Help! X1 + F1 vs K2 + External mixer / Z1

[diegodonis95]

I really need help here...Im interested in buying the X1 and thinking about the F1 or the Allen & Heath K2, which one is better and why? And finally....If i want to use an external mixer I know i'll need a soundcard to connect the mixer, speakers, X1, F1orK2 and my laptop, but for all this to work and sound properly do I really need a 4 channel soundcard such as de Audio 10 DJ or it can work and sound great with something small like the Audio 2 DJ or the NI Z1? If you have any other solution, please help me.

In other words, the equipment I want to use is:
- Laptop
- 1 Kontrol X1
- 1 Allen & Heath K2 or 1 Kontrol F1
- External Mixer (But if I need to expend those freaking $500, I'll go for the Z1)

[happydan]

The Z1 will do the trick if you're using two decks + the F1 for remix decks. The K2 would be overkill with this setup as you already have an audio interface on the Z1. Personally, I really love the F1 as it's built specifically for it's intended purpose. The Xone K1 is an alternative to the K2 that's cheaper and doesn't waste your money with an additional stereo OUT audio interface. If you're using an external mixer, you'll need an audio interface with a stereo output for each channel on the mixer that you'll be using. That includes channels for remix decks and Stem music decks. The Audio 10 is so popular as it has the four stereo IN/OUT for Traktor (and Scratch timecode) and a spare stereo IN/OUT for anything else you might want to stick on the AUX channel that sometimes comes on a club mixer.

Basically, if you're on a budget, the Z1/X1/F1 combo is a nice little package, but you might be better off buying a Kontrol S5 for a bit more if you want compact, and screens.