Rather than launch into technical jargon, let me summarize. It’s giant. It has lots of faders and knobs and color screens and such. Not only can you not afford it, you can’t lift it, either. It has an insanely stupid name. But it’s quite beautiful, like a 1979 vision of the future dreamt up by defense contractors.

Supposedly, it’s a digital mixing console. Pity, as it looks like it’d fit right in on your nuclear submarine. If I’m every successful as an evil mastermind, I’ll regularly hold late-night music sessions on my nuclear sub. I’ll sync the sub’s reactor system to, well, Reaktor, and use the periscope to control filter cutoff in Ableton Live. You’re invited. Mash-ups of the Beatles — well, that’s a no-brainer. (”And our friends are all aboard” / “Many more of them live next door” / “And the band begins to play…”)

In the world of Allen & Heath, this is a “compact” digital mixing console. (See the product site for what a non-compact version looks like.) It’s “designed for smaller applications such as theatres, churches and touring bands.” Hmmm … my idea of a band tour generally involves some cheap plastic control surface in a tote bag, not this and a bus, but that’s why I’m not a real rock star.

And they somehow decided to call the whole line iLive, which sounds like some tinny plastic speaker accessory for iPod.

Got £15,000 + ? This is yours, starting July 2007. Other members of the CDM staff would rather have this. In the meantime, back to my far-cheaper controllers and mixers.

iLive Digital Mixing Line

The gradual rise of computer DJing raises questions about just what gear a DJ would want. Mixers were, after all, designed for working with a couple of decks, not a computer that itself can mix. Allen & Heath’s solution has been to cross-breed its popular DJ mixers with MIDI control and computer audio interface functions.

If the pricey, large Allen & Heath Xone:3D mixer/controller was more than you needed, it now has a svelter sibling in the form of the Xone:2D. Like the Xone:3D, the Zone:2D integrates a computer audio interface and MIDI controller for DJ software. Unlike the Xone:3D, the 2D is smaller, has fewer controls, and evidently no mixing functions. The tradeoffs result in a much smaller, more affordable unit. The aim seems to be integrating your computer with existing mixers rather than being an all-in-one solution as with the 3D, though it might work well in compact computer setups, as well.

And, of course, since it has MIDI the Xone:2D becomes a candidate for VJ gigs, as well.

Basic specs:

1. Audio interface with two configurations: 3×2 stereo inputs from a computer, 1 stereo return, or 2 stereo ins and 2 returns
2. Digital I/O (both optical and coax)
3. BPM counter with LED, with tempo driven by audio tempo detection, tap tempo, or MIDI clock “nudge”
4. USB, 5-pin MIDI connectors
5. 5 faders, 8 center-detent pots, 19 push buttons (4 illuminated), 5 rotary encoders with push-to-switch, multi-function jog

Pricing/availability unknown. Looks interesting, but I’d rather enjoy seeing Allen & Heath build a controller-only model for laptop DJs and electronic musicians. Informal reader poll for the CDM DJs: do you fancy this sort of mixer/controller and audio/controller integration, or do you prefer to keep them independent?

XONE Series (Nothing on the 2D yet, evidently)

DJs, VJs, and laptop musicians, Allen & Heath has your ultimate hardware, coming later this year:

The Xone:3D integrates a full DJ mixer, a MIDI/USB control surface complete with scratch surface, and multichannel audio interface
into a single box. Allen & Heath says it "allows the user to
manipulate and manage any source – such as mp3, CD, video and vinyl -
from a central interface." I say it allows you to stop having to schlepp a bunch of different gear to gigs! (read more)

"Any source" is well and good, but in Frankfurt the Xone:3D was rigged with a laptop running Ableton Live,
down to a green cardboard-cutout template with Live logos attached to
the top of the interface — and that's music to my ears. As a control
surface, the Xone:3D has quite a compliment of faders, knobs, and
buttons, but it's a serious mixer, too: 14 in, 10 out, 11 simultaneous stereo channels for mixing. That must be why DJ Ritchie Hawtin was spotted giving it a good twiddle; as a reader observed Hawtin has long used a customized A&H controller in his work.

No pricing, but A&H promises the end of the year. Santa? (Thanks to a couple of readers for the tip.)