The chrome edition of the Allen & Heath Qu-16C Rackmountable Digital Mixer is a 16-channel digital mixer and USB audio interface designed for live and installed sound as well as studio use. The chrome edition adds high-contrast chrome rotary and fader knobs that improve visibility in dark conditions, as well as a number of software enhancements from the updated firmware (V1.8). It features 16 mic- or line-selectable inputs and 3 stereo line inputs. Its 16 anaLOGIQ microphone preamps have digitally recallable settings that can be saved and recalled for future sessions. The Qu-16 has a variety of output options, including 4 mono XLR mix outputs, 3 XLR stereo-pair mix outputs, an alternative TRS stereo-pair mix output, a TRS stereo-pair 2-track output, and a 2-channel AES digital output.

The Qu-16 has 16 buses as well as 4 stereo effect returns, and offers a variety of routing options and controls. It has a 5" 800x480 resolution touchscreen that displays your metering and RTA views, effects tracks, processing, routing, and saved scenes. The 16 tracks are controllable with the 16 100mm motorized faders. Built-in processing allows you to EQ, compress, gate, switch polarity, and apply delay to all 16 tracks. All of your settings can be saved as a scene and recalled later for quick setup.

Thanks to its internal convertors, the Qu-16 is also a USB audio interface and can record to any Core Audio-compatible software on your Mac. You can also record to and play back audio from an external USB hard drive. It is compatible with the Qu-Pad iPad app that allows you to control your mix with your iPad over a connected wireless network. The Qu-16 unit itself can be rackmounted or set up on a desk.

New Features In Firmware V1.9

• Pro Factory Mic Presets codeveloped with leading microphone manufacturers including Shure, Sennheiser, and Audio-Technica
• Updated iPad app functionality
• Windows Daw Control app
• DAW Templates online for users of Cubase, Logic X, and Pro Tools

AnaLOGIQ Preamps
Qu-16's sixteen AnaLOGIQ total recall preamps feature zero-crossing detection and an advanced padless 1 dB / step gain stage, closely allied to the DSP for optimal gain accuracy and audio transparency. The analog signal is captured by low-latency 24-bit analog-to-digital converters matched to high-quality 24-bit digital-to-analog converters to deliver the required outputs. The AnaLOGIQ design has been refined to offer transparency, minimal distortion and a low noise floor, with a warm, musical sound.

Touch Control
The 800x480, sixteen-million-color touchscreen and its dedicated data encoder form the heart of the Qu-16 interface, providing fast and 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.

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, and delay. The Stereo mixes provide Insert, 4-band PEQ, compressor, delay, and balance control.

Fader Automation
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. 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, there is 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 Allen & Heath's iLive pro touring series. Qu-16 boasts 4 stereo iLive FX engines, featuring 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. 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.

Allen & Heath QU-16C Rack Mountable Compact Digital Mixer, Chrome Edition