Clean DI position

[Bert_V]

Hi everyone!

I´d like to send a clean DI signal to FOH, but I´m not sure where to put it in my signal chain (before or after my tuner).
Does putting it first make that the clean signal isn´t muted in FOH? Therefore is it better to put the clean DI second in my chain?

Thanks in advance!

 

[crguti]

if you place before your tuner, then the signal won't be muted when you tune.

 

[Levent]

if you place before your tuner, then the signal won't be muted when you tune.

Great hack to keep the tuner on always

 

[CatOnTheBass]

I find the most reliable and idiot-proof option is to plug the bass directly into the DI.

Also, my Neve DI has more than twice the input impedance as my Polytune tuner. So if I plug directly into my DI, I am getting a more "hi fi," detailed and nuanced recording. A certain "something" is lost on the way through the tuner. (Unless I had a "true bypass" tuner of course.)

Ultimately, it probably depends which kind of DI you have. If you have a high-impedance, active DI (like mine) then it probably makes sense to plug your bass directly into it (to get the maximum "resolution" as it were). On the other hand, if you have a low-impedance, passive DI, and you are playing a passive bass, then it might make sense to use a "buffered" tuner between your bass and the DI.

On the tuning question, a lot of bassists wait and tune silently in between songs, but that never made any sense to me. If I am out of tune, then I fix it right then and there, mid-song.

 

[matante]

Hi everyone!

I´d like to send a clean DI signal to FOH, but I´m not sure where to put it in my signal chain (before or after my tuner).
Does putting it first make that the clean signal isn´t muted in FOH? Therefore is it better to put the clean DI second in my chain?

Thanks in advance!

The signal coming out of a DI box is connected to FOH with an XLR cable, the type used for microphones. It can't be plugged into a tuner. I'm having trouble visualizing how a tuner can go after your DI.

You could go from the parallel output of your DI into the tuner. (But that's parallel, not after) As has has been said, if you do this, engaging your tuner won't mute the signal heard by the audience. It's up to you if you want that or not.

 

[matante]

I find the most reliable and idiot-proof option is to plug the bass directly into the DI.

Also, my Neve DI has more than twice the input impedance as my Polytune tuner. So if I plug directly into my DI, I am getting a more "hi fi," detailed and nuanced recording. A certain "something" is lost on the way through the tuner. (Unless I had a "true bypass" tuner of course.)

Ultimately, it probably depends which kind of DI you have. If you have a high-impedance, active DI (like mine) then it probably makes sense to plug your bass directly into it (to get the maximum "resolution" as it were). On the other hand, if you have a low-impedance, passive DI, and you are playing a passive bass, then it might make sense to use a "buffered" tuner between your bass and the DI.

On the tuning question, a lot of bassists wait and tune silently in between songs, but that never made any sense to me. If I am out of tune, then I fix it right then and there, mid-song.

Since they said "FOH" i assume they're talking about a live performance, not recording. In that case it comes down to if they want to mute while tuning or not.

 

[CatOnTheBass]

Since they said "FOH" i assume they're talking about a live performance, not recording. In that case it comes down to if they want to mute while tuning or not.

I meant live performance. Sorry if that was unclear!

 

[joel the bass player]

Nobody wants to hear you tuning on stage, so definitely tuner first, DI second.

 

[Zbysek]

Tuner before DI…in order to be able to tune silently…

 

[sawzalot]

DI after the tuner so you can tune silently and also mute your signal to FOH for any reason (using the tuner). This includes switching basses/etc so you don’t send a big POP to the main house PA.

 

[fretlessman71]

DI after the tuner, but only if your tuner doesn't make a huge POP when you turn it on/off...

...then it's time to buy a better tuner, and put it in front of the DI.

 

[iiipopes]

I do not use a bass amp on stage. I run my bass to a Behringer $25 passive direct box (the best one out there for clarity of tone) to my band's Behringer digital board and let my sound man, who is a sound man for the best known and most reputable PA company in the area, slot the mix. No FX. Tuner on the headstock. EMG active pickups so I get the ->100dB noise floor to keep everyone and everything happy for a clean, quiet signal. I do get a return send to a Behringer hot spot style monitor so I can hear vocals and keys, with a little bit of my feed so I can lock with the drummer. No signal cross talk on stage.

 

[SLO Surfer]

Hi everyone!

I´d like to send a clean DI signal to FOH, but I´m not sure where to put it in my signal chain (before or after my tuner).
Does putting it first make that the clean signal isn´t muted in FOH? Therefore is it better to put the clean DI second in my chain?

Thanks in advance!

I bought my first pedal tuner ever SPECIFICALLY so I could mute my signal to FOH. So I put the tuner first, (then lots of other pedals) then DI.

 

[gstaats]

For a live performance and with a decent tuner, the difference of having the tuner before or after the DI will most likely be imperceptible to anyone in the facility listening to the mains. Hearing you tune, or not being able to use the pedal as a mute, will be noticed by all. I would put the tuner first. You can even tune during dead parts of songs or while the singer is talking with the audience without being noticed. Depending on the stage and lighting and temp fluctuations, it is always worth checking on tuning throughout a set.