---
title: "Allen & Heath CQ: audio into DMXDesktop"
description: "Send a stereo music feed from a Allen & Heath CQ mixer to DMXDesktop for Live Wire and beat detection, with a music-only setup."
canonical: https://www.dmxdesktop.com/knowledgebase/allen-heath-cq-audio
lang: en
source: /knowledgebase/allen-heath-cq-audio
---

# 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](/knowledgebase/connecting-a-sound-mixer), which covers the shared rules and the problems common to every console.

## [Models covered](#models-covered)

- CQ-12T
- CQ-18T
- CQ-20B

## [What you need](#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](#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](#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.

`Stereo L/R` is also the last assignable pair in multitrack mode, and the source for stereo recording to USB-A, so changing it changes those too.

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

USB↓→

DMXDesktop

channels 1 and 2

## [Multitrack stream mode](#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.

| Model | Channels to the computer | Fixed to inputs | Assignable pairs | Main LR by default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CQ-12T | 16 | 1 to 10 | 11 to 16 | 15 and 16 |
| CQ-18T | 24 | 1 to 16 | 17 to 24 | 23 and 24 |
| CQ-20B | 24 | 1 to 16 | 17 to 24 | 23 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.

**On Windows this needs the ASIO driver.** On the ordinary Windows device DMXDesktop captures only the first two channels, which in multitrack mode are permanently inputs 1 and 2. If you cannot use ASIO, use stereo stream mode instead.

## [Troubleshooting](#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](#still-not-working)

Work through the shared checks in [Connecting a Sound Mixer to DMXDesktop](/knowledgebase/connecting-a-sound-mixer), 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.