Can You Turn Direct Monitoring On/Off CQ-20B?

CQ CQ General Discussions
1

I am considering purchasing a CQ-20B for live and studio use. In the studio, is there a way to turn direct monitoring on/off like I can with my Focusrite?

2

No. I guess you didn’t understand what direct monitoring is.
CQ20B is a mixer in its own. So no need for direct monitoring here.

3

Thanks. I do understand how the CQ20 functions in a live setup, but I am also hoping to also use it as a recording interface to replace my Focusrite 8i6 gen 3 which has the ability to turn direct monitoring off.

4

Hi @GrahamB3
In short - yes, but as the CQ20B is a Mixer and an interface in its own right, the procedure is somewhat different.

Direct Monitor on interfaces effectively works like the ‘Listen’ controls on your CQ. It allows you to monitor the incoming signal through your headphones - which you can do on your CQ, by tapping the headphone icon on the channel/mix.

With Direct Monitor switched off, on your interface, you’ll be listening to the sound coming back from your DAW.
This is done on CQ by changing your channel input on the Config > Inputs screen to USB/SD.

This guide on our knowledgebase may help you with routing, as each model has subtle differences due to channel count:

Hope this helps,
Max

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5

Thanks, this makes sense now.

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