Allen & Heath SQ-6 48-Channel 96kHz Digital Mixer, 24+1 Motor Faders

Allen & Heath SQ-6: More Faders, More Preamps, the Same 96 kHz Core

The Allen & Heath SQ-6 is a 48-channel, 96 kHz digital mixing console that sits in the middle of the SQ range, adding 24 recallable AnalogiQ preamps and 24 plus 1 motorized faders to the same fast XCVI engine that powers the whole family. It is aimed at the engineer who wants more inputs on hand and more faders on the surface than the SQ-5 offers, without stepping up to the largest frame. With 16 line outputs and a touchscreen flanked by SoftKeys and Soft Rotaries, it handles mid-size productions comfortably from a single operator position. The SQ-6 is the sweet spot for many venues: enough hands-on control for a busy show, still compact enough to move. Buy it once and it becomes a workhorse desk you reach for again and again.

Twenty-Four Recallable AnalogiQ Preamps

The defining upgrade over the SQ-5 is the front end: 24 plus 1 recallable AnalogiQ mic/line preamps, giving you a third more onboard inputs before any expansion. Recallable means each preamp's gain is stored inside every scene, so recalling a saved show snaps all 24 inputs back to their exact settings rather than resetting them by ear. For a mid-size band with a full drum kit, several vocals, keys and guitars, having 24 quality preamps onboard means fewer stageboxes and simpler cabling. The combo XLR/TRS sockets accept mics and line sources interchangeably, with switchable phantom power for condensers and active DIs. That larger, total-recall input count is precisely what pushes a venue from the SQ-5 up to the SQ-6.

The 96 kHz XCVI Core and Ultra-Low Latency

Like every SQ console, the SQ-6 is built on the XCVI FPGA core running a full 96 kHz sample rate with total latency under 0.7 milliseconds. The high sample rate widens usable bandwidth and keeps phase behavior clean, while the ultra-low latency is what makes in-ear monitor mixes feel natural instead of delayed. Latency is the gap between a performer making a sound and hearing it back, and above a few milliseconds it becomes audible and off-putting on stage. Holding that figure under 0.7 ms even with processing engaged keeps the SQ-6 transparent to musicians on in-ears. Because the core is identical across the range, shows built on an SQ-6 translate directly to an SQ-5 or SQ-7.

More Surface Control With Soft Rotaries

The SQ-6 puts 24 plus 1 motorized faders across 6 layers under your hands, and adds 4 assignable Soft Rotaries alongside 16 assignable SoftKeys around the 7-inch touchscreen. Those Soft Rotaries give you dedicated physical knobs for parameters you adjust constantly, such as gain, a key EQ band or an FX send, without diving into a menu. Motorized faders snap to the true level of whatever layer you select, so you always see real values rather than remembering hidden ones. The extra tactile controls speed up a busy show, letting you keep your eyes on the stage instead of the screen. It is a surface designed to reduce the number of taps between a musical need and the change that answers it.

DEEP Processing and the Automatic Mic Mixer

The SQ-6 is DEEP processing compatible, hosting emulations of high-end studio compressors and EQs directly inside its channels and buses with no outboard gear and no added latency. It also carries a dual 24-channel Automatic Mic Mixer that manages gain automatically across many open microphones to keep speech intelligible and feedback under control. That AMM is decisive for houses of worship, conferences and theater productions where many mics are live at once and manual riding is impractical. Sixteen line outputs then let you route all those processed feeds directly to monitors, zones and outboard processors. Together they let the SQ-6 replace racks of hardware and, often, a second operator.

Effects, Mixes and Matrix Routing

Eight RackExtra FX engines provide reverbs, delays and modulation on dedicated sends and returns, keeping a full show's effects inside the console. Output routing spans 12 stereo mixes plus the main LR and 3 stereo matrix outputs, enough to feed many monitor mixes, drive fills and delays, and send a separately-processed blend to broadcast or an overflow space. The matrix builds custom mixes of your groups and mixes for distributed systems, which is exactly what larger rooms and multi-zone venues require. That routing depth is what makes the SQ-6 a true console rather than a large mixer. It arrives in a body one engineer can still set up and operate alone.

SLink Expansion, Option Cards and USB Recording

Connectivity keeps the SQ-6 open-ended: the SLink port connects the entire Everything I/O expander range so you can place stageboxes at the sources and run them back over a single cable, while an option card slot accepts Dante, Waves SoundGrid, MADI and more. Onboard 96 kHz USB audio records and plays multitrack for gig capture, virtual soundcheck and studio work with no separate interface. That means the same desk that mixes the show can archive it and line-check the next one without the band present. For a mid-size rig that may grow, this expansion path protects the investment. It is a platform, not a fixed-capacity box.

Where the SQ-6 Fits and Who It Is For

The SQ-6 suits mid-size live sound, houses of worship, theater and corporate AV, broadcast and multitrack recording. Engineers who found the SQ-5 short on faders or onboard preamps get the room they need here, while those eyeing the SQ-7 can decide whether they truly need 32 faders or whether 24 is the right balance of control and portability. Every SQ shares the same 96 kHz engine, so the choice is really about surface size and input count, not audio quality. Reviewers praise the SQ-6's sound, headroom, intuitive touchscreen and reliability as a workhorse. For a venue that needs serious hands-on control in a still-movable console, the SQ-6 is the natural pick.