Do I really need a DI box?

[mferguson]

Was reading that one needs a DI box to record direct w/ guitar or bass, but read something else that's making me wonder if that's the case. I have a Roland VS-2480 DAW that has a high-Z input, which my audio book says is exactly what a guitar amp uses to deal w/ the guitar's high impedance.

My question is are there any other advantages to the DI box that I won't get if I line-in directly to the high-Z input on my DAW?

[side note - I'm NOT asking about the pros & cons of DI vs. miking the amp; this is mainly for bass guitar]

 

[Rev E]

If you have a hi-Z input then I wouldn't say that you "need" a DI. Your hi-Z input is doing what a DI would do. But not all DIs are the same. The good ones do their job without coloration or add something flattering to the signal. So it all comes down to your ears and determining whether you hear an improvement in the sound by using a quality DI.

I would look at something like a Radial JDI or a Countryman Type 85 DI to start with. These will go for around $160 - $199 new. Used prices would be better. In the pricier range are the A-Designs Reddi (expensive tube DI) and Avalon U5. These two are much pricier than the JDI or Countryman.

Also, many people might choose to use an external DI in order to use an external preamp... something that you could not do easily with the Roland without going in and coming out of the Roland box ... which would make little sense to me.

 

[gcapel]

The only advantage I could see is in quality. Will they both do the job? Yes. Avalon and Radial both make nice DI boxes and radial makes a good reamping box.