a DI box?!

[drummersteve]

ok, this is a really newbieish question, although i am quite knwledgable on recording etc, one thing i have nbever found out about is this. what is the need for a DI box? when ever i play live shows with my bvand, the bassist needs a DI box alot of the time. first of all, what does it do, and why is it needed for live sound reinforcement/recording? thanks, steve

 

[Ronan]

A DI or "direct inject" box is a device that matches the impedance or level of resistance between your instrument output and a mic input.

So what this means in plain terms is that you can record your bass directly into the back of a mixer if you have the right connectors, but those inputs are expecting a different kind of signal. as a result your bass will sound crappier. The DI fixes this. The quality of your DI can have a big effect on the sound.

 

[bennychico11]

what Ronan said...
also, we use it in recording to get a nice, clean signal from the guitar straight to the console/recorder. this way later, if we don't like the recorded signal from the amp we can use this clean signal to send it through a better amp or add different effects to it, etc. without having to bring in the artist again.