Xone DB4

DaveMech · 2024-01-28T10:29:51.705Z

DB4 for me was a laptop substitute. And the mod matrix + looper workflow is really great. With my current setup I can design my own fx chains within push. And I don’t use a looper anymore. I’m still experimenting with recording clips live for automation recording and midi notes for example.

Model 1.4 gives me analog summing, a nice way to mix and sculpt the audio I send to it, and just in general a really nice sound. Plus a lot more headroom.

I still think DB4 is really great but it doesn’t make much sense in this setup. Never going to sell it though as I might need it again someday

plragde · 2024-01-28T21:23:37.084Z

DaveMech:

Never going to sell it though as I might need it again someday

I am glad you still own this, because it looked like a very powerful combination. I was sad to see it was no longer available, even though it is out of my league. Maybe someday.

davidj · 2024-01-28T22:53:58.725Z

Thanks @DaveMech

I should keep trying with my current setup, which consists of 2 Launchcontrol XL’s as my mixer, a midi fighter twister for device control, and a Launchpad for session view stuff. I feel like I should be able to get a smooth flow with looping and effects, but I probably need to code some stuff with ClyphX or remote scripts.

DaveMech · 2024-01-28T23:02:30.063Z

That seems like a very complete setup yeah!

The Ableton looper is somewhat usable in a similar fashion as the one on the db4 albeit without it being a one knob control thing. It’s slightly quirkier but it does work.

solutions I tried that try to do something similar to db4 all felt awkward though so I just decided to embrace the way this setup works best and go from there.

davidj · 2024-01-28T23:59:03.939Z

Yeah all the parts are there but making it all work seamlessly, the way I want it to, is a bit of a chore. In the end it will be a much more flexible system than the DB4, I’m just wondering if that’s actually a good thing.

_VNCNT · 2024-02-15T21:26:37.098Z

Hi everyone!

Looking for some advice as I’ve been experiencing some irregular behavior with my DB4.

I’ve narrowed it down to a bad fader / e.g. I get signal going to the master even when the fader on channel 1 is completely down (analog input)

Other faders behave normally.

Now… has anyone opened one of these, I have found the power shematics, the service manual and the parts #, looks like I need an AI6343 Fader (they seem to be available online)

My question is, as I understand, the inside of the DB4 is most likely pretty crowded and accessing the faders for replacement appears to be fairly cumbersome.

Anyone has first hand experience or would be able to direct me to a good ressource for orientation.

I initially brought the unit to a certified Allen & Heath Service center but they did not replace the fader and the problem persists.

I’m in Canada and Allen & Heath directed me to a sevice center in the U.S.

I would like to avoid shipping the unit all over the place for cost and by fear of having it coming back in a worse shape than when it left…

Love the unit and would like to be able to keep it going for much longer.

Cheers all

_VNCNT · 2024-02-15T23:14:30.288Z

Since I’m here,

Here’s something else, has anyone used the Digital inputs successfully with some hardware.

e.g. Digitakt main Stereo output - 1/4 inch to RCA stereo into a Digital DAC converter (not sure if that’s the right term but you get the idea) - then into a digital input

I just realized that ( if latency is manageable) you could run up to 9 channels to use with the input matrix…

Anyone ?

Cheers

surfacescan · 2024-04-29T20:05:45.745Z

Hey @_VNCNT - I have exactly the same issue (it may be track 2 in my case).

I just sort of decided to overlook it - I get a smilies problem on the cross fader bleed as well.

Did you get any further progress?

_VNCNT · 2024-04-30T20:06:03.650Z

I haven’t fixed it yet, I’ve been using the mixer and just using the gain as a fader on channel 1,which is obviously, not ideal but a workaround for the moment, I plan on getting the unit to the authorized service center closest to where I live on the next week’s, for fader replacement… will update you then.

I also had the EQ section bleeding out from neighboring channels but since it got serviced that seems to be resolved.

Best of luck

DaveMech · 2024-06-01T18:57:58.072Z

So i was made aware of this:

Ploytec might revive old audio interfaces on gear like the zone DB4 to support the latest mac osx ! Check it out here

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ploytec/ploytec-revival

It’s a hardware converter. Pretty neat. By now I doubt I’ll jump on it as I probably will only use db4 as a hardware mixer, not as studio hybrid mixer. But anyone missing the great routing possibilities and high quality audio from DB4 on their OSX, this might make you really happy

XONE:4D and XONE:2D are also supported and more might follow with enough interest.

feedbac · 2024-06-02T09:09:23.894Z

It should be simple to code if they ask only for 3000€.
(just kidding, I would assume some of the money is coming from other places…)

lvthn · 2024-06-17T17:40:45.983Z

Hey Dave! Apple is getting new OS update and some software is forcing me to update above Catalina. I’ve made some research and found some possibilities:
First is Ploytec’s most recent project that you mentioned, the Ploytec revival, a USB highspeed converter for Xone:4d 2d DB4 & DB2 (without midi support yet)

Now, for the software possible solution, has anyone tried OpenCoreLegacy to install a patched macOS? This is intended for older MBP to run newer OS, but as far as I know this also enables legacy drivers to work seamlessly on newer OS by patching kernel and security issues

Could this work? Has anyone tried this?

Bagatour · 2025-07-11T21:56:36.721Z

Hi Dave! thanks to your amazing performance videos with the mighty DB4, I just got myself a super pristine one couple of months ago for my live performance setup. I have a DT2, DN2, Moog Labyrinth, Metal fetishist and a Nord Drum 3p all connected to DB4 with a complex routing. I also purchased the Revival PCB to make DB4 mac / iOS compatible again and it works great for my needs actually. Apart from all those good things I have a strange problem about the tempo-synced damage effects like stutter, dicer, bitbash, saturator on the DB4. There is a super annoying slight drift goin on when I activated the tempo-synced FX’s. Whatever I tried, those damage FX’s drifts slowly. Internal / external clock, BPM detection, DB4 own Midi clock determined from the menu etc… doesn’t matter, they just drift in a very annoying way like in a loop, like one of the machines is slightly slow or fast somehow. Then I just find out that when I send the master clock via iPad AUM app with the Revival to DB4 the stutter effects doesn’t drift but every time I stopped the music then hit play again the stutter FX starts from a different point like an LFO without a reset. So it looks like the DB4 BPM conscious damage effects designed to work like this which is weird and make those very cool FX’s unusable. I know I can correct the timing/ position of stutter or chopped audio by the FX adjust scroller knob to move the position of the chopped audio but its not an option during a live set. So I cannot turn on those effects instantly without cueing it cause I’ll never know where it starts to chop the audio. Btw, I dont want to use the iPad and AUM always connected to DB4 and if I set the BPM manually on both Digitakt and DB4 manually, those damage effects will drift eventually but it can be tolerable if the chopping/ stuttering position could be in the same position everytime I engage the FX.

Did you (or anybody) ever noticed that problem during the time you use the DB4 with your Elektron boxes? I know that there is no perfect gear but those tempo-sync FX’s shouldn’t work like this logically I think…

cheers !

DaveMech · 2025-07-12T11:27:07.607Z

Hey! Congrats on the DB4!

I can be very short in my answer: Unfortunately there’s no fix to this and it indeed renders them quite useless. I really tried to make them work but in the end I just settled with the groups: delay, reverb and res.

Bagatour · 2025-07-12T11:58:45.492Z

oh thats very disappointing… How a company like Allen & Heath make a beast of a mixer like DB4 and didn’t think about this, very strange. So as far as I understand, those tempo-sync effects were useless right from the beginning.

DaveMech · 2025-07-14T08:32:25.232Z

my only guess is that they were more meant for quick push in effects rather than long effects. It struck me as quite odd as well though

Bagatour · 2025-07-17T01:49:25.593Z

yeah maybe… but for example a quick push to the Dicer or Stutter in DMG FX section will result some unwanted out of sync audio chopping which nobody wants to use, so as you said its even weirder… I would really like to talk to someone at Allen & Heath for this strange issue and what was in their minds back in the day when they developed this beautiful hell of a beast mixer…

sacconaz · 2025-08-20T14:02:13.251Z

Hey man are you still using the DB4 I just got another one after selling my first one 5 years ago because I missed the creativity… I’m using it with the Revival USB Ploytech USB update but I notice the LOOPS drift A LOT… I don’t remember the looper being so out of sync… I use it with Traktor… do you notice variable LOOP drift?

DaveMech · 2025-08-20T14:24:00.567Z

Fairly confident to say that it’s probably traktor that is drifting, not the db4
Have you tried syncing traktor to db4 ? Db4 can be master clock. Never tried to set that up though.

sacconaz · 2025-08-20T17:11:32.719Z

Hey Dave! I switched from DB4 BPM Detect to MIDI CLOCK * and it seems to be working fine now… Do you still use the DB4 regularly…? I wish more DJ mixers had theses kind of features… Built in LOOPer and granular effects…! How is the the only one in the world the do this?