Behringer BDI21 bass driver: good for recording?

[Bluebard]

Hey bass dudes,

So I've been trying to get into recording lately, since my end goal as a bass player is to make music. I have a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface, through which I record my Peavey Foundation and MIM jazz bass. However, I'm not quite satisfied with the sound and tone I get going straight from bass to interface to Reaper. It sounds kind of thin and nasal, with tinny highs and lows that don't sound as full as I'd like. I know that the interface itself isn't the problem, since I've seen in one of his videos that Scott Devine uses the same interface, and his bass always sounds awesome (I know he has a lot more equipment and recording processes going on beyond bass-->interface-->DAW).

Anyway, I've been reading recently about the great importance of DI in recording bass. My amp does not have a DI. And I came across the Behringer V-tone Bass Driver DI BDI21, which I've heard some people compare to a higher-priced Sansamp model. I've heard good things about it for playing through an amp and performing, but my question is: how good is the BDI21 in the role of a DI for recording? Since I don't have a lot of money to spend on recording, and I'm pretty new to the recording game, I don't need anything too fancy, and $30 sounds like a nice deal. But would this DI be good for making my recording tone sound fuller and allowing me to dial in more specific and diverse tones? Are there better options for recording DI at similar prices?

Although my primary concern with a DI is for recording, I'm also curious about how it would work with an amp. Would it be best to set an amp's EQ to flat when using the BDI21 to dial in tone?

Thanks a lot guys!

 

[Bluebard]

Bump

 

[Ulf_Hansson]

I haven't personally used the Scarlett 2i2, but Focusrite usually knows their stuff which means that if you set the input to "Instrument" the I/O should provide a suitable impedance and gain for most basses. Then tweak the sound in the DAW (or using whatever plugins you may have).

But you are right, if the impedance doesn't match your instrument the tone will suffer. In that case I'd go for a decent quality "plain" DI instead (Radial, Whirlwind, Boss), which will be useful in more situations and for a lot pf years to come.

 

[Bluebard]

I haven't personally used the Scarlett 2i2, but Focusrite usually knows their stuff which means that if you set the input to "Instrument" the I/O should provide a suitable impedance and gain for most basses. Then tweak the sound in the DAW (or using whatever plugins you may have).

But you are right, if the impedance doesn't match your instrument the tone will suffer. In that case I'd go for a decent quality "plain" DI instead (Radial, Whirlwind, Boss), which will be useful in more situations and for a lot pf years to come.

Thanks Ulf_Hansson, I'll look into some of those! Off the top of your head, might you have any recommendations of specific models for around the same price range as the Behringer bass driver?

 

[Ulf_Hansson]

Thanks Ulf_Hansson, I'll look into some of those! Off the top of your head, might you have any recommendations of specific models for around the same price range as the Behringer bass driver?

I have an older Radial which I always bring in my case; it was quite expensive when I bought it, but has served me well for many years. Many of the pro sound engineers seems to like them. That being said, at least one of the big PA rentals here has a lot of Whirlwind boxes which seems to work fine as well. I think you should be able to pick up a Whirlwind for about $40-45 (the IMP 2 passive model).

 

[Bluebard]

I have an older Radial which I always bring in my case; it was quite expensive when I bought it, but has served me well for many years. Many of the pro sound engineers seems to like them. That being said, at least one of the big PA rentals here has a lot of Whirlwind boxes which seems to work fine as well. I think you should be able to pick up a Whirlwind for about $40-45 (the IMP 2 passive model).

Thanks!

 

[Ulf_Hansson]

Thanks!

You're welcome!

 

[johnnyfever]

countryman is a real nice transparent di. Built extremely tough, no frills, just nice warm sound. If your bass sounds good, it will come out of the countryman sounding good. The sadowsky is nice live as you have a few adjustments (gain, simple eq, on/of) and still sounds good, but does add some color. My favorite right now is the di built into my mesa walkabout. Very warm and round tone without being too "tubey".