Double Bass Using BOTH the HIZ and LowZ inputs (AI Focus 2R)

[JBarz]

Quick question:

I am running my piezo through effects and tube preamp into the Hi Z input on the second channel of my 600w 2nd gen AI Focus 2R.

It’s a bitchen MBOL tone I got dialed in, but just for fun I decided to slap my Krivo back on and try to blend it in, too, to get just a little edgy front end string sound in the mix. I tried routing it a bunch of ways, but just had a great success just running it direct into the other input on the same channel, marked Low Z on the amp.
(The first XLR channel I use for a vocal mic, so it’s not a long term option.)

This shouldn’t be an issue, right? It doesn’t have independent gain controls for the Krivo vs the piezo, but I have no problem setting the piezo pre to blend with the fixed low humbucker volume and frankly like not having the option to blend independent volume pots.

But I mean - like, it’s not going to put unnecessary stress on the amp or jack up the circuit somehow, right?

I’m a total doofus when it comes to all this electrical signal stuff, so pardon the silly question - I just want to make sure I don’t mess up my favorite amp.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

Quick question:

I am running my piezo through effects and tube preamp into the Hi Z input on the second channel of my 600w 2nd gen AI Focus 2R.

It’s a bitchen MBOL tone I got dialed in, but just for fun I decided to slap my Krivo back on and try to blend it in, too, to get just a little edgy front end string sound in the mix. I tried routing it a bunch of ways, but just had a great success just running it direct into the other input on the same channel, marked Low Z on the amp.
(The first XLR channel I use for a vocal mic, so it’s not a long term option.)

This shouldn’t be an issue, right? It doesn’t have independent gain controls for the Krivo vs the piezo, but I have no problem setting the piezo pre to blend with the fixed low humbucker volume and frankly like not having the option to blend independent volume pots.

But I mean - like, it’s not going to put unnecessary stress on the amp or jack up the circuit somehow, right?

I’m a total doofus when it comes to all this electrical signal stuff, so pardon the silly question - I just want to make sure I don’t mess up my favorite amp.

You should ask the AI people.
It depends if there is a resistor in the hot signal path before the inputs are mixed. But typically there are resistors in the hot path of the output of preamps and connecting a passive magnetic pickup should not damage it.

 

[JBarz]

Sent ‘em an email. Thanks hombre.

 

[james condino]

No more love for the Redeye?

That is very close to what I'm doing so I'll be watching. I have the 900 watt version of the Focus and 99% of the time, it feels like any combination I make sounds great into that amp.

Do you notice a volume difference with the Krivo between the different channels?

 

[JBarz]

Hardly - the Redeye is a permanent fixture of my rig now, right at the very front (with lots of love!). I only have the single input version, though, so the Krivo has to be added elsewhere.

I am blending it in just a hair for some edge on the front end attack. It makes my amplified sound even more authentic, but as an added bonus, it’s really made my loop station work shine quite nicely. The Krivo doesn’t record into the pedal, so it leaves my ‘real-time’ playing tone with just a little more teeth ( ie, no subtle footwork with the volume pedal or the boost button everytime I want to play over a loop).

I noticed nominal differences between the inputs (lo vs hi) on the Krivo - not so much volume but beef (the low Z sounds slightly more anemic), but the piezo->redeye->hpf pre-> tube pre channel much prefers the hi Z, so it’s a no brainer. I can’t find any specs about the humbucker’s impedance, but it works well enough in both spots.

On this amp, though, honestly, everything to me seems to sound better through the XLR microphone channel, but I think that’s because both the RedEye and the Le Bass tube pre are intended to be DIs, not necessarily in-line pedal pres.

All the kids just went down, so my amplified practice time is over today, but I’ll goof off with it a little more tomorrow, for sure. Not sure if the Krivo is going to stay on because I’m primarily focusing on arco practice these days, but we got along pretty good today at least.

 

[JBarz]

Rick at AI says it’s ok!

“You can run both inputs at the same time. They are isolated from each other so one does not load the other. No harm will come to the amp using both at the same time.”

 

[Michael Eisenman]

I read that you can also run devices (like preamps) into the effects returns, for a total of four simultaneous inputs, should that tickle your fancy. Not sure where I read it, but I can’t think of a reason that would proscribe the practice.