Poll: Do you use your own DI live?

[dcr]

On most of my gigs, I AM the house PA, so perhaps this isn't a valid question for me.

Still, I ALWAYS bring my Radial JDI and use it. It's inserted between my preamp out (Demeter HBP-1) and my power amp. Don't use the built-in on the Dem pre, because it's non-Jensen; the JDI protects my rig against phantom power.

I prefer NOT to use a mic, since with my preamp/power amp rig and the DI between them, I can control my stage volume independantly of the FOH by simply turning up the power amp. No soundman's gonna tell me how loud I can be

Works for me, but YMMV....



dcr

 

[thedude77md]

I bring a super big rig to every gig and if the sound man wants to DI, I refuse and try to convince him to mic it (they usually get scared of POGS and I tell them its so organ-y you need to amp it properly then mic).

In the event that fails, I tell the sound guy to bite it and I don't need no stinkin' DI or mic and go old school- crank my amp and let the cabinet do the job. I've never had a problem doing this- 400 tube watts and a Mesa Powerhouse 1000 is loud as all hell! Anything short of an arena, it's plenty loud to do the job on it's own.

 

[SteveC]

I use the DI on my GB Shuttle. Seems to be fine. I also have a Radial JDI with me.

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

Maybe another question is how many people hear the house sound (aka the mains) well enough really be able to tell the difference between your own DI and whatever DI is provided???

My experience is that while I let a soundperson and his/her gear do the sonic heavy lifting, I never hear enough of my signal that the audience hears out of the mains as a rationale for me to specify one DI over another. It's not that I don't care about sound. I just know that I'm not going to hear what the audience hears exactly as they hear it.

I have a DI out on my preamp, but I always tell the soundperson to use what they are comfortable with since it's (to a fair degree) their job to get a good sound/balance/mix which makes the band sound good to the audience.

 

[SwamiRob]

I like the sound of my amps pre, and will generally sneak any XLR plugged into a DI box into the back of my amp, no sound guys seems to have noticed so far and it sounds a hell of alot better for the kinda stuff I play then a flat colourless DI.

Although when I have the funds I'm getting a Heil PR40 straight off per Jimmy's recommendation. A guy who does sound at a local club we play at a fair bit (who used to DI but is now a mic convert) miced my Berg NV215 inbetween the top 15 and the 6 inch mid/tweeter and it sounded ace, which is cool cos I don't have to worry about any stupid 2 mic setup, well until I can get away with telling sound guys to do that anyway, not likely to happen anytime soon though...

 

[ad9000]

Radial JDV - I bring it on any gig where I know I am going through a house system. I have used a lot of DI's and it is by far the most neutral, flexible, quiet and trouble-free. I've done some A/B tests with cheapo DI's (Whirwind, Rapco, etc) vs. the Radial and there is an audible difference, not only with the XLR out, but in the quality of the pass-through signal (into the amp). I've gotten nothing but compliments on the JDV from sound guys. In situations where the FOH engineer is supplied by the sound company or another act, anything I can do from my end to help get my sound across intact is important, and using the Radial was one of the smartest things I've ever done in that regard.

 

[lbwdog]

I like the sound of my amps pre, and will generally sneak any XLR plugged into a DI box into the back of my amp, no sound guys seems to have noticed so far and it sounds a hell of alot better for the kinda stuff I play then a flat colourless DI.

Isn't it a shame you have to sneak around the soundman in order to achieve any resemblance to the sound you like? I mean, we all go through these intricate discussions regarding (sometimes) miniscule nuances of the tone we like from our amp rigs, and then go to the gig and leave it up to a total (sometimes) stranger!

I remember my first amp that had a DI out ('87 GK 800RB), and thought,"How cool is that?!!", but back then you almost had to fist-fight the sound man to use it! Things have improved over the years, and as long as you don't use ridiculous EQ boosts (etc.) most FOH guys know how to deal with it. Even now, though, you're still at their mercy as to how the bass should sound. If you're lucky, you'll get one with good ears, and good sense, that can reproduce what you're laying down.

BTW, my longtime studio engineer, who was a diehard believer in old school, DI box, bass recording, became so enamored of my GK DI out, that he would call me the day before a session to remind me to bring the GK! He would use it like a miked bass amp and mix it with the studio's direct box.

 

[Eminor3rd]

80% of the time the house runs from the DI from my Eden. 20% of the time I use the house's.

 

[JimmyM]

Although when I have the funds I'm getting a Heil PR40 straight off per Jimmy's recommendation.

I usually get a little nervous when people say that, but in the case of the PR 40, it's so well-liked by everyone who has to mix me with it that I'm pretty confident you will like it, too. Makes a really good inexpensive studio vocal mic, too.

 

[coreyfyfe]

I use a country man type 85 if I can't get a mic so I can DI off my V4. I don't like going before my amp since I don't do any eq-ing on my bass and I use a lot of effects.

 

[Gruntollio Bass]

As long at I don't forget to bring my amp (Eden WT800) I bring my own DI...............It has a perfectly good DI in the back of it.

 

[tacozombies]

mine's kinda built into my GBE750, so I have a hard time forgetting it.. and it usually sounds better than whatever ******** DI box the venue has so i try and insist they use mine, unless its a sansamp..

 

[msquared]

Isn't it a shame you have to sneak around the soundman in order to achieve any resemblance to the sound you like?

It is, but remember that it's not as much the fault of the soundman as it is all the musicians he or she deals with every day. There are plenty of idiots out there who show up with some piece of gear which either causes problems with the board or sends a horribly scooped signal to the board, ensuring that the "suck" knob on the bass channel is locked at 11 for the night. The soundguy's job is to facilitate fast set changes and you have drum kits to mic up as well as bands who may or may not be used to playing at clubs, so it's no surprise that this is something we all run into. It's not reasonable to expect to send your EQ'd signal to the house and have the soundguy like it.

I bring my GT Brick and nothing else if the PA is adequate. Soundguys are usually so happy to not have to deal with onstage bass amp volume that I've never had a problem with it. If I own an amp with a decent DI that will do a pre-EQ send, I'll just use that. I pretty much never have occasion to use a post-EQ DI send, studio or live.

 

[Coelho]

Isn't it a shame you have to sneak around the soundman in order to achieve any resemblance to the sound you like? I mean, we all go through these intricate discussions regarding (sometimes) miniscule nuances of the tone we like from our amp rigs, and then go to the gig and leave it up to a total (sometimes) stranger!

I remember my first amp that had a DI out ('87 GK 800RB), and thought,"How cool is that?!!", but back then you almost had to fist-fight the sound man to use it! Things have improved over the years, and as long as you don't use ridiculous EQ boosts (etc.) most FOH guys know how to deal with it. Even now, though, you're still at their mercy as to how the bass should sound. If you're lucky, you'll get one with good ears, and good sense, that can reproduce what you're laying down.

BTW, my longtime studio engineer, who was a diehard believer in old school, DI box, bass recording, became so enamored of my GK DI out, that he would call me the day before a session to remind me to bring the GK! He would use it like a miked bass amp and mix it with the studio's direct box.

That's what I am forced to use 80% of the time, a GK DI out ! Can't complain.
I got 2 recordings from last show, one done with stereo mics and another one from the mixing board stereo. The bass sounds awesome on both!!! No kidding!

Once I brought a JDI and the guy complained there was not enough gain. After hearing the recordings from last show, I am fine with the GK out!

 

[detracti]

Yeah, I prefer the DI out of my head, but if they want to do things differently, I'll generally defer to it. But not before explaining to them the sound I'm looking for.

They should know their sound system, and what works best for them.

It is, but remember that it's not as much the fault of the soundman as it is all the musicians he or she deals with every day. There are plenty of idiots out there who show up with some piece of gear which either causes problems with the board or sends a horribly scooped signal to the board, ensuring that the "suck" knob on the bass channel is locked at 11 for the night. The soundguy's job is to facilitate fast set changes and you have drum kits to mic up as well as bands who may or may not be used to playing at clubs, so it's no surprise that this is something we all run into. It's not reasonable to expect to send your EQ'd signal to the house and have the soundguy like it.

I bring my GT Brick and nothing else if the PA is adequate. Soundguys are usually so happy to not have to deal with onstage bass amp volume that I've never had a problem with it. If I own an amp with a decent DI that will do a pre-EQ send, I'll just use that. I pretty much never have occasion to use a post-EQ DI send, studio or live.

 

[fokof]

I always bring my (very good) DI.

But I let the sound dude decide on what he wants to use.
It's his job , not mine.

 

[lowfreek]

Onboard DI's in my Mesa heads have aways worked wonderfully for me. I run sound for my band, so I'm the only guy I have to convince.

 

[Kro]

Whenever a sound man comes up and tries to plug me into a house DI I usually ask very nicely if I can use mine, the DI on my GK - so that I can make use of the tuning mute.

As long as I politely state that I have a reason for wanting to use mine, the sound guys that I've worked with are usually pretty understanding.

 

[SwamiRob]

Can understand the soundguy/guyess having to put up with suck signals argument, but if they're any good then they should be able to spot in a second whether they can have any faith in you. My band know how to set ourselves up to sound good - providing we're not playing somewhere with naff acoustics - and soundguys tend to listen to us because we obviously know what we're doing, especially since we play alot of punk, heavy rock and hardcore gigs and alot of the others don't. To be honest I think I'm in the position to quite easily get away with asking to be miced up nowadays, so I should probably start giving it a go.

I usually get a little nervous when people say that, but in the case of the PR 40, it's so well-liked by everyone who has to mix me with it that I'm pretty confident you will like it, too. Makes a really good inexpensive studio vocal mic, too.

Heh, yeah it's a kinda odd choice of name for an Illinois pro audio company isn't it? All it means in German is "hail" anyway, dunno which is worse though, their arrogant choice name or the Nazi connotations

Really need to get one before they start getting more expensive, this - Invalid Link Removed - was £160 a couple of months ago but it's now £190. Hopefully it won't cost as much as an EV-20 by the time I get enough money to get a mic. Speaking of which what's the contrast between them like?

 

[stingray56funk]

I always use my own. I have always tried to have really nice DI's on hand as part of my FOH sound. I have used an Avalon U5, Aguilar DB900, Demeter tube DI, Countryman, BBE 1000, Radial JDV, and now a handbuilt Jensen DI which I love. I take care of my DI and I want the best sound I can possibly give so I take my DI everywhere.