I’m tring to work out the best way to integrate a Qu5 with an AHM AND digital stage boxes so that all inputs are available to multiple rooms.
Please could someone advise?
I’ve seen that with a SQ, there’d need to be additional SLink cards installed. Is this also required with (the new) Qu desks?
Also, it seems like the gap between Qu and SQ has been significantly reduced with the new series of Qu consoles - is that right? The old Qu desks were very fixed architecture, but these seem to be much more flexible? Is it just a few limitations in terms of matrix numbers and fewer stereo buses etc and no option card slot?
Unfortunately, you can’t integrate a Qu-5 with an AHM and digital stage boxes at the same time in the same way as the SQ series. This is because the Qu-5/6/7 series doesn’t have the IO slot required to fit another card.
You could, however, use the Dante variant of the Qu-5, and fit the AHM with a Dante card, and use a Dante stage box.
So changing tact slightly then, with the SQ, do I need a PAIR opf SLink cards - a second to go in the SQ and then one in the AHM, or do I just need one in the AHM and use the existing one in the SQ? I have a feeling it’s 2, but I just wanted to double-check.
Couldn’t you connect the QU+ console to an AHM64 using the built in SLink port and then connect the GX4816 (and up to two more DX 16X boxes connected to it) by utilizing the expansion card slot with a SLink card installed? Of course this will only work with the AHM64 because it is the only AHM version with an expansion card slot and a built in SLink card slot.
That being said, you will max out both devices (QU+ and AHM64 system) by doing this. If you upgrade to the SQ series, you will have more flexibility especially if you use Dante cards in both devices and connect them together over Dante. You could use a AHM32/16 with this technique because you wouldn’t need an SLink port because you could connect the GX4816 stage box to the SQ using it’s built in SLink port instead.
You need to connect the two devices together using matching connections. You can either use SLink ports on both devices, or Dante on both devices, or Waves on both devices, etc. In addition to this device to device connection, you will need at least one SLink port to get able to connect your GX4816 stage box to the system.
So yes, one solution is to have two SLink ports in the console to connect both the AHM device (either a AHM64 via the built in SLink port, or with a Slink card installed in a AHM32/16) and a stage box.
Brian’s absolutely right, the AHM-64 has onboard SLink and an IO slot that can have SLink fitted, so could be used to connect a Qu-5, AHM and stagebox.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this as the mixer wouldn’t have control over the preamps - just +/- 24dB digital trim. Similarly, the AHM-64 is the largest and most expensive of the AHMs so may be a bit big for your needs.
If you were using SQ, you would need an SLink card for the mixer and then only require a second SLink card if you were using AHM-16 or AHM-32, as these don’t have on-board SLink. If you were using an AHM-64, then there is on-board SLink available.
If you’re considering using an AHM-16, do bear in mind that any speaker processing ways you want to introduce use up a zone, so for example a stereo output with a sub crossover consumes four zones. I mention this because it’s quite easy to run out of zone processing on the AHM-16.
A&H are my go to brand but the AHM is a step up for me so I just needed confirmation of what was possible.
Thanks too for the heads up about the AHM16.
To be honest, I would be trying to push for an SQ5 (or 5+) and an AHM32 along with appropriate cards. It just depends on budget available Vs what the needs are.