DI quality?

[St Drogo]

Hi,

I'm in the market for a DI and I'm not sure what I should be looking at to see which are good for me and which aren't. I mean, the cheapest ones are less than twenty euros, but it goes all the way up to two grand. All I want is a cheap DI that works reasonably okay to make my signal into a low impedance, balanced signal to plug into a mixerboard. I only need it for some auditions where I don't want to bring my amp, so it does not have to be super high, last-me-a-lifetime quality.

Now I have no idea what the most common problems are with the dirt cheap units. Is it noise? Is it clipping? Because I really don't think I need all the bells and whistles for the time being.

Now I know behringer makes some and usually I really dislike the plasticy, noisy, hissing products they make. But really, it seems to me you can't do a whole lot wrong in making a DI, right? What are the things I should be on the lookout for when buying a DI?

[mambo4]

The more pricey ones include a pre-amp and other bells and whistles, and are more for DI recording with a specific tone than DI gigging -but can be used for both.

I used to use my Sans Amp BDDI direct into the board at gigs (while still running it into my amp as well) I liked it because it had 3 switchable presets for various tones.
Worth the money if you like what it adds to your bass tone.

[rockstarbassist]

The colored Sansamp defeats the purpose of the "DI'd" signal so I never understood why people keep suggesting this...

The best quality DI's out there that don't require an additional power supply are the Radial JDI/J48 and the Countryman 85.

If you want something you can plug in and have some tweakability while still it being portable, I've found nothing better than the Avalon U5.

[Phalex]

Originally Posted by rockstarbassist

Countryman 85.

It's not the cheapest, but it's definitely high quality and built like a brick latrine.

[countrybassist]

Originally Posted by rockstarbassist

The colored Sansamp defeats the purpose of the "DI'd" signal so I never understood why people keep suggesting this...

The best quality DI's out there that don't require an additional power supply are the Radial JDI/J48 and the Countryman 85.

If you want something you can plug in and have some tweakability while still it being portable, I've found nothing better than the Avalon U5.

+1

[tech21nyc]

Originally Posted by rockstarbassist

The colored Sansamp defeats the purpose of the "DI'd" signal so I never understood why people keep suggesting this...

The best quality DI's out there that don't require an additional power supply are the Radial JDI/J48 and the Countryman 85.

If you want something you can plug in and have some tweakability while still it being portable, I've found nothing better than the Avalon U5.

Our SansAmp BDDI can be used as a transparent DI. If you set the blend control completely counterclockwise and leave the EQ controls set at noon the SansAmp circuitry is bypassed. This will allow you to integrate your high impedance instrument with a low Z mixing console. You can also put the pedal in bypass mode which will convert your instrument to low Z though you will not have as much output in this setting.

[Devo-lution]

Knowing that a passive DI is better... I use a tone hammer's DI in order to punch up the sound of my ray somewhat.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by rockstarbassist

The colored Sansamp defeats the purpose of the "DI'd" signal so I never understood why people keep suggesting this...

some don't want a di that's uncolored. i personally can't stand an uncolored di into the board. i want the sound of my amp, and if i can't get a mic, the sansamp vt deluxe is the next best thing for me.

[4Mal]

Originally Posted by rockstarbassist

The colored Sansamp defeats the purpose of the "DI'd" signal so I never understood why people keep suggesting this...

The best quality DI's out there that don't require an additional power supply are the Radial JDI/J48 and the Countryman 85.

If you want something you can plug in and have some tweakability while still it being portable, I've found nothing better than the Avalon U5.

Love the U5 - but it certainly isn't cheap.

Learning how to run the BDDI - or ParaDriver in my caser goes a long way towards making it useful. I start by turning hte emulation blend all the way down - then you get a nice, celar uncolored - suitable for acoustic guitar - not an instrument that benefit's from Ampeg emulation after all - signal.

Definately a contender ...

[St Drogo]

Hey guys,
thanks for the suggestions, but i looked at some of them and they aren't the cheapest. What I'm asking is what problems I'm liable to experience if I would buy a very cheap DI. I'm trying to find out if the cheapest DI's would completely mangle my tone or if it's doable. Normally I would play some to find out, but I'm not really in a position to shop around, as I need one on short notice.

Devo-lution, why do you say a passive DI is better? Also, what does an active DI do with the active part? I mean, a DI just makes your signal into a balanced signal, right? If that can be done in a passive box, where is does the active part come in? Some kind of EQ or something?

[bassWR]

What you run into with some of the lesser di's:

Inconsistent signal to the board that can cause your soundman to have to adjust the gain on the bass channel as you alter your playing style for different songs.

Noise and ground loop problems.

Clpping & coloring some lower frequencies.

IMO... after using DI's for 30+ years bass players can't really go cheap.
If you want to be self powered the Radial and Countryman units mentioned are excellent choices. I prefer Radials.

Again, IMHO...The best I've used to date is the Radial Tonebone Bassbone. Requires a power supply. Allows you to switch between two basses at the flick of a switch. Has a tuner out and an effects loop. Also a boost switch for when you need to cut through the guitars.

Please don't take this as a slight of any other products. These are the ones I've had success with. There are alot of good DI's on the market.
Good Luck

[jeff5311]

I use the vt deluxe as my DI. Works great and allows for multiple tones on hand with a simple foot click. Bypassed the tone uncolored. It also also the use of another bass plugged into the b channel with 3 more presets. I use it every sunday in an all in-ear environment. Sry for the typos. On my iphone but had to reply.

[mbrain]

Originally Posted by St Drogo

... All I want is a cheap DI that works reasonably okay to make my signal into a low impedance, balanced signal to plug into a mixerboard. I only need it for some auditions where I don't want to bring my amp, so it does not have to be super high, last-me-a-lifetime quality. ...

I own a Countryman Type 85 and a Radial JDI--both are great units. But for your stated needs, you should track down a whirlwind imp2 direct box. It will be less than $50 new, is nothing fancy, and will get the job done.

[Ben Clarke]

Yep - the IMP2 and most any $30 passive DI will usually be reliable and work fine for non-critical applications. I avoid cheap active DIs; an active DI done on the cheap has never worked well for me sonically, kind of like cheap digital. Not sure why...

I would suggest buying a cheap passive DI that's readily available from a local source.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Ben Clarke

Yep - the IMP2 and most any $30 passive DI will usually be reliable and work fine for non-critical applications. I avoid cheap active DIs; an active DI done on the cheap has never worked well for me sonically, kind of like cheap digital. Not sure why...

while i have better di's than the two imp 2's i have, for a cheapo it's pretty good and i would use it if i had to. that's probably as cheap as i would go, though.

[phatbass]

Originally Posted by St Drogo

All I want is a cheap DI that works reasonably okay to make my signal into a low impedance, balanced signal to plug into a mixerboard. I only need it for some auditions where I don't want to bring my amp, so it does not have to be super high, last-me-a-lifetime quality.

The Behringer ones would be fine for this. A buncha guys around here use these with no complaints:

http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/DI100.aspx

Roadworthy, and decent enough sound quality.

Not gonna pretend they have the purity of a 2 thousand dollar tube DI, or a Radial JD, but for what you want it's ideal.

[Munjibunga]

Do not buy a Behringer DI. If you have to get a cheap one go with an Imp. Or step up a notch and get a Radial ProDI, their "budget" line. If it were me, I'd bite the bullet and buy a Radial J48 (active) or JDI (passive). They show up used here in the ads now and then for usually about $120. I think I've bought three of them here. That way, you'll never have to upgrade, because you can't.

There are a couple JDIs in the ads right now.

[4-string]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

Do not buy a Behringer DI.

+1.

In one place were we gig regularly, the sound guy used to insist on using his Behringer DIs. I finally talked him into using my amp's DI, and the difference was massive. Some difference was to be expected when going post EQ, but even pre EQ mode wasn't comparable to the Behringer.

We always record our gigs there (H2 tapped from the desk), and there is no mistake, the Behringer positively sucks.

[rob2966]

I currently use the following DI's:

Radial ProDI - for basic DI in my PA system (sounds good with bass, acoustic guitar, keys, etc). Nothing fancy, built very tough. (Passive)

Radial Bassbone - this is the DI I use in my live bass system. It is the control center of my pedal board and sounds great. (Active)

Avalon U5 - for recording (in my studio or other studios). Fantastic piece of equipment, but comes at a price. (Active)

Later
Rob

[seanm]

If you have a passive bass, I would recommend an active DI, like the Countryman, BDDI, or even the Bassbone.

If you have an active bass, you can go with either an active or passive DI. I agree the Radial ProDI is a great deal.

I have grown tired of the coloured sound of the BDDI, but it still makes a great clean DI. Just bypass the pedal. I only mention this since BDDIs are very plentiful and you might be able to get a cheap used one. And you might like the bells and whistles.