Xone: DB4- the official unofficial thread
Xone: DB4- the official unofficial thread Posted on: 18.10.2011 by Romelia Stankard (former thread title Xone: DB4- convince me not to sell off my possessions and drain my bank account)I mean it's just a mixer, nothing I should sell my S4 and some other expensive possessions for and drain my bank account completely for... right? I am having a hard time with this decision. I know it won't make me a better DJ, yet it gives me the urge to make irrational spending decisions. Please talk me out of it. | |
| Makeda Collister 15.02.2014 | i am trying to record my dj sets in audacity i connect the xone DB4 to my mac mini via usb and it is listed in audio midi and system preferences. i am running latest drivers and osx mavericks. the problem i have is i am still not getting a level signal at all. If I go to System Preferences then sound no music signal is shown by bars in input when i select xone and also says the selected device has no input controls. is this why audacity is not working as it is not getting an audio signal? Have i missed something straight forward? |
| Alphonso Deitchman 08.02.2014 |
Originally Posted by frankle
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| Margareta Mogilevsky 08.02.2014 | Well it's a quite evening
at my gig right now, the 40 deg day here in Melbourne might have something to do with it! So I've got access to our store demo 2013 MacBook Pro 13" Retina, and so I got to my gig early and plugged it into the same gear as listed above (both have identical library, OS, drivers & Traktor settings) ... played a few tracks to myself and got momentary screen freezes and audio drops ... Looks like the USB3 thing still isn't fixed, will submit my log file to the Xone guys Back to using my 2.5 year old MacBook Air for the gig ... I hope the USB3 thing gets sorted soon, I would actually like to upgrade my laptop this year but it looks like I'll have this old thing for a while yet, and besides, Traktor only uses around 30% of one thread in Activity Monitor with my MBA, and the brand-new MBPr is about 40% ... probably a topic for another thread! Regarding the "Traktor Reported Latency" compared to other soundcards/mixers, I'm going to have to do some real testing with simultaneous I/O from a fixed source, through the DB2 and TA10 (for example), and record each output to compare the offset of waveforms ... It's the only real way to see if it's real or just a figure that NI have stuck into Traktor. To me the "192 Samples" setting on the DB2 feels the same as 192 on the TA10 and DJM850/900. |
| Delena Katherman 08.02.2014 |
Originally Posted by frankle
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| Margareta Mogilevsky 07.02.2014 | 3.5 hours toevening
at my Friday evening
residency where I take the console in with me, and it was rock solid. For those that would like to know the working setup: MacBook Air 13” i5-1.7GHz 2011 model (USB2 only), 4GB RAM OS X 10.9.1, Bit Accurate Driver Selected for DB2, Traktor Pro 2.6.7, 192 samples latency USB on Left port only used (kept right open to swap to Traktor Audio 10 if needed) - to Logitech Premium Hub On the Hub I had - DB2, 2 x X1mk2, CDJ2000NXS I run the hub passive and have no issues with power to either of the X1mk2's, and have no issues with audio drops or anything like that either ...and for those ready to jump down my throat for it, I'd rather have the other port ready to plug in the TA10 should anything "hit the fan" ... and I've had previous issues with the DB2 even when plugged into it's own port. Latency at 192 samples still showed up as 15ms total, but there was no perceivable difference launching tracks/samples compared to when I'm using either the DJM850 or TA10/Xone:92. Going to try out a new 13" MacBook Pro Retina toevening with USB3, with exactly the same setup, will report how it goes. Thanks. |
| Margareta Mogilevsky 06.02.2014 | Going to give it a go with the DB2 toevening , will let you know how it goes |
| Judi Sissel 06.02.2014 | confirmed working with traktor and core audio on Mavericks.... Finally! |
| Delena Katherman 07.02.2014 | Sweet. Thanks for the update. |
| Hulda Ramprasad 06.02.2014 | Mavericks beta driver released by A&H for those in need. http://xonecommunity .allen-heath.com/for...v300b10-driver |
| Layne Kitt 21.01.2014 | didn't realized that the DB4 was having driver issues with Mavericks. Happy that I haven't done that updated on my MacBook yet. Hopefully this update will be out soon. Seems like it will be coming shortly after NAMM is finished |
| Amira Gotcher 23.12.2013 |
Originally Posted by makar1
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| Alphonso Deitchman 24.12.2013 |
Originally Posted by jdownesbaird
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| Judi Sissel 12.12.2013 |
Originally Posted by djproben
Originally Posted by MrPopinjay
Originally Posted by DJ Bob
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| Amira Gotcher 12.12.2013 |
Originally Posted by DarioJ
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| Kiyoko Wellisch 12.12.2013 | So what are these driver issues? Is it a problem with the drivers, or the hardware itself? Does the problem persist with unofficial drivers? This sort of thing is precisely why open source software is important. If everyone was using OSS we wouldn't be here twiddling our thumbs, hoping A&H fixes it, we'd just do it ourselves. Or some bright spark would have done it already for us. Speaking of which, has anyone tried the DB range of mixers with ALSA? I'd love to know if it works or not, and to what degree.
Originally Posted by DarioJ
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| Danae Dumler 11.12.2013 |
Originally Posted by DarioJ
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| Delena Katherman 09.11.2013 |
Originally Posted by enorjy
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| Delena Katherman 08.11.2013 |
Originally Posted by enorjy
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| Delena Katherman 23.12.2013 | Yeah, I'm aware of the hack. Trying to do this legitimately if possible, since I do own the proper hardware. Nothing to see here, mods! Back on track now... |
| Amira Gotcher 23.12.2013 |
Originally Posted by makar1
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| Alphonso Deitchman 24.12.2013 |
Originally Posted by jdownesbaird
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| Delena Katherman 23.12.2013 | Awesome. Thanks for the update. EDIT: Somewhat related question. I bought an A10 after months of waiting for DB2 driver updates. I moved to a Traktor Scratch setup, anyway, so I would have needed the A10 since the DB2 isn't a Traktor Scratch certified mixer. Here's what I'm wondering: can I use the DB2 as the primary audio interface with Scratch Pro (assuming the drivers get worked out) as long as the A10 is plugged in? I know it's a little ridiculous, but there is much more routing of cables involved with using the A10, and all I need is a USB connection for the same routing using the DB2. I'm hoping I can simply plug in the A10 to "activate" scratch functionality in Traktor, but then ignore it. It would basically be a big dongle. |
| Hulda Ramprasad 23.12.2013 | Allen & Heath community
update today: "We are now moving ahead with testing Xone drivers with the 10.9.1 update to OS X Mavericks (issued by Apple on December 17th). We are hoping to be in a position to release updated drivers early in the new year." |
| Delena Katherman 13.12.2013 | Thanks for the info, and I agree with your statement about a new OS. However, the DB2 audio interface never worked right on USB 3 and Mac (audio dropouts, latency) with ANY version of OS X, even though it was sold with this supposed functionality. With many Macs, the audio interface in the DB2 remains completely unusable. No recourse was provided by A&H except to wait. Perhaps they are doing the best they can, but I specifically chose this mixer because of the included interface. I don't regret having this mixer now, since it's awesome, but not having functionality that I paid for was frustrating. |
| Hulda Ramprasad 13.12.2013 | At BPM this year I attended one of the Allen & Heath seminars and got to have a 5 minute chat with Andy Rigby-Jones. I asked him directly what the future was for the DB series (and more specifically, the DB4 as I own one too), whether they had any new mixers up their development sleeve or if the DB4 would continue to be worked on. He said that the shelf life of the DB's has many years ahead, specifically due to upgradable firmware, so it's not as though they've 'given up' on them at all. He just mentioned to me that A&H's primary business is not DJ, irrespective of the impressive quality of their mixers. They are a small boutique firm and unfortunately simply cannot afford to place what resource they have on their secondary business. That's not to say they do not work on DJ, because they do, but there are only a small handful of people that are active - this is why updates may seem slow, but they ARE working on it. I use my DB4 with an audio 10 anyway, so I (thankfully) haven't noticed any trouble since upgrading to Mavericks. But, and I'll say the boring, annoying phrase seen over many community topics of this nature that "if a company says they are not currently supporting a fresh operating system just yet, then you simply shouldn't upgrade", especially if that hardware means that much to you or you need it to maintain your household income. I am sure that A&H are working on this stuff, but they do not have the man power that other companies do - that is the reality. It is not ideal, and I am in complete agreement with the masses and yes, seeing more updates would be nice but I did know this about A&H before I bought my DB4 so had kind of already bought into it. It's a chicken and egg situation. Pioneer have the mixer strangle-hold on the industry meaning others rarely get a proper look-in. If the sales figures and production of the DB's increased rapidly, you can bet A&H have more room to grow that business - whether that happens in the future, who knows, but for now we are where we are. Recently I had a flirt with a DJM900 nexus at home and after brief use of it for a week it went straight back to the store. Putting my beloved DB4 back in its rightful place and kicking off a mix was like silk in comparison to Pioneers sandpaper - if A&H never updated the firmware for this mixer again I wouldn't be upset at all based on this. It's a beautiful thing and this far outweighs anything else for me. |
| Delena Katherman 12.12.2013 | Those who have had driver problems for MONTHS and MONTHS after buying an expensive mixer that promised to include an audio interface know what real frustration is. I love this mixer. Best ever. BUT, I had to buy an Audio 10 finally to make it work the way it was supposed to work out of the box. The communication with A&H was absolutely awful. Support was nice as hell, but nobody was really helpful or offered any valid options or plans. Beta drivers were eventually released and announced on their blog, but the drivers didn't work and had to be removed. However, they kept the announcement up with the links on the blog for about a week (took that long for someone to finally get around to taking it down and explain what was going on). "Real" beta drivers were eventually released, but many users are still experiencing the same deal-breaking audio drops. You would believe that the company would go out of its way to make it up to customers who spent up to $1500 (I got mine on sale) for a mixer that DOESN'T WORK as advertised, but they are staying silent. A little communication goes a long way. The community over there is a ghost town. That said, I will take my Xone to my grave. It's just unfortunate that I had to spend an additional $400 (and complicate my setup with more routing/wiring) because a key feature wouldn't work. It was too late for me to return the mixer anyway, and I couldn't wait any longer for drivers. This badass mixer deserves better. |
| Judi Sissel 12.12.2013 |
Originally Posted by djproben
Originally Posted by MrPopinjay
Originally Posted by DJ Bob
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| Amira Gotcher 12.12.2013 |
Originally Posted by DarioJ
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| Kiyoko Wellisch 12.12.2013 | So what are these driver issues? Is it a problem with the drivers, or the hardware itself? Does the problem persist with unofficial drivers? This sort of thing is precisely why open source software is important. If everyone was using OSS we wouldn't be here twiddling our thumbs, hoping A&H fixes it, we'd just do it ourselves. Or some bright spark would have done it already for us. Speaking of which, has anyone tried the DB range of mixers with ALSA? I'd love to know if it works or not, and to what degree.
Originally Posted by DarioJ
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| Danae Dumler 11.12.2013 |
Originally Posted by DarioJ
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| Judi Sissel 11.12.2013 | Sup guys? Anyone else feeling a little abandoned? |
| Delena Katherman 09.11.2013 |
Originally Posted by enorjy
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| Rochel Papillion 08.11.2013 | dang, I was believeing about getting a DB2 but if there is that many reports of driver problems goin on, maybe it might not be a good idea |
| Delena Katherman 08.11.2013 |
Originally Posted by enorjy
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| Rochel Papillion 08.11.2013 | do you need a driver even when using as external mixer or just internal? |
| Judi Sissel 08.11.2013 | I've got the DB4 and its been working very well with Traktor, but ONLY Traktor. I feel bad that I told neilmcm that it was working fine for me, but then come to find out, that I can't use it for an output device (even though I can see it) for my MBP. I'd like to believe that I've gotten better latency with the Mavericks/2.6.4 combo then previous configurations. Like you said, I love this mixer, but the mixer can only go so far, developmentally and satisfaction wise, and it seems like A&H is taking a dump on both. Throw us a line here... |
| Delena Katherman 08.11.2013 |
Originally Posted by DarioJ
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| Judi Sissel 07.11.2013 | My biggest gripe with A&H is the amount of self promotion they have been recently doing over customer interaction. They have updated more pictures of people using the gear, then they have on answering questions and/or post being made on their community
. If I wanted a marketing driven mixer, I would of bought one. I am not going to be unreasonable and expect firmware revisions every 1/4 year, new features to be added every 6 months, or even a X.X version to be done yearly... What I do believe is reasonable, and should be expected is, A&H to openly give us (all A&H customers) some type interaction outside of a blog post and blanket statements. Yes, I understand that the DJ department is not A&H'a bread and butter, but then why build a mixer/gear that you can completely support (digitally) and not support it? or at least build customer's support for it? Thats just not a smart business practice. I believed, and want to still believe, that this mixer is going to have a great bright future, but as of late... |
| Hulda Ramprasad 07.11.2013 | Having watched and listened to that entire video, it does leave me believeing..... what's his point? He's obviously very passionate about his subject, but I'm having trouble finding out what that subject actually is. Is he saying that he's miraculously uncovered the fact that the DB4 is actually made in China even though the identifying marks state it's made in the UK? Is he saying anything "Made in China" is crap, but in Germany is excellent? I don't really follow. If he's saying that everything produced in China is crap, he may want to have a word with the likes of Apple and see what they believe. And if the German's mass produce stuff whereby buttons don't occasionally fall off things, then well, what can I say... |
| Larae Knifong 06.11.2013 | I'm just curious to see if you guys feel the same way as this guy does. |
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