The concept of the ALIVE tour is to "take DJ'ing to a new dimension, incorporating visual and audio clips, which are controlled by the latest technology".
"ALIVE was not possible until the DB4 arrived - it is the piece of kit that cemented the fact I could do it," explains Andy. "The ergonomics and layout of the mixer was a culture shock at first, as the DB4 is different to every other mixer but I soon realised it was a new step, which would become a central point for control, as it's too complicated to flip between keyboards, controllers and computers - everything is controlled from the hub."
The Xone:DB4 controls various MIDI devices, computers loaded with Traktor and Ableton, three turntables, and there are specific audio and visual clips assigned to the mixer's MIDI buttons.
"The input matrix is incredible," says Andy. "Things get complicated with three records on the go but being able to load a tune into one channel, create a loop, flip it onto another channel, bring that loop back in, then add effects, is great for build ups. I can easily switch between effects because they are available on each channel, and I can control the MIDI on each channel too. The amount of control is unbelievable."
(Jim Evans)
