Why a specific preamp/looper/DI pedal for
acoustic instruments? The reasons are
obvious:
The frequency range of acoustic instru‑
ments goes from very deep fundamentals
(e.g. 41.20 Hz for low E on an upright
bass) to very high overtones that have a
crucial impact on the timbre of the acous‑
tic instrument even though they are ap‑
proaching the upper limits of the audible
spectrum (from 18 Hz to 20 kHz).
On top of this, acoustic instruments
have a characteristic attack with a very
steep initial transient followed by a weak
electrical signal. These characteristics
of acoustic signals make enormous de‑
mands on the electronics, with the result
that the handling of acoustic signals by
most equipment is unsatisfactory and
inconsistent in quality. Only equipment
specifically designed for the purpose is
able to handle such a demanding signal
pattern adequately. The advantage of the
RMI Acouswitch IQ DI, which meets these
demands, is that it can also be used in
many other areas (e.g. to handle the sig‑
nals from electric instruments).
Functions and applications overview
- RMI Acouswitch IQ DI as A/B input
switcher
The inputs A and B have an impedance of
5 MOhm each. Both inputs can be used for
different instruments.
The A/B foot switch permits toggling be‑
tween the two inputs, whereby the signal
from input A is routed to channel A of the
pedal and the signal from input B is rout‑
ed to channel B. If no cable is connected to
the “Instrument B” input, the signal from
instrument A can be routed to channel A or
B by using the A/B foot switch.
- RMI Acouswitch IQ DI as high-end pre-
amp with parametric EQ
Channel A of the RMI Acouswitch IQ DI fea‑
tures a high‑end preamp and a 3‑band EQ
specifically designed for acoustic instru‑
ments, featuring bass, semiparametric
mids and treble controls.
The RMI Acouswitch IQ DI features an ad‑
ditional Body Contour control (notch filter).
With these features one can either balance
the sound and volume level of the 2nd in‑
strument very efficiently, recall a 2nd sound
setting for one instrument or simply use the
pedal as a versatile high‑end preamp.
In stand‑alone use the pedal can drive a
poweramp, an active monitor or an in‑ear
monitoring system.
Note:
Channel B pursues the philosophy of
not routing the signal through unneeded
electronics, but rather keeps it pure and
unprocessed. For this reason channel B
has no preamp or EQ. When two instu‑
ments are connected their volumes are
balanced with the preamp of channel A
via volume‑cut or ‑boost.
- RMI Acouswitch IQ DI as FX looper
The RMI Acouswitch IQ DI has two effect
loops: a passive serial loop and a switch‑
able infinitely variable mixing loop, that
enables you to go from a completely dry
signal (100 % original; 0 % FX), via par‑
allel (100 % original; 100 % FX) to FX‑only
(100 % FX; 0 % original). A phase inverter
ensures that any out‑of‑phase signals
do not cancel each other out‑in‑parallel
mode.
Introduction
