similar or in-between mixer or whatever. PB is the only product with P…so PX??
the only ‘X’ I can think of is x-link or DX (discontinued Serato itch controller)
theyve (Allen&Heath) replied to me on Instagram earlier, confirming they will have whatever the PX is at BPM in Birmingham this September.
although the info will probably be out tonight from this Berlin event…
From some instagram stalking i’d have to say thats where his mixer would be.
Over the last year or so he seems to have been using a xone 92 with a single K2 on the right hand side.
https://www.instagram.com/p/4hef_tHxkX/?taken-by=torstenkanzler&hl=en
Can anyone work out what kind of connector is on those cables?
It is very low in comparison to the other gear
Was it sitting on this?
Seeing that there is also a xonek2 and a soundcard in the picture, my guess is, that it is not a controller, but a mixer with a minimum of 4 channels, and maybe the 5th is a rane submix style channel.
Its better they present something analogue, the digital domain is not their forte with their dj gear for various reasons…
Also the loose audio cables. If it was purely a controller these would be plugged into the soundcard.
Expect some controllers have a built-in soundcard and the box could be for a wireless mic or some other bit of kit.
Yes, but he has an RME interface already sitting there and powered on, so probably not using a built in interface.
Could be some other kind of gear, yes.
If I wanted to get all conspiratorial-like, I’d say it was a phono turntable signified by the ‘PH’ on a box acting as a DI.
Thats an RME audio interface, the PH signifies the knob controls headPHone output volume.
This is commonly used as 4th stereo output pair for the 4th Traktor deck.
Exactly A&H can’t handle digital world. Whatever they did in past it failed because poor drivers and firmware porblems.