Knobcon 2023: Boredbrain XCELON voltage controlled stereo mixer
4,2 / 5,0 | 
XCELON is a tasty-looking 6-channel stereo/dual mono mixer with voltage control via 26 CV inputs in 48 HP. But where’s the master level control?
XCELON
Mixers appear to be a bit of a theme at this year’s Knobcon. We’ve already seen the Noise Engineering digitally controlled analogue mixer and the fully digital Bluebox Eurorack Edition from 1010music. XCELON is analogue from Boredbrain, which knows a thing or two about mixing and audio routing, as that’s exactly what the majority of its modules are about.
The front end looks beautifully clear and performable with 6 stereo channels that can also be dual mono. Each channel has input gain control, two effects sends, pan/balance, a 45mm level fader and a clickless mute switch. You might also notice an A/B switch for routing to different output buses and an intriguing XFADE button. Apparently, the XFADE button allows you to cross-fade between the two mono inputs via the Balance knob.
The FX sends have individual stereo outputs and stereo returns with level knobs on the far right bottom corner. That’s where I’d expect a master fader to be. XCELON doesn’t appear to have an overall level control. Boredbrain has mentioned some forthcoming expansion modules; maybe they will include some direct outputs with a master level control. Come to mention it, there’s no headphone output either. So, there are some curious omissions, but Boredbrain does have other output modules you can patch into.
The patchbay on the left is full of CV control. Each channel can have its level, balance, and effects sends controlled by an external voltage. That could be a lot of fun.
XCELON won’t be ready until later in the year and so far all I have is this rendered image. Hopefully, some photos will be available soon. Price TBA but a comment on Instagram suggests $899.
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