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Highline FAQ

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What is a line isolator?
Line isolators are designed to interface guitar and amp simulators with a PA or recording system. They use a unity-gain transformer so the full output from your amp sim is delivered to the mixer. The transformer provides galvanic isolation between your pedalboard and the PA, which helps eliminates hum and buzz from ground loops and keeps your signal clean and noise-free. The Highline uses a premium Jensen transformer for the best possible sound quality, since this is the critical component that drives any line isolator. The JT-11-YMPC transformer used boasts very low distortion, almost no phase shift, and ruler-flat frequency response to ensure that the sound of your amp sim is faithfully delivered to the PA exactly as you intend it to.

How is the Highline different from a direct box?
The main difference is the type of transformer the Highline uses. Many passive direct boxes use a 12:1 transformer, which is great for converting the outputs from guitars and basses into a mic-level signal that you can feed to the PA.

However, since guitar amp sims often have strong line-level outputs, the Highline uses a 1:1 transformer that keeps the signal at unity gain, with no loss whatsoever. This improves gain staging with amp sims, while still providing important isolation that prevents hum and buzz when interfacing with the PA. The transformer also provides protection for your amp sim in case phantom power is ever accidentally engaged at the PA.

Can I connect a ¼″ TRS cable to the input of the Highline?
Yes, the Highline does accept balanced inputs to better interface with some amp simulators. If your amp sim has balanced outputs, you can use TRS>TRS or XLR>TRS cables to connect to the Highline. Otherwise, you would typically use standard ¼” TS instrument cables to plug into the Highline.

Can I connect my guitar or bass directly into the Highline?
No, we would recommend using a direct box for connecting an instrument straight to a PA or recording interface.

Can I connect my keyboard with line-level outputs to the Highline?
Yes, high output keyboards have similar characteristics to amp simulators, so they are a good fit for use with the Highline.

Will 48V phantom power harm the Highline?
No, the Jensen transformer inside will safely block DC voltage from phantom power without harming the Highline.

Will the Highline protect my pedalboard from 48V phantom?
Yes, the Highline prevents phantom power from passing through to any devices connected to the Input or Thru jacks. So you can rest assured that even if 48V is accidentally engaged at the mixer, your gear will be protected from damage.

How does the Sum switch work?
The Sum switch engages a passive resistive mix circuit that sums two input channels down to a mono signal. In this case, it turns the Thru jack into a second input, so you can connect a stereo amp sim and have it sum down to a mono feed to the PA.

Can I connect two separate sound sources to the Highline and blend them with the Sum switch?
This is technically possible, but keep in mind that the Highline will blend both signals together equally, with no way of adjusting the signal levels.

Can I connect the Highline to line-level inputs on a mixer?
Yes, if your source device provides line-level outputs then you can connect the Highline directly to a line-level input on a mixer or recording interface. In many cases on stage, the mic-input channels on the PA mixer will be more readily available, and you can connect the Highline to these inputs as well. You will likely notice when connecting to mic-level inputs that you won’t have to turn up the mic preamp as much to achieve a strong signal on that channel.

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Highline Resources

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