RACKMOUNTABLE DIGITAL MIXER
FOR LIVE, STUDIO AND INSTALLATION
ALLEN&HEATH
Introducing the New Compact
Digital Mixer from Allen & Heath
We have been creating high end mixing consoles for
some of the most discerning ears in the business since
1969. We’re not a software house, we don’t make stomp
boxes or cable testers – creating excellent mixers is, has
been and always will be our great passion. Qu-16 has
been designed by our in-house research and
development team in Cornwall, Great Britain, and is a
direct
direct descendent of the GLD and iLive digital mixing
systems that have earned the industry’s respect night
after night on tour and in live venues across the globe –
so you can be confident that you’re standing behind a
premium mixer that looks, feels, and sounds like a pro.
Qu-16 harnesses the full potential of digital mixing
technology, with total recall of settings (including the
all-important fader position and preamp gain),
convenient recording and playback solutions, iPad
control, personal monitoring options and the choice of
local or remote Cat5 I/O.
AnalogiQ
Qu-16’s sixteen AnalogiQTM total recall preamps feature
zero crossing detection and an advanced padless 1dB
step gain stage, closely allied to the DSP for optimal gain
accuracy and audio transparency. The analogue signal is
captured by high class, low latency 24bit analogue to
digital converters matched to high quality 24bit digital to
analogue converters to deliver the required outputs. The
AnalogiQ
AnalogiQTM design has been refined over many months to
offer superb transparency, minimal distortion and an
ultra-low noise floor, with a warm, musical sound that is
missing from some digital consoles.
TM
Preamps
The Mixing Experience
Having massive processing power and advanced
functionality is great, but it counts for nothing if you can’t
access the controls you need in a heartbeat. Once you start
using Qu-16 you’ll sense the years of research into
ergonomics and the hands-on mixing experience that our
team has drawn upon to deliver a wonderfully natural layout
and workflow. It’s not about recreating an analogue
interface,
interface, it’s about creating an experience that’s fluid,
comfortable and intuitive for novices, digital natives and old
school road warriors alike, making all the benefits of digital
mixing technology readily accessible to all.
Touch Control
The 800 x 480, sixteen million colour 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 in mind.
Dedicated keys and screen tabs quickly guide you to meter
and RTA views, FX racks, channel processing, USB audio
control, scenes, setup menus and much more.
Fader Automation
Moving faders started as an expensive option in the studio
desks of the 80s, and later became the norm with the advent
of digital technology. Nevertheless some entry-level digital
mixers lack this precious commodity which is a fundamental
part of the Total Recall approach. Fader automation is
essential for rapid mixing, especially when you’re dealing
with multiple monitor mixes – just press a mix key and the
faders immediately fly to the send levels for that mix.
faders immediately fly to the send levels for that mix.
The SuperStrip
All your key processing tools are presented in a clean layout
on the SuperStrip, with 1 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
mixes
and delay. The Stereo mixes provide Insert, 4-band PEQ,
compressor, delay and balance control.
Qu-16 features 17 motorized ALPS faders, 16 arranged over
2 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.
iLive FX
Qu-16’s dynamics and FX algorithms are derived from the FX
used in our iLive pro touring series. Some of the world’s most
respected audio engineers have chosen to use iLive’s FX on
tour in preference to top-end plug-ins and external FX units.
Qu-16 boasts 4 stereo iLive FX engines, featuring lovingly
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.
library
FX are returned to the mix on dedicated return channels, so
you’re not tying up your mono and stereo input channels.
Each Stereo FX Return has a dedicated 4 band PEQ.
Qu-Pad
Add the Qu-Pad iPad app to your Qu-16 setup and you’re
free to adjust the monitors on stage, roam around the
venue whilst tweaking the PA, and then mix the show from
the heart of the audience. Qu-Pad connects to the mixer
over Wi-Fi* and gives instant access to all live mixing
parameters and settings.
*Requires*Requires the connection of a Wi-Fi router or access point to the Qu-16
Network port.
ME Personal Mixing System
Qu-16 is fully compatible with our ME Personal Mixing
System. Any number of ME-1 personal mixers can be
chained from the dSNAKE port (or from an AR2412
Stagebox if you’ve got one connected to the dSNAKE port).
Each performer can be given tailored control over their own
mix, leaving the engineer free to focus on the audience
experience. Find out more at allen-heath.com/ME
dSNAKE
Qu-16 is a self-contained mixer, so if you’ve already got the
analogue cables you’re good to go. If you’re thinking of
trading in the copper multicore for a Cat5 digital snake,
Qu-16’s dSNAKE port has you future-proofed, allowing
connection to a remote AR2412 or AR84 Stagebox.
dSNAKE is our proprietary networking solution, boasting a
transport latency of only 105us over cable runs of up to
120m
120m / 390’. So if you’re mixing FoH you can place your I/O
on the stage and run a single Cat5 cable back to the Qu-16
in the mix position.
Accessories
AR2412 – 24 inputs, 12 outputs AudioRack with dSNAKE connection and expansion port for personal monitoring.
AR84 – 8 inputs, 4 outputs AudioRack with dSNAKE connection.
AH7000 – 80m drum of Neutrik EtherFlex Cat5 with locking connectors.
AH8721 – 120m drum of Klotz Cat5 with locking connectors.
LEDLamp – variable brightness 18” gooseneck lamp.
QU-16-RK19 – Rack mounting kit.
Total Recall
True digital mixing is about being able to save and recall
scenes (snapshots) at the press of a button. 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
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 you store your
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, so
you can carry the show with you, ready to use on another
Qu-16.
USB Audio Streaming
Qu-16’s built-in interface streams multitrack audio to your
Mac channel 1 to 16, the Main LR mix and 3 selectable
stereo pairs.
Qu-Drive
Forget soundcard drivers and software setup, Qu-16 has
an integrated multitrack USB recorder, providing 18 chan-
nels of 48kHz 24bit recording and playback straight to /
from your USB hard drive. Capturing multitrack recordings
of your shows has never been so easy.
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.
On top of this, Qu-Drive also provides stereo recording,
patchable from any pair of Mix outputs, the Main LR (pre,
post, or summed to mono) or even the PAFL bus, with 2-
track stereo playback to ST3.
The returns from the Mac can be assigned to the 16 Mono
channels plus stereos.
The
The interface is class-compliant on Mac OS X – which
means it’s truly plug ‘n play, 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
Standard MIDI control is tunnelled over the USB connection
so you can easily map the faders to the tracks of your
favourite DAW. Alternatively, a MIDI driver is available for use
with the Ethernet port.
Applications
Live
Qu-16 with traditional analogue
multicore from stage and direct
recording on USB media.
Optional
Studio
Qu-16 as tracking mixer, soundcard,
DAW controller and monitor router,
plus optional ME-1s for personal cue
foldback to recording room.
Qu-Pad
Live with Remote Audio
Qu-16 with dSNAKE Cat5 digital
snake connection to an AR2412
Audio Rack, direct recording on USB
media, iPad wireless control and
optional ME-1s for personal
monitoring on stage.
Optional
ARMed to the Hilt
Qu-16 is equipped with 5 cores of high efficiency ARM
core processing, with dedicated ARM cores running
the touchscreen display and surface, USB streaming,
Qu-Drive multi-channel USB recording / playback,
Ethernet and fader automation. Between them the ARM
cores provide state-of-the-art processing, working in
parallel to deliver extensive control, instant-on
operation, and lightning-fast response.
operation, and lightning-fast response.
The mixer’s DSP farm exploits next-generation dual
core DSPs, giving 10 DSP cores, with 8 dedicated to
the channel and mix processing alone. With so much
DSP power under the hood the channel processing is
only using a fraction of capacity, so Qu-16 is
future-proofed, with ample room for updates and extra
functionality.
The Qu-16 DSP architecture employs varied bit depths,
The
tailored to specific algorithms, with 48 bits on critical
EQ functions and a 56 bit accumulator on the mix bus
where it really counts, allowing every nuance of the
audio to be captured in the final mix.
The Shape of Things to Come
Made from 18 gauge, cold-rolled Zintec steel, Qu-16’s
distinctive frame is designed for strength, rigidity and
ease of rack mounting. We’ve done unspeakable
things to that chassis in the lab and it’s taken
everything we’ve thrown at it – even being stomped on
by our resident ex-tank crewman.
Silence is a precious commodity in the live or studio
Silence
environment, which is why nobody wants those
moments of stillness ruined by the whirring of fans
coming from the mix position. Qu-16’s sleek profile
generates optimal airflow through the mixer, eliminating
the need for any fans.
The shape has some unexpected benefits too. When
The
we started taking Qu-16 out to gigs we soon found the
space beneath it incredibly useful for keeping our USB
drive, talkback mic, cue sheet and other clutter tucked
out of the way. We’ve even had engineers hanging the
mixer from a handy scaffold bar and mixing vertically.
Technical Specifications
AP9191
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ALLEN&HEATH
ALLEN&HEATH
Quickly access preamp
gain, HPF frequency,
PEQ settings, gate &
compressor threshold,
and PAN. The Source
key toggles between
analogue inputs or
USB.
USB.
GEQ Flip toggles the
faders to Graphic EQ
sliders.
Copy, Paste or Reset
any section of
processing or a whole
channel or mix. The
Fn (Function) key
brings up a popup
page relevant to the
current screen.
current screen.
Fader strips with Mute,
Select, PAFL switches,
signal meter, and
100mm motorised
fader. Access all the
processing for each
strip with Sel.
The Peak indicators are
The
multi-point – they are
triggered by any signal
clip in the channel path.
16 faders in 3 layers give
access to all channels
and masters in a
compact space. Assign
any combination of
Inputs, FX sends, FX
returns and Mix masters
to the Custom laye
to the Custom layer.
RACKMOUNTABLE DIGITAL MIXER
FOR LIVE, STUDIO AND INSTALLATION
ST3 Mini-jack stereo
input for portable
devices.
Qu-Drive multitrack /
stereo recording and
playback, data transfer,
archiving and firmware
update.
5” 800x480 colour
touchscreen with dedicated
navigation keys and rotary
encoder.
4 user-assignable
SoftKeys for scene
recall, mutes, tap tempo
and more.
Access mix sends on
faders with the
dedicated Mix keys.
Balanced Stereo Inputs
Ethernet network port for
remote / wi-fi control
dSNAKETM Remote Audio
port for digital snake and
personal monitoring
USB audio streaming,
USB audio streaming,
class-compliant on Mac
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All 12 Mix outputs on XLR
2TRK Out
Patchable Alt Out
AES digital stereo output
Dedicated Talkback
preamp
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