Is the EQ IN/OUT switch on the Onyx 1640i a hard bypass? Does this help to minimize possible noise?
Yes. The 1640i features a hard-bypass EQ switch that is used to either bring the EQ inline or to bypass the EQ section of the console entirely, making for an exceedingly clean path to the signal’s next destination. On mixers without a hard bypass switch, after the signal is boosted to line level by the mic preamp, the signal is often next routed directly through the EQ section, and the only way to “not” EQ is to run all of the knobs in the Unity position, but even this tactic still causes the signal to travel through all of those op amps (taking along the noise floor of those components). A hard bypass option eliminates this concern for critical signals being routed directly to a DAW, and is generally considered a more professional or “purist” approach.
