I am wanting to send the best sounding signal I can to the FOH desk and I have gone direct out through a di box but the sound is always very dry to my ears. My amp has a post-eq only direct out and the send is slightly noisy. I would like to send a more natural sounding signal to the mixer without my amps eq botching the whole thing. What DI pedals (such as Eden's WTDI, etc...) do you guys recommend as players and FOH engineers.
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preamp/di pedal?
- Thread starter fivestringphil
- Start date
You may get some good responses in the Effect section. There's all sorts of DI pedal talk in there.
There are numerous options depending on your goals and your budget. Here are a few categories with examples. Keep in mind each category offers dozens of options so do your homework and decide what's right for you based on preference and budget.
Standard Passive DI:
This type of direct box requires no batteries or phantom power and is the most basic. It will do a fine job delivering your bass tone with little coloration. Some pro-grade passive DIs include:
Active DI:
This DI looks just like a passive DI but has active circuitry which requires a battery or phantom power. Active DI boxes are useful for driving very long XLR cable runs and often have a more open top end sound when compared to passive. Some pro-grade active DIs include:
Tube DI:
A Tube DI looks quite different than your average DI box but it essentially performs the same function while adding a tube to the signal path. There are many different ways to incorporate a tube so each tube DI has its own character but you should expect additional warmth and even order harmonics from any good tube DI. Tube DIs will also be the most expensive. Some tube DIs include:
Bass Preamp DI:
This takes active to the next level by incorporating a bass preamp and DI into one compact unit. Additional features can include EQ, Amp simulation, overdrive, compression, etc. Some examples include:
Again, there are lots of options and opinions and these lists are certainly not comprehensive by any means. That said if all these possibilities make your head spin, you can't go wrong with a good passive DI.
Standard Passive DI:
This type of direct box requires no batteries or phantom power and is the most basic. It will do a fine job delivering your bass tone with little coloration. Some pro-grade passive DIs include:
- Whirlwind Director
- Radial PRO DI
- Radial JDI
- dbx DB12
Active DI:
This DI looks just like a passive DI but has active circuitry which requires a battery or phantom power. Active DI boxes are useful for driving very long XLR cable runs and often have a more open top end sound when compared to passive. Some pro-grade active DIs include:
- Countryman Type 85
- Radial J48
- Radial JDV
- BSS AR133
- Avalon U5
Tube DI:
A Tube DI looks quite different than your average DI box but it essentially performs the same function while adding a tube to the signal path. There are many different ways to incorporate a tube so each tube DI has its own character but you should expect additional warmth and even order harmonics from any good tube DI. Tube DIs will also be the most expensive. Some tube DIs include:
- A-Designs REDDI
- Demeter VTDB
- Radial Firefly
- Sonic Farm Je-DI
Bass Preamp DI:
This takes active to the next level by incorporating a bass preamp and DI into one compact unit. Additional features can include EQ, Amp simulation, overdrive, compression, etc. Some examples include:
- Aguilar Tone Hammer
- Sadowsky Preamp/DI
- Eden WTDI
- Tech 21 Sansamp Bass Driver DI
- SansAmp VT Bass
Again, there are lots of options and opinions and these lists are certainly not comprehensive by any means. That said if all these possibilities make your head spin, you can't go wrong with a good passive DI.
Personally I like the Avalon u5 best. It is not small so for most shows I carry a Radial Bassbone or a Sans Amp Para Driver. The U5 is in a class of it's own though...
I always carry a Tech 21 BDDI as a back-up amp or DI. As long as you're keep most of the controls close to noon the FOH gets a great signal with a little tube emulation. $100 used and it's a good starting point. I've never used any of the high end DI's so I can't compare. But for most small to med clubs or church's it gets the job done well.
I never used any DI until recently. I picked up a used Sadowksy Preamp/DI and I am really happy with it. I have found that not only can I get a better sound out to my amp or direct to the board. I started using one because I got a passive Fender bass and couldn't get used to the passive electronics since every other bass I have had was active. My upright I never had to send through a PA. That being said, I have noticed that I can get the sound I want a lot easier, on any amp setup pretty much with the Sadowsky.
