Coldcut’s Matt Black (foreground) and Jon More during their live set in Tokyo, Japan, in April 2004
Audio/video samplers Coldcut used the new Allen & Heath Xone:92 mixer on their recent tour of Japan. The duo (Matt Black and Jon More) needed a mixer with a MIDI output facility to control and synchronize audio and visual material.
“The Xone:92 is the only DJ mixer with MIDI output in production, so we decided to test it on our Japanese tour,” said Coldcut’s Black. “Jon already uses a Xone:62 for his audio mixing, so we knew that the sonic standard would be excellent and the build quality superior. The Xone:92 performed very well and the sound quality delighted our sound engineer. We use a lot of material during our performances and we found that the mixer is very versatile and helps us manage different sources, giving us even more creative scope and freedom.”
Black uses a laptop playing VJamm2 AV sampler software—designed by Coldcut with Camart—and two Pioneer DVJX1 AV turntables. All audio from these sources is routed directly into the Allen & Heath Xone:92 mixer. A Korg Kaoss pad entrancer is on an effects loop from the Xone:92, and the VJamm2 and one of the DVJX1’s have their video signal routed through the Kaoss pad so that A/V effects can be applied to these sources before they reach the Edirol V4 video mixer, along with other video sources routed to the video mixer.
The video mixer is controlled via MIDI from the Xone:92, meaning that audio and visual sources can be controlled and manipulated on the mixer without needing to manage the video mixer, as well.
More has a laptop running Ableton live through a sound card, giving two stereo outputs: one through an effects unit into the Xone:62 mixer and the other directly into the Xone:62. Other sources are CD and vinyl turntables. Finally, the duo’s video tech, Mike Stirling, has a further video mixer with sources from DVDs and cameras, which are routed into Black’s video mixer, providing a layer of silent video for the A/V performance to be mixed over.
Additional information on Coldcut can be found at www.ninjatune.net/coldcut. Information on Coldcut’s sampler software can be found at www.vjamm.com. For more information on Allen & Heath, visit www.allen-heath.com.
