Is REDDI still the industry standard?

[Bass'd on a true story]

Hey everyone,

I need a new DI box. I'm leaning towards the REDDI, 'cause it seems like this is what most people are using lately. I've used it in the past in studios and I've liked the sound of it. Any naysayers? Are there better options out there?

I'm definitely open to opinions.

Thank you!

 

[bass12]

Studio or stage primarily?

 

[Bass'd on a true story]

Studio or stage primarily?

I will certainly try it out with my live rig and see if I like what it adds, but the primary goal is for home studio use.

 

[bass12]

Well, they're great at what they do. It really depends on whether or not you want that "baked in" sound.

 

[Bass'd on a true story]

Well, they're great at what they do. It really depends on whether or not you want that "baked in" sound.

I'm mostly just going for either a vintage or just a basic "pop" bass sound. Nothing super bright or abrasive. I'm not playing metal or anything like that. It seems to mostly fit the bill. It's pretty expensive though, and I want to make sure that it's the right choice.

 

[bass12]

I've never used the Broughton tube D.I. but a lot of people on TB seem to put it up there with to the REDDI so you might want to consider that.

 

[Bass'd on a true story]

I've never used the Broughton tube D.I. but a lot of people on TB seem to put it up there with to the REDDI so you might want to consider that.

I just went to their website and sent a message asking if they still make it. It's no longer listed in their available products .

 

[svtb15]

I have two REDDI's. One is on my touring / gigging PedalBoard. The other one i leave in my home studio.. Every engineer RAVES about them..

 

[Iofflight]

I have the REDDI and really love it however I'm also considering the RNDI. It has performed very well in DI shootouts with the REDDI and others. It is worth looking into imo.

 

[DirkP]

Love the RNDI but never had the opportunity to try the Reddi.

 

[mark beem]

I love my REDDI! It adds great tone and character to any signal you put through it. When my band recorded our EP, I brought it to the studio. I recorded two tracks per song, one through the REDDI stright to the board and I came out of the through jack into a Sansamp VT Bass preamp to get a grittier tone. The engineer LOVED the tone from the REDDI! He actually used it with the guitarist when he recorded his tracks. It's a great box but it has its drawbacks.

1. It's heavy
2. It takes up a LOT of real estate on stage

Check the link in my sig if you want to hear samples from the EP.

I plan to keep mine for recording, but for other applications when I need to DI out, I use my Rupert Neve RNDI. It's small, runs off 48V phantom power from the console (frees up a power plug for something else) and has a great tone as well. The proprietary Neve FET amps and transformers produce a great tone from all my basses. It may be something you'd like to consider as well.

 

[TonyP-]

I never go to the studio without it...Pierod.

 

[pudgychef]

Manley makes a pre-amp/DI that sounds fantastic imo. Used it as @mark beem used the reddi in the post above (Manley to the board and a bddi)...warm, thick, clear.

 

[hennessybass]

I saw that RNDI the other day, and it looks pretty cool.

Cant go wrong with REDI if you want a killer DI with a little flavor. Lots of other options out there too. Especially if you get into the Pre-amp DI thing like Monique or Noble.
If you want a straight DI with a tube, you might check out the Summit Audio TD-100. I see 'em used for pretty good prices.

 

[ole Jason]

I've always been pretty happy with the RNDI. I've also been happy with just running direct into most any modern interface and then tweaking on the DAW though.

 

[mattj1stc]

I had a REDDI and they are great. Everyone will love your sound - zero complaints. The only issues you really have are its size and weight (it's big and heavy), its price (expensive), and it's lack of adjustability (just volume). It does what it does really well though in terms of delivering a vintage but relatively clean tone.

If you'd like to have a DI that can do some level of low gain preamp tone shaping (also big and expensive), consider the Jule Monique. I had that one too - also great.

 

[JRA]

why would anyone want a DI with a 'baked in' sound? IME: the best DI's are "transparent" or close to it. YMMV.

 

[Kevan Campbell]

I have both a REDDI and a Noble. They both have gotten great results and praise from soundman and producers, it really just depends on what sort of sound you want. I’ve found that I can make my Noble sound *like* the REDDI (not exactly like it but rather a close approximation), however the REDDI will never do anything but what it does.

Between the two I honestly prefer the Noble as I like that it doesn’t “take over my sound, but adds just enough of something extra” to my tone (not to mention it’s smaller, can power pedals and the shop owner Jack is awesome to work with). It really boils down to if you are happy with the REDDI’s “baked-in” sound...because it’ll never do anything else.

 

[ZachM]

why would anyone want a DI with a 'baked in' sound? IME: the best DI's are "transparent" or close to it. YMMV.

The REDDI is designed with a different goal in mind - basically, getting the sound of a mic'd Ampeg B-15 in a DI. It does this vibe remarkably well and its much cheaper/easier than owning & mic'ing up a real B-15.

In general yeah, it's probably more flexible to sculpt a tone from an unaltered basic tone, but if you want a B-15 tone in one box, this is what you want

 

[mark beem]

The REDDI is designed with a different goal in mind - basically, getting the sound of a mic'd Ampeg B-15 in a DI. It does this vibe remarkably well and its much cheaper/easier than owning & mic'ing up a real B-15.

In general yeah, it's probably more flexible to sculpt a tone from an unaltered basic tone, but if you want a B-15 tone in one box, this is what you want

Beat me to it!