Are all Direct boxes created equal (obviously not but...)?

L

lomky

New member
I want to be able to record a direct signal to disk along with a mic'd signal from a guitar. Right now the only direct boxes I own is a Boss DI-1 and a Bass Driver DI (Sansamp). I want to get the cleanest signal possible for using amp sims later. As far as setup (If I were to use something like the boss) is:

guitar into input -> Para Out (to mic'd amp) -> Balanced xlr (to mixer).

First, is this the best way to achieve what I want to do with what I got?

Second, is there a better DI out there that "you" would recommend, I don't want to pay more than a few hundred (Canadian) and it needs to be something I can buy from a local store as I am tracking guitars this weekend.

Thanks
 
That's the correct signal chain. Not all DIs are equal and I haven't used the boss or the Sans amp on guitar but the boss should be fine. have you tried it yet?
 
Recording with DIs

I'm not a big fan of the Boss DIs.. and the other one I don't know anything about.

IMO, the best DI for the money is the Countryman.. or I could build you one that's better.

I usually record Direct and put several mics on the amp cab and in the room... all on different tracks. If you have some good modeling plugins the signal that you will get from the Countryman is rich and clean and you will be able to model it pretty much any way you want. What I often do is borrow an amp that I want to use for it's sound for the mix... I'll re-amp the DI track and re-record on the DAW by sending a mono output from the D/A from the DI track into one of my custom units that take +4 lvl down about 30db to a high impedance output. I plug that into the guitar or bass amp (the amp actually 'thinks' its a guitar... hehehe) and re-record that way..

Man, I'm sorry. I get carried away. Anyway, get the Countryman and you will never be sorry... I'm sure there are probably better DIs out there including mine...haha.. but I think it's the best bang for the buck.. around $160 USD.

Good luck!
 
I cant comment on the DI boxes you have mentioned, but the boxes I have used the most are the BSS AR133 (active) and the EMO E520 (passive). I can recommend both as being decent bits of kit.

I used a stereo behringer DI once (not sure about model number) and it was probably the best peice of behringer gear I have used (thats not saying much ;)), but I wouldn't recommend it because it was made of plastic. Any DI box I can stamp on and have it break isnt good enough for me :D
 
Waffleness said:
I cant comment on the DI boxes you have mentioned, but the boxes I have used the most are the BSS AR133 (active) and the EMO E520 (passive). I can recommend both as being decent bits of kit.

I used a stereo behringer DI once (not sure about model number) and it was probably the best peice of behringer gear I have used (thats not saying much ;)), but I wouldn't recommend it because it was made of plastic. Any DI box I can stamp on and have it break isnt good enough for me :D
Click to expand...
Thank you for mentioning the AR133; I have 5 of them that I bought almost 10 years ago and they are still working like troopers for me. And they certainly meet your second requirement; you could probably run over one of those things with a car and the only damage would be to the car :).

G.
 
Thanks for the replies!!

I don't have immediate access to the BSS stuff, but I was quoted a local price on the Radial JDI Passive DI. Any thoughts on using this unit with an Electric Guitar?

Thanks Again.
 
Passive vs. Active DIs

Dood you really should get an ACTIVE DI for what you are trying to do.

Any passive DI.. even with Lundhal transformers will load your guitar and change the sound. You need a DI with at least 1 million ohms input impedance so as not to color your sound. most actives will work.. i only suggested the better one. Ideally the input impedance should exceed 10 million ohms.

check Guitar Center for 'the Countryman DI'
 
maybe next time then. :) Mind, I am not 'down' on transformer boxes.. I have had a couple of custom ones that 'did' wonderful things to certain guitars, so I used them alot. good luck! ;)
 
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