Egnater IE4 + RT250

[MKT]

Hi all. I have questions about MIDI switching with these amps.

Does the MIDI channel switching work between these two amps, e.g. channel 1 on the IE and ch.1 on the RT, and when engaging channel two on IE, does the Randall power amp automatically switch to the channel 2?

And which MIDI foot switch can co-operate with these two units?

*Edit* My IE4 is older red one with five pin midi connectors and RT2/50 has 7 pin input and 5 pin thru connectors. Does channel switching work if I connect a 7 pin midi foot switch to RT's input and connect the IE4 midi in to RT's midi thru?

RT250 manual says that midi switch should be connected first to preamp midi in and then from preamp thru to RT midi in. Does it matter which way they are connected?

I'm new to these midi stuff, please help!

Btw, this is a killer sounding combination.

 

[MarcoR]

Hi all. I have questions about MIDI switching with these amps.
Does the MIDI channel switching work between these two amps, e.g. channel 1 on the IE and ch.1 on the RT, and when engaging channel two on IE, does the Randall power amp automatically switch to the channel 2?

It depends on how the RT2/50 was last programmed but you can program it to behave any way you like. So if the RT is in switching mode and you have EL34s on one side and 6L6s on the other, You may like channel 1 of the IE paired with the 6L6s and channel 2&3 with EL34s then channel 4 with 6L6s again.

Be aware that the RT2/50 usually are set to MIDI channel 16 (unless that's been changed), so your controller should either be set to OMNI if your IE is set to a different channel OR you'll need to set both the IE and RT to the same channel. It depends on what you want to accomplish and if you're trying to control any other gear.

And which MIDI foot switch can co-operate with these two units?

Pretty much any midi controller will work.

*Edit* My IE4 is older red one with five pin midi connectors and RT2/50 has 7 pin input and 5 pin thru connectors. Does channel switching work if I connect a 7 pin midi foot switch to RT's input and connect the IE4 midi in to RT's midi thru?

Yes.

RT250 manual says that midi switch should be connected first to preamp midi in and then from preamp thru to RT midi in. Does it matter which way they are connected?

That is assuming you are using phantom power from the preamp to power the controller. The RT2/50 will not power a controller. If the controller has its own power supply it makes no difference.

Do you have the RT2/50 user manual?

 

[MKT]

Thanks for your reply.

Do you have the RT2/50 user manual?

Yes. So, does the IE4 have phantom powered connectors? I thought that only 7 pin connectors can power up midi controllers? I'm asking because I don't want to use any additional power adaptors.

 

[MarcoR]

Thanks for your reply.

Do you have the RT2/50 user manual?

Yes. So, does the IE4 have phantom powered connectors? I thought that only 7 pin connectors can power up midi controllers? I'm asking because I don't want to use any additional power adaptors.

I'm not positive it supplies phantom power but most likely it will. If it is designed similar to the RM4/M4 there may be an internal dip switch to enable power to pins 4 & 5 for powering with a 5 pin cable. Pins 7 & 8 are always active. Make sure the power is off when making the change to the dip switch and when connecting the controller to the preamp. The Randall RF4 for example can be powered by either a 5 pin or & 7 pin but the device sending the phantom power must also be able to send on pins 4 & 5.

Do you have a controller or one your thinking about using?

EDIT: It looks like the ie4 has a power jack to on the back to supply power to the phantom power via midi cable. It may only be available with a 7 pin midi cable.

 

[MKT]

I'm not positive it supplies phantom power but most likely it will. If it is designed similar to the RM4/M4 there may be an internal dip switch to enable power to pins 4 & 5 for powering with a 5 pin cable. Pins 7 & 8 are always active. Make sure the power is off when making the change to the dip switch and when connecting the controller to the preamp. The Randall RF4 for example can be powered by either a 5 pin or & 7 pin but the device sending the phantom power must also be able to send on pins 4 & 5.

Thanks. I need to check what's under the hood again. I believe there's not any dip switches, at least I didn't find any in photos I have.

Do you have a controller or one your thinking about using?

I was going to buy a tech 21 midi moose, but need to be certain it works with these amps. And it's not a disaster if I need to use an adaptor to power it up, I just appreciate if there are less wires on floor to get broken.

 

[Bucksears]

I'm just jealous looking at that rack.

Back when I had my M4 and RT2/50, I think you could program the RT2/50's channels to switch to the corresponding M4 channel you set up.
i.e. if you wanted channel B of an Egnater SL2X to go to the EL34 side of the Randall, it would, providing you had the MIDI cable connected from the preamp to the poweramp.

Don't think I ever bothered with it, though. I think I left it just on the EL34 side most of the time.

 

[MarcoR]

I'm not positive it supplies phantom power but most likely it will. If it is designed similar to the RM4/M4 there may be an internal dip switch to enable power to pins 4 & 5 for powering with a 5 pin cable. Pins 7 & 8 are always active. Make sure the power is off when making the change to the dip switch and when connecting the controller to the preamp. The Randall RF4 for example can be powered by either a 5 pin or & 7 pin but the device sending the phantom power must also be able to send on pins 4 & 5.

Thanks. I need to check what's under the hood again. I believe there's not any dip switches, at least I didn't find any in photos I have.

Do you have a controller or one your thinking about using?

I was going to buy a tech 21 midi moose, but need to be certain it works with these amps. And it's not a disaster if I need to use an adaptor to power it up, I just appreciate if there are less wires on floor to get broken.

Looks like the Midi Moose accepts phantom power through pins 1 and 3 (the 2 outer pins) with a standard 5 pin cable. I build my own midi cables so I would just wire the connector appropriately. There's a diagram for the phantom power in the users manual. The Midi Moose should work great.

 

[MKT]

Thanks. I'll try the Midi Moose as soon as I find one. Really appreciate your help, thanks a lot!