Forums › Forums › Qu Forums › Qu general discussions › Crazy or sensible? User experience
Tagged: QU16 DAW vst integration
This topic contains 45 replies, has 7 voices, and was last updated by 
-
AuthorPosts
-
2020/10/11 at 4:52 pm #95647
If you have a B word product try making a phone call to get some tech support!!!
And yes I am in the Northern Europe where we need our equipment as rugged as our Mead
That could be a marketing advertising tag line!!!!!
2020/10/11 at 5:15 pm #95650They DID get tech support, and all of the times the console had to be shipped back in for repairs.
And I know they are not the only ones with problems like that, several other companies and bands have reported similar errors.When I think back, only two products from B comes to mind ad buggy, the second being an eight channel mic pre amp – A/D, tending to fry the psu. 😉
2020/10/11 at 6:51 pm #95651@Søren Steinmetz
Could those have been hard core rock bands who abuse the equipment?
Or were they normal people who take care of expensive electronics devices?2020/10/11 at 6:56 pm #95653Hmm I must be one of the extraordinary exception from the rules. I use products from this brand since the nineties, a headphone amp and those eight channel mic pres, which I still own and use. I am really a lucky guy.;-)
2020/10/11 at 7:03 pm #95654We are talking anything from a single Stand Up comedian, a corporate presentation to folk, rock, pop band, theater and musicals and a few smaller festivals.
And they did not abuse this console harder than any other console (some took this over a larger M console, and when they swapped the X out for the similar M they had zero problems)@mfk0815
I have products from that brand 20-25 years old that still work flawlessly, and of the 4 preamps I have had 2 still work fine.2020/10/11 at 8:31 pm #95659I had expected better from this forum rather than some of u arguing like those on the audiophile forums when the discussion is about analogue and digital music, CDs and vinyl. I considered the Qu16 cos I thought AH build quality reliability service and user forums would be great. Well, how disappointed I am. Their DAW control documentation goes on about Macs and windows not available even though a driver appears to be there for windows, and u lot? All I wanted to know was could it be used as a control surface using windows operating system with the additional benefit of it having an integrated audio interface. If so what could it do and not do? I thought it was quite a simple question considering this is the actual Allen & Heath “official” community forum, not twitter which is FULL of twits.
I am British I live in Britain and I like to buy British when and if I can, I have nothing against the competition, but my loyalty is to buy when possible something designed and “hopefully” made here when possible.
2020/10/12 at 12:04 am #95674I do not see it being used the way you just described what you want to do originally.
Obviously it can be a control surface to RECORD via a DAW just fine.
Trying to control things from the DAW is iffy to not going to happen for sure.
But there is no need to control things from the PC. That is the hard way to do things.2020/10/12 at 12:52 am #95677I do not expect to be able to control the mixer from the DAW or PC, only the motorised faders should follow the DAW. I do however expect to control the DAW from the mixer to what level/degree/depth I am not sure what the QU16 is capable of. I want to mix using the mixer not the computer as I can do using my Midi keyboards.
2020/10/12 at 1:14 am #95678you are really confusing me
*you* move the faders on the Qu to adjust inputs yada yada
the DAW records once you set the levels and start playing keyboards
you can monitor at the Qu to make sure you like the mix
I record stems on the PC and prefer to mix there not combine things and do both at the same time.not sure what you want to control from the Qu
I just turn on the DAW ,then record from wherever, here it is the Qu, and then turn the DAW off.
The Qu does the mixing. You verify with the headphones or a local speaker via an out from the Qu.I would record the keyboards separately in the DAW then merge them, after converting the midi to music, with whatever came from the Qu into the DAW later. If the keyboards put out music not midi then run them into the Qu with whatever else you have and record them all together.
2020/10/12 at 6:27 am #95681We have digressed from your topic, as I wrote earlier, and sorry for that.
The QU, as nice as it is, is not build to be a DAW controller as such.
You can do rudementary (not sure if spelled correct) work like fader control, but not complete DAW control.When you say mix, do you mean like using the DAW as a multitrack recording and then do all mixing on the console, using the consoles effects etc. ?
2020/10/12 at 8:03 am #95682Hi once again Volounteer and yes I know it can get confusing so lets break this question down into specific individual logical steps
INPUT – We start with a audio interface to record from the mixer to the computer. This can be dry no effects or wet with the onboard mixer effects internal HARDWARE or pedals etc external HARDWARE – ton of options
Once we start to layer the individual tracks we create whatever we are doing – song etc
MIXING – Once we get the tracks down we start/continue to add what if any effects we need to individual tracks and we layer our tracks if/as required
OUTPUT – Once we have the tracks down with effects we start the process of mastering mixing down to our target output, stereo, surround etc.INPUT is straight forward and not an issue at this stage we are only capturing/recording our tracks.
MIXING, now things start to get interesting. AS a DAW control surface we should have access to the individual tracks on the DAW from the mixer, after all it is a mixer as much as a audio interface. Clearly any external hardware effects cannot be changed ie guitar pedals etc. But any software vst’s plug-ins should be available to control from the mixer via the Mackie control or similar protocol
Question mark over whether you can modify effects used during recording ON the mixer AFTER the tracks have been recorded down on the DAW, I would suggest YES.
WAVES specific expansion card only available on the SQ range of AH mixersOUTPUT Here we are just mixing down, pan volume etc
AS Soren suggests yes the AH QU range of mixers can be used as a DAW control surface but its capabilities are limited. Without the ability to communicate with the DAW software and control plug in effects its use in a studio environment as a “digital” mixer would basically be impractical. But I guess as it only offers a max 48kHz sample rate and AH have the better SQ range of mixers, they would “correctly” assume a studio/producer would buy one of them and not the QU range. to be honest, that is what I should be looking at to. 48kHz sample rate is just not studio quality, like it or not argue all you want, it is not. That is what put me off the Behringer x32 and why I bought the Sapphire Liquid 56. Those chrome knobs on the SQ range look damn right awful
2020/10/12 at 8:20 am #95683
AnonymousBrilliant response!
Lets see you sort this out Mr @Volounteer!
I can not believe Allen Heath have let this carry on into this long drawn out scenario!2020/10/12 at 9:15 am #95685yes well xyz, it would appear AH technical support don’t monitor their own forums and provide positive assistance. I need to replace my Yamaha 01x, I have put it off for years and choosing the right mixer is important in functionality, compatibility and what it will actually cost me. I had hoped to find something a little more flexible than the Mackie Uni Pro, which is after all almost as old in design AND LOOKS as my Yamaha. I guess if its not broken why change it
2020/10/12 at 10:14 am #95688The digital community here is for public discussion between users, though it is monitored and we’ll jump in if necessary.
If you wish to ask us anything directly however, you can always contact us using support.allen-heath.com
I have already responded here however, explaining the DAW Control functionality of the Qu (which is also very similar to our other digital consoles).
Our digital mixers are mixers first and foremost with audio/MIDI interfacing and DAW Control capabilities as added extras. They are not control surfaces with an audio interface, nor an audio interface with some controls. However, even without full integration between mixer and DAW, there are many reasons that our digital ranges are very popular in studios.
A few examples include:
Space/cost – Many users only require hands-on for DAW level control, so the idea of a single unit that offers all of one thing (mixing) and the necessary parts of some others (interface/control) is attractive.
Monitoring – Our digital mixers work with the ME personal monitoring system, or can be controlled remotely with free apps. This means any artist or performer can control their own low latency monitor mix.
Full recall – As entire setups can be stored and recalled, it means that subsequent (but non sequential) sessions with the same performer/artist or on the same mix can begin at the point they left off.
Backup – The Qu can record multitrack direct to a USB device at the same time as streaming audio over USB-B to a DAW.Thanks,
Keith.2020/10/12 at 3:03 pm #95691@xyz
Okay
AFAIK there is absolutely no way to do that mixing part the way you describe it with the Qu.
It is , again afaik, not a control surface for the DAW.Have not read Keith’s reply following so if he says otherwise then believe him.
-
AuthorPosts
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
