Linking QU16 and QU-PAC

[Mario]

Can you “link” two QUs together? Specifically, a QU16 with an QU-Pac in order to expand the number of channels? Basically be able to have/control 32 channels.
Thanks!

[mervaka]

You’d need to link the busses together somehow. Not possible via dSNAKE as they’re both fixed clock masters.

[Anonymous]

And the 16 only has the brains for 16 (+6) channels..

[Anonymous]

What is the scenario you are trying to achieve?
Can you elaborate?
There is no digital way of connecting the 2 completely different qu’s
Buy a QU32?

[robbocurry]

Surface and stagebox.
That’s what you want.
I understand and want that too.
Qu32 fine but too big for some gigs.

[Mario]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I plan on getting the QU-PAC and in doing so was hoping I could somehow link the two together to add more channels. If I understand from the responses, I guess I can’t do that because I’ll only be able to control/see only the 16 channel I have on QU16 touch screen on the board. I assume it would be the same via the iPad, even if both boards are “connected” to a stagebox. I guess I can just set it up as a master/slave configuration by taking the output of one board (ie. main left/right) into the input on the other (ie. channels 1&2). Is the a another “better” way of doing this?

[Anonymous]

You just can’t connect two clock master devices – and all QUs are clock masters.

The stageboxes and ME-1’s are clock slaves.

[mervaka]

I think on this occasion he meant an analogue link, which is of course possible to a degree. You have to sacrifice input channels in one mixer to inject onto the busses, but should work. You also lose PAFL logic, so running just in additive mode would make the most sense

[Anonymous]

“Both boards connected to a stage of” could be implying one stage box which wouldn’t work either…

[Anonymous]

I know this thread is old now but I was just wondering if I there was a digital way to connect a Qu-Pac to my Qu-32 for extra channels. Under normal circumstances I have plenty of free space on my board but for special programs we cut it close and I was looking for an inexpensive way to expand as the need arises. We already have two Qu-Pacs so it seemed the logical place to start.

I’ve connected analog boards inline in the past and needed an inline filter to deal with the static hiss that went along with it. This may or may not be the case with the Qu-Pac to Qu-32 scenario but thought I’d put it out there. I figure though that I could connect the outputs from the Qu-Pac to one of the Stereo inputs (ST1, ST2 or ST3) on the Qu-32, rather than taking up two mono channels on the main layer. The Qu-Pac is mostly tablet control anyway so it shouldn’t be an issue there. I was thinking that the only potential loss of capability might be in controlling the output of the Qu-Pac to the stage monitors on the Qu-32 but it just occurred to me that if I open it up to all on the Stereo channel then I could control them from the Qu-Pac, so no real issue there after all.

So the only real problem might be the potential for static hiss from connecting the two together.

Any thoughts or a logic check would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Dick Rees]

Chris…

No, you cannot combine them for “one console” audio. However, you can use one to sub-mix “stems” (think groups) and send the stems to the main mixer via channel inputs. ST1/ST2 would be good for things needing panning and single channel/mono stems after that. So…

Master:slave, no. Sub-mixer:main console, yes.

[Mike C]

To sum up you can not expand the number of inputs on a QU mixer to be more than
what your model QU has in physical inputs on the unit itself exception being
the QU Pac. Having said that you can gain a couple of mic inputs when using a
stage box and assigning a couple inputs to the stereo inputs.

Now for the “static hiss” you got when connection the analog output of one mixer into
the analog input of another, people have been doing that for years to gain a few last minute channels.

What was the “static hiss” just overloading the mic preamp input, did you have the input
gain turned way down, if your still hitting the input with too much signal use the 1/4 inch line level input.
I could see getting ground loop noise if the two mixers where in different locations and powered from different power sources.
If it was grounding noise then at the least maybe a pin one lift on the XLR cable connection the two mixers would work or you would need to use an isolation transformer.
If your were just hitting the mic input too hard even with the channel gain all the way down either use an inline pad maybe about 20 db or the line input jack.

[Author]

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