Even better!
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Yes.
Active bass could go in 1-8. Inputs 1-2 are switchable to hi or low Z. But yes, leaving it set up that way means hot plugging anything without going to the control panel.
The +4 line input level is a pro level, so it should handle the amp DI, but yes, I know what you mean. I have my keyboard line outs in 7 and 8 because it distorts the other ones unless the keyboard master is pretty low.
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This will vary by bass. Some have preamps that still output at low levels to have unity gain when you flip the active/passive switch. Yamahas are this way, for example; you can experiment with running it in to an input in both normal and high-Z mode to see which you prefer.
You can also run passive basses in to line inputs but you will lose a lot of dynamic range and it will generally sound worse.
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This is another good callout. Thereās actually two levels of āLineā level - consumer line level and pro line level.
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Yeah, thereās no standard for bass preamp output level. That can be all over the place. I think my amp has a 10 dB pad to nominally compensate for a hotter active bass. The active circuit doesnāt care about a hi-z input though.
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Yeah thatās the big difference; a pickup will require it but the output of a preamp (even at low levels) will be more or less agnostic about it.
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Cool, this means I acutally understood everything when I set it all up, lol!
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That input 7-8 trick is buried in the middle of the manual. I went looking for it because you said thatās what you did.
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Iām really glad this thread shaped up at this time. Because ima need to read the whole thing. All of this is very new to me.
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Hereās a very quick primer, with enough terms to get you googling more if desired:
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Outstanding! Thank you, sir.
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Another question about line level and instrument level: Wouldnāt the gain control on the Focusrite be able to take care of getting line level down to instrument level? Just turn down the gain?
Unbalanced vs balanced: I stepped right into that trap when I attached studio monitors to my Focusrite. It was noisy as hell. After some recherche, I found out I should be using balanced cables for that 
Still can have a little bit of noise when I play a game on my computer. Stupid coil-whine!
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Thereās no need for the TRS portion of the combo inputs (or the 1/4" Line/Inst input, depending on which you have), simply donāt switch it to Instrument (high impedance) mode and itās a Line In.
Not always. Sometimes the input is so hot youāve got it turned down to nothing.
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Yes. XLR to 1/4" balanced TRS. Assuming the Focusrite inputs are balanced on the Line In jack, and assuming your amp has a male XLR connector.
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yeah, the solo is a balanced input
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Has this become standard?
I know itās a standard for long term installations. Iām asking because of the other thread where there was the whole discussion about some companies taking wiring shortcuts that end up defeating the ground lift button.
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This is the part that I donāt understand: If I turn it down, itās not hot anymore, is it?
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Iāll try to answer since there arenāt a lot of people on right now.
A given circuit is designed for a specific input level and the gain will adjust over a range based on that input level. Mismatching the input level might provide results but those results are likely to be less than optimal.
Like using a flat head screwdriver in a cross head bolt or putting low octane gas in a vehicle optimized for high octane gas. Both of these might work but the results will not be as intended and can lead to other problems.
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