Important Information

Safety

Before powering on the CQ, read the safety instructions sheet
(004-1511-01 or 004-1512-01) supplied with the unit. For your own safety and that of the operator, technical crew and performers, follow all instructions and heed all warnings included in these documents and those printed directly on the equipment.

Ventilation

Do not obstruct any of the air vents when in use. Adequate ventilation is especially required for the cooling fan found on the bottom of the CQ-18T and CQ-12T, and the side of the CQ-20B.

Updates to this user guide

This user guide is intended to be used and distributed in a digital format; it may be up issued at any time. Always ensure you are referring to the latest version which matches the firmware version being used, and avoid printing a hard copy wherever possible.

Registration

To be kept informed of updates, the latest firmware and new releases for the CQ range, register your CQ at https://www.allen-heath.com/resources/

Support

For further support with CQ, please visit support.allen-heath.com, or contact your local distributor.

Trademarks and Logos

SD and SDHC are trademarks of SD-3C LLC.

Firmware updates and apps

Visit www.allen-heath.com/myCQ to obtain the latest version of firmware and ensure you are registered to receive notifications on future updates.

The firmware on the CQ and all app versions must have the same major release number. This is the first two digits of each release number.

Firmware V1.1.3 and App V1.1.5 = compatible
Firmware V1.1.3 and App V1.2.3 = not compatible

Introduction

Welcome to the CQ User Guide.

CQ is a range of portable, standalone digital audio mixers which use 96kHz processing and include assistants and tools designed to be used by technical and non-technical users alike.

There are 3 models in the range, two with hands-on control, and all of which can be controlled remotely. All have a similar set of features and specifications, with differences in I/O, channel count and control options.

The different models

Mic/Line Inputs	5x XLR 5x ‘Combi’ XLR/TRS	8x XLR 8x ‘Combi’ XLR/ TRS	8x XLR 8x ‘Combi’ XLR/ TRS
Stereo Line Inputs	1 (2x Balanced TRS)	1 (2x Balanced TRS)	2 (4x Balanced TRS)
Main Outputs	2x XLR	2x XLR	2x XLR
Monitor/Aux Outputs	6x Mono Balanced TRS	6x Mono Balanced TRS	6x Mono Balanced XLR
Headphone Outputs	1x ¼” TRS	2x ¼” TRS	1x ¼” TRS
Touchscreen	7” Multi-Touch	7” Multi-Touch	-
SoftKeys	3	3	-
Soft/Smart Rotaries	-	3	-
FX Engines	2	4	4

CQ-18T Hardware Overview

CQ-12T Hardware Overview

CQ-20B Hardware Overview

Images and examples in this guide

This guide uses screenshots from the CQ-18T, which includes all the features of the CQ-12T and more.

CQ-MixPad, used to control all models, has an almost identical user interface with a few layout differences (listed in the CQ-MixPad section of this guide) so is not shown in addition.

Features specific to any model or interface are noted.