Finally, the perfect mixer? [Allen & Heath QuPac]

I also thought about the Qu-Pac as I dont have enough space for a full blown mixerdesk, but as I mainly work in the studio and use the gear together with a daw (ableton) I came up, that an RME 802 with one or two ADAT extensions might be a better solution (or the ufx, if you need direct usb-recording). the 802 has a really low latency and its ins and outs can be better accessed than the ones of a digital mixer from a computer.

You can use the rme totalmix also stand alone and with its internal matrix you can not only patch each input to any output, but also patch each connection at a different level. EQ and comp as bread an butter FX are also in (though no sidechain or ducker). this might be a better combination, if you want to connect your gear with a daw. I dont have a 802 or quPac yet, but I think these are in the closet circle of choice for me. The motu 16a could also handle that many channels, but I was put off by their browser-only mixer ā€“ its really slow to switch screens.

Does anyone use a rme 802 (or UFX) in a live environment?

Now that Iā€™ve demoā€™d the iPad app (impressive!), the Qu-Pac is appealing to me as an audio interface with loads of inputs, solid FX, and a great deal of customizations for latency free multitrack recording.

The 18 track USB drive recorder functionality is a big bonus, and ideal for me, as I would only ever want to record 10 inputs max plus the FX returns on the 4 onboard stereo fx units. I like the idea of tracking without my DAW and then just plugging the hard drive in when it comes time to finish the project.

I was considering buying a newer MacBook Pro to get lower latency tracking through Overbridge, but am thinking the Qu-Pac may be better. ProAudioStar has Qu-Pacs for $1099 b-stock.
I would gain more inputs, zero latency monitoring, 4 FX processors, and I would be able to use my existing MBP with a Qu-Pac, for about the same price.

The Motu 16a is appealing as well, especially the smaller size, but the Qu-Pad appears to have far more diverse FX capabilities

i will receive my Behringer X18 this week for the second time because i canā€™t get working the first one. AND if i always canā€™t get it work i will probably going on RME 802 or UA Appollo Twin Duo + Focusrite Dynamik MKII ADAT
or QuPAc i donā€™t know yet

I need 12 to 16 inputs and the possibility to record multitracks

I have that exact combination at the moment. The thunderbolt version of the apollo twin duo is nice, but the usb version for windows not so, it has a much larger latency so I wouldnt recomend it. with ADAT you can only add 8 inputs (at 48 khz, or 4 at 96 kHz), but you cant add any ā€œrealā€ outputs to the apollo twin (because it just has an ADAT in but no ADAT out), so your stuck with four line-outputs, which is a bit tight if you want to add external hardware fx. what the focusrite adat extension does is, it throughputs all its 8 inputs directly to outputs, but you cant access those outputs from your daw.
@adam: a new macbook pro wont better the overbridge latency much. I have 45 ms on a imac core i7, it gets compensated correctly so its ok for mixing in a daw, but its way too long for playing live through a midi keyboard via the daw. Overbridnge just uses to large buffers to make it work safely.

@ goatofneptune : ok thanks for that clarification. I have in mind that way i can extend the appollo Twin Duo with 8 inputs analog and put some UAD plugins on it to get the sound i want directly in the incoming signal let say the RYTM 8 voices and some compressor, EQ etcā€¦

But if itā€™s that way it change everything so it will be RME Fireface 802 unless the Behringer X18 done a satisfying Job

THANKS

Itā€™s just that my MBP is a 2009 Core 2 Duo, which is under the minimum requirements. I have to run at very high buffers for stability.
Qu Pac seems like a better solution, and one that would hold its value longer.

[quote="ā€œAdamJayā€"]

Itā€™s just that my MBP is a 2009 Core 2 Duo, which is under the minimum requirements. I have to run at very high buffers for stability.
Qu Pac seems like a better solution, and one that would hold its value longer.[/quote]
Iā€™ll chime in and say that the Qu-Pac has been great so far. I havenā€™t used the HD record yet, but recording via USB works like a charm. Setting up ins/outs for USB recording is a lilā€™ confusing, but once youā€™ve got it, you just save it as a scene and you can recall it at any time.

As daunting as the routing menus cam be, youā€™ll quickly get your head wrapped around it. Iā€™m thinking of getting a tablet for being able to interface with it more effectively. Thatā€™s not to say that the interface on the unit is poor, it actually works great, but for quick mixing adjustments, the tablet is pretty essential. Thereā€™s also a third party app for Android.

I have an underused iPad Air and an unused 802.11n router to dedicate to the Qu Pac.
This would be used more as a recording interface than a mixer, so not too concerned with the navigation, as I wonā€™t need any immediacy like for live shows.

Going to give the manual a read at the gym tonight and probably grab one soon!

Thanks to Darren for making me aware, and everyone else who chimed in with their first person experience. On paper this thing is far more flexible, portable, and capable than the other option I was looking at in the Soundcraft MTK. Sure it costs more but I expect the quality of the recordings to reflect that investment.
Thrilled that it cost less than my other DSP-centric option of returning to a 2x Metric Halo solution.

I also got the network set up, and looked at the App ā€¦ and never again. Unless one requires a remote control (which in many use cases is actually important) I do not need the app. The display and mixer is rather intuitive, so that I cannot see the value of the app for studio use. Having said this, I have yet to explore this thing fully. I have not even played with the recording feature. Looking forward to hear what Adam is making with/of it.

Has anyone seen the QU-SB that is on the horizon?

18 inputs instead of 22, but still the 32 ch USB audio interface.
No soft keys. No screen, relies on the iPad app.
Iā€™ll stick with the $1099 Qu Pac b-stock deal, but this one might be a better solution for those who prefer to use the app?


1 Like

I d really like to see a Qu Pac 24 channel mixer

Funny, AdamJay. I seriously considered the Qu-Pac but ended up jumping on a SoundCraft MTK 12 that I found available last week (sorry to all who have been waiting for dozens of months), and it should be getting here tomorrow. I may end up regretting it, though, as I have to be economical with space right now and the Qu-Pac is sounding way more solid for recording and FX. Hopefully theyā€™re equally impressive for their respective price rangesā€¦

That QU-SB looks quite nice, I wonder if it can also be a slave to other QU mixers? I just added a AB-168 to my QU-Pac for another 16 inputs - not that I need them all but it saves a lot of unplugging if I want to use some different gear, it only has XLRs though so if the QU-SB can be a slave maybe I would be better off with that.

Personally I think the screen and interface of the QU-Pac are worth the extra, you can custom map the buttons and set up the touchscreen Qu Control for pretty much most things.

The ipad app is very good in use, I am also thinking of making a USB midi host for mutes when jamming live, I donā€™t think it would be too difficult (ha!)

I have not tried much USB recording yet, other than simple stereo, a bit of a shame that mutes are ignored, but maybe a software update could rectify this.

The noise gate comes in very handy for silencing the Rytm when no sound is playing BTW :slight_smile:

But yeah in summary after a few months of owning it Iā€™d have to say it is one of the best studio purchases I have ever made, so flexible in the routing and sounds real nice.

1 Like

Iā€™m still considering a Qu, but have been thinking (for gigs), using a DJ mixer, like maybe the top end Pioneers.

Possibly the DJM-2000 Nexus - using the mixer as a performance tool. Iā€™m very used to the pioneer desks for DJing.

Back at home, I have 24 ins and 24 outs of RME Hammerfall into my Mac, so that end of things isnā€™t a problem.

Iā€™d need to do more work in researching the Pioneer units thoughā€¦

Would it make any sense to use Push and Live for sequencing duties and multitrack record then to Qu-pac or Qu-24 for example? Would love to get less input delay and cutting the audio part from the computer would perhaps help with that and then I could record with the mixer.

But if I would still use computer for sequencing duties, perhaps some daw automation, is it possible to get a proper sync for tracks?

Sorry noobish questions, donā€™t have much experience with mixers. :stuck_out_tongue:

After you get it up and running, I would love to hear any updates/reviews about it.
http://www.elektronauts.com/t/soundcraft-signature-12-mtk-multitrack-usb-mixer/10833/88373

The Qu Pac has 22 analog inputs (16 mono + 3 stereo pairs). Is it really just 2 inputs shy for you? Itā€™s also a 32x32 USB audio interface.

You could even squeeze out a 23rd input via the talkback mic input plus some mix bus routing to give it full EQ/Comp.

The Qu Pac has 22 analog inputs (16 mono + 3 stereo pairs). Is it really just 2 inputs shy for you? Itā€™s also a 32x32 USB audio interface.

You could even squeeze out a 23rd input via the talkback mic input plus some mix bus routing to give it full EQ/Comp.
[/quote]
hmm thats cool that sounds great for a live set up with 2 A4s and 2 rytmsā€¦Thanks for the info

The Qu Pac has 22 analog inputs (16 mono + 3 stereo pairs). Is it really just 2 inputs shy for you? Itā€™s also a 32x32 USB audio interface.

You could even squeeze out a 23rd input via the talkback mic input plus some mix bus routing to give it full EQ/Comp.
[/quote]
hmm thats cool that sounds great for a live set up with 2 A4s and 2 rytmsā€¦Thanks for the info[/quote]
Hey adam can you use the xlr mic and line input at the same time? I was thinking to combine the two rytm hats/cymbal voices on one channel.

Yes, you canā€¦but the manual doesnā€™t advise it.