Developed in Great Britain in the offices of Allen & Heath, a company specializing in the design of professional mixing desks, the Qu series represents the culmination of long reflection and extensive experience on the use and the design of analog and digital consoles.
Unlike many digital consoles which simply imitate analog consoles to transpose them into a digital environment, the Qu are digital consoles at heart, completely designed to be intuitive, used fluidly by any user.
Very robust thanks to their laminated steel chassis ensuring exceptional durability on tours and can be racked thanks to an optional kit, they feature 5 ARM processors, operating in parallel, delivering exceptional power giving you total control of the situation. Each processor is dedicated to a key module of the console in order to maximize their efficiency.
But this raw power would be nothing without the intuitiveness and incomparable ergonomics provided by the Qu series. All the functions you need are accessible in the blink of an eye thanks to the 16 million color 800x480 touch screen and its dedicated rotary encoder, offering very quick access to all of the console's parameters. Access to the various advanced functions, such as effects and settings menus, are easily accessible using dedicated keys and tabs. The SuperStrip offers physical and instant control of gain, HPF, 4-band EQ, gate, compressor, graphic EQ and pan which complements the functionality present on the touch screen.
AnalogiQ™ 24-bit digitally controlled preamps feature advanced zero-crossing detection and a dB-precise gain stage, working in conjunction with DSP for highly accurate gain and exceptional audio transparency. The design of the AnalogiQ™ preamp has been taken to the smallest detail to achieve minimal distortion, extremely low noise levels and the inimitable warm sound of Allen & Heath.
The power of digital is characterized by its ability to offer backup and recall of all of your configurations and sets at the touch of a button. The Qu can store up to 100 different configurations ensuring data can be recalled at any time, and feature premium ALPS motorized faders providing instant access to all input channels and 2-layer masters, as well as a Master fader depending on the selected Mix. A third Custom layer is available to design your own combination of inputs, effects sends and returns, DCA and master mix.
Thanks to Qu-Drive, multitrack recording has never been easier! The Qu integrates a multi-track USB recorder, offering recording and playback capabilities on input and stereo channels at 48 kHz/24 bit, directly from or into your USB key or hard drive. The Qu systems' built-in audio interface lets you listen to up to 32x32 selectable tracks (for the QU-32) on your Mac or PC. Computer returns can be easily assigned to input channels. The interface is directly compatible with Mac OS Compatible drivers are also available for Windows. MIDI control via your favorite computer music software is still possible via USB.
An advanced but very accessible feature-rich ducker is available for each input channel. It can be inserted on the fly into any Stereo input or group, and offers automatic signal attenuation and straightening: essential for live announcements, or to give a speaker priority over other members.
A series in constant evolution to be at the forefront of progress
The Chrome aesthetic update delivers an exceptional mixing experience thanks to chrome-finished faders and rotary encoders, providing optimal visibility in dark environments and improved control.
The new Chrome version and firmware 1.8 brings a new Automatic Microphone Mixer (AMM), helping the sound engineer manage levels when using many microphones, so that every participant is audible, while still being able to give the priority to certain lanes. AMM is vital in many applications such as conferences, meetings and discussions where many microphones are open simultaneously, to reduce the risk of feedback and background noise.
This update adds a spectrogram to help quickly analyze the entire spectrum and detect spurious frequencies so that appropriate corrections can be made.
It also unlocks more monitoring mixes by making it possible to switch Stereo Groups in Mix mode. This update allows you to have up to 9 monitor sends on the Qu-24 (4 mono, 5 stereo), and 11 sends on the Qu-32 and the Qu-Pac (4 mono, 7 stereo).
A complete and evolving ecosystem
Stage boxes & dSnake
Keen to offer ever more innovative and practical solutions for mixing in the best conditions, Allen&Heath offers stage boxes compatible with the Qu series, connecting directly via a Cat5 cable to the console's dSnake port. Available in 3 versions, AB168 (16 inputs/8 outputs), AR2412 (24 inputs/12 rack outputs) and AR84 (8 inputs/4 rack outputs), the audio racks represent a perfect solution for deporting the inputs and outputs of a console on the front directly on the stage, via a simple 120 meter network cable!
Personal ME monitoring
The Qu are fully compatible with the ME personal monitoring system. A large number of ME-1s can be chained and connected to the dSnake port of a console, or an AR2412 audiorack connected to the console. Each musician then gets control of their mix, leaving plenty of time for the sound engineer to concentrate on the front-of-house sound.
Qu-Pad mixing app
Add the free Qu-Pad iPad app to your setup (available HERE), and you'll be free to adjust the level of each channel from the stage or mix from the crowd! The Qu-Pad app connects to the mixer via a Wi-Fi hotspot (router not included) and provides immediate access to all parameters and settings for live mixing.
Monitoring application for iPhone and Android Qu-You
Using the Qu-You monitoring application (available HERE), up to 7 musicians can control their own monitoring mix via an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Android device. The main window provides access to the main controls in a very compact format, including dials to control 4 source groups, plus a master mute and an output level control.
Professional microphone presets
Allen&Heath has partnered with several world-renowned microphone brands, such as Shure, to develop equalization presets on a wide range of microphones considered industry standards. These presets guarantee quick setup of your set thanks to preconfigured settings for any type of instrument, allowing you to save valuable time in your settings and to focus on the source and environment.
The Qu-Pac incorporates the power and quality of the Qu series consoles and shrinks into an ultra-compact, 19" rackmount mixer. It is therefore possible to mix on the touch screen or via an iPad .
Unlike other mixers in the QU series which, when used with mixracks, only allow the inputs/outputs to be remote, it is possible with the Qu-Pac to add inputs/outputs to the system, when connected to Mixracks with up to 38 inputs.
With its mixing capacity of 40 sources including stereo inputs and effects returns, the QU-PAC is the equivalent of a 40-channel analog console with its 10 Aux, 4 stereo groups and 2 matrix outputs, and has a wide range of external elements (38 gates, 62 compressors, 24 graphic equalizers, 4 stereo effects).
Add to this the unique Qu-Drive recording system, the dSnake connection via a Cat5 cable, the Total Recall memory scene recall system, and above all the possibility of controlling the console via a simple iPad tablet thanks to the Qu-Pad application, and you get a sum of rackable power in 19" format!
• 16 mono inputs (XLR + mono jack). Possibility of expansion up to 38 inputs/28 outputs via an Audiorack digital stage box
• 3 stereo input (2 Jacks, 1 mini-Jack)
• 11 monitoring mixes (4 mono + 7 stereo)
• 12 mix outputs
• 4 stereo groups
• 2 stereo matrix outputs
• 4 effects sends/returns
• AES/EBU output
• 4 DCA groups
• 4 mute groups
• 4 iLive effects engines
• Trim, polarity, HPF, gate, insert/ducker, 4-band parametric EQ, compressor and delay on all inputs
• Insert, 4-band parametric EQ, 1/3 octave graphic EQ, compressor and delay on all outputs
• 5" touch screen 16 million colors 800x480
• 15 user keys
• 16 customizable selection keys
• 16 AnalogiQ™ storable microphone preamplifiers
• 32x30 USB audio streaming: Up to 32 selectable tracks can be transmitted to a PC or Mac. PC or Mac returns can be assigned to input channels. Plug & Play on Mac, MDM and ASIO drivers for Windows
• Qu-Drive: recording and playback of 18 tracks and stereo tracks in 24 bit/48 kHz, directly from a USB key or external hard drive
• Channel ducker on each input
• Qu-Pad application to control the console remotely with an iPad via Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi router not included)
• Qu-You application offering personal feedback on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android.
• Qu-Control application: wireless control interface customizable by the user on iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Offers up to 5 screens including 15 control widgets each, perfectly suited for applications such as background music source selection, scene recall or general level.
• Spectrogram to help eliminate feedback
• Real-time analyzer with peak indicator
• Integrated signal generator: injection possible in all outputs, with a visual indicator on the screen.
• Weight and dimensions: 6.6 kg, 440 x 174 x 181 mm