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And I’m assured this is proper clean feed and
not the out of phase derived nasty mix minus
variety. You even get
switchable cue feed
to the source, either
standard clean
feed or an aux mix.
This feature enables
interviews to be
conducted while the
desk is on air (say
while a stereo replay
source is faded up) in
conjunction with the
pre-fade switched
Aux bus. You also
have talkback to
clean feed, which
is factory set to mic
one input pre-fader,
but can be from any
mono mic input.
If I was a quibbling
man – and I do
love a quibble – I’d
like the option of a
separate talk back
mic, but for self op
situations the implemented arrangement keeps
the number of mics down to a minimum. From an
operator’s point of view, the Telco channels offer
two extra comms channels – yum yum.
The XB-14 offers a plethora of stereo channel
options. You have four stereo faders, the first two
Not just an adapted common console,
the XB-14 is purpose-built for broadcast.
Headphones
by Ultrasone
stand for well-defined
exclusiveness and
professionalism
Take a closer look
The options are yours to explore
www.ultrasone.com
of which are switchable between quarter-inch
jack inputs and secondary inputs from phono
inputs. Like all the
channels, they feature
an individually selected
pre or post aux send
and a Mix B bus send.
The large ‘On’ switch
not only operates the
channel mute (with
the proviso listed above)
but also functions as
a remote start button.
In what can only be
described as a cunning
plan, there are seven
remotes available across
the four faders, one for
each input including the
secondary inputs.
There’s also remote
switching for studio
live lights and loud
speaker muting, along
with remote inputs for
muting the mic channels.
And last but not least,
connectivity to external
metering, so you can plug up your PPMs and mix
in good old-fashioned PPM 6 world.
All By Itself
I think it should be obvious by now that the
XB-14 is not a slightly customised Zed-series
allen & heath XB-14
hastily thrown together to makes some quick
cash. On the contrary, it is a thoroughly well
designed product that has wrestled with the real
challenges of making radio programmes and has
come up with a genuine radio friendly solution.
Of course, nothing is perfect and probably
the most significant omission is the lack of a
compressor. In the studio that probably won’t
matter, as signal processing no longer has to be
expensive. On the road, every extra box draws the
spectre of the back clinic just a little bit closer, and
is about as welcome as a visit from the Inquisition,
or worse – HMC&E.
Having quibbled though, and with the proviso
that I haven’t got one to play with, I can only say
that the arrival of the XB-14 is more welcome than
sliced bread. In fact, in an effort to contain my
excitement, I have gone back to un-sliced since
its announcement. More power to Allen & Heath;
we in radio land salute you. �
...................................
� GB£824.00 (exc.VAT)
INFORMATION
� Allen & Heath Ltd., Kernick Industrial Estate,
Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9LU, UK
� +44 (0) 1326 372070
� +44 (0) 1326 377097
� www.allen-heath.co.uk
THE headphone company
AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2009 33