Al Krow

One other thought - would you expect it to make any difference if the channel gains are reduced across the piece and the FoH gain boosted?

Thanks gents. I'd be very interested to know what PSUs other CQ desk owners are using? As noted above: I've got two separate AC adaptors, one that came with the unit by Fidus (made in China) for home use, and a separate one for gigs by Dongguan Lewe (also China). Both are 12V 5A 60W PSUs - but getting those spikes both at home and at gigs, which I guess suggests it's an internal desk issue? A&H recommend their spare part: AH-AM12199 PSU, but this seems to be tricky to get hold of? @warwickhunt are you still using your desk, if so could check the PSU you are using for me please?

I did a quick search and this is what Google's AI assistant, lol, came up with: Top Music Streaming Services Avoiding/Limiting AI Bandcamp (Most Proactive): Bandcamp is considered the strictest, having formally stated that music or audio generated wholly or substantially by AI is not allowed. They reserve the right to remove AI-generated content, focusing on protecting a space built on human, independent artists. Deezer (Best Detection/Labelling): Deezer has taken a leading role by actively identifying AI-generated tracks, aiming to label them and remove them from algorithmic recommendations. As of 2025, they have reported that 85% of AI-generated streams are demonetized on their platform. Qobuz (High-Fidelity Human Curation): Known for its focus on high-fidelity audio, Qobuz tends to feature,, heavily curated content, with playlists created by humans rather than algorithms, making it less likely to be flooded with AI-generated, "lo-fi" style content. Coda Music: A newer platform that is building tools to label and allow users to actively block or turn off AI artists, promising a more human-centered experience. Other Platforms: SoundCloud has stated it does not use artist uploads to train AI and has introduced a "no AI" tag to block unauthorized use. Music Platforms to Exercise Caution Spotify: While not banning AI, Spotify has introduced measures to target "spammy" AI uploads and vocal deepfakes, rather than AI as a creative tool. However, it remains a primary source of AI-generated content, particularly in personalized playlists. Apple Music: Focuses on quality control and proper metadata, meaning they may reject AI content that lacks clear authorship or is deemed low-effort.

Do you have the MXR also? An A/B of the MXR vs the v4.5 FI VIP would be very useful / helpful for many, particularly as there's only £20 in it price wise new.

Just a light-hearted focus on the "artificial" bit and what we're comfortable with in live performance, when music is arguably being created. Only human intelligence involved. But as @Woodinblack has rightly pointed out: AI isn't actually intelligent. Cool so you're a level 2 artificiality performer on the Krow scale. "Solo artists with backing tracks. Burn them." 😂 Love it! My former bandmate, who gets a chunk of her performance income from solo work, will be delighted to know that she's been shortlisted to add to global carbon emissions 😅

Early 2000s the music industry was almost destroyed by free file sharing led by Napster. Streaming was actually the saviour back then. There's got to be an opportunity for a streaming platform to be set up that takes only non ai content, and requires some form of validation from uploaders. Then folk can decide for themselves what they listen to. Free range vs chlorinated chicken debate. There's plenty of bands and artists with deep pockets that could spearhead this in conjunction with the US and UK Musicians Unions?

Not sure I'm going to have too much joy with A&H from their website: "For local support, support in your language, sales, spare parts, repairs and servicing enquiries, please contact our distribution partner for your country/region. Please note that all servicing and repairs are organised and provided by our distribution partners."

Pls see Peter's response above: I'm sure he'll be able to elaborate 😊

Yes agreed - now that I've narrowed it down to arising from something within the desk, rather than from an external input, and have some footage to illustrate, that would be logical next step. Be interesting to see what they say given that this out of the 12 month warranty period? A&H CQ18T crackling II.mp4

Thanks for sharing that Andy, that's really helpful to know. I think the new v4.5 update on the FI, which Peter mentions, above is going to be a game changer for the FI matching the MXR for ease of use in terms of on pedal editing and with some great sounds "out of the box", with 22 'song' presets on the FI, vs 8 on the MXR (excellent little clip here). And for an extra £20 the FI v4 then also provides: a more capable synth engine (including FM synthesis); a better display; many more available presets (99 vs 8 ); midi capability; and the ability to deep dive with a bespoke computer editor for those who would like to have that option. Having sat on the fence for the past half-year trying to figure out whether to go for the MXR or FI, with the v4.5 software update (due for release in March) it's become a relatively easy decision and I've got a FI VIP on order.

Tried with no inputs and got similar spikes after it had been left on for a couple of hours. Which also ties in with it spiking at the end of a 2 hour gig.

A couple of excellent posts!

There's also a used GT1000 Core with your name on it (kinda literally, if you registered it 😅) to consider? 😊

Music Store, and ordered the £12 midi cable at the same time to take advantage of the free delivery when bought with the pedal so £317 all in. Oooh speaking of which, that's another extra for £20 that the FI has over the MXR, I'll update my list!

Gotcha. But it's being used as a tool to bring healing (medicine) - I'm surrounded by medics in my immediate and wider family(!) and in our cases joy (music) into folks' lives. In the case of cancer diagnosis and new medicines, generative ai is being used as part of the software. I also personally know software engineers and language translators whose jobs are being impacted by generative ai. We're not alone in this.