X Air XR18 : Featured loaded, value for money mixer for home/live use

I bought this mostly for home recording with a small amount of live work. The 18 channels weren't strictly necessary, however the appeal was the ability to record multiple channels at once which the XR12/16 won't do.

This is my first time at using a digital/software mixing desk and the range of options around Aux, FX, patching is quite awesome allowing just about any setup to be made. I tried the Android, Linux and Windows apps and all worked well enabling me to get the settings I wanted quickly. The WiFi client and Access Point options were tried, both were easy to set up although they do like "line of sight" and no interfering devices near them, to avoid drops.

There are four built in effect slots which emulate a large number of effects, the ones I listened to were of high quality and good enough for my needs. In the rare case of these not being enough, I can't see any way to add new effects to the software yourself, however you can always send out on one of the Aux buses and return on an unused channel for external FX.

In summary, this is a very versatile unit with a price point (and size) that makes it attractive even for home use. However, given 6 AUX channels, I'm guessing this is aimed very much at live bands. For live use, I would want to team it up with a decent quality external Wireless Access Point or Ethernet cable for a 100% reliable connection. A 19" rack mounting kit already comes with the unit allowing integration with existing equipment.