Dangerous Music has announced its next-generation 2-Bus-XT 16-channel mastering-grade analogue summing mixer, introducing new transformer-driven circuitry that with custom colouration capabilities.
Re-engineered from its predecessor, the 2-Bus-XT leverages the six-layer circuit board summing circuitry of the 2-Bus+, designed by company co-founder Chris Muth, to produce super wide stereo imaging and ultra-high-resolution depth of field with high headroom. Unlike other summing units that inherently impose a colour signature on audio sources, the 2-Bus-XT allows users to add in as little or as much complexity and excitement to their tracks via two custom Color Circuits, also designed by Muth.
The transformers in the Color Circuits were chosen following extensive listening trials and subtly introduce second-order harmonics to produce lower mid-range warmth while preserving top-end articulation. A Coherence control creates dimensional asymmetry by progressively elevating the harmonic content by bringing up the detail as the levels are reduced then blending the result with the source mix, in a similar manner to parallel compression. The colour circuitry may be assigned to one or both of Channels 15 and 16, or to the mix bus or assigned to an aux send from the DAW. The associated switches offer a true hard-wire bypass of the Color circuitry.
Two mono buttons across input pairs 1-2 and 9-10 enable sources such as vocals or kick drum to be solidly anchored to the centre of the stereo mix. A sum level output trim enables users to manually fade a mix in real time, or set the level before AD conversion and final mix bus processing.
Multiple 16-channel 2-Bus-XT units may be stacked to accommodate higher channel counts through the external input. The unit may additionally be paired with the Dangerous 2-Bus+ to give users a total of five different analogue Color Circuit options or with the D-Box+ to add comprehensive monitor control and 24 channels of summing.
The 2-Bus-XT is expected to ship in Q4 2022, and may be pre-ordered from any Dangerous Music dealer at an MSRP of US$1,999.
