Allen & Heath QU-SB 18-In/14-Out Digital Mixer

The Allen & Heath QU-SB is built for the working band or AV installer who needs a touring-grade digital mixer without the real estate of a full console. At its core sits the Qu-32 DSP engine — the same processing platform that powers Allen & Heath's larger format desks — delivering 32 mono and 3 stereo input channels of headroom, four iLive FX engines, and the recallable AnalogIQ preamp architecture that makes scene-to-scene consistency a workflow asset rather than a happy accident. What you hear is a clean, transparent preamp character with enough top-end detail to trust for tracking acoustic instruments or capturing the nuance of a vocal performance. The four discrete FX engines draw from the iLive library, meaning the reverbs and dynamics processors here are the same ones engineers trust on festival stages.

Physically, the QU-SB is a half-rack-width unit designed for permanent installation or compact touring rigs — all I/O lives on the rear panel, and control is entirely via the QU-Pad iOS app over Wi-Fi. The 32x32 USB audio interface capability makes it viable as a DAW front end in studio-adjacent installs, while Qu-Drive multitrack recording to USB removes the laptop from the live capture equation entirely. The dSNAKE port enables remote audio rack expansion up to 38 inputs for larger stages. Build quality is solid and road-practical, with the metal chassis handling the rigors of installation and touring environments. The dependency on a stable Wi-Fi connection for all real-time control is the single most important operational consideration — with that solved, the QU-SB is a remarkably capable and compact professional mixing system.