The industry held its collective breath when the XL8 was unveiled in 2006 as this was not merely another digital mixing console. It brought audio control and distribution, in fact all aspects of the live performance to one single control centre. Being a MIDAS it coupled sound quality, flexibility and reliability with an ease and familiarity of use unrivalled by other digital control surfaces. The XL8 has been designed so the engineer doesn’t have to think in terms of numbers, pages or layers. The user navigates the system and identifies channels by colours and groupings, which they themselves create. This method allow an individualised approach to mixing, rather than working within hardware-dictated numerical limitations.