Help me with a "DI" board.

[SteveC]

I am debating putting together a "DI" board for lack of a better term. I currently use a GB Shuttle 3.0 10-T Combo. I use it at every gig as either a monitor when I have PA support or as a stand alone amp for smaller gigs - like a background jazz gig for example.

I generally am a bass to amp kind of guy. I have been using a tuner via a tuner out, but it is a little inconvenient as I need to mute my amp and turn the tuner on. I miss the ease of the step on my TU-2 and go tuning. I am also debating using a compressor again - BBE OptoStomp.

I figure if I am going to use these 2, I may as well make it a full blown "DI" board and have a DI on it as well and run from the DI to my amp and FOH - although the DI on my amp is really good.

Do I need anything more than a DI on this board? Do I need a preamp or eq pedal of some kind to bump up my signal before it hits the DI?

My amp has never been an integral part of my sound. I view it more as a monitor - a really nice one as I love Genz Benz amps - but people hear me mostly through the PA, not my amp.

So I have a TU-2, BBE Optostomp and I need a DI of some kind. I'll probably go with a Radial JDI. Do I need anything else?

[bongomania]

Not really. You might at some point choose some additional tone flavors, but you don't "need" more. If your bass has very low output, and if the Optostomp doesn't boost it sufficiently, you might need a touch more gain for those instances where you're playing a venue that has a PA mixer with weak preamps. Not common, but it happens. The JDI drops your signal level to the PA by 12 dB, so sometimes it's necessary to compensate for that.

[jam.majors]

If you want to do a little EQ on your sound to house, then you might want to go with something like the Aguilar ToneHammer. It has a 3 band EQ built in, but requires power (which doesn't seem to be an issue for you).

[SteveC]

Originally Posted by bongomania

Not really. You might at some point choose some additional tone flavors, but you don't "need" more. If your bass has very low output, and if the Optostomp doesn't boost it sufficiently, you might need a touch more gain for those instances where you're playing a venue that has a PA mixer with weak preamps. Not common, but it happens. The JDI drops your signal level to the PA by 12 dB, so sometimes it's necessary to compensate for that.

Yeah, that's the only thing about the JDI. I may go with something a little less "Jensen" and 12 db reduction. Actually, just a simple passive DI would probably be just fine. But mostly we play with PA's that can handle the lower signal.

Originally Posted by jam.majors

If you want to do a little EQ on your sound to house, then you might want to go with something like the Aguilar ToneHammer. It has a 3 band EQ built in, but requires power (which doesn't seem to be an issue for you).

I like the ToneHammer a lot. I dig that model in the Pod as well. It would also give me the "slight overdrive" I like at times. I'm guessing I could also just get an EQ pedal as well.

[fretlessrock]

I always have a DI handy, and my rig has at least one DI option. I'll either put the Radial ProD2 at the end of any effect/tuner/vol-pedal chain, or lately I have been running a small effect rig in the effect loop of a Radial Bassbone. In a pinch I can use the DI out on my AI Clarus. I consider the DI on my StroboStomp to be the last option.

[RickenBoogie]

I always have a DI handy, in my gig bag, but not on my board. Most clubs prefer you use their DI box, so most of the time, it's a wasted space on the board. At one point, recently, I put a 2nd board together with nothing but a tuner, compressor, overdrive, and DI box. It was the "slimmed down" easy gig board. But screw it all, I missed several other pedals, so one big board for me, from here on. DI in a bag.

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by SteveC

Yeah, that's the only thing about the JDI. I may go with something a little less "Jensen" and 12 db reduction. Actually, just a simple passive DI would probably be just fine.

FWIW all passive DI's have the same issue (AFAIK).