Allen & Heath AR2412 24x12 Remote AudioRack Digital Stagebox

Allen & Heath AR2412: A One-Cable Digital Snake for the Stage

The Allen & Heath AR2412 is a 24-in / 12-out remote AudioRack that replaces a heavy analog multicore with a single Cat5 cable. It sits on the stage, gathers 24 microphones and line sources into recallable preamps, and sends everything to the console digitally over one lightweight run. For any engineer who has coiled a 100-foot copper snake in the rain, the AR2412 is a transformative simplification of the stage-to-console link. It carries the mic splits, the preamp control and the return feeds in one 3U rack. The result is faster load-in, less cable weight and a cleaner signal path. This is the box that turns an Allen & Heath console into a full remote-I/O system.

How dSNAKE Moves 24 Channels Down One Cat5

dSNAKE is Allen & Heath's digital audio transport, and it is what lets the AR2412 send 24 inputs and receive 12 outputs over a single Cat5 cable up to roughly 330 ft (100 m). Instead of a discrete copper pair per channel, the preamps convert audio to digital at the source and multiplex it onto the network cable, which slashes weight and eliminates the noise a long analog run can pick up. The link is bidirectional, so output signals for stage monitors and amps travel back down the same cable. Because the conversion happens at the stagebox, the delicate mic-level signals never make the long trip in analog form, preserving headroom and signal-to-noise. One cable also means one thing to run, test and coil, which is a real time saving on every changeover. That efficiency is the core reason digital snakes replaced copper multicores on touring and installed stages.

Remote Recallable Preamps You Set From the Console

Each of the 24 inputs uses a remote-controlled preamp with up to +60 dB of gain, a -20 dB pad for hot line-level sources and switchable phantom power for condenser mics and active DIs. Every one of those settings is adjusted from the mixing console and stored in the show's scenes, so a full input setup recalls instantly at the next performance. There is no walking to the stage to tweak a gain knob; the engineer sets and recalls everything from front of house or monitors. Scene recall of preamp gain is what makes multi-band festivals and repeatable install setups practical. The 12 XLR outputs handle monitor sends, amplifier feeds and recording or broadcast splits from the same rack. This is professional remote-preamp control in a single road-ready enclosure.

Expandable I/O and Personal Monitoring

The AR2412 is designed to grow with the rig. A dedicated expander port accepts an AR84 or AB168 AudioRack, adding another block of inputs and outputs near a second stage position such as a drum riser or monitor world. A separate ME port feeds Allen & Heath's ME personal monitoring system, letting musicians control their own in-ear mixes from the same stage rack. That means one AR2412 can anchor a distributed I/O network rather than being a fixed 24x12 endpoint. As the channel count of a production climbs, the system expands without re-cabling the whole stage. This scalability is what keeps the AR2412 relevant from a house-of-worship stage to a touring festival deck.

Built for Qu, SQ, Avantis and AHM Systems

The AR2412 is the remote stagebox for Allen & Heath's dSNAKE-compatible ecosystem: it works with Qu and SQ consoles, the Avantis console and AHM matrix processors used in fixed installs. In a live rig it is the stage end of the snake; in an installed system it is a remote I/O node wired back to a rack-mounted processor. The 48 kHz digital path keeps every channel clean across the full cable run. It suits front-of-house and monitor engineers, worship and theater techs, and integrators building a networked audio system around an Allen & Heath console. Wherever the console lives, the AR2412 puts its inputs and outputs where the sources actually are.

3U Rack Format That Travels

Packaged in a 3U 19-inch rackmount chassis, the AR2412 drops straight into a stage rack, a shock-mounted road case or an equipment cabinet. The rack ears let it bolt in solidly for touring, and the standard depth fits common cases without modification. Its rugged build is made for repeated load-ins, cable swaps and the general knocks of stage life. For a system that has to be reliable night after night, the road-ready enclosure is as important as the electronics inside. The AR2412 is engineered to be racked once and trusted for years.