Allen & Heath SQ-7 48-Channel 96kHz Digital Mixer, 32+1 Motor Faders

Allen & Heath SQ-7: The Largest SQ Surface With 32 Faders on Deck

The Allen & Heath SQ-7 is a 48-channel, 96 kHz digital mixing console and the largest surface in the SQ range, pairing 32 recallable AnalogiQ preamps and 32 plus 1 motorized faders with the same fast XCVI core as its smaller siblings. It is built for the engineer who wants maximum hands-on control, keeping whole bands and complex productions laid out across physical faders rather than buried in layers. With 18 line outputs, 8 Soft Rotaries and 16 SoftKeys, it offers the deepest tactile workflow SQ provides in a still-compact footprint. The SQ-7 is the choice when you would rather reach for a fader than tap a screen. Buy it once and it becomes the desk that keeps a demanding show entirely under your fingertips.

Thirty-Two Recallable AnalogiQ Preamps

The SQ-7's headline strength is its input count: 32 plus 1 recallable AnalogiQ mic/line preamps onboard, twice the SQ-5's front end and a third more than the SQ-6. Recallable means each preamp's gain is stored inside every scene, so recalling a saved show snaps all 32 inputs back to their exact settings instead of leaving you to reset them by ear. For a large band, a theater production or a multi-source worship service, having 32 quality preamps onboard can eliminate stageboxes entirely and keep the whole input list local. The combo XLR/TRS sockets accept mics and line sources interchangeably, with switchable phantom power for condensers and active DIs. That deep, total-recall input count is exactly what draws larger productions to the SQ-7.

The 96 kHz XCVI Core and Ultra-Low Latency

Like the whole SQ family, the SQ-7 runs on the XCVI FPGA core at a full 96 kHz sample rate with total latency under 0.7 milliseconds. The high sample rate widens usable audio bandwidth and preserves clean phase behavior, while ultra-low latency keeps in-ear monitor mixes feeling immediate 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 distracting on stage. By holding that figure under 0.7 ms even with processing active, the SQ-7 stays transparent to musicians on in-ears. Because the engine is identical across the range, an SQ-7 show translates directly to any other SQ console.

The Deepest Hands-On Surface in the Range

The SQ-7 lays 32 plus 1 motorized faders across 6 layers, giving you an enormous number of physical controls and, in most shows, a whole band on faders at once without switching layers. Around the 7-inch touchscreen sit 8 assignable Soft Rotaries and 16 assignable SoftKeys, so the parameters and actions you use constantly get dedicated physical controls. Motorized faders snap to the true level of the layer you select, so what you see is always what is actually happening. That density of tactile control is the SQ-7's reason for being: it minimizes menu-diving and keeps your attention on the performance. For engineers who mix by feel and speed, the extra surface is worth the extra size.

DEEP Processing and the Automatic Mic Mixer

The SQ-7 is DEEP processing compatible, hosting emulations of high-end studio compressors and EQs directly inside channels and buses with no outboard hardware and no added latency. It also includes a dual 24-channel Automatic Mic Mixer that manages gain automatically across many open microphones to keep speech clear and feedback controlled. That AMM is invaluable for theater, worship and corporate events where dozens of mics are live and manual riding is impossible. Eighteen line outputs then let you route all those processed feeds straight to monitors, zones and outboard processors. Together they let the SQ-7 replace racks of hardware and, frequently, a second engineer.

Effects, Mixes and Matrix Routing

Eight RackExtra FX engines supply 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 drive many monitor mixes, fills and delay zones, and send a separately-processed blend to broadcast or overflow rooms. The matrix builds custom mixes of your groups and mixes for distributed systems, exactly what large and multi-zone venues need. That routing depth confirms the SQ-7 as a full production console, not merely a big mixer. It delivers that capability while still fitting in a single flightcase.

SLink Expansion, Option Cards and USB Recording

Even with 32 onboard preamps, the SQ-7 stays expandable: the SLink port connects the entire Everything I/O 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 large productions that tour or grow, this expansion path keeps the console future-proof. It is a platform engineered to scale with the biggest rooms.

Where the SQ-7 Fits and Who It Is For

The SQ-7 suits larger live-sound productions, houses of worship, theater, broadcast and corporate AV, and demanding monitor mixing. Engineers stepping up from the SQ-6 gain a full extra fader bank and eight more onboard preamps, while anyone weighing all three SQ consoles should remember they share one 96 kHz engine, so the decision is about surface size, preamp count and how much you value physical control. Reviewers highlight its abundant hands-on faders, excellent preamps and audio, and powerful FX and processing. For the operator who wants the most control SQ can put under their hands in a movable desk, the SQ-7 is the top of the range. It is the console for shows where reaching for a fader beats hunting through a menu.