Allen & Heath has begun shipping the two latest additions to its ZED FX range of small-format USB mixers for live performance, recording and production.
The ZED-12FX and ZED-22FX retain the same professional feature set as other models in the range with the addition of a comprehensive section of in-house designed effects. The 12FX has six mono and three dual-stereo channels, while the 22FX features 16 mono and three dual-stereo channels.
The ZED mixers feature four types of effects: tap tempo delays, short reverbs, long reverbs and modulation. All effects are controlled by three buttons for easy navigation and editing, allowing the parameters of each effect to be quickly dialed in.
The effects are designed by the same team that writes the algorithms for A&H’s large digital pro-touring mixers. The quality of the effects makes the ZED range ideal for the amateur or semi-pro who wants high-quality effects without requiring an additional piece of gear.
Other features include a three-band swept-mid EQ on mono channels, a two-band EQ on stereo channels, 100mm long-throw faders, four aux sends (two pre- and two post-fade), a USB send and return for PC or Mac recording or playback, a unique dual-stereo input capability and advanced monitoring facilities.
Connections are placed on the top surface for easy plug-in and patching, and the construction is identical to Allen & Heath’s professional touring mixers, with individual circuit boards nutted to the top panel.
ZED FX mixers also feature A&H’s new high-performance DuoPre padless pre-amps, which use a two-stage design with carefully controlled amounts of gain in each stage, offering high headroom and a clean low-noise signal path.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
ZED’s USB output can be configured to allow different signals to be sent to USB, from the LR master or the aux busses, with the USB return signal available as a stereo return. Cakewalk’s SONAR LE music production software is bundled with the mixers, to enable the user to perform many different tasks, for live performance, live recording, studio recording, or studio mixing.
Christopher Scapelliti is editor-in-chief of Guitar Player magazine, the world’s longest-running guitar magazine, founded in 1967. In his extensive career, he has authored in-depth interviews with such guitarists as Pete Townshend, Slash, Billy Corgan, Jack White, Elvis Costello and Todd Rundgren, and audio professionals including Beatles engineers Geoff Emerick and Ken Scott. He is the co-author of Guitar Aficionado: The Collections: The Most Famous, Rare, and Valuable Guitars in the World, a founding editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine, and a former editor with Guitar World, Guitar for the Practicing Musician and Maximum Guitar. Apart from guitars, he maintains a collection of more than 30 vintage analog synthesizers.
