Allen & Heath ME-1 Personal Monitor Mixer, 40 Inputs, 16 Mixable, PoE

Allen & Heath ME-1: Put Every Musician in Charge of Their Own Monitor Mix

The Allen & Heath ME-1 is a personal monitor mixer that gives each performer 40 inputs over a single Cat5 cable and control of their own in-ear or wedge mix. From those 40 channels a musician can build a mix of up to 16 stereo or mono inputs or groups, each with level, pan, mute, and solo, on a rugged, compact desktop unit. A dimmable screen shows channel names, levels, pan, and metering so the mix is clear even on a dark stage. Powered by PoE or a simple 9V DC supply, it drops into a distributed monitoring system fed from any Allen & Heath console through the ME-U hub. For the musician who is tired of shouting mix requests to the monitor engineer, it hands that control back to the stage.

How the ME-1 Receives 40 Inputs Over One Cable

The ME-1 connects over Cat5 using Allen & Heath's SLink, receiving up to 40 audio channels down a single cable rather than a bundle of analog sends. Those 40 sources are typically distributed by an ME-U hub, which takes a networked feed from a console over MADI, Dante, Waves SoundGrid, or EtherSound and fans it out to multiple ME-1 units. Each ME-1 then lets its user pick up to 16 of those channels to actually mix, with level and pan on every one. Because the whole system rides on standard Ethernet cabling, adding another musician's mixer is as simple as running one more Cat5 cable. This is what makes networked personal monitoring so much cleaner than analog monitor sends. The engineer sets up the sources once; every performer shapes their own blend.

Mixing Controls, Groups, and the Ambient Mic

On the surface, a musician assigns and recalls their own mix using level, pan, mute, and solo per channel, so a guitarist can push their own signal up without touching anyone else's monitor. Channels can be handled individually or as groups, keeping a busy input list manageable, for example collapsing a drum kit or a backing-vocal cluster into one fader. A dedicated ambient mic input lets performers blend in room or crowd sound so in-ear monitoring does not feel isolating. Stereo aux inputs allow a local source, such as a click or a personal device, to be added to the mix. The dimmable display keeps names, levels, and meters visible without glare. Every control is aimed at letting the player dial in comfort quickly, mid-show if needed.

Outputs and Headphone Power

The ME-1 provides two stereo outputs usable as line or headphone feeds, on both a 1/4 in and a 3.5 mm jack, plus a separate mono line output. Its headphone amplifier delivers 300 mW plus 300 mW into 100 ohms and drives loads down to 16 ohms, enough to power demanding in-ear monitors and headphones cleanly. The mono line output can reach up to +21 dBu, suitable for feeding a powered wedge or a stage sidefill. That combination lets one ME-1 serve an in-ear user and a wedge at the same position. For drummers or performers who switch between ears and a wedge, the flexible outputs matter.

Powering and Networking With ME-U

The ME-1 can be powered over Ethernet (PoE), so a single Cat5 cable carries both its audio and its power when connected through an ME-U or a PoE Ethernet hub. Alternatively, a standard 9V DC pedalboard-style supply will run it where PoE is not available. The ME-U hub is the heart of a larger system, distributing up to 40 channels to many ME-1 units and interfacing the console over MADI, Dante, Waves SoundGrid, or EtherSound depending on the installed card. Units can also be daisy-chained to simplify cabling across a stage. This networked, PoE-friendly design is what lets a full band run personal monitoring from one console feed. It scales from a single mixer to an entire stage of them.

Who the ME-1 Is For

The ME-1 is for musicians and performers who want direct control of their in-ear or wedge monitor mix, and for engineers building distributed personal monitoring for worship, touring, and corporate events. It suits any Allen & Heath console-based system through the ME-U hub, and it fits players who need to adjust their own blend without involving the monitor engineer mid-set. It is rugged and compact enough for a crowded stage or a fixed install, and it powers over PoE or 9V DC. First-time users get intuitive per-channel mixing, while larger productions get a system that scales one Cat5 cable at a time. For hands-on personal monitoring, the ME-1 is the standard.