Selecting Line input versus Mic input?

[LesWilsonParticipant]

I have a QU-16 submixer for a GL2800. On the analog desk I can plug two sources into each channel and select which is input using the LINE pad. This lets me have more devices connected simultaneously and choose which to use for a given event.

I’m not seeing that capability on the QU although is has both Line and Mic inputs per channel. Is there a way to configure which input is used on a given channel? TIA

[Anonymous]

No There is no way to switch between Line and mic on any channel input
They are both connected and you use the gain and pad control to adjust what ever is required to obtain the correct level.

[DoctorGParticipant]

Les: Just FYI – the easiest way to find the answer to questions like this is to look at the flow diagram. There are two such diagrams in the manual. One is near the front, and the other, somewhat more detailed version, is toward the end (p. 88 of the version 10 manual). The latter has a more detailed view of the Input connections. See the attachment. There it shows that the Line and Mic inputs are connected together, and the only controls are Gain and 48-Volt switch. The textural information is at Section 4.1 of the manual.

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[Anonymous]

Perfect Doc
You took the words right out of my mouth!
I remember when I got my 1st QU16 I interfaced it with my GL desk as an effects unit only using the 4 efx within the QU as a send and receive whilst I was getting to know it.
The transition from analouge to digital was quite huge coming from the GL range.:)

[LesWilsonParticipant]

Thanks All. Yah, I looked at the diagram first thing and saw exactly what you posted DoctorG: No physical mechanism. We’re looking at replacing the GL with a QU-32 and this dual connection is a factor so I wanted to be thorough about there being a firmware capability. Not optimistic but thorough. I’ve come to realize the digital and analog ecosystems are entirely different and one has to rethink all the surrounding bits (FX, in-ears, recording, distribution …).

[Mike CParticipant]

I’ve come to realize the digital and analog ecosystems are entirely different and one has to rethink all the surrounding bits (FX, in-ears, recording, distribution …).

I find all of that easier in the digital mixer world.

Once you get into the SQ series and up there are no 1/4 inch inputs on the channels except for a couple dedicated stereo line inputs above that it’s all XRL.

If you need to select input sources for a given channel using a stage box would let you do that, yes it’s more money and not as easy as pushing the pad/line button on a GL.

[LesWilsonParticipant]

Thanks Mike. The scenario is we have 40 inputs from stage and 17 wireless plus the usual cd, iPhone FX return stereo inputs. Not all are used simultaneously so with dual jacks the various users of the desk are not requiring it for what the want to use. Everything is plugged in. Users setup the stage and configure the desk. I don’t think we can take that approach with a 48 channel digital desk. It’s basically a solution in the analog ecosystem that has to be rethought in digital.

[Mike CParticipant]

Is the GL2800 still in use or do you want go remove that from the set up?

Keep in mind the FX returns do not use input channels on the digital mixers.

How many inputs actually get used at one time?

[LesWilsonParticipant]

We are taking a look at replacing the 48 channel GL2800 due to age. Mostly, a dozen channels are used at one time but a couple times a year an event will need nearly 40. There’s lots of nice things about a digital board we’ve experienced in using a QU-16 as a submixer. It’s been a luxury to have more than 48 channels wired up on a 48 channel mixer. We’ll have to get used to re-wiring I think.

[Mike CParticipant]

The QU16 is a great little mixer, I have one as well, but maybe in your case you should have looked at a larger mixer.

When you do use up to 40 channels are those channels all in use at the same or during the
course of the show are you switching input sources but not using any more than 16 at any one time?

With a AR2412 stage box combined with the local 16 inputs that will give a total of 40 inputs to choose from but only using 16 at any one time.

The input patching is saved as part of a scene so you could build up scenes that re call the input patch settings as needed.

[LesWilsonParticipant]

Thanks Mike. I bought the QU16 personally 2 years ago because we were losing GL channels and the venue owner only wanted to replace it with an analog Soundcraft 48 channel desk. We have one event each year (Spring Musical), where we needed the capabilities of a digital board to handle all our wireless vocals. It is upstream of the GL. So I use the QU-16 just for that event and said no to the Soundcraft after I read about a technique for cleaning the connectors to bring bad channels back. That worked but only lasted a year. Now that we’re past the pandemic, the discussion about replacing the GL has resumed but a QU-32/ME configuration is in the mix.

The GL desk is used by four different groups. We leverage the 48 channels to partition the desk so each group has dedicated channels only they use while other channels are shared. This is yet another analog way of doing things that gets to be rethought in digital. The QU Scenes seem like a good way of segregating EQs, patches etc. But even still, the house has 40 mic inputs from the stage so with a QU-32, 12 would become unused (the QU-16 uses 4 inputs for monitor mixes). I think we can make it work. But it’s good to know how the stagebox handles that problem. Sounds handy. I have to get my head around it. Problem solved. Thanks again.

In ears ar another problem for another time. The analog AVIOMs don’t transition and two mixers will be a headache as far as personal monitors. UGH.

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