It’s brought the bells and whistles. Essentially, the CQ-18T is an 18-in/8-out hardware mixer/audio interface, with plenty to get the home studio owner and live performer excited. Featuring eight XLR inputs, and another eight XLR/jack combi inputs (plus a stereo jack pair), the CQ-18T has all the connectivity a reasonably well-stocked studio or rehearsal space could need. At the centre of the fairly hefty unit sits a 7” multi-touch display, which gives you instant control over everything from faders to track routing. Thankfully, in my testing, the display didn’t suffer from any noticeable lag or glitching, which kept my own personal nerd rage to a minimum. There’s also a master rotary control knob, which switches functionality automatically depending which screen is displayed, and then three customisable rotaries for instant control over whatever settings you’ve mapped to it.