Yes, these are top two features indeed. 1. Timestamp and 2. Sidechain or Dyn EQ.
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Definitely sidechain!! Hope it happens itās key
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Sidechain would be really nice to have
A key mixing tool
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@MarkF Is side-chain compression/ducker on the roadmap, or at least considered?
Itās been asked a lot and if it will never be implemented we will probably have to look for an other console ā¦
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Hello!
On CQ, there is currently no sidechain path in the audio architecture, so we canāt say for sure if this is currently technically possible or not.
Weāve heard the requests for both side chain compression and ducker so this will be investigated further, but at this point in time we canāt say for sure either way.
Our advice would always be to buy the mixer that has the tools that you need right now (rather than waiting for speculated firmware updates), so if these features are crucial for you then you may need to look elsewhere right now. If you choose to stay with A&H, the Qu-5/6/7 range of mixers has both these features available and lots more flexibility besides.
The Qu-5 is twice as expensive, and takes up four times the space as the CQ18T. The Qu-6 and 7 are not really comparable to the compact CQ-series.
So I assume a lot of us purchased the CQ for itās form factor, options and general quality.
I only discovered the lack of side-chain effects once I bought it, installed the console in my home studio and actually did some work on it. In fact, I was sure it had side-chain effects but later that proved to be the Yamaha DM3, which was my alternative at the time of purchase.
I donāt need motorized faders, Dante or other things; I do want side-chain effects (and soloing channels), which can be added in firmware. This will make the CQ18T perfect for my (studio) use when none of the competitors come near in this form factor.
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yes ilove this features
Absolutely +1 for Ducking / Sidechain. A mixer with so much flexibility would really benefit from this. Iād say itās almost essential. This mixer is some I will take on the road, so the bigger ones arenāt really an option.
Thanks Allen & Heath
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I use the CQ12T with a couple of machines and take it with me for gigs abroad. I chose it mainly because of the size, portability, and feature set, since bringing a larger mixer is often not an option when traveling.
Sidechain support would be an incredible addition to this mixer and would greatly expand its creative and practical use, especially for electronic live sets. It is a bit unfortunate that there is currently no option for this, as everything else about the unit fits my workflow very well.
I really hope your team can find a way to implement sidechain functionality in a future update. It would make the CQ series even more powerful and appealing for live electronic musicians.
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It would make the CQ series even more powerful and appealing for live electronic musicians.
For (home) studio use as well!
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Hello @MarkF,
Thanks for the clarification ā much appreciated.
Just to make sure Iām understanding this correctly: when you mention that CQ currently has no side-chain path in the audio architecture, does this mean that any form of inter-channel keying is fundamentally outside the current DSP architecture, or specifically that classic compressor-style side-chain routing is not implemented at this point in time?
Iām not asking about timelines or feature commitments here, but rather trying to understand whether this is an architectural limitation or primarily a product-scope decision. That distinction would be very helpful for users assessing CQ for longer-term and more advanced use cases.
I agree with this, and I think this also highlights why CQ is being discussed so actively in this context.
CQ 12T and 18T are genuinely multi-purpose, highly compact devices, and their appeal goes far beyond a single use case. In real-world scenarios, CQ units are commonly used for:
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Small to medium live events, outdoor performances, weddings and street busking
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Bars, restaurants and small venues, often relying on predominantly mono or simple speaker setups
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Field and small studio recording, including use as an audio interface
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Highly portable and mobile rigs, where size, weight and setup speed are critical
For many users, the decision to choose CQ over larger mixers (including QU) is very much about form factor, portability and flexibility, rather than advanced hardware features.
Thatās why requests around dynamic inter-channel processing (such as side-chain or frequency-selective interaction) keep coming up: they would significantly extend CQās usefulness across these exact scenarios, without changing what makes the platform attractive in the first place.
Best regards,
Thurisaz
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I would add to that a 5th use. TV production and Corporate AV work.
Used the CQ-18T on many discussion panels and corporate product launch and Live stream. The AMM is fantastic. I also used it on many TV shows as secondary mixers (it lacks TC-in so can be used as main capture device) but we used it with LTC-A with great succes.
The only feature missing to really make this mixer a āswiss knifeā mixer selling like cupcakes is the Side-chaining and/or ducking indeed. The small size is absolutely Fantastic. Many scenario where motorized faders are not needed.
Very useful to have background music duck or compresse once speakers or host starts to speak in corporate events or podcasts.
Itāll make the CQ series the ultimate āSwiss Knifeā mixer.
Tiny but mighty for more pro AV guys.
For smaller gigs where 18x6 is enough.
Even QU owners would buy a secondary CQ mixer if it had sidechain or ducking for gigs when you want to carry a big mixer just for an 8 channels gig.
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@MarkF did you discuss side-chaining with the A&H devs to investigate if it is technically possible on our beloved CQ series mixers?
I still have high hopes for it, but itās maybe best to just tell the truth if it will ever be implemented or not ā¦
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Absolutely +1 for Sidechain.
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Would love to have side chain compression and gate. About the only feature itās really missing now.
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New user here and really surprised such a basic feature is not available in this mixer.
Oh yes please, add side chain/ducking! I see it was first requested almost 2 years agoā¦sad that this kind of ABSOLUTE NEED in many setups is still not implemented.
Please AH, at least let us know if we can have some hope or change our beloved CQ for another one
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