MIDAS XL4 TURNS VINTAGE AS PRODUCTION OF INDUSTRY-STANDARD CEASES
After 12 years in production, two of the final XL4 mixing consoles left Midas' Kidderminster factory this summer en route to customers in Korea.
Launched in the summer of 1995, the XL4 quickly established itself as the world's favourite PA rental desk, with leading sound engineers soon refusing to use anything else. As well as its success in the touring sector, XL4 also found numerous applications in the broadcast and fixed install markets. It was launched in an era where smaller and cheaper mixers were becoming the norm, but as other manufacturers addressed the lower end of the market, Midas designer Alex Cooper decided to make the definitive audio mixing console that was bigger, better and more expensive than anything previously designed - a tradition upheld by this year's launch of the XL8 live performance system.
The Korean XL4s - sold through exclusive Korean distribution company Young Nak So Ri Sa, have joined the inventories of PA rental companies, C2 Sound and Green Sound. Both companies deployed the consoles on the Metallica concert in Seoul in August, where FOH engineer Big Mick Hughes was reunited with his favourite console to date.
Ongoing demand has ensured XL4 has held its rental value over the years, while an infrequent appearance on the second hand market means its resale value has also remained very high. Now that production has ceased, demand is being fuelled even more. The most recent XL4 to appear on Midas’ approved used consoles online service was sold within 24 hours to Fotis Sound in Poland, and there is now a waiting list for clients wishing to purchase a previously-owned XL4.
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Editors' information:
Midas live performance mixing consoles have been used by the world's most demanding sound engineers, performers and rental companies for three decades. The company strives to raise the standards of sonic quality through its programme of continual research and development, implementing new control functionality and user-friendly desk operation to anticipate and accommodate the ever-evolving needs of audio professionals who specify Midas consoles for their major tours, festivals, international events, broadcast projects and prestigious fixed installations.
