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Motor City Big Block DI

#41
How heavy is this beast? The footprint looks board-friendly, but the height might make it precarious on a board if it's too heavy? On paper it's begging me to be fed by a Sushi Box More.........if it's driven hard enough, will it work well via an XLR>>>1/4" cable into the input of a power amp?
 
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#42
lomo said:
How heavy is this beast? The footprint looks board-friendly, but the height might make it precarious on a board if it's too heavy? On paper it's begging me to be fed by a Sushi Box More.........if it's driven hard enough, will it work well via an XLR>>>1/4" cable into the input of a power amp?
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Killer idea, I'm sure it would sound great. You would have to order a custom version of the More pedal, for visual compatibility: raw + black knob.
 
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#43
gtirard said:
Killer idea, I'm sure it would sound great. You would have to order a custom version of the More pedal, for visual compatibility: raw + black knob.
Click to expand...

Nice idea, but I already have a More in blk cherry with pink LEDs…..according to Nate, subbing a 12ax7 into V1 would give it a theoretical max boost of 33dB. That said, one of these would run me 350 USD after shipping & tax, so I am hesitant, especially if it’d be too heavy for a board….
 
#45
lomo said:
Nice idea, but I already have a More in blk cherry with pink LEDs…..according to Nate, subbing a 12ax7 into V1 would give it a theoretical max boost of 33dB. That said, one of these would run me 350 USD after shipping & tax, so I am hesitant, especially if it’d be too heavy for a board….
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13.1 oz. I’m thinking I’ll let mine go.
 
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#47
lomo said:
Thanks. You said to doesn't work well via xlr/trs 1/4" conversion cable into an amp; is that simply a low signal strength issue that's resolved if it's goosed upstream?
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Your need to use some type of preamp between your signal source and your power amp. A DI box is not a preamp; a DI box is like the 'dongle' that goes between your bass and a mic preamp.

Most bassists would simply use a bass preamp between their bass and power amp. A DI box is not necessary with a bass preamp.

If you prefer to use a mic preamp instead of a bass preamp, then a DI box (like the Motor City) is the necessary 'dongle' to convert the high-impedance signal from your bass to low-impedance mic level.

If you don't have a mic preamp, then you don't need a DI box. It's like buying an unnecessary dongle you don't need, for a computer peripheral you don't own.
 
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#48
lomo said:
Thanks. You said to doesn't work well via xlr/trs 1/4" conversion cable into an amp; is that simply a low signal strength issue that's resolved if it's goosed upstream?
Click to expand...

The most likely scenario is to use the Big Block as a DI, so last in chain to FOH. In this use case you could put whatever you want in front of it. If you are wanting to run in front of a preamp or something it would be fine as long as you are feeding into mic level.

Which by the way, I love doing. I run the Big Block into the mic input on my Millenia preamp. A compressor pedal in front of the Big Block into the mic in is really nice and full and juicy.
 
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#52
lomo said:
^^^ thanks-it sounds as though it's a tool that isn't designed to work in the context/way that I'd like to apply it...ie, not the right tool for the/my job.
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Sorry, I thought we wanted the same thing: to use the Big Block DI at the end of a pedalboard chain to go into our bass amp. This would just go in between the two. Running the XLR in from the Big Block and run the 1/4” unbalanced out from the Mixing Link into the amp.
 
#54
lomo said:
^^^ thanks-it sounds as though it's a tool that isn't designed to work in the context/way that I'd like to apply it...ie, not the right tool for the/my job.
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Sounds to me like you need an active preamp (like a SansAmp for example) that has lots of gain and is capable of driving a power amp.

Passive DI's are like 'anti-preamps' that (by definition) make your signal quieter, not louder. The 'use case' is to bring the signal back up again with a high-end mic preamp (@scubaduba mentioned his Millenia for example).
 
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#56
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#57
AlexMG said:
Would this really be a better solution? Wouldn’t the impedance options from the Big Block DI conflict with those specific to the adapter? I’d really like this to be an option but wonder if this was made specifically for connecting actual microphones to HI Z inputs.
Thoughts welcome!
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Feels like snake oil. I'm skeptical this would give "better" results than the gold standard: a 1/4" instrument cable.

I do enjoy some "dirt" or "warmth" in my tone, but it makes more sense to accomplish that by choosing the right pedals for my pedalboard (not with a special adapter cable or dongle between my pedalboard and my amp).

Maybe "how do I connect my pedalboard to my amp?" isn't a wheel that needs to get reinvented. A good old 1/4" instrument cable has always worked well for me, to accurately carry the sound from my pedals to my amp.
 
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#58
CatOnTheBass said:
Feels like snake oil. I'm skeptical this would give "better" results than the gold standard: a 1/4" instrument cable.

I do enjoy some "dirt" or "warmth" in my tone, but it makes more sense to accomplish that by choosing the right pedals for my pedalboard (not with a special adapter cable or dongle between my pedalboard and my amp).

Maybe "how do I connect my pedalboard to my amp?" isn't a wheel that needs to get reinvented. A good old 1/4" instrument cable has always worked well for me, to accurately carry the sound from my pedals to my amp.
Click to expand...
But how about running my pedals into this DI (as I love the results into my DAW) and out of the XLR output of this DI into the amp?

I’m going to give the Eventide Mixing Link a shot I think.
 
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#59
AlexMG said:
But how about running my pedals into this DI (as I love the results into my DAW) and out of the XLR output of this DI into the amp?

I’m going to give the Eventide Mixing Link a shot I think.
Click to expand...

I can relate to that feeling, of playing through a nice DI! I really love the sound of my RNDI. I never asked myself "how do I get that RNDI tone out of my bass amp?" but maybe I should be asking myself that question, LOL. Sorry if I sounded negative earlier.

Maybe can you use your audio interface for a "proof of concept" test? Plug the DI box into the audio interface XLR Mic In, and one of the Line Out's on the back of the interface into your amp. Run some tests, how far up do you need to turn the Gain on the interface, in order to drive the amp to an acceptable level?
 
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#60
No worries.

It’s more than just playing through a nice DI. I have the RNDI, Noble, and others. If I were plugging my bass—>pedalboard in to the front of house it would be the Noble most likely. The RNDI is a great DI that to me seems to extend the sonic bandwidth of the source material. Great for guitar to get extra detail in the registers of the highs and lows; but for bass, I’m trying to get the most out of the more narrow bass spectrum.

Both the Noble and the RNDI do a great job of being faithful to the original signal in a musical way, but I never felt the want or need to hear their sound out of the amp, though I still tried the Noble and preferred my amp without it in the end. The Big Block DI is musical, but with EQ curves/enhancements to my bass sound that bring some awesome energy as well as the more rounded mellow sounds similar to the ACME DI.
 
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