Which Allen & Heath CQ series mixer would you use in your rig? Sound off in the comments about what these could do for your workflow, and be sure to stop by Sweetwater for a detailed look at their CA-20B, CQ-18T, and CQ-12T digital mixers! 👉 sweetwater.sjv.io/Allen-Heath-CQ-Series
Hi guys. I am an Hyrbrid AV Events technician with about 30 years in the biz. I would say that the stage box has particular appeal with its LAN connectivity. Ideally, I like to have a minimum of peripherals on my desk. I run multiple mini pcs, wireless mic transmitters and video switcher units stored in a rack box under my tech table with often only a multi-view monitor, keyboard and mouse above to keep with a streamlined appearance. The presets are of no real use to me but the auto-gain is as I often have multiple people joining in on QnA floor mics as well as panelist mics. I would be curious to know more of any room measuring and/or feedback wizards that are available. I often operate in large, untreated rooms.
The more I use this mixer the more I love this for gigging and recording at home. It's loaded with a lot of great processing. It's a clean warm sound. I use this with a pair of LD's live. Love it!
Thanks Allen & Heath for getting rid of physical sliders and allowing users to control mix from their own mobile devices. Also, thanks for being a leader in music gear innovation this year! Next, please make gear with wireless options that would replace instrument cables with fast, great sounding wireless function, in addition to professional, pristine, clean sounding in’s & out’s. I hope other gear manufacturers follow your lead in non-gimmicky music gear innovations!
These look awsome. My only complaint is the brick supply on the screened versions. When I replace my mackie DL806, which I will do soon, it will likely be with one of these.
Is there any chance of a bigger version of these with inter connectivity similar to the SQ series? Something that could replace the venerable and mediocre X32 rack everyone still uses for IEMs?
unfortunately CQ18T not yet available in Europe outside UK, I have ordered one and I am waiting since 3 months, and I was told I need to wait another 1-2 months !!!!
I am new to using a digital mixer and I wanted to use this mixer for my mobile dj setup and I was wondering is there a way to control your subwoofers with this unit?
I've just replaced my XR18 for the CQ20B but not yet used due to the app not supporting below iOS 13... but definitely a decent challenger to Behringer with onboard record and assist features. Not seen a 'key' for compression work which is quite alarming
I hate to sound like a shill but I thought this was going to be so much more expensive. That is a really great price range. Is there a way to add a midi controller to it?
Hi, Timo! Thanks for your interest. The CQ mixers allow you to choose where in the path you want to capture your recording. So it is very possible to record a dry signal while sending a processed signal to monitors. I hope this helps - feel free to contact me directly with any further questions, and thanks again! Caleb Lowrey, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1620, caleb_lowrey@sweetwater.com
So you can use this also as a USB soundcard to use the outputs in Qlab? This would be great and versatile for small theatre tours which uses some headsets on stage and Qlab for audio playback. Thx!
Hello, JonasS303! Yes, you can absolutely use this to output tracks from Qlab for your playback set up. My band uses ours for a virtual soundcheck before gigs as well by recording our rehearsals to an SD card locally on the CQ and recalling it when we set up at a venue. Great tool for FOH to ring out a room while you’re still setting up the rest of your gear. Thanks for the interest! James Masterson, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1641, james_masterson@sweetwater.com
@@sweetwaterallright thx alot for the info! As my old Focusrite on firewire is due to a change i need a new soundcard. The benefit to add headsets in a theatre production is really cool next to Qlab 🎉
How do these units handle 60 cycle hum interlacing? Do they route channel distortion to separate I/O phase adapters or do you need to buy the optional effect loop to get it to work with modulation controllers like the Sensei 712? Asking because the last mixer we had blew the transformer when we connected it to a tunnel divider in series
Hello, Tiago! Yes! In addition to a few delay modules, the CQ series mixers have three main reverb engines for you to choose from. Easy Verb keeps it simple with just “type” and “reverb size” being the two parameters. Echo Verb gets a bit more involved with the adjustable parameters being “echo level”, “echo time”, “size”, “colour” and “delay level”. Lastly, the CQ series has a convolution reverb called Space Verb. Space Verb allows you to select from a list of modeled “spaces” and set the “decay time”. Thanks for the interest! Cody Kraus, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1766, cody_kraus@sweetwater.com
Quick question... can I connect 2 synth keyboards at a time ( stereo )? Is there a way to do so as the in stereo line it's only one? Thanks in advance for helping. BTW amazing Mixer indeed
Hello, Stefano! I’m super excited about these mixers, too! So, all of the input jacks on these mixers are mono, so a stereo signal will always occupy two jacks. In addition to the dedicated stereo pairs, you can “tie” together any two consecutive inputs so they behave as a stereo pair. If you are to do that, the two inputs will be condensed to a single stereo fader, but they will still occupy two inputs on the mixer. Thanks for the interest! Cody Kraus, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1766, cody_kraus@sweetwater.com
Hey, DonTaé! Great question. With the CQ mixers, the USB-B port is for stereo input from a playback device. You can’t set it as an insert on a particular channel. There are lots of great effects built in to the CQ architecture, though! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Connor Smith, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1793, connor_smith@sweetwater.com
Hey there! Yes, you can certainly EQ the main output within the CQ MixPad app with their parametric or graphic EQ. You’ll just select the output channel (you can do this with any auxiliary outputs as well) and apply your wanted EQ and adjust from there. Feel free to reach out if you’d like to discuss any further! Nick Pasquino, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 3230, nick_pasquino@sweetwater.com
Since the 6 monitor sends are 1/4” is there enough room to accept 6 xlr ends with xlr to 1/4” adapters on them? Wld have been nice to have xlr monitor sends like on the CQ20…
Hi Clement, great question! Yes you can record 24x22 channels in either 48khz or 96khz when using as an interface. If using the SD card recording you are limited to 16x16 @ 96khz. Thanks! Jason Filloramo, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1281, Jason_Filloramo@sweetwater.com
Hi Angel, great question! The sample rate for the SD card and USB output can be selected between either 48 kHz or 96kHz. Note when using the SD card at 96 kHz, you are limited to a 16x16 track count while at 48 kHz you have 24x22. Thanks! Jason Filloramo, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1281, Jason_Filloramo@sweetwater.com
Hey, Enrique! Thanks so much for reaching out. That’s a great question! Unfortunately, no, you won’t be able to overdub and do any type of DAW-like recording standalone on the CQ mixer. The SD card is great for recording and listening back, but you won’t be able to record overdubs, etc., that way. Of course, you can run this via USB with the DAW of your choice and have all the functionality you would want. I hope this helps! Nick Pasquino, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 3230, nick_pasquino@sweetwater.com
Hello, Fabrizio! The CQ-20B, being the rackmounted unit of the bunch, occupies four total rack units. Thanks for the interest! Cody Kraus, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1766, cody_kraus@sweetwater.com
Hey, Mikael! Thanks for your interest. The CQ series is meant to be an all-in-one solution for setups with a smaller number of inputs. They don’t have an expandable channel count and don’t connect to any digital stage boxes. These are excellent for bands and other small performance groups, but might not be best for setups that require more flexible I/O. If you need help finding the right mixer for your setup feel free to reach out and we can make some recommendations! Connor Smith, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1793, connor_smith@sweetwater.com
Hi, Bewie! Thanks for your interest. Currently, there’s no sidechain compression available on the CQ series. There’s a possibility that they might add it in a future firmware update, but I can’t speculate on when/if that might happen. Feel free to contact me directly with any further questions, and thanks again! Caleb Lowrey, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1620, caleb_lowrey@sweetwater.com
Hi DJ Nix, good question! I talked with my Allen & Heath reps, and there is currently no way to hook up the IP8 to the CQ mixers. They said it would be cool though! The best way to control these mixers remotely is with the free Mix Pad app, which gives you full control over every feature of the mixer! If you have any other questions, give me a shout! Drake Sobehrad, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 3271, drake_sobehrad@sweetwater.com
Hi, great question! Hard to find a manual for such a new product, so I was able to talk to our in-house Allen & Heath rep, and they were able to confirm for me. You can link the outputs to be used as stereo outputs if you want. So that would limit you to three, but you would then be able to pan the sends as needed to help separate the instruments for the monitor mixes. If you have further questions, give me a ring! Drake Sobehrad, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 3271, drake_sobehrad@sweetwater.com
When will mixer designers understand, that there are so many pro musicians who will not find products like this enough for them since they need more professional tools and flexibility (like being able to connect a stage box via Danter or incorporate Waves plugins via Soundgrid) but often times don't need a full-blown console? Why can't anybody produce a little box like these ones that would have "the big brains" and a lot of connectivity while being compact and lightweight when you don't need a lot of I/O?
My thoughts exactly…AH is aiming the CQ for the prosumer/bedroom artist/musician, who wants a decent sound without having to worry about how to get it.
Which Allen & Heath CQ series mixer would you use in your rig? Sound off in the comments about what these could do for your workflow, and be sure to stop by Sweetwater for a detailed look at their CA-20B, CQ-18T, and CQ-12T digital mixers! 👉 sweetwater.sjv.io/Allen-Heath-CQ-Series
Hi guys. I am an Hyrbrid AV Events technician with about 30 years in the biz. I would say that the stage box has particular appeal with its LAN connectivity. Ideally, I like to have a minimum of peripherals on my desk. I run multiple mini pcs, wireless mic transmitters and video switcher units stored in a rack box under my tech table with often only a multi-view monitor, keyboard and mouse above to keep with a streamlined appearance. The presets are of no real use to me but the auto-gain is as I often have multiple people joining in on QnA floor mics as well as panelist mics. I would be curious to know more of any room measuring and/or feedback wizards that are available. I often operate in large, untreated rooms.
The more I use this mixer the more I love this for gigging and recording at home. It's loaded with a lot of great processing. It's a clean warm sound. I use this with a pair of LD's live. Love it!
Thanks Allen & Heath for getting rid of physical sliders and allowing users to control mix from their own mobile devices. Also, thanks for being a leader in music gear innovation this year! Next, please make gear with wireless options that would replace instrument cables with fast, great sounding wireless function, in addition to professional, pristine, clean sounding in’s & out’s. I hope other gear manufacturers follow your lead in non-gimmicky music gear innovations!
I was REALLY hoping they would come out with a 24 channel version of these mixers to compete with the Soundcraft ui24.
These look awsome. My only complaint is the brick supply on the screened versions. When I replace my mackie DL806, which I will do soon, it will likely be with one of these.
Is there any chance of a bigger version of these with inter connectivity similar to the SQ series?
Something that could replace the venerable and mediocre X32 rack everyone still uses for IEMs?
unfortunately CQ18T not yet available in Europe outside UK, I have ordered one and I am waiting since 3 months, and I was told I need to wait another 1-2 months !!!!
Keith from Allen & Heath
Are those monitor outs stereo?
I am new to using a digital mixer and I wanted to use this mixer for my mobile dj setup and I was wondering is there a way to control your subwoofers with this unit?
Use one of the aux outs for your subs. You can control the level and EQ separate from the main outs.
An Slink port would have made this thing very desirable
Agreed! Otherwise its a more expensive Xair/MR18/MackieDL16S.
Yeah was super amped about this until I realized there's no way to connect a stagebox. Unless I'm missing something
I was hoping it was a Stage Box/Mixer hybrid. I'd buy one for sure.
Interesting!! I wonder if I should be replacing my Behringer x air 18’s in all 7 of my studios ?
In case you are replacing and want give away your x air, please having one of them would be a great honour, its my dream mixer😢😢❤❤
I've just replaced my XR18 for the CQ20B but not yet used due to the app not supporting below iOS 13... but definitely a decent challenger to Behringer with onboard record and assist features. Not seen a 'key' for compression work which is quite alarming
I hate to sound like a shill but I thought this was going to be so much more expensive. That is a really great price range. Is there a way to add a midi controller to it?
Yeah, midi would be good, but any decent DAW will accept a separate midi interface
Hi ! do you know how fare away you can go with an IPad without losing the connection ? And if a wall between might be a big problem ? Thanks !
Is it possible to record the multitracks raw, while having processing going on with the monitor channels?
Hi, Timo! Thanks for your interest. The CQ mixers allow you to choose where in the path you want to capture your recording. So it is very possible to record a dry signal while sending a processed signal to monitors.
I hope this helps - feel free to contact me directly with any further questions, and thanks again!
Caleb Lowrey, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1620, caleb_lowrey@sweetwater.com
So you can use this also as a USB soundcard to use the outputs in Qlab? This would be great and versatile for small theatre tours which uses some headsets on stage and Qlab for audio playback. Thx!
Hello, JonasS303! Yes, you can absolutely use this to output tracks from Qlab for your playback set up. My band uses ours for a virtual soundcheck before gigs as well by recording our rehearsals to an SD card locally on the CQ and recalling it when we set up at a venue. Great tool for FOH to ring out a room while you’re still setting up the rest of your gear.
Thanks for the interest!
James Masterson, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1641, james_masterson@sweetwater.com
@@sweetwaterallright thx alot for the info! As my old Focusrite on firewire is due to a change i need a new soundcard. The benefit to add headsets in a theatre production is really cool next to Qlab 🎉
Could l use this product to replace the Rodecaster Pro II…I would use it make live podcast projects.
How do these units handle 60 cycle hum interlacing? Do they route channel distortion to separate I/O phase adapters or do you need to buy the optional effect loop to get it to work with modulation controllers like the Sensei 712? Asking because the last mixer we had blew the transformer when we connected it to a tunnel divider in series
Whoa.....for a second there I thought Adam Savage was shooting a video at Sweetwater! 🤣
This is red beard
did Allen and Heath forget to implement Midi? sync with other devices or otherwise?
Hey Sir!
Please how can I set up the talkback mic on the CQ18T
Hello!! Is it possible to change the reverb parameters? Size, predelay, time, eq, etc ?
Hello, Tiago! Yes! In addition to a few delay modules, the CQ series mixers have three main reverb engines for you to choose from. Easy Verb keeps it simple with just “type” and “reverb size” being the two parameters. Echo Verb gets a bit more involved with the adjustable parameters being “echo level”, “echo time”, “size”, “colour” and “delay level”. Lastly, the CQ series has a convolution reverb called Space Verb. Space Verb allows you to select from a list of modeled “spaces” and set the “decay time”.
Thanks for the interest!
Cody Kraus, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1766, cody_kraus@sweetwater.com
Quick question... can I connect 2 synth keyboards at a time ( stereo )? Is there a way to do so as the in stereo line it's only one? Thanks in advance for helping. BTW amazing Mixer indeed
Hello, Stefano! I’m super excited about these mixers, too! So, all of the input jacks on these mixers are mono, so a stereo signal will always occupy two jacks. In addition to the dedicated stereo pairs, you can “tie” together any two consecutive inputs so they behave as a stereo pair. If you are to do that, the two inputs will be condensed to a single stereo fader, but they will still occupy two inputs on the mixer.
Thanks for the interest!
Cody Kraus, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1766, cody_kraus@sweetwater.com
Adam running a side gig in between Mythbusters shoots. 😏
Question, is it possible to use the USB B port as an insert on the channels? For running something like super rack performer.
I believe it’s just for recording and playback
I’m betting the answer to this is yes. Its just an audio interface. Could you do fancy routing? To be seen.
Hey, DonTaé! Great question. With the CQ mixers, the USB-B port is for stereo input from a playback device. You can’t set it as an insert on a particular channel. There are lots of great effects built in to the CQ architecture, though!
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Connor Smith, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1793, connor_smith@sweetwater.com
I have the Allen and Heath CQ 20 is there a way to EQ the main output?
Hey there! Yes, you can certainly EQ the main output within the CQ MixPad app with their parametric or graphic EQ. You’ll just select the output channel (you can do this with any auxiliary outputs as well) and apply your wanted EQ and adjust from there.
Feel free to reach out if you’d like to discuss any further!
Nick Pasquino, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 3230, nick_pasquino@sweetwater.com
I think I'll be replacing the Midas MR18 with that 20B
Do they have dca like the xr18 from behringer
CAN IT RECIVE TIMING FROM ABLETON FOR DELAYS ??
Since the 6 monitor sends are 1/4” is there enough room to accept 6 xlr ends with xlr to 1/4” adapters on them? Wld have been nice to have xlr monitor sends like on the CQ20…
Buy adapters with a few inches of cable in the middle and you’re good.
If I use it as an audio interface to record into a DAW, can the CQ-20B record all 16 channels + the 2 pairs of stereo inputs at 96khz?
Hi Clement, great question! Yes you can record 24x22 channels in either 48khz or 96khz when using as an interface. If using the SD card recording you are limited to 16x16 @ 96khz.
Thanks!
Jason Filloramo, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1281, Jason_Filloramo@sweetwater.com
I can't find any information about its recording sample rate. It has 96kHz for the FPGA but how about for SD card and DAW recording?
Hi Angel, great question! The sample rate for the SD card and USB output can be selected between either 48 kHz or 96kHz. Note when using the SD card at 96 kHz, you are limited to a 16x16 track count while at 48 kHz you have 24x22.
Thanks!
Jason Filloramo, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1281, Jason_Filloramo@sweetwater.com
Are CQ series real multitrack recorders?....I mean does it have overdub and all the spects that are used to be in a multitrack recorder?
Hey, Enrique! Thanks so much for reaching out. That’s a great question! Unfortunately, no, you won’t be able to overdub and do any type of DAW-like recording standalone on the CQ mixer. The SD card is great for recording and listening back, but you won’t be able to record overdubs, etc., that way. Of course, you can run this via USB with the DAW of your choice and have all the functionality you would want.
I hope this helps!
Nick Pasquino, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 3230, nick_pasquino@sweetwater.com
How many units space it use for a rack mount rack?
Thank you in advance
Hello, Fabrizio! The CQ-20B, being the rackmounted unit of the bunch, occupies four total rack units.
Thanks for the interest!
Cody Kraus, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1766, cody_kraus@sweetwater.com
Do these mixers have digital stagebox connectivity??
Hey, Mikael! Thanks for your interest. The CQ series is meant to be an all-in-one solution for setups with a smaller number of inputs. They don’t have an expandable channel count and don’t connect to any digital stage boxes. These are excellent for bands and other small performance groups, but might not be best for setups that require more flexible I/O. If you need help finding the right mixer for your setup feel free to reach out and we can make some recommendations!
Connor Smith, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1793, connor_smith@sweetwater.com
I did not find any compressor sidechain functionality in the app in offline mode. Is sidechain compression possible?
Hi, Bewie! Thanks for your interest. Currently, there’s no sidechain compression available on the CQ series. There’s a possibility that they might add it in a future firmware update, but I can’t speculate on when/if that might happen.
Feel free to contact me directly with any further questions, and thanks again!
Caleb Lowrey, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1620, caleb_lowrey@sweetwater.com
Hey Caleb, it would be excellent if you could pass on to A&H that sidechain is an essential feature for a future update 🚀@@sweetwater
nice
Do the me500s not work with this?
Space verb? i have chorus instead.. explain please
Can you hook up an IP8 to these?
Hi DJ Nix, good question! I talked with my Allen & Heath reps, and there is currently no way to hook up the IP8 to the CQ mixers. They said it would be cool though! The best way to control these mixers remotely is with the free Mix Pad app, which gives you full control over every feature of the mixer!
If you have any other questions, give me a shout!
Drake Sobehrad, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 3271, drake_sobehrad@sweetwater.com
The series should have been tiered by the number of channels, as Behringer did, and not by crippling the smaller mixers-
can i use the 6 mono outs into stereo outs?
Yes
Hi, great question! Hard to find a manual for such a new product, so I was able to talk to our in-house Allen & Heath rep, and they were able to confirm for me. You can link the outputs to be used as stereo outputs if you want. So that would limit you to three, but you would then be able to pan the sends as needed to help separate the instruments for the monitor mixes.
If you have further questions, give me a ring!
Drake Sobehrad, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 3271, drake_sobehrad@sweetwater.com
Need 24/32 ch version please
SQ
When will mixer designers understand, that there are so many pro musicians who will not find products like this enough for them since they need more professional tools and flexibility (like being able to connect a stage box via Danter or incorporate Waves plugins via Soundgrid) but often times don't need a full-blown console? Why can't anybody produce a little box like these ones that would have "the big brains" and a lot of connectivity while being compact and lightweight when you don't need a lot of I/O?
My thoughts exactly…AH is aiming the CQ for the prosumer/bedroom artist/musician, who wants a decent sound without having to worry about how to get it.
They do. It’s called a UA Apollo.
Their R&D probably shows Dante as not viable for a small box option
Sadly this mixer doesn't have Groups. It's 2023 for crying out loud
Yea 2023 either you learn to do the work or someone els will
You know they have mixers with groups 👀
Metronome?