Double Bass Active Direct Box w/ EQ as Preamp?

[tbassist4]

Hi everyone,

I'm borrowing a Realist Pickup for a stage show in a few days, and I was wondering if I can use just a regular direct box (active w/ EQ) as a preamp. Isn't a direct box essentially a preamp? I'm pretty experienced in terms of studio gear, but in terms of live stage gear, I have a whole ton to learn!

Thanks so much everyone,

Tyler

 

[Ric Vice]

Hi everyone,

I'm borrowing a Realist Pickup for a stage show in a few days, and I was wondering if I can use just a regular direct box (active w/ EQ) as a preamp. Isn't a direct box essentially a preamp? I'm pretty experienced in terms of studio gear, but in terms of live stage gear, I have a whole ton to learn!

Thanks so much everyone,

Tyler

Tyler,
How are you intending to use the DI? If you are planning to just run it into the board than that will most likely be fine because that's what it was designed for. If you are intending to run it into a powered speaker or power amplifier then that's possibly a little trickier. I believe that the power amp has to accept a line level signal to work in that setup.

 

[tbassist4]

Tyler,
How are you intending to use the DI? If you are planning to just run it into the board than that will most likely be fine because that's what it was designed for. If you are intending to run it into a powered speaker or power amplifier then that's possibly a little trickier. I believe that the power amp has to accept a line level signal to work in that setup.

Great, thanks! As far as I know, they'll have a standard PA (outdoor stage). So I'll most likely be running everything into the board via snake. Otherwise, I'll definitely be careful about an amp if they have one. Most of the decent amps that I've seen accept a line signal through an extra input on the back, so I don't anticipate any problems.

As a post-question question, what's the difference between a preamp and a direct box? Is there one?

Thanks so much for your time,

Tyler

 

[Ric Vice]

Great, thanks! As far as I know, they'll have a standard PA (outdoor stage). So I'll most likely be running everything into the board via snake. Otherwise, I'll definitely be careful about an amp if they have one.

Just remember to get a dedicated monitor for yourself, unless its a very quite chamber or folk group. Otherwise it's going to be very hard to hear your instrument.

Most of the decent amps that I've seen accept a line signal through an extra input on the back, so I don't anticipate any problems.

I'm pretty sure that there is a difference between a "line in" that's on the rear panel of most amplifiers and a "line level" input on a power amp that will accept the signal from a pre amp/DI. The only one that comes to mind is the AI Focus Power Amp.

As a post-question question, what's the difference between a preamp and a direct box? Is there one?

It kinda depends on the design of the DI. Some of the more expensive DI's have "pre amps" on built in to them. Simpler ones don't even have tone controls, like the Country Man that a lot of sound people use. On the other end of the spectrum, you have the Michael Pope, Alembic, and Aguillar pre amps that are several notches above most of the DI/Pre amp Combos.

Thanks so much for your time,
Tyler

 

[thepontif]

For the record, if you need any volume at all, the Realist is most often not the way to go. I had to do the "bass du jour" thing on the last couple Sanborn tours I did and every bass that had a realist couldn't be used at all. Sounded great all alone and quietly through the amp, but once the volume goes up, forget it. On my Pollman I use a combination of a Realist and a Wilson into an active blender I built myself. One input is phase reversed, then the output goes to my MPP-2 and to the FX receive of my Walter Woods Ultra into my Epifani 212UL and it really sounds very good. If you want Jimmy Blanton's sound then it's no good, but for a really even, manageable steel-string sound that's not TOO electric sounding and can get very, very loud if need be, it's a really good combo.
-Mike