Muting/un-muting a mic via QLab 3 and QU-24 mixer

[Katharine Horowitz]

Hi. I have one mic in a show that needs to be muted/unmuted at various times in the show. I'd like to program these actions into QLab 3 but I'm not quite sure how I get QLab to communicate with the Allen and Heath QU-24, in terms of the mute button. Is this a Mic cue or a MIDI trigger? Anyone have any instructions?

[Benjamin Farrar]

This can be done via MIDI Cue in QLab.

https://www.allen-heath.com/media/Qu_MIDI_Protocol_V1.9.pdf

[Katharine Horowitz]

The other solution is to text the designer before you and ask how they did it, and then (with their permission) copy and paste. :D

[Timothy Paul]

I do this on a Yamaha M7 by sending program change messages. On the M7 each scene has the necessary mics muted (or unmuted)
So QLAb sends the midi program change to call the correct scene.

[Ethan Livers]

Here's a qlab file with an AppleScript in it to create almost any command for a qu-32. It should be the same commands but just won't work with any channels above 24.

[Ethan Livers]

Here is the post where Rich helped create the AppleScript https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/qlab/ZJMjvOb2898

[Katharine Horowitz]

This is great. Thank you!

[Robert Oriol]

This is fantastic. Really helped me out a lot. I've been using QLab 3 for a few years now, I'm new to QLab 4 and very new to anything at this level. 

As I see it, ithe AppleScript creates four midi commands, which in concert, change a fader level on a channel routed to LR output beautifully. 

Do you know which of those 4 commands should be tweaked if I want to affect a fader level to MIX 1? In the theatre I'm working in now, music is routed through LR but all vocals are routed through MIX 1, so I need to be able to change fader levels on an individual channel routed through that output.

Thanks,

Robert

[Simon VB]

But ... If your vocals are routed to MIX 1, I assume that's post-fade?

So if you simply move the fader of that channel, it shouldn't matter if the channel goes to L-R or to MIX 1.

Try it!

[Rich Walsh]

I'm not 100% sure what the question is either…

MIDI protocol for Qu-24 is here: https://www.allen-heath.com/media/Qu_MIDI_Protocol_V1.9.pdf.

From that, if what you're asking is how to control the MIX1 send from a channel (I don't know the desk – is MIX1 an aux?):

Send Level

BN, 63, CH, BN, 62, 20, BN, 06, VA BN, 26, VX

Where VA –inf to +10dB = 00 to 7F (see table)

VX 00 to 06= Mix1 to 9-10

VX 08 to 0B = Grp1-2 to 7-8 (in Mix mode)

VX 10 to 13 = FX send 1-4 (Qu-16 FX1,2 only)

VX 0C, 0D = MTX1-2, 3-4 (not Qu-16) 

That's 4 MIDI control change messages in sequence (all on the appropriate MIDI channel to communicate with the console):

1. BN, 63, CH => CC99 @ "CH" where "CH" represents the channel on the console – see the table in the pdf (in hex); 32 ($20) is Input 1, 64 ($40) is ST1, etc
2. BN, 62, 20 => CC98 @ 32 ($20), which means "here comes some data for a send level on the channel I just told you about with CC99"
3. BN, 06, VA => CC06 @ "VA" where "VA" represents the level you want – see the table in the pdf; 107 ($6B) is 0dB, 67 ($43) is -20dB
4. BN, 26, VX => CC38 @ "VX" where "VX" represents the send you want to change – see above; 0 for MIX1, 16 ($10) for FX Send 1, 12 ($0C) for MTX1-2, etc

This is all theoretical, based on what the MIDI protocol says. Watch out for the tables for VX: 0-6 represent MIX1 thru MIX10 even though 7 numbers doesn't seem to be enough for 10 busses – MIX5 thru MIX10 are paired!

If you want to be able to read that pdf and understand it – which I believe you should if you work professionally in live audio – then visit this site or buy this book and read the MIDI chapter.

Rich