I have a Radial Pro DI (I know it's the cheaper of radial stuff), I was curious if anyone used a passive style bass (P-bass, Jazz, etc) with the countryman DI with good results? I was looking to pickup a DI with a good output that didn't color the sound in the studio, but also was hoping to use it live.
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Countryman Type 85
- Thread starter lovefist
- Start date
Do it! I don't think you'll hear too much of a difference between the Radial Pro DI and the Countryman, but the Type 85 is a tried and true DI. If you unpleased with your Radial, then sell it and get the Countryman, but if you are looking for a noticable difference (active or passive basses with active or passive DIs) then I don't think you'll find one until you move into something with a lot more headroom like an Avalon U5, REDDI, Demeter, etc.
Good luck...I'd just keep rockin' the Radial.
Good luck...I'd just keep rockin' the Radial.
- Jan 4, 2008
- 232
- 28
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: CallowHill Guitars; Aguilar Amplification; MonoCases
I have such a love/hate relationship with the 85. With some basses, I absolutely love it....others, woof. Coincidentally, I had a session on Saturday, and the studio offered up their trusty 85 box. We A/B'd against my Radial JDI, and for what I was using (a Mike Lull J bass and a Roscoe fretless...both active, FWIW) the JDI offered the better results.
The 85 is an industry standard, and for good reason. Of course, so is the JDI. The advice offered above is great, and I'll second it...unless you're not liking the Radial, I'd stick with it.
The 85 is an industry standard, and for good reason. Of course, so is the JDI. The advice offered above is great, and I'll second it...unless you're not liking the Radial, I'd stick with it.
Well I'm planning on doing some recordings soon and we'll see how it goes. The stigma I have with the Pro DI is that the parts are not wonderful, but also the person who has recorded me was a bit inexperienced. Maybe with a new engineer the results will get better. Just about all my basses are passive, so I'm thinking I should consider a JDI or Type 85 at some point.
Love my Countryman! I play mostly passive basses (Ric and P) and it's a handy little tool to have. Built like John Turner's Outhouse too!
If I could afford it, I would have a JDI, a J48 and an 85 at my disposal. They all offer slightly different shades of the same flavor, but the little differences can really add up.
As it stands, I keep a JDI on my board because I find it offers the best balance between my basses and the genres that I play. That said, if I had an 85 in its place, I would not be disappointed in the least. That's a great DI.
If you're looking to upgrade from your Radial Pro, why aren't you considering the JDI? It will probably offer you more of what you're familiar with since you'd be staying with Radial rather than switching to Countryman. Just curious. Either way you'd end up with a great DI.
As it stands, I keep a JDI on my board because I find it offers the best balance between my basses and the genres that I play. That said, if I had an 85 in its place, I would not be disappointed in the least. That's a great DI.
If you're looking to upgrade from your Radial Pro, why aren't you considering the JDI? It will probably offer you more of what you're familiar with since you'd be staying with Radial rather than switching to Countryman. Just curious. Either way you'd end up with a great DI.
You'll get mixed results with a passive DI on a passive bass. The ProDi and JDI are both passive. The JDI is defintely more pristine than the JDI. The Countryman can sound great, but it's less pristine than the JDI. With a passive bass, headroom will never be an issue with the Type 85 so I wouldn't worry about that. The J48 is a wonderful DI for passive instruments, and it's even more pristine than the others mentioned here. Yeah, you have to have phantom power to use it (unless you mod it for a 9v batter), but honestly that has never, ever been an issue for me. The J48 is rock solid and it won't load your pickups regardless of the cable length to the board.
Since someone mentioned it, I have a Tone Hammer myself and it's fantastic. The DI is fairly pristine on it as well, and it would give you some EQ and vintage/overdrive options with your bass if you wanted them, or you could just use it as a DI. I personally am more than confident in using it in any and every situation where I require a DI, including the studio. It's 18v when run off batteries or AC, so it has gobs of headroom. It can also run of phantom power.
A lot of the nuances here between these DI's are just that...nuances, and you'd have to be in the right setting to really notice them, such as a studio doing a comparison. So for me, I'd just pick the one that offers you the features you want with the performance you can predict. For passive instruments, that's just not a passive DI unfortunately, regardless of the quality. Sooner or later you'll have to push a long cable run to a mixing board and it'll load your pickups, resulting in a very dark tone that you just can't do anything about without replacing that passive DI with an active one. So for me, I suggest the Countryman or J48, unless you want a preamp/DI, then it's the Tone Hammer hands down IMHO.
Good luck!
Since someone mentioned it, I have a Tone Hammer myself and it's fantastic. The DI is fairly pristine on it as well, and it would give you some EQ and vintage/overdrive options with your bass if you wanted them, or you could just use it as a DI. I personally am more than confident in using it in any and every situation where I require a DI, including the studio. It's 18v when run off batteries or AC, so it has gobs of headroom. It can also run of phantom power.
A lot of the nuances here between these DI's are just that...nuances, and you'd have to be in the right setting to really notice them, such as a studio doing a comparison. So for me, I'd just pick the one that offers you the features you want with the performance you can predict. For passive instruments, that's just not a passive DI unfortunately, regardless of the quality. Sooner or later you'll have to push a long cable run to a mixing board and it'll load your pickups, resulting in a very dark tone that you just can't do anything about without replacing that passive DI with an active one. So for me, I suggest the Countryman or J48, unless you want a preamp/DI, then it's the Tone Hammer hands down IMHO.
Good luck!
I have the same results.
I had a day I was asked to re-track becuase he heard an 85 and JDI next to eachother (by mistake)..
This was a trident board to protools setup.
He asked me to bring an MXR M80 or Radial JDI to future recordings
i actually have both boxes and i love both of them. my radial is mounted on my pedal board, the countryman is in my case at all times. i have played a few tours using nothing but those two boxes and the pa and they were both flawless. i think the countryman gets a slight edge for recording a tad cleaner, so if thats what you are trying to do go with the type 85
My experience is the above is true... it's possible the Radial sends a "fatter" or slightly altered signal
Or maybe the Radial is just better at retaining lows due to its superior phase coherence.
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We were just having a DI discussion on another thread and I have some interesting info. (THis is cut and pasted to save on typing)!!!!!!!!!!!
I would rank the Radial above the Countryman. I have three solid DI's; The Radial J48, Countryman Type 85, and the BSS Audio AR-133. They're all great but........
I used the AR-133 to record an album two years ago. The producer/engineer was a grammy nominee and former Seattle Art Institute instructor, he was BLOWN AWAY by the BSS. All he talked about was how great it was, and when the album was finished he sent me an email asking about my DI because he had to get one!
I would rank the Radial above the Countryman. I have three solid DI's; The Radial J48, Countryman Type 85, and the BSS Audio AR-133. They're all great but........
I used the AR-133 to record an album two years ago. The producer/engineer was a grammy nominee and former Seattle Art Institute instructor, he was BLOWN AWAY by the BSS. All he talked about was how great it was, and when the album was finished he sent me an email asking about my DI because he had to get one!
Active bass - Passive DI and Passive bass - Active DI in general but try what you like.. Higher End DI Can Work with both.. People talk about Phase Correction.. but you won't have to worry. with one bass one di.. now stereo signals.. can have Phasing problems.. but for you follow the model above.. and make sure your cable is good.. and you be fine either way.. if you Run long runs of cable.. using Lehle stuff can help.. their buffers are great.. CountryMan 85 is an active di..
