I’ve spent a good part of today trying out a SQ6 to see if I should upgrade from my QU24.
Lots of nice features but I was unable to connect my QU to the SQ6. (I’m looking to set up the QU as a monitor mixer with the SQ6 for FOH)
I’ve updated to the latest QU firmware and I read in the release notes that QU and SQ should now be connectable with the QU providing the clock.
Has anyone got a connection diagram or indeed been able to make this feature work?
In addition, is it possible to directly connect 2 SQ mixers without the expense of adding an IO card to each mixer?
Is this also possible using GLD running 1.60 instead of QU?
I own an SQ5 and regularly work in a venue with a GLD, and was discussing over the weekend how useful it would be to do a digital monitor split using the ME channels from GLD.
What I meant by ‘At the moment’ was more that this is the easiest way it works for input sharing. You can however route mix outputs and FX between the two consoles already.
An SLink I/O card is planned for later in the year. This will effectively give SQ mixers a second SLink port, allowing you to connect to another mixer and stageboxes at the same time, or to DX168 and ME-1 at the same time.
Nicola. Thanks. Those were pretty obvious but the question remains that the aforementioned idea of connecting a SQ to QU via dSnake>SLink is useless at this point unless you input via local connections and an analog copper snake. I watched the AH video on this and kind of gasp.
Thank you for your input, both here and through social media, however I must say, there are quite a few users who are really excited about this feature.
Firstly, no, you are not missing anything - Qu has one port, so it is not possible to connect two different things to it.
But with SQ, as I mentioned elsewhere, and Nic has mentioned here, we have an SLink card on the way, which will enable the use of two different connections/protocols, and therefore simultaneous connection of (for example) DX units and a Qu, or even Qu, SQ and dLive all in a row!
Your comment on this being a ‘bridge to nowhere’ seems a bit harsh.
What we’ve done here is opened up an existing technology to work with a brand new product, it wasn’t planned at the point we were developing the Qu series, but we’ve worked on it because we believed it was useful, and users have overwhelmingly agreed.
Here are a few examples of where it could be a solution:
SQ is used as a venue’s main desk, Qu can be used for a broadcast/streaming mix.
‘Self contained’ group tours with Qu: can patch directly to FOH SQ and send post-preamp direct outs, but keep all personal monitoring control (and make their own recording if they want to!).
Rental company want a more modular system: Qu-SB can be used alone, or setup to run similar to a remote audio unit for an SQ, with the only caveat being control of preamps via iPad, which are often not adjusted frequently after their initial setup.
FoH/Monitor setup - sends from either the SQ or Qu can be set to insert point, and audio is two way, so although you wouldn’t be able to run things in the same was as you would with a set of large format digital consoles, it is certainly a usable solution for many situations.
Keith. Didn’t mean to be harsh just pointing out the current state of things. In my original comment I think I said ‘at this point’. I had read about the future card but that creates a one direction solution for most users. SQ has to be FOH. While that’s probably ok I was just making my point. When I watched the video with the tech hooking two consoles together I was immediately thinking ‘bridge to nowhere’.