Effects madness, come on you keyboard players

[The Elf]

Presumably the Behringer XR18 would do a similar job for less money?

[Arpangel]

If that had truly 18 inputs, not a stereo, and subs inc the 8 outs, it’d be here.

Er... it really does have 18 balanced inputs. 8 mic/line XLR, 8 mic/line combi XLR, and stereo line on TRS. (The CQ20 has 20 inputs: 16 mic/line and two stereo ins).

It doesn't have conventional audio subgroups, but does have configurable DCA grouping and mute groups. And six of the eight outputs can be used either as aux sends or audio groups.

It's an amazingly powerful beast with a very small footprint.

I think it’s like all the makers specs, they think of a stereo input as being two separate inputs when stating channel count, but in reality you can only use it as one input, not two completely independent inputs.
I’d probably like the 20, but it’s still complicated, as for the X18 if I had to choose the A&H looks friendlier, and has combo jacks.

[The Elf]

I’d probably like the 20, but it’s still complicated, as for the X18 if I had to choose the A&H looks friendlier, and has combo jacks.

The XR18 has combo jacks.

[Arpangel]

Not that I’ll be buying either, but the Behringer has no display, apart from its tablet control, which I’m not into.
But, the bottom line is always this, when I look at an analogue mixer all the functions are obvious, there is no menu diving, the increased functions of digital don’t make it worthwhile for me.