GEAR REVIEW
WALRUS AUDIO CANVAS SERIES LINE ISOLATOR / D . I . | Mitch Bohannon
What is a line isolator and why do I need one ? So glad you asked ! A line isolator is used to connect your unbalanced , low impedance output like from an amp or cab simulator or keyboard to the front of house or P . A .
What ’ s the difference between a line isolator and a D . I . ( Direct Injection ) connection ? Again , great question ! I believe the easiest way to understand it is that a D . I . has a level cut or pad built-in to reduce the gain of your input before sending the signal to the F . O . H .
There are benefits to a great D . I . of course and many instances when they are needed . If your church is like mine , you ’ ve got a stack of D . I .’ s in your arsenal waiting for another instrument to plug in . What happens when that next instrument is an electric guitar running through an ever-popular cab simulator like the Walrus ACS1 , Strymon Iridium , or any of the Line6 HX units ? Most of us grab the next D . I . from our stack and roll with it . Hey , it sounds great doesn ’ t it ? Or does it ? At least it ’ s not a roaring amplifier being hidden and buried in a box with a microphone that has or has not shaken off of its little mic stand .
Remember , the D . I . has a built-in noise reduction that ’ s being applied to a low impedance source ( like a cab simulator ). This causes you to have to gain the signal way up at the board , especially if you ’ re running in-ear monitors , just so the musician can hear the guitar !
Rule of thumb ( taken from Walrus ’ website ) - High Impedance = anything above 1k Ohm = Use DI || Low Impedance = less than 1k Ohm = Use LI
Okay , I couldn ’ t wait to try it . I was just recabling our Student Venue stage and needed to test my work . So , I replaced the keyboard D . I . with the Canvas Mono . There is a DI / LI button to switch modes from D . I . to line
isolator . Connected in D . I . first , I found the output to be about 5 + dB lower than the direct box I removed . However , when I switched to LI ( line isolator ), the output completely filled up the room ! Super clean audio ! I ’ m excited !
So , can you look at this unit like it ’ s a boost ? No ! It ’ s true you do experience more volume , but while a boost pushes your signal input , the line isolator opens up your instrument ’ s natural output . So , it ’ s safe to say , you need to understand the impedance of your instrument ’ s output . Have you ever thought about it ? Honestly , I have not paid much attention . You can ’ t just say , “ All of this sort are low impedance , and all of this sort are high impedance .”
For instance , acoustic guitars always run through a direct box , right ? Also , they are known to have high impedance outputs . However , many of my personal guitars have systems that are outputting 650 Ohms , which is much lower than many other systems . Instead of using a standard direct box , if I run my acoustic through the Walrus Canvas line isolator , it brings out the brilliance of the acoustic rather than squashing an already low output from the start .
Having the ability to switch from line isolator to direct injection at the touch of a button is absolutely genius on the Canvas ! Adding an extra pad control for those instruments that have a higher output level makes this an all-in-one solution especially for those who switch instruments . But for me to have on my church platform , I know I am ready for any instrument to sound fantastic .
Brydon Jacobson , one of our lead guitar players , used the Canvas for Easter . Here is what he had to say about it , “ The first time I was able to plug my amp-less pedalboard rig into the stereo version of the Canvas , I immediately noticed a significant increase in my signal volume . I started hearing little nuances in my effects that I wouldn ’ t normally hear running through a regular DI . Because of the bump in volume , I am now able to run my amp modeler volume much lower than normal which reduces the chance of any unwanted buzzes or hums being introduced to my signal . And best of all , the Canvas looks fantastic and fits right in with the other Walrus Audio pedals on my pedalboard .”
One day in and I ’ m a huge fan of this Walrus Canvas .
Stereo $ 250.00 Mono $ 150.00 www . WalrusAudio . com