Info Needed on DI Boxes

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frankthetank727

New member
I have been trying to record guitars direct into my interface lately (MOTU 4Pre) yet the guitar signals are extremely hot, even with the trim knobs all the way down. I am not able to activate the pads on the interface when I am recording DI, so I was wondering some things:

1. Will running the guitar through a DI Box help in making the signal more controllable on the interface/be less likely to clip?

2. If so, what would be the best kind of DI box to get for this situation? I know there are so many out there....



Note: not all guitars I have tried clip, but one of them was clipping often and the other two I tried were pretty close.
 
1. Probably. It might also be possible to put a guitar preamp or effects unit between the guitar and the 4Pre.

2. A high quality active DI is your best bet for guitars like that, Countryman Type 85, Radial J48 etc.
 
For anything with passive pickups, your best bet would be an active direct box. You might be able to get away with a passive DI, but you run the risk of loading down your pickups and losing clarity and high end.
 
Alright, now let me ask this then. I have instruments that I use that have both active and passive pickups and I record people frequently, so obviously i can't predict what kind of pickups, etc. they are going to have. If I had to pick one DI box, should it be active or passive?

I should also mention that the preamps of the 4pre are pretty high impedance
 
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It sounds like you need inputs that have even higher impedance than the 4pre's. "Hi-Z" is somewhat relative so what is considered Hi-Z for one thing might not be high enough for another.

If you get one DI for recording get an active one. Passive DIs can take the edge off an active pickup but can come up short with some passive pickups. A good active will handle active and passive pickups well.
 
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