Lexicon MX200 Processor Can Be Used On The Road Or As A Powered Plug-in

When we heard that Lexicon had a new $199 street price processor on the market, we were curious to see what could be offered in an entry level box that hadn't already been done. Much to our surprise, a pleasant surprise we might add, the MX200 has a lot to offer.

The MX200 is classified as a two in, two out dual reverb effects processor. That sounds fairly unassuming, and one would expect a $199 processor to be just that; unassuming, modest. The MX200 is however, far from modest.

Under its extremely user-friendly interface resides a very powerful, wonderful sounding, multi-effects processor. The MX200 was designed to be both a great live sound processor and also a multi-faceted recording tool which can interface in a completely revolutionary way to your Digital Audio Workstation.

So what exactly does all this mean?

For use in live sound applications, it means that you can take the MX200 out in your rack and use it like any other reverb/effects box. The unit has a front panel with input metering as well as an overall mix and routing controls. Also, on the front panel are an LED bulletin board (this shows which algorithms each processor is accessing), a program access knob, and a separate section for each processor with tempo, bypass, and three parameter adjustments. Turn your knobs, press store and you're there: There are no multi level menus to have to navigate through. This box is unbelievably easy to use. On the studio side, things get really interesting. As any experienced recording engineer can tell you, there are a lot of effects plug-ins out there that sound great. However, to achieve the kind of rich, deep, detailed reverbs that Lexicon is famous for, you have to "spend" a lot of your computer processing power. Using the MX200 to handle reverb and effects processing outside of your computer frees up your CPU to do what it does best while giving you access to a palette of amazing sounding Lexicon effects algorithms. Lexicon has included a USB port on the unit and software interfacing that allows the MX200 to be recognized as a plug-in within your Digital Audio Workstation. All automation, mutes, and recall are stored in your host software and ready to be used on your next session. All you have to do is hook up the audio ins and outs on your hardware interface to the MX200 (TRS Balanced / Unbalanced Analog or Digital S/PDIF), plug in the USB cable, and voila!: Great reverbs and effects with no CPU drain.

Not only have the engineers at Lexicon designed a powerful box with a very unique dual personality, they've designed a box that sounds fantastic! Anyone who's been around the audio world long enough knows the sound of Lexicon reverb.

It's something that's hard to describe but when you hear it, you know it. Lexicon reverb algorithms are famous for having a real life, three dimensional quality to them. Add to that a deep selection of multi-effects algorithm's and the MX200 becomes your Swiss Army knife of effects processing tools. At $199, if you're in the market for a new processor, you owe it to yourself to check out the Lexicon MX200.