Allen & Heath Qu-16 builds on MixWizard legacy

The Qu-16 is a compact digital mixer from Allen & Heath, intended to become the digital successor to the manufacturer’s popular MixWizard range. The 19-inch console boasts a professional feature set at an entry-level price tag and inherits a wealth of technology from the GLD and iLive ranges.

Features include total recall of settings (including 17 motorised faders and digitally controlled preamps), an 800 x 480 full colour touchscreen, the Qu-Drive integrated multi-track recorder (which works with an external USB drive and can record and playback multi-track and stereo audio .wav files), dSnake for remote I/O and personal monitoring, multi-channel USB streaming to Mac, remote control via a newly developed  app named Qu-Pad, and the incorporation of the iLive effects library.

In total, Qu-16 features 16 mic/line inputs, three stereo inputs, four effects engines with dedicated stereo returns, 14 mixes (including LR, 10 aux mixes, plus two dedicated effects busses), 12 mix processing channels, patchable AES digital output with a further two-channel ALT output, dedicated talkback and two-track output.

Processing capability is reportedly key to the Qu-16 design, with five dual core DSPs. Five 200MHz ARM core processors run in parallel, driving the touchscreen and surface, the Qu Drive USB interface, USB streaming, Ethernet port and the moving faders. The touchscreen itself, meanwhile, offers ‘Touch Channel’ access to channel processing, the effects racks and all the setup and system management controls. In keeping with the iLive user interface, the SuperStrip provides control knobs for a selected channel’s key processing parameters, such as gain, HPF, parametric EQ, gate threshold, compressor threshold and pan.

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