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DI Box - Active or Passive?

Alper Yilmaz

Alper Yilmaz

Dec 5, 2005
842
824
57
Istanbul, Turkey
www.alperyilmaz.net
#1
The rule of thumb for picking a DI is:
- passive DI with active bass, and
- active DI with passive bass,
right?

Now, if you were to buy one (but only one) DI to be used with both active and passive basses, what would be your choice? An active DI or a passive one?

I have the REDDI, Millennia TD-1 and API TranZformer at home for recordings but I am looking for a small one to carry around in my gig bag. I used to have the Countryman Type 85 and a Radial JDI, but sold both of them (I do not know what came to me). I just ordered the Telefunken TDA-1 (active), but was not sure if it were the right choice (as far as passive vs active goes).

Any input would be appreciated...

Cheers,

Alper
 
#3
It depends on the use case.
Are you trying to get a signal from your passive bass to FOH (who somehow did not bring a DI which would have been their job) over a long stretch of cable? In that case, spend the extra cash on an active one.
Make sure it runs on battery as well! When you encounter a place where no DI is provided for the bass, you can't expect the FOH mixer to provide phantom power.
 
#4
Alper Yilmaz said:
The rule of thumb for picking a DI is:
- passive DI with active bass, and
- active DI with passive bass,
right?
Click to expand...
maybe, it depends on the circumstances. IME: it's more of a 'guide' than a rule of thumb. in all of the cases i've experienced = if you're forced to use what you've got: either can be used, successfully, even if one or the other might have been preferred.

a decent quality DI, active or passive (doesn't have to be the brand snob version of "the best there is"), will do most of the things an average gigging bass player needs from such a piece.

good luck with your DI choice(s)! :thumbsup:
 
#5
Thanks for the responses... I always (without exception) play with an amp on stage. When I need to feed the FOH at larger venues and some festival concerts, I prefer using something I am familiar with, if the engineer is fine with it.

That is pretty much it actually. So, I do not have a very specific application I am looking for. For recording and when there is a roadie, I have all those DI's like the REDDI or TD-1 anyway. This is just for having in my gig bag to use when needed, if at all. Also, I prefer something that would work fine with both active and passive basses, as I have both.

And, JRA, you are right, it is more of a "guide." Somehow I could not come up with the right wording there! Thanks! :)
 
#8
Many years ago, when I was still gigging regularly and taking a 6-10 space rack with me...

My signal path was, um, complicated. But since I had a spare outlet in my power conditioner, I had an Aguilar tube DI velcroed in the back of my rack with my signal passing through it just before my power amp. That way there was no guessing on where in my chain to place a DI, and I had one I knew wouldn't buzz or hum with the other weird stuff I had going on.

Effective? Yes.

Overkill? You betcha!

Would I do it again? No, the DI on the back of my head does just fine enough.
 
#11
I don’t know who made up that “rule”. I use a programmable BDDI with active BTB (OBP-3 and DC40s, super hot) and passive (GZR PJ) with no issues. Of course my input gain is matched for a steady output to the rest of my chain. The programmable BDDI is nice for switching back and forth quickly without changing all my gain up the chain. It is a “pre amp” and a DI, so maybe the rule comes from DIs that do not have a pre amp function?
 

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