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[Heath Eldridge]

I’m running a QUpac as a small time owner operator who provides PA for small functions and pub bands.

QU has been bullet proof but I’d like to have a backup. I used to have an Allen Heath zed 12fx but It took a serious tumble just before the pandemic put things on hold.

What do you Recommend for a backup desk for that setting. A budget digital desk (that would take the place of the QU if needed, but take more time to setup, or an analogue board that would compromise on channels and auxiliary’s? Space is a factor too.

[Chris Hindle]

I’m running a QUpac as a small time owner operator who provides PA for small functions and pub bands.

QU has been bullet proof but I’d like to have a backup. I used to have an Allen Heath zed 12fx but It took a serious tumble just before the pandemic put things on hold.

What do you Recommend for a backup desk for that setting. A budget digital desk (that would take the place of the QU if needed, but take more time to setup, or an analogue board that would compromise on channels and auxiliary’s? Space is a factor too.

I've never owned one, but you can't really go wrong with a Mix-Wiz......
I would think an analog board would be faster to slip into place than a digital without being programmed for your show.
The only <real> backup would be a duplicate of your show board.
Chris.

[Douglas R. Allen]

I’m running a QUpac as a small time owner operator who provides PA for small functions and pub bands.

QU has been bullet proof but I’d like to have a backup. I used to have an Allen Heath zed 12fx but It took a serious tumble just before the pandemic put things on hold.

What do you Recommend for a backup desk for that setting. A budget digital desk (that would take the place of the QU if needed, but take more time to setup, or an analogue board that would compromise on channels and auxiliary’s? Space is a factor too.

Would it be worth it to look for another used one and be done with it? Can 2 QUPac's be combined for more channels then you'd have a working spare ready to go?   I seem to remember you can run up to 38 input channels with added stage boxes so could a 2nd Qu be used as a stage box?  I would think this would give you the best usage for your money with more channels too. 

Douglas R. Allen

[Chris Grimshaw]

Douglas's idea above is a good one.

If that won't work out, I'd recommend the QSC TM16. It's the size of a typical laptop, but has 16x XLR inputs and 8x Aux sends,two of which are stereo.
For a throw-in-the-van backup/utility mixer, it's a good choice IMO.

Chris

[Steve-White]

^^^ I used to run a pair of EV Tapco C-12's in tandem for 24 channels.  Lots of options for setup doing that.

[dave briar]

Would it be worth it to look for another used one and be done with it? Can 2 QUPac's be combined for more channels then you'd have a working spare ready to go?   I seem to remember you can run up to 38 input channels with added stage boxes so could a 2nd Qu be used as a stage box?  I would think this would give you the best usage for your money with more channels too. 

This is what I’ve done but in the X32 world. I have two X32 Racks. The backup is configured by default as a stage box. If the primary one bricks during a show inserting a thumb drive into the backup can convert it into the primary fully configured for the show already underway. I’ve never had to do it as the X32 has always been rock solid but I have practiced the changeover and it works just fine.

[frank kayser]

I've never owned one, but you can't really go wrong with a Mix-Wiz......
I would think an analog board would be faster to slip into place than a digital without being programmed for your show.
The only <real> backup would be a duplicate of your show board.
Chris.

I would go with a QU-SB.  As an owner of a QU PAC, and a frequent user of a QU-SB, I find the front panel controls of the QU-PAC to go unused nearly all the time.  There are one or two other differences (I'd have to look up as the differences do not affect any work flow or ability.

The owner of the QU-SB got to talk to the A&H engineers, and asked about the ability of the QU-SB to also function as a AB-168-like stage box.  A&H had thought through that issue as others have asked - much like not providing an offline editor, they said it could be done, but as a marketing thing to protect their higher line items, decided against it.

Douglas's idea above is a good one.

If that won't work out, I'd recommend the QSC TM16. It's the size of a typical laptop, but has 16x XLR inputs and 8x Aux sends,two of which are stereo.
For a throw-in-the-van backup/utility mixer, it's a good choice IMO.

Chris

I also work with the QSC TM16, probably twice as much as my QU-PAC as that is what I specc'd for the cafe.  A nice mixer, to be sure.  I again, in Heath's situation, would opt for a QU-SB, 1) for price is less than a TM 16 2) Shows are transferrable so swap-out/changeover is easy and immediate. 3) The two iPad interfaces are quite different - there will be less mistakes/brain freezes not having to mentally interpret between the two applications.

Would it be worth it to look for another used one and be done with it? Can 2 QUPac's be combined for more channels then you'd have a working spare ready to go?   I seem to remember you can run up to 38 input channels with added stage boxes so could a 2nd Qu be used as a stage box?  I would think this would give you the best usage for your money with more channels too.  Douglas R. Allen

As pointed out above, the QU-SB would be a much easier and faster changeover than the Mix Wiz.  Additionally, in my case, space is limited in the van, and a backup mixer that is larger and heavier than the original, to me, does not make sense.  Also, the workflow you will develop on the iPad will all be lost, going back to the analog world.  I love the MixWiz, and I could see it being a backup for a QU-16, but not for a control-less rack mount mixer.

My opinions only.  YMMV.

[Alec Spence]

If that won't work out, I'd recommend the QSC TM16. It's the size of a typical laptop, but has 16x XLR inputs and 8x Aux sends,two of which are stereo.

Barking mad, surely! As the TM16 costs about the same as the QU-PAC, yet is a completely different mixer!  Whether you like the TM series or not, it's not the right tool for this job.

A back-up mixer needs to be (ideally) the same as the main one or, if budget/space is limited, a much simpler option that you can "get away" with.

I would go with a QU-SB.  As an owner of a QU PAC, and a frequent user of a QU-SB, I find the front panel controls of the QU-PAC to go unused nearly all the time.  There are one or two other differences (I'd have to look up as the differences do not affect any work flow or ability.

Yup, a QU-SB is the obvious choice, as loong as the loss of inputs from 22 to 18 is acceptable.  Otherwise, you lose nothing but the control surface which, as long as you have tablet/PC available, should not be a massive issue.  Have both loaded with your showfile and you should be up and running in a few minutes, with little more than a repatch.

These days a simpler analog backup is increasingly non-viable, as people start relying on in-ears and the more sophisticated functions in digital mixers.  Doesn't mean they can't get you going, but it can be a big stretch for some acts.

[JohnPinchin]

I would look around for a deal on the same model or a used one.

Our X32 has an X32R as a spare and when using an XR18 we have a spare in a bag,  the cost of these things now makes it easy to have a back up and I'm very conscious that everything else I use has a work around to make a show go ahead with the least effort and thought - if a backup is needed you're probably already stressing and want a simple solution.

[Scott Bolt]

If you have the budget, a QU-SB would be ideal.

If you don't have the budget, an X18 or XR18 can be had for about $400 and offer a very usable set of features to run any band that the QU PAC could handle.

IMHO, anything less than this has rapidly diminishing returns.  I gig with an X32 Rack with an A&H ZED 10fx as backup.  I normally have vDrums, 2 guitars, bass 3 vocals, and sometimes a keyboard.  In an extreme pinch, I can single line the vDrums, run the guitars through their amps without being put into the mixer, run the bass DI, run the keys into the Zed along with 3 vocals.  It ain't pretty, but I have run a band this way before and got a decent sound.

If I didn't already have the ZED, I would have bought an XR18 or X18 as the backup.

[ProSoundWeb Community]