Direct Boxes: Do I need to use them?

  • Thread starter Thread starter rgevol
  • Start date Start date
R

rgevol

New member
I have a question regarding DI-Boxes. I just finished a mix session and was just talking to the engineer about DI-Boxes. I asked when do I need to use them. He said I should use them on any Hi-impedance instrument (ie. synths, guitars, basses, etc.) I asked why, and he said to eliminate hiss that you get from pushing the pres on my board.

I'm using a Roland VS-1680, and on some of my tracks that I used with my synths, i got some hiss. He said that the DI-Box would have taken care of this.

So my question is what are some good DI-Boxes to get? I'll need 2 of them, for stereo instruments.

I was lookin' at the BSS AR-133. The engineer was using that one too. He said that was a good one. Recommended it.

What others do you guys use?

Thanks,

Ro
 
Hi there!

You can use DI boxes to "balance" an unbalanced signal (guitar, bass, keys...) This is really useful when using long cables in big studios or live shows. The balanced signals avoid noise.

You may want to get one that has a HI-Z (impedance) output also.
This can be a great tool if you want to record direct, but do the monitoring through your amp.

Hope this helps

Peace.

PC
 
i use the whirlwind director.

i also have the sansamp bass DI which is a DI box for bass recording.
 
The BSS DI is really good. If you can't afford it you could take a look at the behringer DI-box. It's a copy (both design and circuit)of the BSS at 1/4 the price. Doesn't sound as good as the BSS but it works.

fim
 
I have a pair of Behringer Ultra-DI100s, and love them. I use it on synth's and bass guitar, and the result is really clean.
They only cost 35$ each, so you can't really go wrong...


Oren
 
I have a question on this same topic:
I am using a pro tools digi 001. Do I need direct boxes?
 
Countryman DI is also a fine addition to any rig!
 
>I have a pair of Behringer Ultra-DI100s

I was disappointed with the hiss introduced by the Behringer D.I.-100, although at $35 it fills a need. The POD isn't much quieter (just a little if you fiddle with it a lot) and that's $300!

The need I refer to is converting a bunch of speaker fed, mic captured inputs all in the same room to direct inputs to isolate another instrument- typically drums.
 
drstawl -

I never noticed any significant hiss from the DI-100s, but then again, I never used it for that application.
The synth tracks I record through these units are clean as a whistle, and all the hums and buzzs from my electric sockets are gone. Again - For the price, I wouldn't think twice about buying them.

Oren

PS - Thanks for the input on my song. Interesting idea.
 
Hi. Just thought I'd say that I've had a VS1680 for a couple of years now, and I've never had a problem with hiss of any description on my recordings (although the monitor outs are very noisy, but that's another story...).

I don't run balanced and I don't bother with DI boxes (too lazy, you see). Maybe I've just been lucky. I do, however, use decent cable and make sure I get good levels onto "tape".

I don't find my Pods noisy, either, except on high gain settings - which would be noisy on a "real" amp anyway.

Rgevol - you mention some of your synth tracks are noisy. Are they new synths or older ones? Some of my analogues (especially my Roland TR77 - but what a great machine!) make a fair bit of noise, but that's pretty much part of their sound.

I also take care to wipe any blank space and gaps, so there's no extra noise added. You could automate or gate this, but I find it's easire to just create totally blank sections. It also lets you see where you are in the track more easily. It's something I started doing on analogue reels, and it's amazing just how much cumulative noise you can offload in this way. It's certainly long-winded, but it can be very effective.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top