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Allen & Heath

Allen & Heath Celebrates Multiple NAMM 2021 Believe in Music Week Wins

Cornwall, UK based audio mixer company presents nearly two dozen live sessions and continues winning streak

Allen & Heath stepped up and went big for the 2021 NAMM Believe in Music Week virtual trade event, hosting engaging interactive events, sponsoring key sessions and extending their award-winning streak. Taking place the week of January 18th, Believe in Music Week was a new online event and global gathering to unify and support people who bring music to the world. With the goal of providing a bit of something for everyone, Allen & Heath was highly visible throughout the week through their mix of product-focused demo sessions, ‘behind the scenes’ development stories, sponsored musical events and content premieres. 

Highlights within the calendar of twenty different live-streamed video events included sessions with veteran FOH and monitor engineer Michael Bangs (Aerosmith, Eric Clapton, Katy Perry, et al.) discussing how to successfully transition to broadcast mixing, a special Signal to Noise podcast episode with NAMM President & CEO Joe Lamond, ‘Dante in Worship’ case studies co-presented with Audinate, and Spanish language sessions showcasing the full Allen & Heath product range as well as a deep dive into its popular Avantis digital mixing console. Company representatives were also on hand during the show delivering tailored video chats and private product demos. 

“We were frankly blown away by the interest and the number of live viewers we saw throughout the week,” notes Allen & Heath USA marketing director Jeff Hawley. “Every session we hosted had many times the attendance we’d traditionally see for similar events held during in-person shows. Overall, we clocked well over ten thousand highly engaged live video views in our virtual booth alone — and many more beyond that when you count our sponsored events like Worship Musician Chapel TV with guest artist Lincoln Brewster. And of course this platform let us have fun with 1-on-1 video product demos to anyone who reached out for one, too. Totally cool.”

In addition to events for the general NAMM audience, Allen & Heath USA hosted their annual sales and marketing virtual awards ceremony which kicked off the 2021 theme, ‘REIMAGINE’. This year’s Rep of the Year distinction was bestowed upon Lawrenceville, Georgia-based HWPco. Outstanding Performance Awards went to firms which exceeded 2020 sales goals, including Brownestone, Excellence Marketing, Highway Marketing, HWPco, John B. Anthony Company (JBA), Mainline Marketing, Online Marketing, Richard Dean & Associates, and Samuel K. Macdonald (SKMac). Recipients of the Sales Bulldogs Award included Kevin Duthu (HWPco), Dennie Edwards (Highway Marketing), Joe Kokal (Excellence Marketing), Marco Marroquin (Mainline Marketing), Shawn McLoughlin (AudioBiz), Gilbert Perales (Brownestone), Zak Rickard (AudioGeer), Enrico Ruotolo (JBA), and Willy Seltzer (Image Marketing West). Enrico Ruotolo (JBA) was also honored with the 2020 Marketing Excellence Award. Sales Support Awards went to Sean Estrella (Richard Dean & Associates) and Julie Boatright (AudioBiz).

Allen & Heath was among the technical achievement winners at the 36th Annual NAMM TEC Awards, which celebrates the best in professional audio and sound production. The Avantis 96kHz 64 channel / 42 configurable bus console nabbed the top honors in Small Format Console Technology, netting a win for the third year in a row for Allen & Heath in the highly competitive category. Not to be left out, the company’s flagship dLive Digital Mixing System scored a big win in the SOS Awards as the ‘Best Live Sound Product’ of 2021, announced during Believe in Music Week and chosen by the readers of Sound on Sound magazine.

“We set out to look at the different format for NAMM Believe in Music Week as being an opportunity instead of a challenge,” adds Hawley. “This was a great chance for us to connect and share and support the industry we all love. We did our best to generate a lot of positive vibes and listen to our all-important sales partners, chat with the best fans on the planet, and get the Allen & Heath word out to more and more potential customers. Based on the numbers and the feedback I’m hearing, I think we can call Believe in Music Week a success!”

Allen & Heath was a proud sponsor of the Worship Musician Chapel TV livestream, featuring Lincoln Brewster.

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Allen & Heath

Allen & Heath’s Best of NAMM 2020

Leading manufacturer of mixing systems leaves Anaheim on continued winning streak; sets the stage for new product introductions

It was big, brash, and frequently overwhelming, and the only thing really missing amid the din of an incalculable number of floor demos was silence. When it was over all that you could feel was brain paralysis and your swollen feet, but there was one certainty: NAMM 2020 was a winning show to remember for Allen & Heath.


Visitors to the Allen & Heath booth may have noticed a number of awards on display. Topping the NAMM 2020 award roundup, the company’s SQ Series scored a repeat victory at the TEC Awards for the second year running in the Small Format Console Technology category. An achievement seldom seen in an age when today’s hot products rapidly become yesterday’s old news, this SQ Series win was aided in no small part by its V1.3 monitor-focused firmware update.

Beyond the TEC Awards, SQ’s winning ways continued at the show with the announcement of encore ProSoundWeb and Live Sound International Readers’ Choice Awards in the Console and Mixers category for the SQ-7 (Small Format Digital) and the SQ-5 (Digital Rack Mount Mixer), duplicating category wins for SQ initially picked up in 2019. Not to be left out of the repeat winning streak, MMR Magazine delivered a second coveted ‘Product of the Year’ award to the Allen & Heath booth to join its 2019 trophy.

Over at the AES Academy, crowds stormed the Allen & Heath training sessions. Allen & Heath USA live sound/touring manager Michael Bangs’ scheduled sessions were SRO, as was Billie Eilish FOH engineer Drew Thornton’s “Modern Front of House Mixing” session, which proved to be the most popular Live Sound Academy event of the show. Across the way in the arena, the second annual Loudspeaker Showcase at NAMM was managed from behind a dLive C1500, attracting a record crowd of its own as well as a most-ever number of 14 manufacturer participants.

Billie Eilish FOH Engineer Drew Thornton riffs during his standing room only “Modern Front of House Mixing” AES Live Sound Academy session.


NAMM was also the site of Allen & Heath’s annual Sales & Marketing Kickoff  Meeting, where Highway Marketing was named Rep of the Year, the Marketing Excellence Award went to Jaylon Shane of Pro Tech, a Sales Support Award went to both Rob Baker (Mainline Marketing) and Sheila Rose (Highway Marketing), and Bulldog Awards went to Brian Christ (AudioBiz), Shawn McLoughlin (AudioBiz), Wes Pitzer (Highway Marketing), Rich Nichols (John B. Anthony Co.), Kevin Duthu (HWPco), Jaylon Shane (Pro Tech), Zak Rickard (Audio Geer), Kyle Matthews (Audio Geer), and Gilbert Perales (Brownestone). Taking home Allen & Heath’s Outstanding Performance Award were Pro Tech, SK Macdonald, Online Marketing, Excellence Marketing, Highway Marketing, Richard Dean Associates, and HWPco. The gathering additionally featured presentations made by Allen & Heath USA senior staff members and guest presenter Chris Foreman, who analyzed macro trends within the US house of worship market.

On the new product front, Allen & Heath delivered a bolt from the blue by offering attendees an unannounced sneak peek at its new dLive CTi1500, the world’s first titanium mixer. Outfitted with 12 faders over six layers, built-in audio I/O, powerful audio networking, a 12-inch capacitive touchscreen, and a Harmony UI to quicken workflow, the new console weighs-in at well under 50 lbs. with its flight case, making it 14 lbs. lighter than a standard C1500, and perfect for fly dates.
“A heartfelt thanks needs to go out to all our fans and friends who provided their support throughout 2019 and during the show,” Allen & Heath USA Marketing Manager Jeff Hawley said shortly after the NAMM crowd had exited the building on the final day. “We wouldn’t have even made it here if it hadn’t been for our outstanding reps, dealers, and engineers out there who rely upon us for mixing everything from corporate gigs and weekend church services to sold-out world tours. We’re excited to hit 2020 and step it up another notch or two.”

The Allen & Heath booth was packed throughout the show with engineers putting an array of networked mixing consoles through their paces. 

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Allen & Heath

Allen & Heath Announces Plans for Expanded Winter NAMM 2020 Presence

Allen & Heath is diving into 2020 with a showing of its growing product line-up in booth #18219 that includes SQ, dLive, and the new Avantis. The company’s extensive array of I/O hardware will also be featured, including dedicated solutions for Dante integration.

A number of AES Academy live sound classes will be offered by the manufacturer at this year’s show as well, with veteran FOH and monitor engineer Michael Bangs (Aerosmith, Eric Clapton, Katy Perry, et al.) hosting hands-on Masterclass training offering insight into mixing techniques for festival, house of worship, broadcast, and other live applications. A special ‘Modern Front of House Mixing’ Masterclass will be presented by Parnelli Front of House Engineer of the Year Nominee Drew Thornton, FOH engineer for six-time Grammy Award nominated pop phenom Billie Eilish. Daily dLive certification courses round out Allen & Heath’s extensive AES Academy training offerings, with those enrolled earning CTS International Renewal Unit (RU) credits.

Allen & Heath dLive, SQ and Avantis

For those anxious to hear an Allen & Heath system in action, a compact dLive Wings rig comprised of a C1500 control surface and DM48 MixRack has been selected as the console of choice for the NAMM Loudspeaker System Showcase, mixing loudspeakers from 14 different companies in the Anaheim Convention Center Arena. Participating companies will be featured in multiple demos per day, during show days on Thursday, January 16 through Saturday, January 18.

Allen & Heath begins 2020 following a successful year of awards and new product introductions last year. Custom Control—a cross-platform control app for dLive mixing systems—added to the company’s laurels with a New Product Award at WFX in September, while Avantis took home its first award win October at AES with a Best of Show nod. Parnell Awards voting opened in November with dLive named as an Indispensable Audio Technology nominee. The SQ Series received news in December of its selection as Product of the Year for the second year running among MMR’s 27th annual Dealers’ Choice Awards. TEC Award nominations for 2020 were announced last month as well, with the SQ getting a repeat nod in the Small Format Console category, and dLive named as a competitor in the Large Format Console group. Not to be left out, the new DT168 Dante Expander also received a Music & Sound Awards nomination for Console Hardware of the Year before 2019 ended.

Looking back on all the company has accomplished in the last 12 months, Allen & Heath USA Marketing Manager Jeff Hawley is ready to call it a wrap and prepare to ring in 2020 with appropriate aplomb. “We’ve had a great time celebrating our 50th anniversary throughout 2019,” Hawley remarked recently. “It’s been a notable year for us on many fronts. Here’s to everyone in our industry for a sensational run going forward. We’re looking forward to seeing you all in Anaheim!”

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Luck of the Irish Thrives with Allen & Heath

MILWAUKEE, WI — It may be widely known for its Germanic roots and mass celebration of beer, bowling, and bratwurst, but this town is also the site of Irish Fest—the world’s largest celebration of Irish music and culture—which this year utilised dLive and SQ Series consoles from Allen & Heath.

Held downtown at Henry Maier Festival Park along the shore of Lake Michigan, Irish Fest 2019 featured 100 musical acts and 300 different performances spread across 16 stages. With Clearwing Productions handling the bulk of the event’s sound reinforcement needs, the Ingleside, Illinois-based independent rep firm Audio Biz deployed five dLive and six SQ Series consoles across seven of the stages plus a preshow/demo suite. Among the dLive systems were S5000 and C3500 control surfaces supported by DM48, DM64, and CDM48 MixRacks. Utilised at smaller stages where space was at a premium, SQ-5 and SQ-6 mixing systems were used to run both the house sound and monitors simultaneously from a single control surface. For I/O needs, Allen & Heath’s DX168 and GX4816 were chosen.

“Bands and engineers came in for the event from all over the country and Ireland,” Audio Biz’s Shawn McLoughlin relates. “And while most of the engineers had heard of the dLive and SQ Series consoles, not quite everyone had worked with them yet. That’s why we created the preshow/demo suite, which was outfitted with a dLive S5000/DM64 and an SQ-6. The idea was to provide a space for everyone to familiarise themselves with the desks and prep for their shows before they actually went out to face the crowds.”

As the event transpired, McLoughlin and Brian Christ, his Audio Biz colleague who was also on-site for the duration of the festival, found that their gambit paid off. Comfort levels with the desks materialised quickly. Many of the engineers even downloaded dLive Director, a multi-platform editor including control software that allowed them to configure their systems before the festival and arrive for their showtimes ready to go.

“Everyone who took advantage of the preshow/demo suite walked away with a clear plan of action,” Christ adds. “Many set up show files, then simply dropped them into place and were up-and-running. The desks integrated themselves into the event quite easily and could even be set-up to mimic whatever configuration someone was used to, even from another manufacturer’s board. It was almost as if no experience was required to obtain excellent results and reap the workflow and sonic benefits the SQ and dLive have to offer.”

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SQ Mixes it Up With Carrot Top

Since November 28, 2005, Carrot Top has been drawing sold-out crowds at the Luxor with the most lavish stage production in stand-up, all of which is now orchestrated with the aid of an SQ-7 digital mixer from Allen & Heath.

“When I told my friends I was going to be a comedian, they laughed,” Carrot Top, aka Scott Thompson, 54, has famously said. Now the joke is on them as he continues to rack up miles and smiles on what is surely the longest running stand-up act in the country. While he is widely defined as a prop comic, he actually dives into his onstage trunks filled with all kinds of gadgets and geegaws only twice during his show. In between he does straight stand-up, and that’s where the show is heavily imbued with exceptionally elaborate sound design.

“Hardly a few seconds go by without something being punctuated by a snippet from a popular song, a cartoonish screech, a blast of confetti, or some other effect”

“Hardly a few seconds go by without something being punctuated by a snippet from a popular song, a cartoonish screech, a blast of confetti, or some other effect,” says Thompson’s production and tour manager Dan O’Leary, who has been with the show for 23 years. “This is stand-up scored like a musical when it comes to our sound.”

O’Leary found himself in a position at front of house not all that long ago where he was exceeding the capacity of his aging console. Casting about for a solution, he chose an Allen & Heath SQ-7, purchased from Sweetwater Sound, as a replacement earlier this year.

Beyond the immediate gain in sonic quality the SQ-7 offered, O’Leary notes that having Allen & Heath’s SQ MixPad app—which provides offline editing and online wired or wireless control of his SQ-7’s main mixing functions—was a necessity, not a luxury.

“The SQ-7 and I reside in a tiny little room off to the side where I have to view the show through a small window,” O’Leary explains. “I can only manage the basics from the board in there. With SQ MixPad I simply walk out into the room and handle the fine-tuning. There have been countless times when I’m onstage and something pops-up as well. With the app I use my phone to link to the desk and make a change.”

The scope of Carrot Top’s show has rock ‘n roll dynamics. There are wedges and a subwoofer onstage, and an endless stream of cue lines to hit. “I’m using 15 of the SQ-7’s outputs,” O’Leary adds with a sense of almost geographic wonder. “We record every show with the desk too. This console is perfect for Carrot Top’s experimental spirit. I keep building and refining our control right along with his act.”

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Allen & Heath Nominated for NAMM TEC Awards for Outstanding Technical Achievement

Allen & Heath is once again among the pro audio and sound production nominees spread across the 23 technical achievement categories comprising the 35th Annual TEC Awards. With its dLive Mixing System joining five others in the Large Format Console category, Allen & Heath’s SQ Digital Mixer Series has found a spot among the six contenders within the Small Format Console category.

“This year the TEC Awards have attracted quite a number of truly innovative submissions,” Allen & Heath USA marketing manager Jeff Hawley said recently. “As one of our industry’s most notable showcases, the entries have grown in both number and the degree of technical evolution. We’re seeing future trends playing out across this stage that are unique, and sometimes just plain amazing.”

Presented annually by The NAMM Foundation in conjunction with The NAMM Show, the TEC Awards recognize the individuals, companies, and technical innovations behind the audio heard in recordings, live performances, films, television, video games, and multimedia. Final voting for this instalment of the enduring awards show begins this November. Winners will be announced in Anaheim, California on Saturday, January 18, 2020.

The SQ Series won in the 34th TEC Awards Small Format Console category, along with seven other award wins last awards season, including the MMR Dealers’ Choice Awards ‘Product of the Year’.

“Both of the major Allen & Heath product updates nominated for TEC Awards were largely focused on live monitor mixing workflows and features,” notes Hawley. “The SQ Series V1.3 brought software additions like a Listen bus and External Input to PAFL, which paired with new I/O hardware and network cards to expand FOH / Monitor split options. Monitor engineers also loved the new MCA (Mix Control Association) and Talkback Group functionality in dLive V1.8. Our teams pushed the tech envelope this past year and it is an honour to be in such good company once again.”

The 35th Annual NAMM TEC Awards will be held in conjunction with the 2020 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California.

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Allen & Heath’s New SQ – Experience this Compact, 96kHz Digital Mixing Powerhouse at NAMM

For Immediate Release – January 19, 2018 – With their 96kHz XCVI FPGA engine, Allen & Heath’s new SQ Series Digital Mixers bring the high-resolution audio performance of the company’s highly acclaimed dLive Digital Mixing System to a compact, cost-effective, multi-application platform that’s both easy-to-use and highly customizable.

Jeff Hawley, Marketing Manager for Allen & Heath USA, commented, “Since its introduction in October, we’ve seen interest in SQ that is just off the charts and we’re excited to be featuring it at NAMM! We’ll have an active display in our booth so that FOH and monitor engineers can experience SQ features like the Chromatic channel metering system and the drag-and-drop ease of setting up a mix.”

Two models offer a choice of size and control configuration. The rack-mountable SQ-5 has 16 onboard preamps, 17 faders and 8 softkeys while the SQ-6 provides 24 preamps, 25 faders, 4 assignable rotary controls and 16 softkeys. Both models support up to 56 input channels via remote expanders and both feature a networking slot for optional Dante, Waves and other cards. An ecosystem of apps, remote expanders, networking cards and personal mixers multiplies SQ expansion and integration possibilities. The new SLink intelligent port allows connection to Allen & Heath’s 96kHz and 48kHz expanders and can link to another SQ mixer, a Qu Series mixer or a dLive system.

Allen & Heath’s New SQ – Experience this Compact, 96kHz Digital Mixing Powerhouse at NAMM

Live sound engineers can customize an SQ mixer’s workflow using a capacitive touchscreen, illuminated rotary controls, custom naming on fader strips and assignable softkeys. Houses of worship can use scenes and layers to configure the mixer for worship, broadcast and special events while simplifying setup for volunteers. Rental and production companies will find SQ mixers well suited to music festivals and touring artists and can use the integrated auto-mixer for corporate events and conferences.

With the built-in “SQ-Drive”, recording engineers can capture high resolution stereo and multitrack to a USB drive. In the studio, an SQ mixer can become a plug ‘n play, Core Audio or ASIO compliant, 32×32 96kHz audio interface, with MIDI and DAW control capabilities. To complement an SQ mixer’s built-in EQ, compression and effects, users can add Allen & Heath’s optional boutique plug-ins while the mixer’s DEEP processing architecture maintains <0.7ms latency.