Who's ready for another DI question?

bassman1185 · #1 09-04-2007, 07:55 AM

I know that there are tons of DI threads out there already, but I have a rather unique situation, so I'm trying to figure out what's going to work best for me.

Anyway, here's the deal:

I have played at my church for 7 1/2 years, and I've always used an amp. We have a medium/small congregation and sanctuary (the room will seat about 250 people) and I have never needed PA support, plus I've always prefered to control myself. Anyway, we have been revamping the worship music time, and going with a more acoustic-based sound, so they are wanting me to go exclusively DI. I wouldn't have a big problem with this except that our PA system pretty much sucks. We've got two Yamaha 1x15 and horn enclosures suspended from the ceiling, and no subs.

Right now I don't have a DI box, but there are a few basic $30 passive DI boxes at the church that I can use. I have tried these out before, and they were pretty lacking, so I'm looking for a good one for myself. I have narrowed it down to these devices:

MXR M-80: I used to own it, and it sounded good. I'm certainly not opposed to getting this one.

ART Tube MP or Tube MP V3: The standard MP is the cheapest by far ($30) and I've heard good stuff about it. The V3 seems like it would be the better choice, since it has variable voicings, some of which are optimized for bass, and it's still pretty cheap ($70). I don't have any experience with them first hand, though, so I'm a little shaky on whether it would be what I need.

Aphex Bass Xciter: As I understand it, it has a fairly similar end result as the BBE Sonic Maximizer, but goes about getting said result in a different way. I'm leaning toward this box in large part because I'm dealing with a somewhat limited sound system, and I have heard good things about this process as far as making small amps sound and feel bigger than they are.

I'll be running this after my effects board, so I'll have some EQ and compression on there from my ME-50B. So, any ideas?

bongomania · #2 09-04-2007, 08:16 AM

So, if your aim is to use a DI that provides tone-shaping in addition to the normal function of a DI, then you're looking at the SABDDI, MXR, and Behringer for "dirty" sounds; the Aphex and BBE for "enhanced" or "excited" sounds; and the ART or Presonus Tube Pre for a touch of tubeyness.

Considering you're in an acoustic group in a modest church, and you're trying to overcome the poor tone of the PA, I would steer you to the Aphex and BBE units. That said, you can find plenty of discussion and comparison of them by searching on those names. Good luck!

bassman1185 · #3 09-05-2007, 09:51 AM

Thanks for the reply, bongo. I was really leaning towards the Xciter, but the Tube MP is so cheap that I might just try that one too, and if I don't like it I can always send it back. I figure I could run through my standard pedal board into the Tube MP into the Xciter, and then to the house. I like the idea of mellowing out and warming up my sound with the Tube MP and then sending the optimized sound of that to the board.

4Mal · #4 09-05-2007, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassman1185

Thanks for the reply, bongo. I was really leaning towards the Xciter, but the Tube MP is so cheap that I might just try that one too, and if I don't like it I can always send it back. I figure I could run through my standard pedal board into the Tube MP into the Xciter, and then to the house. I like the idea of mellowing out and warming up my sound with the Tube MP and then sending the optimized sound of that to the board.

You won't find the Tube MP providing a lot of warming & mellowing ...

I find the Radial BassBone to be pretty helpful for what you're describing. It's a good DI and you can put your effects in the loop getting them out of the signal chain when they aren't in use. 2 voice patches.

I think a bigger issue for you is going to be the lack of low's in the PA.

stedtale · #5 09-05-2007, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4Mal

You won't find the Tube MP providing a lot of warming & mellowing ...

I find the Radial BassBone to be pretty helpful for what you're describing. It's a good DI and you can put your effects in the loop getting them out of the signal chain when they aren't in use. 2 voice patches.

I think a bigger issue for you is going to be the lack of low's in the PA.

I use a Art Tube MP V3, and he's right it doesn't add a lot of warming and mellowing. It just takes the edge off the digital Yammy BBT500H I use.

I also own the Xciter, and yep it does add "enhanced" or "excited" sounds, just like 4mal said.

bassman1185 · #6 09-05-2007, 11:25 AM

Ok, scratch the Tube MP then. I think I'll probably be putting in an order for the Bass Xciter this week.

assboglin · #7 09-05-2007, 12:26 PM

I used to own the Aphex Xciter, and I can see it's sound fitting into an acoustic oriented mix more than the M-80. I think it would be a good choice for you.

bassman1185 · #8 09-05-2007, 03:10 PM

Ok, I just ordered the Bass Xciter through MF. Hopefully it will be here early next week.

bassman1185 · #9 09-08-2007, 09:41 PM

I just got the bass xciter today. I'm hoping to give it a whirl tomorrow at church.