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QU-5D Mixer

The Allen & Heath QU-5D is the mixing desk — the large board with sliders, knobs and a touchscreen. It is the heart of the sound system. Everything you hear in the church, the foyer and on the livestream is balanced here.

This page explains what the main controls do, then how to use them.

📷 Screenshot placeholder: top-down photo of the QU-5D with key areas labelled.

What the main parts do

Faders (the sliders)

Each fader is a sliding control for one microphone or source.

  • Up = louder.
  • Down = quieter / off.

Each fader has a label strip above or below it telling you what it controls (Lectern, Handheld 1, etc.).

The MUTE button

Below each fader is a MUTE button.

  • Mute lit (red) = that microphone is silenced, even if the fader is up.
  • Mute off = the microphone can be heard (if the fader is up).

Mute is the fast on/off

To quickly silence a microphone without losing your fader position, press MUTE. Press it again to bring it back.

The touchscreen

The touchscreen shows settings for whichever channel is selected. You usually do not need to change anything here during a normal service.

SEL (select) buttons

Pressing a channel's SEL button chooses that channel so the touchscreen shows its settings. For routine operation you rarely need this.

Master / main fader

The main (LR) fader controls the overall level going to the church speakers. Leave it at its marked position unless told otherwise.

How to do the everyday jobs

Turn a microphone up or down

  1. Find the fader with the matching label (e.g. Lectern).
  2. Slide it up to make it louder, down to make it quieter.

Silence a microphone instantly

  1. Press the MUTE button under that fader (it lights up).
  2. Press it again to un-mute.

Set the desk to a known-good starting point (recall a scene)

The QU-5D can store a scene — a snapshot of all the settings for a normal Sunday. If someone has changed things and you want to get back to normal:

  1. Find the Scenes option on the touchscreen.
  2. Select the Sunday Service scene.
  3. Confirm Recall.

Check with Mills IT before saving scenes

Recalling a scene is safe. Saving / overwriting a scene changes the starting point for everyone. Only do this if Mills IT has asked you to.

📷 Screenshot placeholder: Scenes screen on the QU-5D touchscreen.

What feeds where (important)

The QU-5D sends sound to three places, each with its own balance:

flowchart LR
    QU[QU-5D Mixer] --> MAIN[Main LR -> JBL Church Speakers]
    QU --> MTX1[Matrix Mix 1 -> Foyer Amp -> Foyer Speakers]
    QU --> MTX2[Matrix Mix 2 -> RodeCaster Video -> YouTube]

Why a microphone can be on in the room but missing online

A fader controls the main mix to the room. The livestream and foyer are separate matrix mixes. If a microphone is not included in the livestream matrix, it will play in the room but not online.

Things to avoid

Do not

  • Do not turn the main fader far up to fix a quiet microphone — raise the microphone's own fader instead.
  • Do not change EQ, gain or routing on the touchscreen during a service unless you have been trained.
  • Do not power the mixer off while the speakers are still on (it can pop).