Anyone have any experience with this unit?
http://www.dangerousmusic.com/dbox.html

summing/monitor.......

There's another thread on this that was started a while ago with no user feedback.....anyone get one of these yet?

If you want an opinion...
This is device that was needed badly, about 7 years ago. Now DAWs have the internal resolution to do mixes in the ways that top producers are just mixing ITB. It's a great idea, but too late for it to matter.

To be fair to Dangerous, the D-Box is far more than just a summing unit. It also has two discrete headphone amps, a monitor controller, two AES DA converters and extra analogue inputs and outputs. A nice little unit for a mobile rig me thinks

Thank you for that bit of wisdom from the top of hill oh great soothsayer.

Well - you certainly can make a great mix in the box, but to say that top guys are only doing that and that this box is no longer needed is just not accurate. In fact, i know of very few "top guys" that do that.

I think this box actually fills a nice gap - affordable high quality summing and monitor section control. One could pick up an ensemble and a dbox and have a killer little rig.

I have the 2bus and the monitor ST - both of which i love. Going to get my hands on this unit within the week and will certainly post the findings....

I hope you feel better now.

I was curious how the summing section compared to the 2-BUS.

I'm guessing it's inferior in quality considering the lower pricepoint including a monitoring section/converters/talkback...?!

What are the odds they're using the same quality of components for both the 2-BUS and D-BOX ?

I have very little experience with summing devices (aside from analog consoles..of course!) so I wouldn't know the level of difference between this unit and a 2-BUS.

I'd be curious to hear someone with 2-BUS experience hear the D-BOX and share his opinion on sonic differences...if any ?

not a very popular unit? no feedback ?

Take it for what it's worth,I never come on this board and hype a box that we sell but....

This box at a much higher price point would still be a great bargin.The headphone amp with talkback drives a couple of Redco little red cue boxes with great clarity.

The summing section is the same as the LT but 8 channels,it's pan knobs on 7-8 and sum output are a great addition.

Now the final kicker is the da Chris designed for this unit will hold it's own with most anything out there.

The build quality is top notch and I do not think there is another product with this feature set and sound quality being made,at any price let alone $1400.

I use it day in day out on the back of an HD rig,thumbs up

Peace

Interesting! same summing section as the LT but 8 channels.
I take it from your answer that the 2-BUS and the LT have different electronics?

Sounds like a great unit...think I'll give one of these a try. I was in the market for a good monitoring system (Coleman etc..) so if the monitoring section delivers, the addition of a capable summing section sounds like a good deal.

So, anyone have one of these??? I am trying to get my 32x8 out of my signal chain, but dont see a good solution to sum my synths and ensemble with this box. (using the mackie as a patchbay now)

Is there a way to combine the anolog input and the sum input into one output? (besides using the headphone out) ?

Looks cool, but no one seems to have one/use it/love it.....

Pressing the sum switch while in setup mode, will allow you to listen to any combination of inputs after exting setup. Pressing the Sum switch once again, will return the unit to it's regular monitoring mode.

Just to let you guys know, you will only be able to monitor ONE digital source at a time.

We love the D-box around here, there is nothing else out there with simialr features, not to metion sound quality.

peace
mixwell

Hi guys,

Been using the unit here with a friend for monitoring. (Haven't used the summing section yet).

It's far better than monitoring with SSL 4040G console, and Yamaha DM2000 console.

The difference in monitoring was so huge, that a friend who borrowed it didn't want to give it back to me.

He said the difference was proven in the mix; the one mixed with the monitoring section of D-Box translates really well, has a very good imaging and easier to shape sound, get a better judgement. While the one with the console monitor section, was just not in the same class.

Cheers,

shame it doesn't have an insert on the sum output - is there anyway around this ?

I want one !

Hi Dave,

I'm not familiar with any summing box with a master insert yet so far. How i get around it is patching the outboard after the sum output as a final processor.

X-Rack has an insert on the Mix Master outs

thats right, but how do you record and monitor the output of the final processor ? I would route the output of my bus compressor back into my DAW to record but would not beable to monitor back. I have a rosetta 800 so all the outputs from that unit would be going into the sum input of the d-box via dsub to dsub.

Yep , you go into the gear you want to go into and out of it's outputs , the result is the same .....

You would then take that compressed summed mix and monitor it on the D-Box's da converter.There is a sum/daw switch provided to switch back and forth for this very purpose.

Hope this helps,if not call me.

Peace

BT

Ok, so you go from the sum output on the d-box into a bus compressor - then out of the bus compressor back into the analog input on the d-box so you can use the headphone outs and the variable speaker outputs. But how would you record the mix ? - it needs another fixed level output or an insert or something.

I'm using a rosetta800 so have no digital out from my DAW. I guess I could get a rosetta200 also but then I might as well get an x rack as Jim says.

What is you Rosetta hooked up to?You need one more digital out from your daw the D-Box has a da converter in it.You would not need more da's (Rosetta 200).

BT

I'm using the rosetta 800 with the xfirewire card connected to a pc with cubase 4

I see.


Peace

BT

cheers for the help

Hey Fred! Is your's still modified?

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

Yes- Thats what im trying to figure out. I would go out the sum output into my ensemble (thanks bill- that was a good call) and monitor my mix via the headphone out(on the ensemble) plugged into my mackie mixer 2 trk input.. (post compressor)

Seems like the routing would be a pain until i got rid of the board and went to patchbays for all my synths...

Not sure if the complication is worth it....

If i were you, the way i would route it is as follows:

8 Analog Outs from Ensemble into D-Box

Then feed the Sum output of the D-Box into an outboard compressor, then back into the Ensemble.

Now assuming that you can route the returning signal into the SPDIF of the Ensemble, then hook that up to the DAW connection on the back of the D-Box

That way you can monitor both signals:

The output of the Sum pre-outboard comp

And the processed signal via the internal track.

Make sense?

That would work for sure- thanks Sui

So here is the question, Is summing 4 stereo stems enough to hear a difference?

I know when you add in the monitoring and da, the value goes up but....???