di boxes, take 2

[fcendejas]

sorry i messed up the post, first time oops. also, funny that someone mentioned the behringer box, as that's exactly what i own. now for the post:

i plan to use a di box to connect a guitar signal to the mixing board we use to record with so that i don't have to worry about microphones, but can still play through an amp. heres the plan:

guitar---> boss multi FX---left out---> guitar amp
---right out->behringer DI 100 box--->mixer

see, this way the micing problems are gone, and i don't use any fancy stereo effects, so no problems with the right and left outputs.
however, the quality i get from the recording is ok, not fantastic, and i'm trying to do better than this. on the di box i have an attenuator on at -20dB, because otherwise it clips at the mixer level all the time even with minimal gain.
should i be plugging the di box into the speaker output on the amp? into the preamp out on the amp? should i get a direct box with a speaker simulator? they make one for an extra $5.
a little help, a little wisdom please.

fc

 

[TexRoadkill]

Is the fx unit made mainly for guitar? If not you need to put the DI before the effects unit. The effects unit sends line level so it should run fine straight into the mixer.

You would probably be better off with an actual preamp or modeller to plug your guitar into. DI's work okay for bass but not that great on guitars.

 

[fcendejas]

the multi-effects pedal is a boss me-30, which is designed for a guitar. i thought i read somewhere that you could take anything into a di box, and was wondering if a pre-amp out or speaker out on my amp would do a better job than an out on the multi-effects. i mean, i get a sound and all, it's just not fantastic. my other options i guess would've been to get a better mic and deal with the other instruments seeping into my mix (ugh) or get a POD, which is about $300 dollars more than i can afford at this moment.
other people that use di boxes, where do you put them in the chains?

 

[TexRoadkill]

Definately don't use the speaker outs, those will blow up anything but a speaker. You can try the preamp out.

Getting a good sound is really just about experimenting and figuring out what works best.

All a DI does is convert instrument level signals to line level. It's sorta like a passive preamp. You would use this if you wanted to plug your guitar into a line level input on an effects unit, mixer or amp.

DI'd guitars rarely sound very good by themselves but sometimes when mixed with mic'd tracks they can help add a little something.