Radial Studio-Q Desktop Talkback and Cue Controller

Radial Studio-Q: A Desktop Talkback Controller for the Headphone Cue Mix

The Radial Studio-Q is a desktop talkback controller that lets an engineer press one button to speak into the performer's headphone cue mix while an automatic dim circuit ducks the playback so the talkback voice is always clear. It brings the single most useful console feature, talkback, to any interface-based studio that never had one, using a built-in microphone, an external mic input, and a footswitch jack for hands-free operation. For the producer who has been walking into the booth to give direction, the Studio-Q puts a calm, clear line of communication right on the desktop.

What Talkback Is, and Why Project Studios Lack It

Talkback is the ability for the engineer at the desk to speak directly into the headphones of a performer in the recording booth, so takes can be discussed and directed without shouting through glass or pulling the artist out of the moment. Large recording consoles have always had a talkback button built in, but the audio interfaces at the heart of most home and project studios do not, which leaves the modern engineer stuck. The Studio-Q fills exactly that gap, adding professional talkback to a setup built around an interface instead of a console.

The Auto-Dim Circuit: Talk Without Blasting the Artist

This is the heart of what the Studio-Q does. When you engage talkback, an FET-based dim circuit automatically lowers the music already playing in the performer's headphones, so your voice sits clearly on top instead of fighting the mix. The amount of dimming is adjustable from a gentle -6 dB duck all the way down to a near-silent -80 dB, so you decide how far the playback drops while you talk. The moment you release talkback, the music returns to full level, all without the artist ever getting a painful blast of voice over loud playback.

A Built-In Mic Plus an External Mic Input

The Studio-Q has an omnidirectional talkback microphone built right into the top panel, so it works the instant it is powered, with nothing else to connect. When you want higher quality or a specific voice, a balanced XLR external-mic input with up to +45 dB of gain lets you plug in a favorite microphone for talkback instead. That flexibility means the same box serves a quick spoken cue and a polished producer feed equally well.

Program In, Program Out, Mono or Stereo

The cue mix passes through the Studio-Q on balanced 1/4-inch TRS program inputs and outputs, so it drops cleanly into the signal path between your interface and your headphone amp without adding noise. It handles both mono and stereo program material, so whether the cue feed is a simple mono mix or a full stereo blend, the Studio-Q carries it faithfully and only steps in to dim and inject talkback when you ask it to.

Hands-Free Talkback and the Beacon

For moments when both hands are busy, the Studio-Q includes a JR1 footswitch jack, so you can engage talkback with your foot and keep working the mouse or an instrument while you speak. An optional Beacon output can drive an external light that glows whenever talkback is active, giving the performer a clear visual cue that the engineer is talking, an especially useful touch when the artist has loud playback in their ears.

Reference-Grade Specifications

The Studio-Q is built to studio standards throughout. Its frequency response covers the full audible band from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and total harmonic distortion is a vanishingly low 0.007 percent, so the program audio passing through stays clean and uncolored. The external-mic input's generous +45 dB of gain is enough to bring even a modest dynamic microphone up to a strong, intelligible talkback level.

Where the Studio-Q Shines, and Who It Is For

The Studio-Q goes to work anywhere an engineer needs to talk to a performer without a console: directing a vocalist in an isolation booth, running producer talkback through a favorite external microphone, or keeping hands free with a footswitch during a busy take. It is for the home and project-studio owner whose interface has no talkback, for the producer who wants clear communication with the artist, and for anyone tired of shouting through the glass just to get a take on tape.