quote:

Originally posted by Exodus17 *ok so ill admit right off the bat this is more of a add on to one of my earlier threads - 7band EQ... but im really wanting as much input about this so il make a whole new thread id seen the X-9 before and its aways stood out for me due to its multiple channels and bunches of buttons* im a sucker for features and spiffyness and this mixer sports some stuff i'd overlooked * anyways my question for all you out there... to anyone who owns or owned this mixer or had any experience or any other info... could you give me a run down of its capabilities and whatnot i realize the knobs may be somewhat close together as mentioned in another thread but i happen to be vertically challenged and likewise, ive got small to medium sized fingers and ive seen this thing at a local guitar center and im sure i could work it just fine... so please... any reviews, comments, other input would be very much appreciated oh and a comparison to the Xone92 would be nice as well if anyones willing

i havnt used many mixers, but i would assume that the Xone62 is = to the X-9. I looked at all of thoes level of mixers, and came out with the djm 600.

I would assume since the Xone92 is the higher model from a & h that it would be much better then the 62.

___________________
Time exists so everything doesn't happen at once. Space exists so everything doesn't happen to you

the x-9 is a wonderful mixer and I can highly recommend it. It isn't on the same level as the xone 92 as it is similiar to the 62 but i can honestly say that for the price its one of the best also check out the ecler nou5 too.

___________________

I don't like the x-9 at all. Last year when I was looking into getting a new mixer, that was on my list. then i went to go see it and immediately crossed it off. The faders were so so loose, the knobs were very close together and the layout was annoying. IDK, I was really turned off by it compared to other mixers in that price range.
I own a Xone 92 right now, and you really can't compare the X-9 to it in any way, shape or form.

if I had $1000 to spend on a mixer, my list would include teh following in order of preference...
1. Pioneer DJM600
2. Xone 62
3. Rane Empath
4. Denon x1500

I would rather have almost any mixer over that awful Tascam.

Right, the X-9. Well I've used this mixer quite a bit and I'll give you a run down of what I thought...

Good things...

1 the parametric EQ is cool, it allows you to refine your EQing in mixes, lets you cut out that specific frequency.

2 Customisability (is that even a word???) there are so many things you can tune to your personal taste, fader curves (channel faders as well as x fader), Q factor (width of the EQ bands), headphone EQ, loadsa shit, you can even reverse the upfaders!!!

3 2 Samplers, very nice being able to have a sample from each source that your mixing can come in handy sometimes. Also the fact that you have two knobs for editing in and out points of your samples (ie one for in, one for out) is brilliant, makes creating sample loops 10x easier than on any other mixer.

4 Foot pedals, useful for those times when you need three hands! can be assinged to switch effects on/off, start sampler or even fader up/down.


Bad things....

1 Gain controls, soooooo fucking sensitve, seriously, turn the gain control knob about a degree and you'll get about 3-4dB of volume boost, which is absolutely ridiculous. Makes it absolutely essential to get your gains 100% matched before you bring the next track.

2 Lag, all the faders have about a quater of a sec lag. Doesnt sound like much but when your doing intricate fader work, especially with when playing more techy stuff it is really really really irritating

3 the buttons, there fucking annoying, i cant explain exactly coz i havent used one for a little while, but they just dont activate when you expect them to.

4 the parametric EQ, as i said in the other thread, the knobs are far too close together to make it useful, trust me dude, i have small hads too, buts its jsut too damn fiddly. Its not just that there too close, the knobs dont move smoothly enough, there too tight (this goes for every knob on the mixer, including gains which jsut adds to the problem of them being over sensitive).

I ahve lots of little niggles too, like the fact that the foot pedals arent really as useful as they seem as you really have to jump up and down on them, and the custom stuff, while being cool is a little pointless.

Dont get me wrong, you can be very creative with this mixer, and there are lots of things that are cool, but there are mixers which are much much better out there.

If i were you id go for the DNX1500, its a much much better mixer!

Exodus.

If you want precise control of your EQ (like no other DJ mixer can), plus two samplers and two internal effects ,and an internal "channel copy" feature and more, X-9 might be what you are asking for.

I made a long post explaing some of its uses and special tricks at the recently openned DJ central at www.tascamforums.com

It is not a perfect mixer. And being unique means it demands some usage to get you accustomed to its sensitivity and features.

As you see most all negative opinions above are based on the feeel, the layout, the tightness of controls, which are respetable in themselves but also something that talks about the way you are accustomed to use a machine.

Except a couple of points brought out by djdk, and judging by his post here I realise the mizer he tried out MUST have been one of the few early units(2001) without the upgrade installed. The upgrade completely corrected the latency(zero -0- latency now) and the steep EQ knob sensitivity.

Other than those "sensitivity" aspects of the hardware, this mixer has dedicated unique "sensitivity" and real controlling options. Let's see; it has -40 dB of cut at each of the Eq knobs, plus +12dB of increase (whether other mixers have +6 dB) meaning -yes-less displacement to finely point the knob, but more range to vary the EQ.
Plus X-9 is the only DJ mixer that offers you the "customizable" choice of two things important at EQualizing:

-1 To choose(three positions via menu) how thick the range(Q) of Equalization will controlled at each knob. You may see drawing at page 28 of the manual.
-2 Where in frequency the respective EQ knob is going to have its center:
Via a second recessed ring knob.
The Highs(treble) can be positioned from 6.000Hz to 20.000HZ.
The Midds(Mid-range) can be positioned from 200HZ to 6.000Hz.
The Lows(Bass) can be positioned from 20Hz to 200Hz

And that is not all; that "sweeping" variation can be moved in real time allowing you to do adjust ie; to fastly vary the sound of the incoming track's kick drum to match the sound of the playing track's kick drum easily by ear... That is what the real-time parametric EQ does, plus allowing you do shift as you like the EQ sounds as an additional effect.

The only close contender X-9 has(in the EQ control side of things) is the Allen & heath, only the Xone 92(-30dB cut/+6dB), and Xone 62(-26dB cut/+6dB) models that have the 4 EQ bands, though none offer adjustable or parametric control, model 32 has the normal 3 bands EQ.

All in all, I very much recommend you try it out by yourself and feel how it goes. Get to a reputed dealer and put your hands on a upgraded model. I would very much recommend you read ther manual(downlable from the above site) a couple of times before you actually get there...

___________________
"This knowledge may change you somewhat.

That's all knowledge ever really does, I suppose..."Marius

quote:

Originally posted by djcl.ear Except a couple of points brought out by djdk, and judging by his post here I realise the mizer he tried out MUST have been one of the few early units(2001) without the upgrade installed. The upgrade completely corrected the latency(zero -0- latency now) and the steep EQ knob sensitivity.

Id like to have a try on an upgraded one, the guy who owned the X-9 i used probably never upgraded it, actually hes a complete wreckhead and im almost certain he never upgraded it!

but as djcl.ear said, have a go on one before you fork out, you might love it, you might hate it, but its well worth finding out before you spend that kind of money!

very true...

did some digging and found that some other users had the problem of knob lag and whatnot but from what ive found, tascam has an update out to fix all that

those parametric EQs have me drooling

i see myself memorizing the manual already lol

___________________
*Fav tune at the moment*
Vector Burn - Paradise Lost
"This is the life we chose, the life we lead. There is only one guarantee - None of us will see heaven"

quote:

Originally posted by RickyM Next thread - trance for listening to when you are halfway down the stairs in your house...