Anyone use a DI box?

[DeadandBuried]

I've been reading up on my favourite artists' live rigs and notice a fair few of them use a DI box, most notably the Radial JDX box (the red coloured active one).

Throughout my gigging career I've always used a half stack which has been mic'd up into the PA. Dependent on venue its fine and usually I can hear myself well through the monitors, and the FOH mix is great according to listeners from the crowd.

But there are several advantages to using a DI box so I read, less bleed from cymbals (we have a very loud drummer), no re-positioning microphones cos someone knocked it off position on the cab, and a clearer signal for the soundman to work with.

How many of you use one live? And is it worth me getting one? Can you combine it with a mic'd cab feed into the monitors? Just wondering if it'd be beneficial for me to get one.

 

[jtougas]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

Where's it go, between the head and the cab? Works for me - if I'm recording my gigs (or hey, just for recording) the more sound source for a take, the better.

I don't see any reason this principle couldn't work for live sound as well.

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

I recently purchased a Tech 21 Sans Amp Para Driver DI to hopefully allow me to play electric guitar in situations that are arranged for acoustic guitars. I have run the Para Drive last on my pedal board and then into the effects return of my amp. I don't have any other way to approximate how it may sound running straight to a PA.

I am totally satisfied with the sounds I'm getting at home, but won't be ready to try it live until the 20th this month.

In a situation like yours I was never satisfied running direct, and that was with a digital modeler > DI > PA. In my experience something always seems to change in the monitor mix between sound check and show time. You may have a better soundman.

 

[DeadandBuried]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

Where's it go, between the head and the cab? Works for me - if I'm recording my gigs (or hey, just for recording) the more sound source for a take, the better.

I don't see any reason this principle couldn't work for live sound as well.

Yeah you're supposed to run from the head into the box and same from the cabinet, then this is sent to the pa. I've used DI boxes for recording but never live.

 

[DeadandBuried]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

I recently purchased a Tech 21 Sans Amp Para Driver DI to hopefully allow me to play electric guitar in situations that are arranged for acoustic guitars. I have run the Para Drive last on my pedal board and then into the effects return of my amp. I don't have any other way to approximate how it may sound running straight to a PA.

I am totally satisfied with that sounds I'm getting at home, but won't be ready to try it live until the 20th this month.

In a situation like yours I was never satisfied running direct, and that was with a digital modeler > DI > PA. In my experience something always seems to change in the monitor mix between sound check and show time. You may have a better soundman.

Hmm, the sound guy's I get never put enough of my guitar into the monitor's so hardly a good soundman haha. But then again he can't hear what I hear on stage, the bass is always usually too loud as well.

 

[DeadandBuried]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

I recently purchased a Tech 21 Sans Amp Para Driver DI to hopefully allow me to play electric guitar in situations that are arranged for acoustic guitars. I have run the Para Drive last on my pedal board and then into the effects return of my amp. I don't have any other way to approximate how it may sound running straight to a PA.

I am totally satisfied with that sounds I'm getting at home, but won't be ready to try it live until the 20th this month.

In a situation like yours I was never satisfied running direct, and that was with a digital modeler > DI > PA. In my experience something always seems to change in the monitor mix between sound check and show time. You may have a better soundman.

Hmm, the sound guy's I get never put enough of my guitar into the monitor's so hardly a good soundman haha. But then again he can't hear what I hear on stage, the bass is always usually too loud as well.

 

[aleclee]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

To use a DI with a guitar amp, you also need a load box and speaker sim. If you're running direct off your pedalboard, you'll need something to simulate the roll-off of a guitar speaker.

I've never done the DI thing with an amp but I've been running direct to FOH since I went digital.

 

[Lampy H]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

Check out a Fryette Power Station. That's what I want to get.

Or something from Two Notes.

 

[Stratman]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

This amp has a DI built into it, but I don't use that function yet!

 

[Stratman]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

Check out a Fryette Power Station. That's what I want to get.

Or something from Two Notes.

I have this from TwoNotes... Want to buy it?

 

[Lampy H]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

Nah.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

Mincer did a review of this thing a while back. Seems pretty freaking cool…

 

[Stratman]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

Mincer did a review of this thing a while back. Seems pretty freaking cool…

There is a fairly good guitar player in Hong Kong that uses only this and a Wah pedal, direct into the PA.

Sounds rather good - surprisingly...

 

[Stratman]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

Forgot to add these two setups that I use on different occasions...

 

[DeadandBuried]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

To use a DI with a guitar amp, you also need a load box and speaker sim. If you're running direct off your pedalboard, you'll need something to simulate the roll-off of a guitar speaker.

I've never done the DI thing with an amp but I've been running direct to FOH since I went digital.

A load box? And speaker sim? I thought it was just amp head into the red box (Radial JDX for example) and cabinet into there and then out to the PA?

 

[bloughlin16]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

I've used the Radial JDX between my amp and cab for a show before (wasn't my choice), and I found that it doesn't sound very good. The problem is that those boxes use speaker emulation; it won't give you the sound of your exact cab with whatever mic you like to use on it. If you're not fond of your cab, it's an ok solution, but I like to use a good cab with at least an SM 57 mic-ing it and find that gives me a better tone than the JDX. The best suggestions I have for reducing bleed into a mic'd up cab is to either turn the cab away from the stage and put it as far from the drum kit as possible, or get an iso cab/isolation box for your cab.

 

[jtougas]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

There're also DIs that get put between the head and cab, D'n'B. Won't necessarily sound like a mic'd amp in the recording, and the speaker sim is a good idea for stage use (but the soundguy can do that with a judicious treble roll off), but the loadbox is (I believe) unnecessary as long you're still running into a cab.

 

[Hank-]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

I have two DI boxes at home from dbx that i use with the gt10 unit live since it doesn't have an xlr output & sometimes they need a xlr out from me.

Anyways I'm not so sure if any regular di would work between an amp & cab, it would need a dummy load built into it or something, the ones that are designed to go between the amp & cab should work fine though. There aren't many good sounding speaker sim boxes that work with many amps though, i think the palmer joe bonamassa model was supposed to be good sounding but haven't tried it though.

 

[jtougas]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

http://whirlwindusa.com/catalog/black-boxes-effects-and-dis/direct-boxes/connect-series-edb1

There's a -40db pad on that, for precisely the purpose of connecting it to an amp...

http://whirlwindusa.com/media/uploads/downloads/manuals/edb1.pdf

 

[Progbusters]

Re: Anyone use a DI box?

yeah i use a chinese Moen Buffalo pedal for bass guitar when recording.