Behringer WING or Allen and Health SQ? They are both great mixers in the same price range with roughly the same functionality. Yet, they are quite different.
You can’t go wrong with either one, but I will help you determine which is right for you.
Before we get going, I want to say thank you to Sweetwater for providing the WING and DC Pro for providing the SQ.
Alright. Both of these mixers are great. I spent quality time with them when I created a mastery course for each of them. I’ve got you covered with training, regardless of your choice:
I have full access to both of these mixers, and it's tough to choose which one I prefer to use. It’s an absolute joy to mix on the WING and the SQ.
Some say the SQ sounds better. But honestly, it comes down to a matter of preference. Every mixer colors the sound in its own way, but it would take a keen ear to hear the difference. The bottom line is, both of these give you clean, quality sound.
So, I will have to get nit-picky to help you determine which is right for you. There are a handful of nit-picky differences to point out.
The WING has a larger and superior touch screen. Bigger isn’t always better, but in this case, it is. And in my opinion, the touch response on the WING is superior to the SQ.
The touch screen on the WING is so enjoyable to use that I didn’t even mess with any of the surrounding knobs, which actually leads me to a win for the SQ.
The SQ has a better layout overall. They make up for their smaller touch screen with their superior layout of buttons and knobs.
The layout of the WING feels a bit chaotic. At first glance, you are not sure what knob does what, which kind of defeats the purpose of physical controls to begin with.
The SQ nailed this. You can quickly spot the knob you need to adjust. I love how the knobs are positioned around the touch screen. It makes for the perfect marriage between touch screen and physical controls.
So, this would come down to how you prefer to mix.
Do you want to accomplish most everything with a large touch screen and physical faders? If so, the WING will suit you well.
Do you want to use a mixture of knobs, buttons, faders, and the touch screen? If so, the SQ will be a great fit.
This ties into something else you need to consider: the size of the mixer. How much room do you have in the sound booth?
If you have plenty of room, forget I said anything about this. But, if you are looking to save some space, the SQ has three different sizes. Even the largest SQ is still smaller than the WING. Something to consider!
You should know that whatever mixer you choose, whether it be one of these two or a different one entirely, you’ll need to know how to EQ vocals for a great mix.
My most popular cheat sheet is my Vocal EQ Cheat Sheet and I am giving it to you. Click here to download it for free.
It’s been downloaded by over ten thousand people. Can you believe that?
Alright. My goal in this video is to help you determine which mixer is right for you. Between these two great mixers, it’ll probably boil down to how you answer this question: What stage boxes do you have?
If you are upgrading from the X32 and already have Behringer stage boxes, the WING will save you a lot of cash. The same goes for SLink stage boxes and the SQ.
There are also personal monitors to consider. If you use P16 personal mixers, it's probably best to go with the WING. If you have ME-1 personal mixers, go with the SQ.
The SQ offers an audio sample rate of 96kHz, whereas the WING sits at 48kHz. Is this a deal-breaker? Probably not.
To notice the difference between 48 and 96kHz, you would need a controlled environment with perfect acoustics, perfect speakers, and one listener sitting in the sweet spot. I doubt you are buying one of these mixers with that environment in mind, so it really doesn’t make a difference.
What does make a difference is knowing how to create a great mix. That’s what my Vocal EQ Cheat Sheet will help you with, as well as the mastery course I created for each of these mixers. You’ll find links to it all in the description.
So, which mixer do you plan to get? Let me know in the comments.
And if you are looking for a comparison between the WING and X32, I’ve got you covered. Click here to watch it.
