There’s an easy way to run virtual soundchecks on the Allen and Health SQ.

All you need is a beefy flash drive and this video. Let me help you get everything set up. It will only take a few minutes.

To make it even easier, I put together a setup guide as a companion to this video. Download it for free using the link below. There’s even a link down there to the USB drive I recommend.

In case you are new to virtual soundchecks, this is how you practice mixing using recorded tracks from your own band.

Let’s get started. Go ahead and plug in a capable USB drive to the top of the mixer. If this is your first time using this specific drive, you’ll need to format it first.

Get Ready to Record

Plug in a capable USB drive to the top of the mixer. If this is your first time using this specific drive with the SQ, you’ll need to format it first.

1. Tap the Utility button under the screen
2. Then, tap USB Utility on the left
3. Tap format and then yes

Next, you need to check the USB settings

1. Tap the Setup button below the screen
2. Tap USB at the top
3. Set the USB Mode to SQ Drive
4. Regarding the sample rate, if it is set to 96kHz, you can only record 16 tracks at a time. Set it to 48kHz to record 32 tracks at a time.

Next, you’ll need configure what audio signals are sent to the SQ Drive

1. Navigate to the I/O screen, then tap Tie Lines
2. Tap USB on the top

This screen enables to send the desired raw audio signals to the DAW

By default, these are set to local inputs, which are inputs plugged into the back of your mixer. This will vary depending on your setup. Take time to determine what inputs you want to record and set them appropriately on this screen.

For example, if you are using a digital snake, you can select SLink on the left and then set USB 1 to SLink 1 and so on.

Now that everything is configured, you are ready to record.

1. Tap the Utility button under screen and tap SQ-Drive.
2. Tap Multitrack at the top
3. To record, tap the record button first.
4. Then, you’ll tap the play button when you are ready to start recording.
5. When done, press the stop button.

When you are ready to play the recorded tracks back through the mixer, you’ll need to swap your input routing on the SQ. The easiest way to do this is with library presets.

Set up Library presets.

1. Tap the I/O button below the screen
2. Tap Inputs on the left and then Input Channel
3. Tap the Library button
4. Tap Store New and name it “Inputs Default”
5. Tap OK
6. Tap the Library button to exit the library screen
7. Next, we need to do the same thing for playing back our tracks.
8. Tap USB at the top
9. Set IP1 to 1, IP2 to 2 and so on.

Now the mixer is configured to get audio through USB. Let’s save these settings to make it easy to go back and forth.

1. Tap the Library button
2. Tap store new and name it “Inputs USB”

Now you can easily go back and forth. Recall the Inputs Default preset for normal operation. Recall the Inputs USB preset to play back your multitracks through the mixer.

That’s it! Now that you are set up, you can easily run virtual soundchecks anytime you want.

By the way, this is one video of many from my SQ Mastery course. For the quickest way to master the entire SQ mixer, get access to the course here.