I literally just took ownership of my PX5 two days ago. It took two months to get one over here in Canada apparently because they’ve become quite popular (though this could just be that DJ mixer sales , in general, have been quite brisk).
I played my first show with it last night and it was bomber solid. Sound was on point and the I/O was precisely what I needed. The setup consisted of the following:
- 2x 6U 84HP euro rack cases running directly into channels 1 and 4. (each case sub-mixed through their own Befaco STMIX).
- Octatrack into channel 2.
- TR-8S into channel 3.
- Analog Heat MKII (on Master inserts).
- iPad Pro 11" (2018).
Routed as follows:
- All channels set to USB.
- Soundcard channels 9/10 set to FX.
- iPad running AUM with a channel instance for all mixer channels.
- Each individual AUM channel running Fab Filter Pro Q3.
- AUM channels for mixer channels 2 and 3 (drums and rhythmic elements) running Magic Death Eye Stereo compressor.
- AUM channels for mixers 1 and 4 running Fab Filter Pro C2 and receiving external sidechaining from AUM channels 2 and 3 (to pump the synths and make room for the kicks)
- AUM channel for soundcard channels 9/10 with BLEASS Delay into Eos reverb and returned into aux channel of PX5.
- iPad set at 48KHz/24bit with a buffer of 64 samples. It ran at no more than %20 DSP all evening.
The setup above allowed me to reduce foot print while gaining access to a stable of far more powerful EQ, dynamics control, and effects options. Being able to seamlessly integrate the iPad or Ableton is an absolute dream!
I did not work the internal effects section very much as I only had a day to get things ready. I used the DLY into Reverb algorithm briefly on the OT/TR-8S channels and it worked well. BPM detection was rock solid so I did not need to clock the PX5 externally over USB MIDI.
The iPad integration I’ve had planned out for a couple of months. I just couldn’t get confirmation that the insert effects setup with the iPad would work. It absolutely does though. Flawlessly.
The other option I was looking at was the Xone:96. Having the extra EQ band, sound card, and filter would all be great options but not enough to warrant another $1000 CAD. In the future, should my partner start clicking with her MC-707 and we want to do shows with each of our own hybrid setups, then we would look at the Xone:96 for it’s dual filter and soundcard options. Simply put, the extra features are not required for my setup.
I would %100 recommend the PX5 to anyone looking for a killer sounding analog mixer that has elegant and sophisticated routing options at a moderate price.
<3