Xone: DB4- the official unofficial thread

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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.
Romelia Stankard
15.03.2012
Originally Posted by djproben
On the off topic thing, what the hell is a silent disco? If its silent why do they need a dj?
...

Everyone gets wireless headphones and can switch between channels. Sounds pretty damn stupid to me to have to dance around listening to music on shitty headphones.
Danae Dumler
15.03.2012		Yeah I had to exchange a DOA unit with them and they turned it around inside of two weeks.

On the off topic thing, what the hell is a silent disco? If its silent why do they need a dj?

Edit: nevermind I just googled it. I agree that sounds pretty bizarre, it would be kind of eerie to watch without the headphones.
Romelia Stankard
15.03.2012
Originally Posted by Rev1911
It'll be one of those things that bothers me, I'm sure. Is the exchange process with PAS pretty smooth? Hate to be without this thing. It is absolutely amazing, minus the QC issues.
Yeah it is.
Shaniqua Tisa
15.03.2012
Originally Posted by Xonetacular
Hmm, probably pressure from the top protective plastic plate on the actual lcd screen. I don't believe you should actually be concerned about something breaking but it shouldn't be there. Might want to exchange it while you still can if it bothers you.
It'll be one of those things that bothers me, I'm sure. Is the exchange process with PAS pretty smooth? Hate to be without this thing. It is absolutely amazing, minus the QC issues.
Romelia Stankard
15.03.2012
Originally Posted by Rev1911
There's some discoloration in the top left corner of the mixer's screen. Responds to pressure like there's air under it. Kind of looks like an oil slick on the ocean.

Think I should be concerned? Wasn't there last time I used it and I keep my gear covered when not in use.
Hmm, probably pressure from the top protective plastic plate on the actual lcd screen. I don't believe you should actually be concerned about something breaking but it shouldn't be there. Might want to exchange it while you still can if it bothers you.
Shaniqua Tisa
15.03.2012
Originally Posted by fullenglishpint
Sorry, found what?
There's some discoloration in the top left corner of the mixer's screen. Responds to pressure like there's air under it. Kind of looks like an oil slick on the ocean.

Think I should be concerned? Wasn't there last time I used it and I keep my gear covered when not in use.
Tatum Ansaldo
15.03.2012
Originally Posted by mostapha
I'm sorry that this is off topic. I get the idea of a silent disco, but
Judi Sissel
15.03.2012		Damn... I was just believeing that with the 2.5 update you could basically turn the whole effects and looper section (per channel) to control some functionality to the new remix decks. Of course this is with speculation that NI gives us a way to map it (which I believe they will). Are the dry/wet and expression knobs part of the midi section? I thought that the whole mixer is midi mappable?

Just me but I believe A&H should believe about adding a 'midi-layer' feature. That being said from someone who wouldn't have clue into what that would take. Midi-per channel would be cool too. Could do midi shift and the 'select' button.

EDIT: You could throw 2 channels into one remix deck and make some pretty damn cool noises....
Dorie Scelzo
15.03.2012
Originally Posted by fullenglishpint
Played my first gig with the DB4 last evening , a silent disco. It was a lot of fun, so much better than using the installed DJM-700 which is a POS.
I'm sorry that this is off topic. I get the idea of a silent disco, but…it really sounds like one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard.
Romelia Stankard
15.03.2012
Originally Posted by DarioJ
I was wondering if the midi-shift layer is customizable? specifically, if a section/button/knob of it is not mapped, will it/they retain their native function in midi-shift?
Not sure what you mean. in midi shift mode the normal function is deactivated and it just transmits midi.
Tatum Ansaldo
15.03.2012
Originally Posted by DarioJ
I was wondering if the midi-shift layer is customizable? specifically, if a section/button/knob of it is not mapped, will it/they retain their native function in midi-shift?
No, midi shift kills all the native functions (in the midi shift area).
Judi Sissel
15.03.2012		I was wondering if the midi-shift layer is customizable? specifically, if a section/button/knob of it is not mapped, will it/they retain their native function in midi-shift?
Tatum Ansaldo
15.03.2012
Originally Posted by Rev1911
Fired up the mixer to finally get to spend some time on it after receiving it a week ago and found this.
Sorry, found what?
Tatum Ansaldo
15.03.2012
Originally Posted by Xonetacular
Who installs a DJM-700 anywhere?
Luminar is that company that owns the place and they went into administration a few months ago. Their standard install is (well, was) 2 DVJ-1000s and a DJM-700. That mixer has been beaten to death, I'll try and remember to snap a pic of it next time I'm down there so everyone can be suitably shocked and appalled.
Shaniqua Tisa
15.03.2012		Fired up the mixer to finally get to spend some time on it after receiving it a week ago and found this.



Wasn't there when I first un-boxed it. Any thoughts? Think I'm going to switch it out for a new one with ProAudioStar. A bit frustrated...
Lita Vavrina
16.03.2012		Wow 2100 that's awesome I got quoted 2349. Which still isn't a bad price but it's not 2100 lol.
Romelia Stankard
16.03.2012
Originally Posted by fullenglishpint
It was a lot of fun, so much better than using the installed DJM-700 which is a POS.
Amen brother

Who installs a DJM-700 anywhere? It's everything crappy about the 800 with none of the redeeming features of the 800.
Tatum Ansaldo
15.03.2012		Played my first gig with the DB4 last evening , a silent disco. It was a lot of fun, so much better than using the installed DJM-700 which is a POS.

arena sound of silence.jpg
Danae Dumler
15.03.2012		^^^proaudioStar that is got a deal on mine from there for 2100
Romelia Stankard
15.03.2012		Call or email proaudiotar and get a quote
Lita Vavrina
15.03.2012		Thinking of getting this beast. Anybody know of a place to get it as cheap as possible? new or used don't matter. I'm located in Chicago but figure best prices I'm gonna find are online. Thanks for any help guys.
Dorie Scelzo
11.03.2012		It's almost trivial to do that in Ableton. It's not quite as seamless as on the DJM-900, but you could map it to one knob (or a MIDI touch strip is you really wanted to).
Danae Dumler
10.03.2012
Originally Posted by DJ Bob
@djproben - Yes, you can use the matrix to apply fx to selected frequencies but there is also another way which is much easier. Most fx allow you to choose the frequency range to apply them to. Just press & hold the 'fx adj' button and the display changes to show you a low pass or notched filter which you can use to dial in the fx frequencies however you want. The different delays have quite a variation in the range of the filter from wide to very narrow.
Ahhhhh I get it now, will play with this parameter adjustment some more. The picture just confused me and of course I might have understood it better had I read the documentation on the effects parameters
Cliff Lohman
11.03.2012
Originally Posted by djproben
OK I was just joking but now I actually do want to say something cool I figured out with this mixer toevening when I should have been going to bed. I was kind of perturbed to read that the Pioneer 2000 mixer has a feature I've always wanted (in traktor or in a mixer): the ability to apply effects only to certain frequencies rather than the whole channel signal. Well it turns out you can do this with the input matrix. It's a bit tricky to maneuver in the mix but you put the same signal on two channels and set the filters on one to attenuate all the low frequencies (top knob all the way turned up, bottom knob about halfway, and resonance really low, so that channel is just playing the higher frequencies), then bring the channel fader up for that channel slowly while you attenuate the highs on the main channel at the same time (top knob turned down about halfway). If you do this right there shouldn't be any noticeable change in the music; you now have the highs on one channel and lows on another, and you just run your effects on the channel you want to effect. You could do this with the EQs of course too, just have the highs and/or mids on one channel and the rest on the other channel.

It's kind of an ordeal to do it though, not necessarily worth the effort -- I'd rather hit a shift button and have the five effects buttons on each channel turn into frequency band buttons indicating which parts of the frequency the effects would be applied to (with the effected frequencies lighting up of course). Hmmm time to go look for the feature request page on the A+H website....
Its not too hard to do this in the mix and its just another bit of flexibility this thing provides.. tho most FX have really good parameters available for tweaking as far as frequencies go..

I do like using the input matrix to make a kind of stuttered delay (like when u have doubles going with one version a half beat or so off). Using two inputs with one dry and one with a wet delay anywhere from 1/4 to 3/4 gives some pretty cool results.

Also cool to do rolls with over the dry beat (like other mixers "roll" feature).

What other tricks are peeps using input matrix for?
Amira Gotcher
10.03.2012		@djproben - Yes, you can use the matrix to apply fx to selected frequencies but there is also another way which is much easier. Most fx allow you to choose the frequency range to apply them to. Just press & hold the 'fx adj' button and the display changes to show you a low pass or notched filter which you can use to dial in the fx frequencies however you want. The different delays have quite a variation in the range of the filter from wide to very narrow.
Danae Dumler
10.03.2012		OK I was just joking but now I actually do want to say something cool I figured out with this mixer toevening when I should have been going to bed. I was kind of perturbed to read that the Pioneer 2000 mixer has a feature I've always wanted (in traktor or in a mixer): the ability to apply effects only to certain frequencies rather than the whole channel signal. Well it turns out you can do this with the input matrix. It's a bit tricky to maneuver in the mix but you put the same signal on two channels and set the filters on one to attenuate all the low frequencies (top knob all the way turned up, bottom knob about halfway, and resonance really low, so that channel is just playing the higher frequencies), then bring the channel fader up for that channel slowly while you attenuate the highs on the main channel at the same time (top knob turned down about halfway). If you do this right there shouldn't be any noticeable change in the music; you now have the highs on one channel and lows on another, and you just run your effects on the channel you want to effect. You could do this with the EQs of course too, just have the highs and/or mids on one channel and the rest on the other channel.

It's kind of an ordeal to do it though, not necessarily worth the effort -- I'd rather hit a shift button and have the five effects buttons on each channel turn into frequency band buttons indicating which parts of the frequency the effects would be applied to (with the effected frequencies lighting up of course). Hmmm time to go look for the feature request page on the A+H website....
Felipe Rasper
10.03.2012		Absolutely F#cking Great !
Danae Dumler
10.03.2012		yes, yes, but please let's get back on topic. Now precisely how amazing IS the DB4?
Kiyoko Wellisch
09.03.2012		Sad but true. Oh well.
Dorie Scelzo
09.03.2012		A lot of good ideas will scare closed-minded or simpleton DJs off. That's why there's basically no progress in DJ technology and why Pioneer can get away with charging more for a pair of CDJ-2000s than Apple does for a Mac Pro.

I'm not saying that I have anything resembling a solution, but that's apparently the way it is.
Kiyoko Wellisch
09.03.2012		No that makes sense but I doubt it would happen. I believe it'd scare people off since it looked too different.
Dorie Scelzo
09.03.2012
Originally Posted by Garygary1
I may be wrong, but i believe d sub connections are used on stuff like protools pci cards and the apogee duet. Its just more space efficient, allows for more ins/outs and possibly better sound quality.
Nothing to do with sound quality. They're all just wires. Just convenience & aesthetics.

Originally Posted by djproben
I believe he means have one connector on the DVS card with an octopus of RCA cables coming out of it to jam into your mixer. It would save you from plugging four cables into the DVS card every time.
Bing. It wouldn't be hard to build a D-Sub -> multiple male & female RCA snake that handles the direct signal as well. There'd be some differences between line and phono level signals and where they're supposed to go
Kiyoko Wellisch
09.03.2012		I just leave some cables plugged in and then plug them into things. One day I'd like to get multicores and just leave the card half and mixer half plugged in and then have a second set of mixer halves for gigging.

edit: it would be neat if they nicely screwed in though so they couldn't come undone.
Danae Dumler
09.03.2012		I believe he means have one connector on the DVS card with an octopus of RCA cables coming out of it to jam into your mixer. It would save you from plugging four cables into the DVS card every time.
Kiyoko Wellisch
09.03.2012		Yeah I believe I've seen it used on PCI cards to connect a little breakout cable for when you can't fit all the ports on the front panel. I just don't get what you use it for with a DVS card, I'm missing something here clearly
Chas Giraldez
09.03.2012		I may be wrong, but i believe d sub connections are used on stuff like protools pci cards and the apogee duet. Its just more space efficient, allows for more ins/outs and possibly better sound quality.
Kiyoko Wellisch
09.03.2012		That website should be renamed "let me be a dick". It adds nothing at all to any discussion, ever.

I'm interested in exactly why he wants to use them, something google won't tell me the answer to. In fact googling it won't give *any* info specific to the issue at hand since they are a pretty generic connector.
Dione Haimes
09.03.2012
Originally Posted by MrPopinjay
What's a D-Sub connector dude?
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=d+sub+connector
Kiyoko Wellisch
09.03.2012
Originally Posted by mostapha
I mean…that's how it can do that.

I still believe it's a dumber solution than actually having inputs like every other mixer and using multi-cores or something like them. But…I still believe that DVS sound cards should just use D-Sub connectors……it'd be more annoying if you forget your cable, but……well…meh.
What's a D-Sub connector dude?
Felipe Rasper
09.03.2012		indeed; jaw dropping with the CDJ2000's next to it !


Didn't find any lose screws in mine either... i would give the retailer a call about that if i was you.

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