Allen & Heath Xone 2D Review
This is an article I wrote 9 or 10 months ago, but was never used for its intended purpose. I’ve decided rather than let it go to waste, I’m going to post it here on my personal website.
About a year and a half ago I decided to switch from Scratch Live to an “all MIDI” setup based around Traktor. I had had enough of running wires all over the place, unplugging turntables during someone else’s set while holding my breath, and trying to tie into the mixers in the clubs and raves I was playing at. I wanted to simplify. This is when the Allen & Heath Xone 2D entered my life, and while this is technically a review of it, after using it in nightclubs all over the NorthEastern US for a year, you can file this one under “road tested.”
The Choice
When I made the leap from DVS to a computer based setup, I searched everywhere for a controller that would fit my needs. A big requirement of mine was fewer wires, and by extension, and easier way to tie into a club’s mixer and sound system. I also wanted something that didn’t have a large footprint and would easily fit into a DJ booth.
The A&H Xone 2D was a natural fit. Not only is it a MIDI controller from a company with a reputation for building rock-solid mixers, but it also had a built in soundcard. I immediately found my DJ set up simplified. One plug for power, a USB cable and then RCA cables to go to the channels on the mixer. It was also built to the same dimensions as a standard DJ mixer, so it sat very nicely next to it.
The Specs
The Xone 2D has 12 regular buttons, 4 ring lit buttons, 8 knobs, 4 sliders, 5 push button continuous rotary encoders, a cross fader, and a jog wheel. The jog wheel can be “clicked” up, down, left or right making the jog wheel a five-in-one controller assignable to five different parameters. The regular buttons are little on the small side and feel very basic. The ring lit buttons, on the other hand, are large and feel great. They are practically begging to be mashed. If your software supports MIDI output back to the Xone, you can use the ring lights as status indicators or whatever you decide needs lighting. The sliders have the A&H’s patented coverings that have an indented center for your finger. These are great for slow and precise slider movements, but if you are looking for sliders to grab and bang, you will be somewhat disappointed. However, they grow on you the more you use them. The knobs are very tight, and it might throw you off at first, but they too will grow on you. The encoders are smooth and pressing down on them feels natural. The knobs, encoders, and jog wheel are rubberized, so getting a decent grip will not be a problem.
There is a BPM section with a BPM counter. The only thing of note in this section is the push/pull lever. Its designed to send a temporary slow down or speed up of tempo message to your software. Its supposed to be used to sync your software to an external source, similar to how you would pinch the nub of a turntable platter to temporarily slow the tempo of a record. I’ve never found any use for it, and I wish that it was reassignable to another MIDI parameter, but unfortunately it is not.
There is also a monitoring section where you can plug in your headphones and monitor any of the 4 outputs. It works just like you would expect any mixer should. I use an external mixer with my 2D so i don’t use this very often, but it has come in handy from time to time.
At the time I purchased it, Traktor Pro was still in beta and I was using Traktor 3. A&H supplied a MIDI mapping for Traktor 3 and Ableton Live, but the company assumed you would only use two decks, and I wanted control over all four. Most of the 2D is set up in four rows of buttons, knobs, pots, and sliders, so I created a custom map using each row to control each of the four decks. No special considerations were necessary and midi mapping a Xone 2D is as easy as the software you are using makes it.
One thing I almost forgot to put in this review because it works so seamlessly is the soundcard portion of the Xone 2D. Its really as simple as selecting your audio outputs in your program of choice and pressing play. The 2D is capable of 96khz 24 bit audio, and sound quality has never been an issue for me. There are also digital and analog inputs [with a ground wire connection] for hooking up your CDJs or turntables.
On the road
For the last year, I’ve been using the Xone 2D as my primary controller at all my gigs. Since making the switch, I have found the amount time and energy I spend on setting up to play greatly reduced. All it takes is a power cord and a USB cable to connect to the laptop. Tying into a club’s mixer is as easy as running an RCA cable from one of its four outputs into the mixer’s line inputs.
As you’ve heard me talk about in my quest for headphones, durability is highly regarded in the book of Charles, and the Xone 2D does not disappoint. The casing is all metal and very sturdy. Its very clear that A&H built this controller to the same specifications as its mixers. It’s a rare and welcome addition in a market flooded with flimsy plastic. I feel pretty comfortable that if I were ever attacked by a rabid bear on the way to a gig, I could use the Xone 2D as a weapon, and still put on a good show later that night.
Because of its build to mixer-type specifications, the Xone:2D is on the large end of what is considered portable. It fits very nicely in my oversized DJ backpack, but don’t expect to put this unit along with cables, headphones and a laptop in a little knapsack.
The Xone:2D also has that intangible trust factor. When you are on the road, preforming in front crowds, having equipment that you know won’t let you down is worth its weight in gold. Every time I plug the 2D in, I know it is going to work exactly the way I expect it to.
Walter the Dog approves of the Xone 2D
There are a few draw backs, all of which are relatively minor. Before Traktor Pro 1.2 added additional effect slots to the fold, I felt that the Xone 2D had too many knobs. I have since found use for them all, using them to control TP’s 4 FX slots. I could definitely make use of a few more buttons, but that would have added to the size. My biggest complaint is that the BPM clock section can not be repurposed as midi controllers. The unit is also not bus powered, but hey, you can’t have everything.
Notes:
The Xone 2D pictured above is my personal one which is over a year old. Newer 2Ds come in back, as A&H has changed the color scheme of all Xone MIDI controllers to match the flagship Xone 4D. Also the 2D pictured has some custom stickers I created in Photoshop to display the parameters.
Do not, under any circumstances, leave your Xone:2D on top of a piece of a VJs lighting equipment while you tear down after a set and talk to girls. If this happens, your 2D could become blisteringly hot to the touch when you go to grab it. Of course, the Charles would never do such a thing, but rest assured that if this hypothetically were to occur, your Xone:2D would continue to work just fine despite the heat.
No bears were harmed by a Xone:2D in the making of this review.
If you tie your 2D into a club’s mixer before your set, be sure to inform the other DJs that it is not an extension of the mixer. Because the 2D looks so much like a mixer, on many occasions, I have seen DJs that shall remain nameless trying to use it during their sets.
Conclusions
If you are looking for a portable and durable all-in-one MIDI controller/soundcard you should seriously consider the Allen & Heath Xone:2D. It is built to last and with quality in mind. If you want to MIDI-fy your DJ set up, but love your traditional club mixer, this is what you’ve been looking for.
DanceCast Episode 51
Back on the lighter side of dance music, resident DJ Airty brings us his latest.
Duration: 77:33
Zoo Brazil – Late At Night (Tocadisco Remix-NoStop)
Armand Van Helden and A-Trak Presets Duck Sauce – Anyway (DJ DLG Remix)
Chocolate Puma – Back Home (feat. Colonel Red)
Stefan Gruenwald vs. Jerry Ripero feat Ela Wardi – Dont Go (Merlin Milles Remix)
Tommie Sunshine – 5am (A Girl Like You) (Black Noise Remix)
Housequake – People Are People (Nicky Romero Remix)
Adam K – Complicated (Vocal Mix)
Betty Bizarre – Emergency (Lissat and Voltaxx Remix)
Kelly Rowland feat David Guetta – Commander (Ralphi Rosario Club Remix)
Alex Barattini feat Wendy Lewis – Love Me (Outwave Project Remix)
Brew Ramson – Disco and Stilettos (Club Mix)
Pirupa and Pigi – Sweet Devil (Original Mix)
Paul Harris vs Eurythmics – I Want You (Max Sanna and Steve Pitron Mix)
Paul Van Dyk Feat Johnny Mcdaid – Home (Kaskade Remix)
D.O.N.S. feat Jerique – Groove On (D.O.N.S. Club Mix)
Vertical Smile – Just Hold On (Consoul Trainin Remix)