I’m a solo wedding entertainer/DJ who also runs a live band setup, and I’m seriously considering the CQ-18T as my main digital mixer. There’s one feature that would make or break this decision for me: native support for connecting a physical control surface / DAW controller over a network cable (Ethernet) to control channel faders and mutes directly — the same way it’s already possible on the Behringer/Midas XR16 via X-Air Edit protocol and third-party control surfaces.
Right now, from what I understand, the only way to map an external controller is through MIDI and manual translation software like Bome MIDI Translator, which is a lot of extra setup and doesn’t give the plug-and-play reliability I need.
This matters a lot for live playing: when something goes wrong mid-song (feedback, a stuck channel, a sudden level spike), I need to be able to grab a physical fader and react instantly — not tap through a touchscreen or dig into a MIDI-mapped workaround under pressure on stage.
Is there any roadmap or planned firmware update to add native network-based control surface support to the CQ series, similar to what XR/X-Air already offers? Even basic OSC support over Ethernet for third-party control surfaces would be huge for those of us using CQ in live band + DJ hybrid setups.
Would really appreciate any insight from A&H on whether this is being considered. Thanks!