Why does everybody hate direct boxes here?

  • Thread starter Thread starter killthepixelnow
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killthepixelnow

killthepixelnow

Do it right or dont do it
I've read a loooot of posts and I think DI boxes are getting very unpopular. You know, it helps a lot when you don't want to mic the amp beacuse you don't have the adecuate acoustic room or when you're out of budget and time and you don't want to spend all day trying to get the exact sound of a particular amp. I beleive in DI boxes. Don't know if mine is good, I own a Behringer Ultra Guitar with cabinet simulator and it works for me.
:confused: So, why does everyone hate direct boxes? :confused:
 
No one is really down on DI boxes. They're just another tool to work with. You just cant cop a real electric guitar sound from a DI box. All it does is match your high impedence pick-up to the low impedence mic-pre.

BTW - I have the same DI, and I think the speaker cab simulator is noisy and sounds weak at best. The DI function works fine though!

Cheers!
 
You see? All goes the same: "Sound like shit", "Garbage", "Useless gear" "A crab with 1/4" holes" Is there any real reason to hate those boxes? I mean a technical explanation.
 
Because they dont sound like a cranked vintage tube amp rippling your face...
 
Geez, I don't want to have to buy a Dual Rectifier half stack to get that heavy sound....maybe I'll just use a DI box instead... :rolleyes:

What the hell are you talking about?

A DI box as the entire source of your tone? Clean guitar? In conjunction with software modeling? I don't even understand your point.

A DI box is not usually a stand alone approach to recording guitar, it's just a tool or a means to an end. I think they are invaluable. For what it's worth, I use a DI box every time I record guitars. But it's just so I can have a dry track along with my mic'd tracks for re-amping.
 
killthepixel said:
You see? All goes the same: "Sound like shit", "Garbage", "Useless gear" "A crab with 1/4" holes" Is there any real reason to hate those boxes? I mean a technical explanation.
Click to expand...

the technical explanation is that they sound like shit.
 
di's are good

As the title says they are good for what they are for.... That is to match the impedance of your p/u to a mic/line level input. They sound generally like a guitar amp in super clean mode. I should have refenced the earlier post about the second sentence. What you are missing is hte interaction of your gtr=amp-pre-amp, power amp and speakers. Also note that the frerquency response of a mic or line input on your "insert brand" channel strip or console input is desinged (hopefully) to reproduce the full bandwidth of human hearing. A guitar amp definitely does not. So when you di, you get it all so to speak. Not the lovely colour of your boutique amp.

Two as said earlier, they a tool an donnly that, ablbeit a necessary one to get your signal directly injected into an input desinged for a different impedance that your p/u. Yes a di'd guitar sounds like a di-d guitar, but when you gotta in in that input its the only game (well sort of) in town. I find them quite useful for reamp purposes. Di - set level etc. record. Now you have something to work with. Or you can slap a gtr pug-in on the track. I frequently will split the sinal at the di box one line to gt amp mic'd and other to console input. Mix or not at buss. Sometimes a muddy guitar will greatly benefit from a little sparkle gained by mixing a little of the di with the track. As said earlier it a tool. THe the righ one for the job. WIth that said some di's sound better than others BLAH BLAH, thats for another post. DI and enjoy.
 
KillThe Pixel, what sort of music are you doing in which a DI box gives you all of the tone you need?

please dont say metal....please dont say metal.....please dont say metal.....


:p
 
Am I wrong?

:confused: I'm confused :confused:

I'm new to recording process so I don't understand a lot of tech terms you're using here in the board. Well, let's assume my gear is:

1. Guitar
2. Distortion box
3. Direct box (DI)
4. Dynamic mic
4. Mixer
5. Recording device

I want to record only my distorted guitar on the recording device, what should I do? My idea is running two sets at once beacuse the DI box has an XLR and a 1/4" output. One goes to the mixer and the other goes to the amp, then to the mic and then to the mixer. The two mixed signals go to the recording device. Tell me if I'm totally wrong or if I have to modify my idea.

First set:
Guitar > Distortion box > Direct box > Mixer > Recording device

Second set
Guitar > Distortion box > Direct box > Amp > Mic > Mixer > Recording device

Thanks a lot.
 
I have the real answer if you'd like to know.

Many guitarists believe the best guitar tones were created around 50 years ago and all we are doing now is the best imitation we can of them. And unless you happen to get lucky with some presets or plugins you like, the best way of imitating them is to get an all-tube amp or a Marshall stack and whack it all the way up.

Some guitarists are trying to make sounds of their own, and they don't care whether someone else thinks it sounds like a real valve amp or not. Current innovators include Matt Bellamy from Muse, who doesn't have any sounds you'd recognise from thirty or more years ago (or even the 80s really).

BOTTOM LINE - Do what works for you and your music, and don't be afraid to try out different things ... and that means if you're a DI/POD/Amp Farm person, don't be afraid to plug into something with a real speaker and mic it up either!!!!

You can thank me via Paypal. :D

Nik
 
There is nothing really wrong with what you're doing. You'll simply find that most people prefer the sound of a real amp over any sort of DI, modeler, stomp box or whatever. Using one like you're doing is pretty normal.

No one is down on DI boxes by the way if you use them for what they are for. I don't know why you would even feel that way.
 
A DI box is a tool, just as a screwdriver is a tool. I don't hate screwdrivers, but I hate it when I need a hammer and a screwdriver is all I have.

DI's are great for live keyboards and (maybe) bass, but mic my guitar amp, please.
 
<<<<<<<<<<First set:
Guitar > Distortion box > Direct box > Mixer > Recording device
Sounds bad


<<<<<<<<<<<<<Second set
Guitar > Distortion box > Direct box > Amp > Mic > Mixer > Recording device
no need to have the direct box in this chain, your amp expects the signal from your distortion box. Sounds as good as the amp, mic, mixer preamps, recoprding device AD?DA, sample rate, etc.
Int he second option you at least have a chance of getting a nice tone.

But the real bottom line is that what sounds good sounds good, if youa re happy with the stomp box-> dir3ect box-> recorder, fine.

Daav
 
A direct box has nothing to do with emulating sounds. It is merely a way to match proper levels when (gasp) running direct. Anyone who thinks that running a plain old direct box in place of miking a cab or using a cab emulator needs to go back to recording 101. Direct boxes have their place. I use them when running a bass or keyboard signal direct.
 
i've been looking to get a direct box so I can do exactly what metalhead does, be able to record a dry guitar track so I can re amp later. What one would you recommend? Also, I have a recording output on the back of my amp, is there anyway to control the volume besides on the amp so I can record one direct track and then my miked tracks at the same time? I turn the amp real loud when I record and it is just way too loud for the direct track. Is this not possible unless I just lower the amp? If so, how would it work with a direct box? I hope i'm clear enough.
 
As a bass player, I've never wanted to kill a man more then every time a sound guy wals over to me with a DI box when I'm ttrying to get my amp tone where I want it. Hey dick, I spent $600 on this stack, I'm using it!!!
 
Can anybody explain me what the hell is reamp?
 
killthepixel said:
Can anybody explain me what the hell is reamp?
Click to expand...
Take a clean, recorded signal, and run it through an amp later.
 
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