Allen & Heath Introduces Qu-32 Mixer – 32-In/28-Out, for Live & Studio

The Qu digital line of mixers from Allen & Heath now include the Qu-32 – a 32 channel digital mixer.

The Qu line radically maximizes on the advantages of digital control by including complete board recall, including digitally controlled preamps. Along with total recall, the Qu-32 includes all of the features that Allen & Heath have capitalized on, but includes a larger touch screen and a total of 33 motorized faders. Read on for full details – They are EXPANSIVE!

The Qu-32 digital mixer from Allen & Heath.

Allen & Heath will be showing off their new mixer at Infocomm 2014 in Las Vegas. The Qu-32 is expected to ship in July with a price tag of about $4409 (2599 GBP). Here are the full specs from Allen & Heath:

Allen & Heath will be unveiling Qu-32 at Infocomm, a 32 fader, 38 in / 28 out digital mixer joining the rackmount Qu-16 and compact Qu-24. Qu-32 shares the Qu series key features, such as total recall of settings (including faders and digitally controlled preamps), Qu-Drive integrated multi-track recorder, dSNAKE for remote I/O and personal monitoring, multi-channel USB streaming, Qu-Pad control app, and the renowned iLive FX Library to deliver class-leading audio quality. It comes with a larger, 7” touchscreen and 33 motorised faders.

Key to the design was providing a dedicated fader per mic input channel while retaining a compact footprint, the Qu series distinctive styling, and extensive I/O, comprising 32 mic/line inputs, 3 stereo inputs, 24 mix outputs including 2 Stereo Matrix Mix Outputs and 4 Stereo Groups with full processing, patchable AES digital output with a further 2-channel ALT output, dedicated Talkback mic pre input, and 2-Track output.

The elegant side profile of the Qu-32. Ungh.

Qu-32 is equipped with a high resolution full colour 7” Touchscreen featuring the easy to drive ‘Touch Channel’ access to channel processing, the FX racks and all the setup and system management controls. 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.

Qu-Drive, the mixer’s integrated 18-channel USB recorder, can record and playback multi-track and stereo audio .wav files to a USB drive. The USB interface can also be used to store scene and library data for archiving and later recall.

Qu-32 doubles up as a perfect studio mixer thanks to its 32×32 audio interface for streaming to/from a Mac or PC, and MIDI strips dedicated to control of DAW track levels, selection, mutes and solos.

A&H’s proprietary dSNAKE low latency audio connection enables the mixer to connect over a single 120m Cat5 digital snake to remote audio racks, such as the AR84, AR2412, or upcoming AB168 stagebox. It is also compatible with the ME personal mixing system.

Motorised faders provide total recall of mix levels giving the user full benefit from the scene recall system and ensuring the fader is always in the right position even when swapping between the 2 layers, which allows instant access to all channels and masters or the Graphic EQs. To customise the fader layout to suit certain applications, a third user definable layer is also available. There are also 4 DCA groups for applications where multiple sources need a single level control.

The free QuPad iPad app gives instant wireless control of the mixer’s key parameters and settings, enabling the user to tweak the PA, adjust the monitors on stage, and even mix the show from the audience.

The 32 mic/line inputs feature crystal clear AnaLOGIQ recallable pad-less preamps, optimised for transparency and low harmonic distortion. In keeping with the excellent audio quality, the Qu-32 is equipped with a selection of the iLive pro touring series’ FX emulations, used by many engineers in place of top-end plug-ins and external FX units, including classic reverbs, gated reverbs, delays and modulators.

Finally, Qu’s software also caters for different Users, with levels of user access which can be customised and protected by password to easily cope with multiple users wanting different setups at different times.

“Packed full of features and retaining a dedicated fader per mic channel, the larger Qu-32 complements the rest of the Qu family. The comprehensive array of features, such as copy and paste, soft keys, RTA and PFL options make using and setting up the Qu console easy and flexible,” comments Allen & Heath MD, Glenn Rogers. “The Qu-16 and Qu-24 have been welcomed with great enthusiasm by customers from PA companies to churches, and we look forward to more success with the new addition.”

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