Speck Electronics Xtramix X6 Analog Line Mixer

The Speck Electronics Xtramix X6 is a rack-mounted analog line mixer that offers features and flexibility for use in the most serious recording applications. It has been designed as a "quiet-transparent" platform that allows you to build a mixing system using the gear you already own. The X6 can be used to connect all your analog outboard gear regardless of the pedigree, interface to AD/DA converters, and, of course, virtually any synth or sampler.

It is a fact that not all studios need a console-style mixer with slide faders, so the X6 can often replace a studio desk style console and may be a good fit especially if space is at a premium.

Connect the X6 to any line-level source: balanced, unbalanced, transformer, or transformer-less. The X6 has high headroom that will handle balanced signals up to +28 dBu. All audio inputs and outputs are fully balanced and available on TRS connectors.

FEATURES:

• 4U rack space design
• 20 stereo line inputs + stereo mix + 8 group busses
• Each input channel has pannable stereo direct out
• 4 aux send busses
• 0db/12db Gain select on each input channel
• Presence of signal LED on inputs
• In-place solo on all channels
• True stereo aux sends
• 4 stereo aux returns
• Balanced inserts with bypass switch on stereo mix and 8 groups
• Two monitor outputs and independent headphone output
• Expander connectors to add another X6, X.Sum, or other line mixer
• Multi-purpose mounting brackets: 19" rack-mount or configured for desktop location

Xtramix History

The first Xtramix was produced in 1992 as a dedicated compact keyboard mixer. It was the work of Speck Electronics owner and designer Vince Poulos with the input and feedback from virtually the Who's Who of LA and NYC keyboard session players. The feedback from these pros was that they needed a compact rack mixer that not only had a lot of "stereo" line inputs, but also more than just a stereo mix output and more than 2 effects sends. The final result was a purpose built, dedicated line mixer with 20 stereo inputs, 8 groups, 8 effects sends, 8 stereo effects returns, and a modest master section all in a compact 4U rack format. With the Xtramix, the session keyboard players finally had a mixer they could call their own. Between the years 1996 and 2011, Speck produced 4 additional versions with incremental improvements that reflected how the mixer was being used. During that time period it was being used not only for keyboards, but also as a front-end or back-end to a DAW. There was a change in the wind... and the market for the large recording consoles was shrinking.

In 2011 Speck discontinued the Xtramix believing that another small improvement would be repetitious. Then at the beginning of 2019, Vince got to work on a brand new design.

Before starting the design, Vince listened carefully to comments from existing Xtramix customers and formed some opinions of his own. The new Model X6 is a giant leap in features compared to the earlier versions, but shares some important similarities: the Model X6 has plenty of input and output routing power, a compact 4U rack space design, and, most importantly, like its predecessors it has high performance a 100% analog signal path.

For many years the Xtramix had been known primarily by electronic keyboard players. With the X6, Speck intend to change that perception and make it useful to a larger group of customers.