Allen and Heath Xone 43 Manual
Allen and Heath Xone 43 Manual
Allen and Heath Xone 43 Manual
Publication AP9968_1
Conditions of Warranty
The equipment has not been subject to misuse either intended or accidental, neglect, or
alteration other than as described in the User Guide or Service Manual, or approved by Allen
& Heath.
Any necessary adjustment, alteration or repair has been carried out by an authorised Allen &
Heath distributor or agent.
The defective unit is to be returned carriage prepaid to the place of purchase, an authorised
Allen & Heath distributor or agent with proof of purchase. Please discuss this with the
distributor or the agent before shipping. If the unit is to be repaired in a different country to
that of its purchase the repair may take longer than normal, whilst the warranty is confirmed
and parts are sourced. Units returned should be packed in the original carton to avoid transit
damage.
DISCLAIMER: Allen & Heath shall not be liable for the loss of any saved/stored data in
products that are either repaired or replaced.
Check with your Allen & Heath distributor or agent for any additional warranty information
which may apply. If further assistance is required please contact Allen & Heath Ltd.
Any changes or modifications to the equipment not approved by Allen & Heath could
void the compliance of the product and therefore the users authority to operate it.
http://www.allen-heath.com
Xone:43 mixer
Mains Lead
Check that the correct
mains plug is fitted.
Spare knobs
and buttons
Safety Sheet
Important ! Read this sheet
before starting.
Retain for future reference.
To ensure that you get the maximum benefit from the unit please spare a few minutes
familiarizing yourself with the controls and setup procedures outlined in this user guide. For
further information please refer to the additional information available on our website, or
contact our product support team.
http://www.allen-heath.com
Warranty ........................................................ 2
Packed Items .................................................. 3
Contents......................................................... 4
Setup Examples ............................................. 5
Mic / Aux Channel Input ............................. 6
Phono / Line Input Channels 1 to 4 .......... 7
Filter Section ................................................. 9
Headphone Section ...................................... 10
Master Section .............................................. 11
Crossfader ..................................................... 12
Rear Connectors .......................................... 13
Panel Drawings .............................................. 15
Specifications ................................................. 16
Block Diagram ............................................... 17
Filter Reference ............................................ 18
Operating Levels ........................................... 19
Earthing........................................................... 20
Replacing the Crossfader ........................... 21
Mic Input
1
1 Standard 3-Pin XLR socket wired as Pin 1 = Ground, Pin
2 = hot (+), Pin 3 = cold (-).
2 Aux Input
2
Dual RCA sockets for connecting an external line level
3 source.
7 Channel Equaliser
5
The Mic / Aux input channel is equipped with a 2 band
EQ stage providing +15dB of boost when fully clockwise
and –15dB attenuation when fully anti-clockwise.
Cue Switch
6
Press the Cue switch to listen to the pre-channel on sig-
nal in the headphones and view its level on the main me-
ters. Press the switch again to deselect cue.
7 Channel On Switch
Filter Select
6
Press to route the channel signal through the VCF filter.
The switch will illuminate to indicate that the channel is
being sent to the filter.
7 Cue Switch
7
Press the Cue switch to listen to the channel pre-fade
signal in the headphones and see its level on the main
meters. Press the switch to deselect cue.
8
9 8 Channel Meter
Channel Fader
9
A high quality, smooth travel fader adjusts the channel
signal level from fully off to fully on.
Resonance Control
1
This produces the classic Xone VCF sound by feeding
some of the filter output back to its input. The control
1 ranges from ‘mild’ producing a very subtle effect, to
‘wild’ producing a dramatic phase effect with feedback
just short of oscillation.
2
X:FX Return to Filter
2
Pressing this button routes the X:FX return to the VCF
3 filter, instead of directly into the main mix buss. The
effected channel signal can then be filtered as well, allow-
ing extra versatility and creativity to be brought into the
mix.
4
HPF
3
5 Turns on the high pass (bass cut) filter slope.
4 BPF
5 LPF
Headphone Outputs
4
Stereo 1/4” TRS jack and 3.5mm mini-jack sockets. Plug
in good quality stereo headphones intended for DJ mon-
itoring. Use closed-ear headphones that provide maxi-
mum acoustic isolation when cueing your sources.
In split cue mode, the left (L) mix meter will display the
cued channel signal level and the right (R) mix meter will
display the mix level. The cued mix audio is pre level to
prevent mismatch due to the position of the master lev-
el control.
2
2 Master Level Control
2
1
1 Crossfader
This lets you fade between signals routed to either side, typically to fade
smoothly into a new music track or to creatively layer sounds when scratch or
cut mixing.
The crossfader is a VCA controller which affects the level of signals routed via
the filters. Make sure the switches on the channels you wish to fade are set to
X or Y as appropriate.
This control adjusts the crossfader curve between dipped, dipless and fast-cut,
better suited for scratch or cut mixing.
3
1 AC Mains Input
IEC cable with moulded mains plug suitable for your local supply.
Check that the correct mains lead with moulded plug has been supplied with your console.
The power supply accepts mains voltages within the range 100-240V without changing any
fuses or settings. Ensure that the IEC mains plug is pressed fully into the rear panel socket
before switching on.
Note: It is standard practice to turn connected power amplifiers down or off before
switching the console on or off. This prevents any potential damage to speaker systems due
to switch-on transients.
4 5 6 7 8
4 Master Output
Balanced XLR. This is the main output that feeds the house PA system. Plug into the house
processor/amplifier system using balanced cables. Use balanced cables and equipment.
When the main meter LEDs are at “0dB” the output will nominally be at +4dBu. Do not
unbalance this output by shorting one phase to ground—for unbalanced operation use pin 2
only.
X:FX Send/Return
5 RCA phono. Connect your external effects device and use the X:FX dry / wet control to
send channel signals to the effects unit. The signal returns to the mix bus but can be routed
to the VCF filter by pressing the ‘X:FX’ button on the front panel filter section. This allows
the filter to be ‘stacked’ with an external effects device.
Record Output
6
RCA Phono, nominal 0dBu. Pre-level mix output for connection to external recording de-
vices.
Booth Output
7
RCA phono, 0dBu. Provides a line level stereo feed to the DJ local monitor amplifier sys-
tem. It is not affected by the master fader or cue system.
A screw terminal is provided for connecting the earth straps from turntables. This connec-
tion earths the metal parts of the turntable to reduce hum, buzz or similar audible noise get-
ting into the system.
Rear Panel
Front Panel
0dB
BAND-PASS FILTER
HI-PASS FILTER
+20
+20 -5
+15
+15 -10
+10
+10 -15
+5
LO
LO HI
HI
+5 -20
20 100 1kHz 10k 20k
0dB
0dB
-5
-5 BAND-PASS FILTER
+20
-10
-10
+15
-15
-15
+10
-20
-20
20
20 100
100 1kHz
1kHz 10k
10k 20k
20k +5
LO HI
0dB
LO-PASS FILTER
BAND-PASS FILTER
+20
+20 -5
+15
+15 -10
+10
+10 -15
+5
+5
LOLO HI HI -20
20 100 1kHz 10k 20k
0dB
0dB
-5
-5 LO-PASS FILTER
+20
-10
-10
+15
-15
-15
+10
-20
-20
20
20 100
100 1kHz
1kHz 10k
10k 20k
20k +5
LO HI
0dB
Allen & Heath 18 XONE:43 User Guide
LO-PASS FILTER
+20 -5
+15 -10
OPERATING LEVELS
It is most important that the system level settings are correctly set. It is well known that
many DJs push the level to maximum with meters peaking hard in the belief that they are
getting the best from the system. THIS IS NOT THE CASE ! The best can only be
achieved if the system levels are set within the normal operating range and not allowed to
peak. Peaking simply results in signal distortion, not more volume. It is the specification of
the amplifier / speaker system that sets the maximum volume that can be achieved, not the
console. The human ear too can fool the operator into believing that more volume is
needed. Be careful as this is in fact a warning that hearing damage will result if high listen-
ing levels are maintained. Remember that it is the QUALITY of the sound that pleases the
ear, not the VOLUME.
The diagram below illustrates the operating range of the audio signal.
NORMAL OPERATING RANGE. For normal music the signal should range between
–6 and +6 on the meters with average around 0dB. This allows enough HEADROOM for
unexpected peaks before the signal hits its maximum CLIPPING voltage and distorts.
It also achieves the best SIGNAL-TO-NOISE-RATIO by keeping the signal well above
the residual NOISE FLOOR (system hiss).
The DYNAMIC RANGE is the maximum signal swing available between the residual
noise floor and clipping.
An important note …
! The human ear is a remarkable organ with the ability to com-
press or ‘shut down’ when sound levels become too high. Do
not interpret this natural response as a reason to turn the sys-
tem volume up further ! As the session wears on ear fatigue
may set in, and the speaker cones may become hot so reducing
the effectiveness of the system and listeners to gain any benefit
from increased volume.
The standard fader can be ordered under A&H part number 004-632JIT
The Innofader can be ordered under part number 004-504JIT
Warning! Dismantling your mixer could invalidate the warranty; if you are unsure of your ability to safely
carry out this work then it is advised that you leave it to a qualified service technician.
Ensure that the power to the unit has been turned off and disconnected completely from the mains.
Step 1:
Remove and retain 2 screws from front panel.
Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:
Gently slide the two halves of the console
apart until the rear connector PCB is wholly
visible.
Step 5:
Step 6:
Step 7:
Step 8:
Step 9:
Fit the new replacement crossfader to the
bracket as shown (slot 1). 1
The longer (slot 2) beneath is for mounting
the optional Innofader (not supplied). 2
The standard crossfader must be fitted to slot
1 and not slot 2.
Step 10:
Step 11: