DMXDesktop

Allen & Heath CQ Series: audio into DMXDesktop

CQ mixers can present themselves to the computer either as a simple stereo device or as a multitrack one. For DMXDesktop the stereo mode is usually the right answer, and it is the fastest setup of any console in this guide.

This article is part of Connecting a Sound Mixer to DMXDesktop, which covers the shared rules and the problems common to every console.

Models covered

  • CQ-12T
  • CQ-18T
  • CQ-20B

What you need

  • A USB cable to the USB-B audio port.
  • The CQ control interface, on the console's own screen or the app.
  • On macOS, no driver. On Windows the class-compliant device is enough for stereo mode. For the multitrack channels, install the Allen & Heath ASIO driver.

Easiest setup: stereo stream mode

  1. Connect USB-B to the computer.
  2. On the CQ, go to CONFIG → USB/SD/BT → USB/SD.
  3. Set Stream Mode to Stereo.
  4. Check the channel assignment labelled Stereo L/R. It defaults to Main LR.
  5. In DMXDesktop, select the CQ, and channels 1 and 2.

Recommended setup: a music-only stereo source

The stereo stream does not have to be Main LR. Point it at a stereo output carrying only the music and you get a clean lighting feed without leaving stereo mode.

  1. Link two of outputs 1 to 6 as a stereo pair and name it DMXDesktop.
  2. Unmute the output and set its master level to 0 dB.
  3. Send each music channel to it at 0 dB, and choose pre-fader or post-fader sends. Keep the sends fully down on speech microphones.
  4. In CONFIG → USB/SD/BT → USB/SD, set the Stereo L/R assignment to that output pair instead of Main LR.
  5. In DMXDesktop, select channels 1 and 2.

The Stereo L/R assignment accepts stereo line inputs, FX units, Main LR, or outputs 1 to 6.

This is the best of both worlds on a CQ: a music-only feed that still lands on channels 1 and 2, so it needs no ASIO driver on Windows.

Music channels
players, DJ, live band
Speech mics and talkback
not sent to DMXDesktop
Stereo output
music channels only
Stereo stream
CONFIG, USB/SD
DMXDesktop
channels 1 and 2

Multitrack stream mode

Use this only if something else needs the multitrack feed at the same time. In multitrack mode the first USB channels are permanently assigned to the mono inputs and cannot be re-patched. Only the stereo pairs at the end are assignable, and the last pair is Main LR by default.

ModelChannels to the computerFixed to inputsAssignable pairsMain LR by default
CQ-12T161 to 1011 to 1615 and 16
CQ-18T241 to 1617 to 2423 and 24
CQ-20B241 to 1617 to 2423 and 24
  1. Set Stream Mode to Multitrack.
  2. Check which assignable pair carries the mix you want.
  3. Select that exact pair in DMXDesktop.

Troubleshooting

Silence in multitrack mode

You are probably on the wrong pair. Check the table above and the assignments on your console rather than assuming.

Windows offers no channel choice in multitrack mode

You are not on the ASIO driver. Install it, or switch to stereo stream mode.

The lights follow the compere

The stereo source is Main LR. Point it at a music-only stereo output instead.

Still not working

Work through the shared checks in Connecting a Sound Mixer to DMXDesktop, which covers the faults that are not specific to one console. If you need to contact support, have these five things ready, because they resolve most cases immediately:

  1. The exact mixer model.
  2. Your Windows or macOS version.
  3. How the mixer is connected, and which USB port you used.
  4. Which device you picked in Settings → Audio.
  5. Which left and right channel numbers you selected.

For a console with a multichannel USB interface, a screenshot of the mixer's USB output patch is worth more than any log file.