Mackie Digital X Bus X.200 User manual

high-definition production console
P/N 0012557

Want to tweak
a channel’s EQ?
Simply touch the EQ
graphic on the desired
on-screen channel strip, and
the full channel EQ will enlarge
directly in-line with the channel
rotary encoders on the
control surface.
The Digital X Bus’ ergonomic layout
puts hardware controls directly in line with the
corresponding functions on its dual 15“ touch screens.
These touch screens use next-generation 5-wire technology
and a new positional sensing algorithm for unrivaled accuracy.
They can take a beating too—rated at over 35 million finger pokes,
the touch screens will likely outlast your fingers.
high-definition
production console

It was inevitable, really. Thanks to their ever-advancing
horsepower and convenience, computers have
become central to modern audio production. Yet no
affordable mixing console to date has been designed
to integrate seamlessly with today’s varied production
techniques—analog, digital or hybrid. So after more
than two years of intense research and development
at Mackie and SaneWave, we proudly introduce the
digital desk of the future: the Mackie Digital X Bus
High-Definition Digital Production Console.
A DIGITAL DESK
WITHOUT COMPROMISE
Developed to bring you features currently unmatched
by consoles costing five times as much, the X.200
and X.400 offer an upgradeable 192kHz-capable mix
engine; dual 15" touch screens; 100mm Penny + Giles
optical touch faders; onboard control of a variety of
DAWs, including Pro Tools, Logic, and Nuendo; VST™
plug-in support; and streaming digital audio between
the Digital X Bus and your Mac or PC via FireWire.
Not to mention a full rear-panel card cage so you can
configure the Digital X Bus’ I/O to suit your studio’s
exact needs, now and in the future.
Designed for professional tracking and mixing
applications, the X.200 model offers 64 simultaneous
inputs and outputs, accessed from a variety of 8-
channel analog or digital I/O cards. Its flexible I/O
card cage supports up to 64 analog mic/line inputs
featuring digitally controlled mic trims; digital
interface cards in formats such as AES/EBU, TDIF, and
ADAT optical; as well as FireWire I/O cards capable of
streaming audio and MIDI to any FireWire-equipped
Mac or PC.
For those doing surround and post-production, the
X.400 model ups the performance ante with dual
processors for massive mix horsepower, an extra
card slot providing an additional 24 channels of I/O
for a total of 92 inputs and 100 outputs at 96kHz, as
well as more advanced surround sound functionality
with up to 24 busses. In addition, the X.400 ships
with Universal Audio’s UAD-1 DSP card preloaded,
providing instant access to a full complement of
powerful Universal Audio™ plug-ins.
OH, BEAUTIFUL INTERFACE
Of course, all the advanced technology in the world
is useless if you can’t get to it quickly, so we gave
the Digital XBus dual 15" touch screens—a first in
this class of console. These touch screens put all
major features and functions at your fingertips as
“virtual” controls, with big, button-style graphics and
a bare minimum of hierarchy. With advanced 5-wire
technology and a proprietary tracking algorithm, the
touch screens deliver incredibly accurate response.
And they’re built tough too, with an operating life
that’s rated at over 35 million finger pokes.
Of course, for fast adjustments, there are 24 rotary
encoders (er, knobs), corresponding to the graphics
on the screens directly above. And commonly used
features such as mute, solo, pan, faders, and switches
remain in hardware, just the way your fingers like.
There’s also built-in USB ports so you can use your
favorite mouse or PC keyboard, a smooth weighted
jog wheel, and rock-solid transport buttons. This
multi-control approach lowers the learning curve to
the point that most users can start working from the
moment the console boots—without the need for
manual digging.
INTRODUCING THE DIGITAL X BUS
HIGH-DEFINITION PRODUCTION CONSOLE.

STREAMING FIREWIRE I/O
It’s the 21st Century, so we felt it was
time for a console that could work
seamlessly with FireWire-equipped
Macs and PCs. When equipped with
the optional FireWire card, the
Digital X Bus can stream digital audio
between any Mac OSX Core Audio or Windows
XP and ASIO compatible DAW software. FireWire
has the bandwidth to allow recording/playback of
audio, effect send/returns, and it supports the use
of multiple FireWire cards simultaneously. So you
can load up your laptop with the latest plug ins, for
example, and stream away.
VST PLUG-IN SUPPORT
Speaking of plug-
ins, with its extensive
processing power, the
Digital X Bus is also the first digital console which
runs select VST plug-ins internally. Currently,
the console supports popular plug-ins from
manufacturers such as Waves, IK Multimedia,
Nomad Factory, Antares, and the full suite of
Universal Audio plug-ins via the UAD-1 DSP card
(which is included in the X.400 model). Better still,
all plug-in windows are displayed right on the built-
in screens, just as they would be on your PC.
FUTURE-PROOF ARCHITECTURE
The Digital X Bus’ “modular” hardware architecture
provides access to internal components simply
by removing the rear panel and sliding out that
portion of the chassis. So, as the mood strikes, you
can opt to add more RAM, swap or add I/O cards,
and basically customize the mixer to your individual
tracking and mixing needs. Importantly, the
Digital X Bus series allows all sample-rate related
components to be upgraded, so you wont be left
behind if or when new audio standards emerge.
UNDER THE HOOD
When it came to the internal processing, we
rewrote the book—developing a proprietary
architecture with the largest-capacity, highest-
performance PCI-based Accelerator Card ever
created for the pro audio market. This Accelerator
Card employs a Field Programmable Gate Array
(FPGA) chip to handle the conversion of integer to
floating-point math. In simple terms, this means the
Accelerator Card does the hard work so the internal
processor is free to handle the toughest of mixing
applications while simultaneously running VST
plug-ins. It also provides extremely low total system
latency from analog input to analog output.
The Digital X Bus’ full rear-panel card cage allows you to configure I/O exactly as you see fit, with analog mic /line
cards, digital cards, FireWire cards and more. It comes with the Sync Card and Mix Out Card pre-installed.
I / O OPTION CARDS
Want to learn more about the Digital X Bus? Visit www.mackie.com for additional information, specs, photos, video and more content than we could ever squeeze into this hopelessly thin brochure.

Thanks to its integrated Mackie Control
Universal protocol, the Digital X Bus can
seamlessly control software ranging from Logic
to Pro Tools, Nuendo, Performer, Sonar and more.
Better still, the console can be flipped into software control
mode with a single button press. In this way, you can place a
Digital X Bus at the center of your DAW-based studio and have
the best of both worlds—hardware and software.
DIGIDESIGN PRO TOOLS
APPLE / EMAGIC LOGIC
STEINBERG CUBASE SX/SL
STEINBERG NUENDO
MOTU DIGITAL PERFORMER
ADOBE AUDITION
CAKEWALK SONAR
SONY VEGAS
The Digital X Bus’ open architecture means you can configure the console’s I/O as you see fit, without having to pay
for I/O formats you’ll never use. The console ships with two I/O Option cards out of the box—the Sync Card, which
provides Word Clock and LTC I/O, and the Mix Out Card, which provides control room and phones outputs, as well as
analog and digital outputs for the main mix bus.
Mic/Line 4 Card: 4 XLR balanced analog mic/line inputs • 4 TRS balanced analog line level inputs
• Digitally remote-controlled mic preamps • Independent phantom power (+48v) per mic input channel
Mic/Line 8 Card: 8 balanced analog mic/line inputs • 8 balanced analog line level outputs • Independent phantom power
(+48v) per input channel • Digitally remote-controlled mic preamps • 2 female 25-pin D-Sub connectors
Line Card: 8 channels of balanced analog line level inputs and outputs • +4dBU/-10dBV jumpers for each channel
• 2 female 25-pin D-Sub connectors
Digital Card: 8 channels of ADAT® optical digital audio input and output at 96kHz
(4 channels at 192kHz) • Up to 8 channels of TDIF digital audio input and output at 96kHz
• Direct digital connection between the console and external digital devices • Female 25-pin
D-Sub connector (TDIF) and four TOSlink optical connectors (ADAT x 2)
AES Card: 8 channels of AES/EBU digital audio input and output at 96kHz • Direct digital connection between
the console and other AES/EBU compliant equipment • Uses one female 25-pin D-Sub connector
FireWire® Card: Direct digital audio streaming between the console and any compatible computer
running Windows XP or Mac OSX • ASIO 2.0, WDM, and OSX Core Audio compliant • 2 IEEE 1394a FireWire
ports
INTEGRATED SOFTWARE CONTROL
I / O OPTION CARDS
Want to learn more about the Digital X Bus? Visit www.mackie.com for additional information, specs, photos, video and more content than we could ever squeeze into this hopelessly thin brochure.

• 96kHz digital mixing console with selectable operation
up to 192kHz
• FireWire I/O option cards for streaming audio to/from
desktop or laptop computers
• Dual 15" touch-screen graphic user interfaces plus
mouse control
• Twenty-five 100mm Penny + Giles motorized optical
touch-sensitive faders
• Full channel processing package including dual DSP
inserts, parametric EQ and dynamics section
• Support for select VST plug-ins, including the use of the
Universal Audio UAD-1 Card
• Full surround mixing and monitoring capabilities
• Floating insert points for accessing external processing
equipment from any channel, aux, or bus
• Tape-style transport with memory location recall and
weighted Jog/Shuttle wheel
• Comprehensive automation system with event editing
and dynamic/scene automation
• LTC (SMPTE), MTC, MMC, and Word Clock sync
• Mackie Control Universal™ Layer for all 24/25 faders with
“Virtual Overlays” for Pro Tools™, Logic™, Nuendo™, etc.
• Various metering options, including VU meter, full size
meter bridge, and scalable metering ranges
• Full Control Room section including dual phones,
talkback, surround level control and calibration to
reference level
• Multiple USB 2.0 ports for connecting CD ROM drives,
Flash drives, keyboard/mouse, or other add-ons
• Internal white & pink noise and variable tone generator
with spectrum analyzer display
• Unique “Fader Swap” function to use faders for
controlling all parameters, including EQ and VST plug-ins
• RS-422 (Sony® 9-pin) Control
• 92 input, 100 output matrix at 96kHz
(24 more channels of I/O than the X.200)
• 46 input, 50 output matrix at 192kHz
• Dual processor architecture with hyper-threading
• 24 Mix/Surround busses assignable to multiple
destinations including L/R Mix
• Bus Source/Return Switcher Panel for all busses
• Flexible Panning Law/Assignment for custom Stem
management
• 24x8 Speaker Output Assignment Matrix with
Cut/Solo for each output
• Universal Audio UAD-1 Powered Plug-ins Card built in
• 24 VCA-style Group Channels
• Lock feature to bypass bank switching
for specific channels
• Mix-Minus Configuration for all 24 busses with
Copy L/R mix feature
• Supports any combination of analog or
digital I/O option cards, including digitally
controlled mic preamps
• Surround Monitoring Formatter for
“Fold Down” Monitoring
• Custom cherry wood side panels
X.400 FEATURES
© 2005 LOUD TECHNOLOGIES INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. “MACKIE.” AND THE “RUNNING MAN” FIGURE ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF LOUD TECHNOLOGIES INC.
ALL OTHER TRADEMARKS ARE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. ALL SPECIFICATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. “VERY FUNNY SCOTTY, NOW BEAM DOWN MY CLOTHES.”
DIGITAL X BUS FEATURES
(Applicable to both X.200 and X.400 models)