Help with choosing a DI

[jjk2007]

So a church I play at has gone from amps to IE monitoring and have been running the bass through a standard run of the mill DI for the past few weeks. The MD and soundtech are both big into having the best send from the instruments as possible, and asked if I could get some opinions on a solid DI. Here are two they are looking at.

-Eden WTDI

-Tech 21 Sansamp Driver

Music is the contemporary stuff that is out there. Chris Tomlin, Hillsong, Lincoln Brewster etc.

[Kmose]

get a Radial J48. My bass always sounds awesome through it.

[prd004]

I have three great DI's: Radial J48, Countryman Type 85, and BSS Audio AR-133. They are all good, I love the Radial which I keep on my pedalboard so I always have it but.........

I used the AR-133 to record an album a couple years ago. The producer/engineer was a grammy nominee, a former Art Institute teacher, and has been in the biz forever. He was blown away by my DI. He kept bringing it up over and over again. When the session was over, he emailed me asking about my DI again because as he was mixing the tracks he decided that he had to have one!

[Hollywars]

Use the Sansamp if you want distortion, I've heard the WTDI is more of a pre-amp really. I've heard good things about the Radial J48, the Countryman 85 or whatever is an industry standard.

[Munjibunga]

You listed two stompbox preamps with built-in DIs. I own both of those and a slew more, and those would work fine if that's what you want. If you want a great DI, you can't do better than the J48 mentioned above, its passive sister the JDI, or a Countryman Type 85. There are very few, if any, DIs out there that wouldn't be a step or two down from these (in the $100 to $200 price range).

Of course, if you want to pop $500 or $600 for a DI, you could look at the Avalon U5 or the REDDI.

[Bassmec]

Originally Posted by jjk2007

So a church I play at has gone from amps to IE monitoring and have been running the bass through a standard run of the mill DI for the past few weeks. The MD and soundtech are both big into having the best send from the instruments as possible, and asked if I could get some opinions on a solid DI. Here are two they are looking at.

-Eden WTDI

-Tech 21 Sansamp Driver

Music is the contemporary stuff that is out there. Chris Tomlin, Hillsong, Lincoln Brewster etc.

both big into having the best send from the instruments as possible?
Bless you my son, the Lord shall provide:

Really Really Really Hopefully?

Slightly less hopefully?!

[jjk2007]

Hey guys, thanks for the responses. I just talked to the MD for a little more clarification. I should have phrased a couple of things different. They both want a killer sound, but it has to be budget oriented. And I only play there every now and then, so I won't really be the main benefactor either. Auditorium is about a 1500 seater, has stadium type seating, a nice system and has been acoustically tuned (to some extent). So here is the goal:

1. $200 max for spending
2. Would like it to be a preamp with good DI features such as pre/post, level etc.
3. Distortion capabilities are not necessary.

Thanks again guys/gals.

[DerekG]

I use the Sadowsky with my fretless bass at my church gig. Adds a little compression which really tightens up the sound even though it's technically not a compressor. Also nice to have a little treble and bass boost if you need. Remember, with this DI/Pre, tone controls at zero means flat - then you can increase from there.

[Alex1984]

Aguilar Tone Hammer, SansAmp BDDI and I was originally gonna suggest the RED DI.

You might get more answers on the Effects board.

[mdogs]

Sansamp BDDI

[KJung]

Originally Posted by DerekG

I use the Sadowsky with my fretless bass at my church gig. Adds a little compression which really tightens up the sound even though it's technically not a compressor. Also nice to have a little treble and bass boost if you need. Remember, with this DI/Pre, tone controls at zero means flat - then you can increase from there.

A little over the OP's budget, but this is the one I'd recommend. Nice buffering and a bit of fattening when set flat, with the ability to add just a touch of meaty low end if needed. Nice buffering of a passive bass also, and tuning mute, etc.

Nice unit!

[Low Class]

The Whirlwind Direct-JT with Jensen transformer is hard to beat.

http://www.fullcompass.com/product/261758.html

[johnboy65]

Ive recently been on the same quest for my church gigs. Everyone keeps saying the J48 but I didn't like it; it was too clean and had no tone shaping. I ended up with a Radial Bassbone, and I'm really happy... 2 inputs, FX loop, tuner out, and clean without being too clean.
It's really the happiest i've been with an IE mix, and I've had several setups now including an Avalon U5 and the J48.

I want to add that I'm running a tube compressor (EH Blackfinger) before I hit the DI. This really helps.

[Eublet]

Originally Posted by jjk2007

Music is the contemporary stuff that is out there. Chris Tomlin, Hillsong, Lincoln Brewster etc.

I'm not sure how many folks making suggestions here play the music you are referencing, but I've been doing this for kind of stuff for 15 years. To really go for the vibe that's on those albums, you need something to get a dirty or vintage tone going. This might be separate from the DI if you choose, or you could get something integrated. The BDDI you listed can do that, but IMHO you really need to work with it and make sure you get a tone that isn't too over the top. I've used one extensively and it does work, but the Blend control is your friend. Set it no higher than 40% wet.

The VT Deluxe is also a good option. Personally, I use and prefer the Tone Hammer by far. It's a fantastic unit. Norm Stockton, who is the bassist with Brewster, uses the Tone Hammer at all their live gigs. So that should tell you how good it is.

In-ears are a blessing and a curse all in one. Hopefully you're church will be able to send you your own EQ that is separate from the house. If not, then you'll have to learn to play with a tone that is less than optimal. It depends on your PA, but if you have good low end support via subwoofers, then the FOH guy isn't going to want you to push the lows at all on your DI/Preamp. The result is that while it might sound great and deep in the house, it'll be a bit thin in the ears. It's an adjustment if you aren't used to it. That's the "curse" part of it. The "blessing" is that you'll have lots of mid content that cuts through the mix in your ears. If you play a jazz or precision bass, you'll hear lots of detail that just sounds killer in the monitors, but is mostly lost in the house.

Back to the Tone Hammer, it's wonderful for getting a vintage sound by adjusting the Gain control with the AGS engaged. With the AGS disengaged, you can get ultra modern, pingy tones out of it also. However, it is NOT a pedal that you can use to switch back and forth between the two during a gig. The Gain structures between the two settings are very different. This is never really a problem for me. I pretty much set the AGS on with a very mild overdrive for the entire gig, and then I have another pedal that I also engage if I need really snarly bass. In the FOH, the mild overdrive doesn't come across as OD at all. It just sounds like a warm, full bass tone. The harmonics in the mild OD help to fill out the sound without having to turn the bass up too loud. The snarly tone adds a bit more OD, but mostly it adds upper-mid bite so that the bass sticks out in certain songs that feature the bass.

The cool thing about the music you listed is that a LOT of the songs feature very interesting and moving bass lines. It's a great genre to play bass in.

[unclekebm]

Radial JDI ~ your bass sounds exactly like your bass

[allexcosta]

J48 if passive bass
JDI if active bass

[Kael]

Back when I was doing church gigs a few years ago, they ran me through a collection of different DI's. From basic passive units up to a Sadowsky and an Avalon U5. When I brought the SABDDI one morning, they stopped bringing out other DI's and asked me to bring that back every time. The sound man loved it. They wound up buying their own SABDDI.

There are many great DI's, but since the tech21 emulates an amp, I use it more often than other DI's even though I am not that big a fan of the ampeg emulated tone it puts out. It just works well in a mix.

[f64]

Having a Radial JDI and a Countryman Type 85 in your bag will cover any circumstance or venue you'll come up against - one’s active and one’s passive. If you haven't gone wireless you might want to kill two birds with one stone. I recently replaced mine with a Shure PGX-L5 and sure enough there is another DI out on the back of the receiver. I can't vouch for the quality of the signal and to me it's useless since it doesn't loop my effects.

[Eublet]

Agreed on the SABDDI, but again it can be VERY problematic when combined with in-ear use. It's very scooped sounding, so you'll get a lot of low-end out of it. Getting a good sound in the FOH that also sounds decent with in-ears has always been a huge hassle for me with the BDDI. One will sound great and the other will sound like crud. Honestly, all the Sansamp stuff is like that, including the VT and VT Deluxe. If you can get your own EQ, then I wouldn't worry about it. The problem with the Sansamp stuff is that as you add drive, it also modifies the EQ. There is simply no way to send a flat signal that has the amp simulation blended in. That's why I suggested leaving the Blend at 40% so that you retain some mid-range in the signal. I've worked with many professional FOH engineers over the years and this has been a reoccurring issue for both of us. In-ears increase the problem 10 fold.

That's why the Tone Hammer, IMHO, really shines over the Sansamp stuff for church/in-ear gigs. You can overdrive the signal for a vintage tone, but it will remain relatively flat unless you adjust the EQ yourself. This puts the control in the engineers hands so that he can adjust the sound for the house first. It'll still sound good in the ears as well, just a bit thin. If the church has the equipment to send your own EQ, then your doubly golden with the Tone Hammer.

I don't mean to knock the Sansamp stuff at all. I used it for a long time before there were so many other options, and it can sound really good. It's just not very flexible. I really wish they wouldn't have mixed a default EQ voicing in with the amp simulation. Even the Para Driver DI still has this characteristic.

[rockstarbassist]

JDI is what I used most of the time. Also U5 when I was playing often.