Pros and cons for DI box instead of an amp?

anarchipur · #1 06-27-2011, 07:21 AM

Hi there,

I am thinking of trying the MXR M80 Bass DI Plus for my next live performances and in the rehearsal room instead of my old Behringer bass combo.

Do you guys have tried this one or similar DI boxes?

Is there a big sound quality loss when using a DI box instead of an amp?
Why buying an amp at all if there is a cheaper DI box..?

Thank you for your help!!

WalterBush · #2 06-27-2011, 07:25 AM

I regularly use a DI instead of an amp. There won't be a loss of quality; quite the opposite in your case judging from the gear you're describing, and I know that in my case, my DI sounds ten times better than my bass rig to my ears.

The downside is that if you don't have a good monitoring system, you won't be able to hear yourself as well.

A good compromise in case of bad monitors would be to send your signal to the PA with your DI, and use the combo to monitor yourself.

bassgod0dmw · #3 06-27-2011, 07:32 AM

I've only used a Radial JDI for the last 2 years. It sounds awesome. I finally upgraded and got a new amp, but I still run a direct line from either my preamps or my JDI.

As for the monitoring situation: For band practice we do everything in headphones, no PA or monitors...so the only issue with it for me was needing to hear everything in headphones. It wasn't a really big deal, but showing a new riff requires telling everyone "put on your headphones..."

s_mcsleazy · #4 06-27-2011, 07:33 AM

pro - anything will be better than a behringer
pro - less to carry to gigs

con - people will ask you wheres your amp

anarchipur · #5 06-27-2011, 07:50 AM

Thanks guys, you sound optimistic for a DI box.
you're right - using my old amp as a monitor works fine.

I would of course love it to have let's say a Gallien Krueger amp, but for small clubs, I am not sure if this makes sense...

I suppose in most of the cases the engineer will prefer to use the direct out of the amp instead micing the cabinetts.. What do you think?

bassgod0dmw · #6 06-27-2011, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anarchipur

I suppose in most of the cases the engineer will prefer to use the direct out of the amp instead micing the cabinetts.. What do you think?

Absolutely. If you prefer it mic'd you can usually ask them and they'll do it. But in my experience they prefer just getting a good DI signal.

I'm not knocking the Behringer as I've never used it, but I would think a standalone DI would do a better job. Of course that is totally subjective and up to your ears. If you have a chance, A/B the M80 and your amps DI to see which one sounds better.

I bring my JDI to very gig I play. Getting a good tone going direct is pretty simple.

anarchipur · #7 06-27-2011, 08:10 AM

Any opinions on the Eden WTDI DIRECT BOX/PREAMP? Compared to the MXR M80 the Eden box has a compressor...

rtslinger · #8 06-27-2011, 08:28 AM

I use Di no amp every show works great for me Our PA is 2 L1 Bose systems that the entire band connects to di and I run 3 200 watt Bose Subs as a monitor

BassmanPaul · #9 06-27-2011, 09:06 AM

We once had a sub for our keyboard player. The sub rolled up with a keyboard and a stand and passed me his cables to go into my vocal PA. Suffice to say that guy never got hired again!

IMO it's every musicians responsibility to get his/her sound out to the audience. If there is a big PA that's great but what if there is no PA???

WJGreer · #10 06-27-2011, 09:15 AM

To be in a place where you know your sound guys, they know you, and you can go to a gig with a DI in your pocket and no amp is a great, great thing.

Obviously, if there's no PA in the picture, playing without a bass amp isn't possible. But if you have a good FOH happening, your setup and teardown reduce to the amount of time it takes for you to stick your bass in the bag and walk out the door. Damn horn players get to do that all the time.

Thing is, FOH guys hate stage volume generally. They will give you as little as they can get away with in order to keep the lion's share of the sound coming out of the mains. It makes their job easier.

In a 25 year career, I've played maybe ten gigs where I felt like the FOH quality was good enough, and the sound crew aware enough, that I could go without a bass amp. Every other time I've tried, I've been too quiet and compensated by digging in too much, overplaying, and not having a good time.

Having a bass amp gives you, the bass player, a little control over your stage volume. Most of the guys I play with like a lot of low end support on stage - more than I like, frankly. I can hardly ever get it without an amp.

onosson · #11 06-27-2011, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

We once had a sub for our keyboard player. The sub rolled up with a keyboard and a stand and passed me his cables to go into my vocal PA. Suffice to say that guy never got hired again!

IMO it's every musicians responsibility to get his/her sound out to the audience. If there is a big PA that's great but what if there is no PA???

It's pretty standard for some instruments, such as keys or acoustic guitar, to be run through a PA rather than having a dedicated amp. Sounds like lack of communication on this point here. I think it's every musician's responsibility to work together to get the band's sound to the audience, by whatever means are appropriate and agreed upon. I prefer an amp on stage, but will go direct-only when/where it makes sense.

Munjibunga · #12 06-27-2011, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anarchipur

Any opinions on the Eden WTDI DIRECT BOX/PREAMP? Compared to the MXR M80 the Eden box has a compressor...

If you need distortion, the MXR can provide it, but the WTDI cannot. My personal preference is the WDTI.

Also the quality of sound you get by going ampless with a DI is heavily dependent on the quality of the PA system (does it have subwoofers?) and the skill of the sound man.

klokker · #13 06-27-2011, 10:02 AM

I use a DI for rehearsal with the garage band, we always use our PA, so I don't have to lug everything around all the time. For shows I always bring my amp to make sure I can hear myself well.

With the praise band, we're in this big area with a huge sound system, a 7 person band spead out over a large area. I have both an amp and a monitor provided and need it all to hear well. Just going DI would never work.

AwkwardLoudness · #14 06-27-2011, 10:14 AM

If you always play live with a good PA system with good monitors, then DI works fine for bass.

johnboy65 · #15 06-27-2011, 10:24 AM

I use a EHX Blackfinger into Radial Bassbone DI and every soundguy I talk to about my sound out front has been VERY positive. If I want to bring my amp I just plug those into the front and it sounds great!
I played the MXR and thought it was good but not great, used an Avalon U5 and thought it colored the tone too much, Radial J48 but it was very sterile and unforgiving, Radial JDI was also good with a fairly natural tone (which I like)
However, I havent used the Eden to give you real feedback
Suprised no one has suggested Sansamp... not really my thing but a lot of guys love em.

klokker · #16 06-27-2011, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnboy65

Suprised no one has suggested Sansamp... not really my thing but a lot of guys love em.

That's what I use......VT bass deluxe. The DI on it is as good as my Shuttle 6.0 IMO.

I guess I shouldn't ever say "never". A good PA and good monitors (and a GREAT sound tech) does work fine. Its just that with DI and monitors I lack the instant control I like for my own hearing and often the mix is far from perfect (at least in my situation), so I usually bring my own amp if it isn't provided.

We have an outdoor show coming up where we're playing with a number of unknown bands etc. Unknown PA and sound people. Not much time for setup, soundcheck etc. I'll bring my own amp for sure.

Medford Bassman · #17 06-27-2011, 10:54 AM

I run my Shuttle DI to the PA every gig. I use a NEOX 112 cab as my stage monitor. Works great everytime.

Of course, we carry our own PA to gigs and I run the sound.
IMO you need a dedicated monitor for bass to run ampless.

Calaverasgrande · #18 06-27-2011, 11:17 AM

I have played a few gigs sans amp. It works out fine if;
There is a monitor mixer in addition to foh mixer.
The foh and monitor systems can output a robust bass tone.
You aren't shooting for an Entwhistle tone.

I have had a few bad experiences with overtasked sound guys. This is why I bring up the discrete foh and monitor mix positions. When there is one guy just focusing on the bands stage levels you have a better chance of hearing yourself.

scottfeldstein · #19 06-27-2011, 11:17 AM

I think a gigging bass player must have an amp sufficient to provide his own stage sound so that he and the other musicians can hear it. Furthermore, one should have a rig sufficient to reach a small audience unassisted by a PA, such as when one plays a small venue with only vocals through the mains.

PA support is for medium-to-large venues. At that point no musician--not even the drummer--is expected to project his/her instrument to the audience unassisted.

Pickebass · #20 06-27-2011, 02:19 PM

I actually like using a DI when I can. The M-80 is an excellent sounding DI/Preamp. I bought it initially for distortion, but was very happy with the tone without. I have a DITTO, which has gotten me out of situations and it's an outstanding DI. I also have a tonebone, which I usually don't leave the house without