Behringer X-touch (potential X32 controller?)

[Alec]

With all the excitement around the M32, I wonder if anyone else spotted the X-Touch in Behringer's line-up?

 

http://www.behringer.com/landing/images/X-TOUCH_img.png

 

As well as looking like a fairly neat control surface in general (and brings the BCF2000 up to date), it has a resemblance to part of an X32, and this bit intrigued me:

 

"And the power and control can expand through an integrated Ethernet port allowing you to connect to a wireless network. That gives you the ability to control any X32 Series mixer from your X-TOUCH remotely."

 

Depending on how this works, it sounds like you could add 2 to an X32 and have 32 channel faders active, plus the DCA/BUS master section. For some people that could be really neat!

 

For a minute, until I realised it was mains power only, I started to wonder if it could be a walkabout remote solution with physical controls (as opposed to a tablet), but looks like it's 100% tethered.

[cedd]

Do we think that, by Ethernet control, it means OSC?

[S&L]

they are extremely light on the detail of this and it's two smaller sisters.

I really could do with a tape transport system to add to the x32 and laptop with reaper - all three can work as tape transport.

I read the brochure and watched the video carefully.

it's built with the same faders same livery etc as the x32 and seems to be an x-lite - i.e. an x32 type interface to use with DAW but without the x32 - but then it describes in the brochure that it does this 'and future x32 Remote control' and it has ethernet, usb and midi connections.

they say that withyou could use it with an x32-rack as a hands on fader controller for those mixing while playing

and maybe you could use it alongside a laptop or ipad for hands on control of gain, faders and mutes for those of us who don't go a bundle on virtual faders and want something beneath our hands.

I think you could also get virtually all the features you would need for studio work with this and a core and you have the transport and record functions there too.

I could see that it could conceivably be used to pull out a set of faders from a lower layer and have direct access but I can't imagine there are many people who need this feature desperately to spend money on it - that said the x-touch is their largest and I think I remember them saying it was $599 which is about £370

the x-touch compact (same as this but without the counter, wheel etc) is even cheaper and gives you the same faders (if fader extension is what you are after) for $399 = £250

if all you want is just tape transport rotary encoders and remote button then you could buy the mini - which would work well for say having a series of pre-set functions in a theatre setting cueing on demand and triggering sounds from qlab etc - the cost is supposedly £59.99 = £37. no I didn't mistype that.

 

the big caveat is absence of technical detail on what it will do now (when it reaches market?!) and what it will do in the future (another x32 firmware update?!) - even just a pretty drawing showing application possibilities would have been nice.

the other caveat is that I seem to recall that rack and producer prices went up from those they quoted at last years show. still a remote to provide tape transport connected through an x32 with buttons you can customise to set function on the x32 for forty quid. that's a toy worth picking up up to play with.

[djw1981]

I could see a market for this in some venues where you levae the big desk connected but for some events just need playback / remote access for a simple one mic event - this could work as a useful remote withoyt people needing to udnerstand the main desk