American Music And Sound has announced that the new Allen & Heath Qu-16 compact digital mixer is now shipping to dealers. The Qu-16 incorporates technologies pioneered in the company’s GLD and iLive digital mixing systems.
It offers 16 AnalogiQ total recall preamps feature zero crossing detection and a padless 1-dB-step gain stage, closely allied to the DSP for optimal gain accuracy and audio transparency. The analog signal is captured by low-latency 24-bit analog-to-digital converters matched to high-quality 24-bit digital-to-analog converters to deliver the required outputs.
The 800 x 480, 16-million-color Touchscreen and its dedicated data encoder form the heart of the Qu-16 interface, providing super-fast, easy access to all settings.
The user-friendly interface has been designed with clarity. Dedicated keys and screen tabs quickly guide the user to meter and RTA views, FX racks, channel processing, USB audio control, scenes, setup menus and much more.
All key processing tools are presented in a clean layout on the SuperStrip, with one function per physical control. The SuperStrip is complemented by an onscreen Touch Channel for intuitive access to full processing parameters without clutter or complex menu structures.
Processing for Mono and Stereo inputs includes trim, polarity, HPF, gate, insert, 4 band PEQ, compressor and delay. The main LR and the Mono mixes have controls for Insert, 1/3-octave GEQ, compressor and delay. The Stereo mixes provide Insert, 4-band PEQ, compressor, delay and balance control.
Fader automation is essential for rapid mixing, especially when dealing with multiple monitor mixes. Qu-16 offers 17 motorized ALPS faders, 16 arranged over two layers, allowing instant access to all channels and masters in a compact space, plus a dedicated master fader which dynamically follows the mix selection. A third custom layer is available for ad-hoc user strip layout, where any combination of Inputs, FX Sends, FX Returns and Mix masters can be assigned.
Qu-16’s dynamics and FX algorithms are derived from the FX used in the iLive pro touring series. Qu-16 offers four stereo iLive FX engines, featuring carefully crafted emulations of legendary classic reverbs, gated reverbs, delays, modulators, flangers and more. The FX library has the ability to grow with future firmware releases. FX are returned to the mix on dedicated return channels, thus not tying up mono and stereo input channels. Each Stereo FX Return has a dedicated 4-band PEQ.
The Qu-16 can store up to 100 full scenes for recall at will. Channels and mixes can be made safe from scene recall. For example, if an instrument or mic gets swapped out after the soundcheck, the channel can be made safe to avoid settings being overridden by Scene recalls. Or if a broadcast feed or walk-in iPod is added last-minute before the show kicks off, that mix or channel can be made safe from any scene change.
In addition, single parameter updates can be blocked using per scene Recall Filters or a Global Recall Filter. So if you tweak the graphic EQ to reflect the room response when the audience gets in, you can block this to prevent any overwriting at scene change.
Custom settings for each EQ, compressor, channel or FX can be saved as Library presets. This lets the user, for example store “tried and tested” SM58 EQ or reverb pattern and apply it to other channels or shows. Libraries, Scenes and the complete Show configuration can be saved to a USB key, carried to the next show, ready to use on another Qu-16.
Qu-16’s built-in interface streams multitrack audio to Mac channel 1 to 16, the Main LR mix, and three selectable stereo pairs. The returns from the Mac can be assigned to the 16 Mono channels plus stereos.
The interface is class-compliant on Mac OS X, with no need to install a driver. It will be recognized straightaway by any DAW supporting Core Audio, including Logic, Cubase, Reaper, and Pro Tools.
Standard MIDI control is tunneled over the USB connection so you can easily map the faders to the tracks of your favorite DAW. Alternatively, a MIDI driver is available for use with the Ethernet port.
Qu-16 has an integrated multitrack USB recorder, providing 18 channels of 48 kHz, 24-bit recording and playback straight to/from a USB hard drive. A selectable stereo pair can be recorded alongside the 16 Mono channels, and multitrack audio can be played back to the 16 Mono channels plus ST1.
