D.I. Boxes-- worth it?

[jethani]

Hey Gang.

Thanks to all who replied to my earlier post re: balanced/unbalanced lines. I'm printing out all of your replies as I type.

I plug my electric guitar directly into my recording console when I want to record. My audio teacher recently recommended I use a D.I. box instead-- plug the gtr into the box, then plug the box into the board. He said it matches impedence between the guitar and the board, and should result in a better sound.

Is this what you guys (and gals) do?

Cheers,
jethani

[Sigmond The Frog]

Yes! The DI box is the best way to go. The sound is much cleaner and you'll find that you don't have to crank the volume and gain up as much to get a louder sound. Plus it cuts down on signal noise.

[eaf]

Okay, given that a DI is a good thing to have, I started noodling around the Web to find one. The specs for these things are very confusing. What should I be looking for? Jensen might be a good brand name, but they have 10 zillion different kinds of A/D converters.

By the way, this site is totally awesome. I am SO glad I found it.

-eafer

[jethani]

Hey Sig--

Thanks for the advice! I just purchased a IMP 2 DI box for $40 new. Just hooked it up & noodled around with it.

While I have not yet tested the gain to see if it helps keep the pre-amp down, I already notice that the hiss is a LOT less. I'll tinker around some more tomorrow & let you know of any more discoveries. (It would be tonight, but my landlady already came by earlier & scolded me for the volume!)

Cheers!