Allen & Heath QU-3 digital mixing console

General

For a long time, choosing a digital mixer meant making compromises. If you wanted physical faders under your fingers, you ended up with a massive desk taking up half the room. If you wanted something compact, you were stuck with a stage box controlled via a tablet, crossing your fingers that the Wi-Fi would hold up all night. The Allen & Heath Qu-3 eliminates that dilemma entirely. It packs the complete 96 kHz engine from the larger Qu-5, Qu-6, and Qu-7—with the exact same channel count and processing power—into a desktop console featuring eight channel faders plus a master fader. Barely wider than a laptop, it delivers all the capabilities of a full-scale live console. You sacrifice faders, not functionality. Fewer motorised faders and a smaller footprint make it more affordable than its bigger siblings, while internally handling the exact same number of channels and mixes.

A Qu in Miniature: The Allen & Heath Qu-3

Allen & Heath describes the Qu-5/6/7 series as a huge success, and anyone who has ever stood behind one understands why: the Qu series has been renowned since its very first generation for its intuitive "walk up and mix" workflow. The Qu-3 inherits this exact design philosophy. It lets you mix 32 mono and 2 stereo channels to 12 mixes and 4 matrix outputs, complete with 6 FX engines that each feature a dedicated stereo return. Onboard connections include sixteen combo inputs and eight XLR outputs. Its SLink port allows you to connect stage boxes from the Everything I/O family or even another Allen & Heath console, routing up to 128 x 128 channels at 96 kHz. Six customisable layers and eight SoftKeys ensure that with its nine 100 mm motorised faders, every parameter remains quickly within reach.

Smart Assistants to Speed Up Soundchecks

Setting gain is rarely the most thrilling part of setup, and thanks to the Gain Assistant, it no longer needs to take up valuable time. It automatically dials in the ideal level for one or multiple channels while keeping an eye on signal levels during the show to prevent unexpected peaks. The Feedback Assistant identifies ringing frequencies and applies up to sixteen filters per output, saving you from spending the entire soundcheck with your hand glued to a fader. For meetings, panel discussions, and broadcast rigs, the console features a built-in 32-channel Automatic Microphone Mixer (AMM) with zero added latency. For those demanding even more, the Qu-3 can be expanded with DEEP Processing and RackExtra FX derived from Allen & Heath’s flagship dLive system—the industry-standard processing trusted on major global tours.

Recording and Tailored Control

When it comes to recording, the Qu-3 offers three flexible options: its USB-C audio interface sends 32 bi-directional channels to and from your DAW; the SD card slot enables standalone multitrack recording without a computer; and the USB-A port allows you to quickly capture a stereo mix directly to a flash drive. Every channel features its own dedicated display showing the channel name or source type, alongside color-customisable meters so you can see what’s happening at a glance, even on a cluttered desk. The bright 7-inch capacitive touchscreen is angled specifically for comfortable seated operation at a desk. For wireless control, free apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android let you walk the venue while tweaking the mix, while the Qu4You app lets musicians tweak their own monitor mixes straight from their phones. All in all, the Qu-3 isn't a stripped-back entry-level unit, but a fully fledged Qu console sized to fit where larger desks never could: alongside camera setups in a control room, on an AV engineer’s desk, or between studio monitor speakers. Existing Qu users will feel instantly at home; those new to the ecosystem will quickly see why so many engineers refuse to mix on anything else.