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DI box…do I need one?

#21
JustSomeDude said:
And as mentioned above, putting a mic on your amp is something I ALWAYS do.
But every engineer is going to want to also take a DI.
Click to expand...

Good points. However, an engineer Mic'ing an amp requires:

(1) An amp.. OP says he may not be using one.
(2) An engineer. It's a lot easier for a novice board operator to get a quality DI to sound good on bass than any mic'd amp, and since the OP is unlikely to be adamant about sending "his signature rig tone" to the board, I wouldn't encourage mics at this stage of his development.
 
#23
The question was does he NEED one - and the answer is no if he has access to some mics.

Do I love mine and use it all the time? Absolutely. I think the best my bass can sound is with a blend of the two - cab and direct.

XLR to XLR definitely to answer your other question. Unless you run out of XLR inputs on your board and in that case you will need XLR female to 1/4" male. I don't know what kind of board you have at your school but check it out before. If they do a bunch of plays and performances it's probably got a good number of XLR ins. If it's more like my board in my music room (a small to medium Makie) then you might only have 4-6 XLR ins.

I use a Darkglass B7K for my DI now. Or I use the DI on my Genz Benz shuttle.

Admittedly you have a point that mic'ing a cab is an art....


AND

have fun at your first "real" gig. Hopefully it will be a blast!
 
#24
eriky4003 said:
TonyP,
You should check the back of the Line 6 to see if it has a DI or check the manual on-line of your amp for a DI. It would be a 'male' XLR awaiting a 'female' XLR end. If not, then you'll need a DI assuming you are taking a bass signal and putting it through a pa. Then you need to see how you would be sending that cable to the mixing/sound board for the pa. Usually, XLR cables are female on one end and male end on the other end but you can get them with a 1/4 inch male end if that's how your soundboard will accept your signal.
Another pa invention is a Snake which allows multiple cables to plug into it (eg. vox, drum mics, gtr mics, keys, etc.) at a central spot with a thick cable going to the soundboard many meters away which allows the sound tech to mix your group as each XLR/1/4 inch plugged into the snake gets a channel on the sound board.
Good luck.
Click to expand...

Aghh...You might have me mixed up with someone else.

I don't play Line 6 gear. Also I prefer the quality of my separate DIs.
 
#25
We have had seom great sucess using the BDDI for in studio recording for our demos. It's a would not leave home without it for a gig with proper PA. Also having the ability to blend dry and wet signal of the pedal is a big plus.
 
#26
Apologies, TonyP, I meant the OP, camardelle!
OP,
Miking a bass depends on a lot of things, in particular, the microphone used so it may not be a surprise that it did not turn out well. I know guitarists swear by the Shure SM57 which could probably work for a bassist. You may want to talk to your 'Tech Club' at school (if there is one) and tell them your plans to see if there is a way of using some elements of the built-in sound system or components of it so you leverage what's available. The stage may already have a Snake or something similar that all band members can access from stage.
 
#27
OK, one last question and I'll quit bugging you guys…well maybe not.

If my amp has an XLR output then my need for a di would be a non issue, correct? If that's the case, I've been looking to upgrade my Ampeg BA-108 to something a little more powerful to keep at school and so I don't have to lug my Rumble 150 to the gig?

Would upgrading my amp to one with an XLR output be all I need to do, other than buying the cable?
 
#29
camardelle said:
OK, one last question and I'll quit bugging you guys…well maybe not.

If my amp has an XLR output then my need for a di would be a non issue, correct? If that's the case, I've been looking to upgrade my Ampeg BA-108 to something a little more powerful to keep at school and so I don't have to lug my Rumble 150 to the gig?

Would upgrading my amp to one with an XLR output be all I need to do, other than buying the cable?
Click to expand...

Yeah that would work. But you will find that all DIs are not the same. You might buy an amp with a great DI or a crap one. And the EQ you use to make the cab sound good will likely feed your DI (unless you have a pre-eq option like my Genz Benz). If you really need a DI then buy a DI. A Sansamp or other Tech21 product or any of the well regarded options on here will treat you right.
 
#30
Do you need one? No. Should you use one? Yes. Most venues will have their own (of varying quality). Your amp may also have one built in (of varying quality). Don't rush out and buy one for a one-off performance but it's good to have one if your amp doesn't.
 
#31
As an update, I ended up purchasing a di box, a Radial JDI, and a 25 foot SLR cable and I'm amazed at how good the bass sound is through our pa system.

Wish me luck. Tomorrow is my first real "gig". I'll be performing with other members of our faculty doing three songs for the staff as they get ready to leave for summer. I'm so stoked. And I've learned a ton about being in a "band", both good and bad. LOL

Thanks to everyone who posted their opinions. This board is hugely helpful to guys like me.
 
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