Seeking SQ-6 Live & DAW setup suggestions

[YITParticipant]

Greetings. Looking for a some advice for a new SQ user please.

Purchased a used SQ-6 a couple months ago for use mixing and recording live performances. Typically the live setup will be 30-40 mic/instr/outboard processor inputs via both local and a AR2412 stagebox, spread across Layers A & B. Haven’t had any difficulties configuring the console’s ins or outs for live shows regarding monitors or mains. Patching seemed intuitive for stageboxes & local inputs/outputs on the SQ’s I/O patching screen. BTW, really impressed with ease of navigation while mixing, the overall build and audio quality, surface layout flexibility, and the performance of newly installed compressor pkg addons. All good so far.

The previous mixer I used for this purpose was a Presonus StudioLive 24/4/2. It was connected to a DAW (Sonar X3 Producer running on Creation Station) via a firewire that fed up to 24 unprocessed post preamp signals into the DAW for multitrack recording live performances. Then at some later date, by routing the DAW via firewire back into the same Presonus scene, it got fixed and/or mixed. Enabling the Presonus firewire buttons on each channnel would allow monitoring for playback into those same channels for processing/mixdown. Disabling specific channel(s) firewire button during playback gave me a simultaneaous good track monitoring, and a path back to DAW for bad track overdubbing. Very much like the analog days when you just switched back and forth between monitor and source. This method all operated within the same (single) original Presonus scene saved during the previous live performance/recording. Since that scene contained the original channel preamp / processing settings, then later returns to the same channels and processing; punching in performance fixes, or completely replacing tracks in the DAW while preserving and closely matching the original instrument or vocal characteristics was fairly dependable. Simple enough.

What I’m having difficulty with is determining the best method to patch the SQ-6 into the DAW so it will operate simliarly to my previous setup, but now with more than 24 channels being recorded. In other words, the SQ-6 mixes live shows, with up to 32 channels simultaneously recording into the DAW. Then later, the DAW can return those recordings to the same SQ scene and channels for playback, processing/overdubs, etc. If relevant, typically I’m trying to record 18 mic/line channels from Layer A, and 8-10 from Layer B. Perhaps I’m not understanding the SQ capabilities correctly? My thinking is if I still only needed 24 or less channels recorded, I could feed DAW using SQ channels 1-24 (local/DLink inputs) while mixing the live show, then later return the tracks into 25-48 (duplicating 1-24 channel processing) via SQ’s USB-B portal. All saved within the original single scene. Then capturing new or overdubbing tracks would be accomplished thru the 1-24, and playback would stay decrete thru 25-48. I’m also assuming that although the SQ-6 USB-B can transmit up to 32 USB channels, my typical 26-30 channel recording requirement will exceed the SQ-6 / DAW send/ return channel count needed to do that within that single scene.

I’m looking for a way to achieve something similar to my previous setup, and not lament not getting the SQ-7. FYI, I definitely don’t have a strong grasp of the SQ internal patching capabilities. Perhaps I’m looking at my previous and proposed configuations entirely wrong? Consequently, I’m completely open to any suggestions for a new best practice. The idea I’m developing is to create one SQ scene, essentially my live setup (SLink & local sockets into channels on Layers A & B), routed into DAW thru USB-B output patching for recording, but without channel processing except preamps (Tie Lines?). Then a second scene, saved in exactly the same configuation, but with those same channel input sockets fed from DAW via USB-B returning channels portal.

However, it seems like this method will then require me to reset the sockets on scene 2 back to SLink/local input sources every time I want to switch from playback to (re)recording a track take/overdub? Also, this method might be prone to unintentionally introducing differences between the separate scenes. Somewhat confused as well to why I’ve been able to test this DAW/SQ routing method briefly and it seems to work as expected, without me ever assigning any USB channels in I/O patch screen? Assuming SQ must have some default USB-B patching, and is working because I’m essentially mirroring the ins and outs between the 2 scenes?

Primary questions are:
Am I viewing this entire SQ-6 / DAW configuration process wrong?
What setup/configuration would you advise for this application?
What other resources can you would recommend to lead me in the appropriate direction?

Wouldn’t go back to analog days for anything, but physical patching was a lot easier for me to understand. I’ve read through most of this forum’s threads, and searched other online sites but suspect this topic might be too “basic” to warrant much discussion. Maybe I’m just ignorant? My apologies, if either is true.

With much appreciation,
Analog guy still adjusting to living in a digital world

[Alex A&HKeymaster]

Hi YIT,

The SQ’s USB B interface is 32 X 32 channels, so you can send 32 signals to your computer from the SQ, whilst simultaneously sending 32 signals to your SQ from the computer.

You can indeed switch just your input patch using scenes without changing any processing or other settings, but you can also use the Input Patch Library for this. You can access this by selecting the IO page, then go to Inputs > Input channels on the left and press the Library key.

The SQ has USB 1 & 2 assigned to the USB channel, found on layer B on the SQ-6 default strip layout. So it may be that the output of your DAW was patched already to this USB channel.

I hope this helps, but please let me know if you’d like more assistance! You can go to support.allen-heath.com if you’d like to start a support ticket.

Thanks! Alex

[YITParticipant]

Alex

Appreciate your suggestion of another possible way to address my issues, and ultimately find the best configuration to meet my needs. Getting a better understanding of SQ’s capabilities every day regarding patching, and other shortcut features. Finding some clues in seemingly unrelated posts as well. Always takes a while to figure out the best way to squeeze every last drop out of a new console, and welcome any other users suggestions as well. I’ll experiment around some more and get back if I have other questions.

Thanks again,
Wyatt

[Author]

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