Radial JDI or J48 DI box???

[Wasnex]

They say that active basses should use passive and passive basses should use active DI's etc....From my experience, it doesn't matter. Unless you're headlining arenas with long cable runs, the JDI would be plenty fine.

The rule of using an active DI with passive basses is based on the fact that some passive basses really do need a active DI to sound their best; it really depends on the pickups.

A typical P-Bass would probably be fine plugged into a JDI. I would be less certain with a Rickenbacker 4001, but it might work fine.

Rather than considering it a rule that cannot be violated, perhaps it should be considered a best practice. I.E. something you do regularly because it improves overall reliability in the long-run.

 

[mattattack187]

The rule of using an active DI with passive basses is based on the fact that some passive basses really do need a active DI to sound their best; it really depends on the pickups.

A typical P-Bass would probably be fine plugged into a JDI. I would be less certain with a Rickenbacker 4001, but it might work fine.

Rather than considering it a rule that cannot be violated, perhaps it should be considered a best practice. I.E. something you do regularly because it improves overall reliability in the long-run.

Understood. I have a Classic 50's P with a pretty hot output but my MIM Jazz not so much. I have a Radial Pro48 that's been working great for all my basses. I prefer Active DI's anyway for that extra power.

 

[EastCoastThump]

The rule of using an active DI with passive basses is based on the fact that some passive basses really do need a active DI to sound their best; it really depends on the pickups....Rather than considering it a rule that cannot be violated, perhaps it should be considered a best practice. I.E. something you do regularly because it improves overall reliability in the long-run.

Right. I always considered this a rule-of-thumb not for bassists but for SEs. As a player, rule-of-thumb be damned: I'm good to go as long as my particular passive bass works with my passive DI over the length of runs to the mixer that my gigs typically throw at me. And as a musician, as long as I'm willing to audition gear or flip it, I can take hours/days/weeks at home and at rehearsals to make sure that my DI+bass(es) are well matched.

OTOH, thinking as an SE would have me expecting to slot a wide range of basses into a range of FOH mixes over various cable runs. And ideally, since time is almost always tight, I want a workable bass signal as soon as I bring up the fader during line check. So the SE has to be prepared to deal with outliers—or better, choose gear that doesn't require rethinking with any but the most extreme outliers.

 

[s0c9]

Understood. I have a Classic 50's P with a pretty hot output but my MIM Jazz not so much. I have a Radial Pro48 that's been working great for all my basses. I prefer Active DI's anyway for that extra power.

Uh?? What extra power? Maybe "power" was a misnomer perhaps?
Output levels from active and passive DI's vary little. They BOTH convert a high-Z into a low-Z signal.
What you DO get with active's is more tone shaping control (and higher price) due to being powered.

Link Removed

 

[SteveC]

I use the JDI for my active bass and the Pro for my synth. I have also used the JDI with a passive bass. No issues. I like the simplicity of the passive DI.

 

[s0c9]

I use the JDI for my active bass and the Pro for my synth. I have also used the JDI with a passive bass. No issues. I like the simplicity of the passive DI.

For FOH work, I carry a variety of DI's, but no Radials as they have/had a habit of disappearing between bands.
Those are passive and include Whirlwind EDB1, IMP2's and other similar boxes.
When playing bass I bring my JDI as a backup in case my amp and/or pedal board DI fails!

 

[SteveC]

For FOH work, I carry a variety of DI's, but no Radials as they have/had a habit of disappearing between bands.

A round about tribute to their desirability maybe?

 

[s0c9]

A round about tribute to their desirability maybe?

Oh totally... which is why we don't bring them anymore.

We also lose mics - mostly 58's and/or Beta58's.. . even tho' they are labeled and identifiable, ALL have had their silver Shure screw-on windscreens replaced with black ones for easy line-of-sight identification. We use RED or BLUE foam windscreens if the weather warrants - again, for easy recognition. And still.. they disappear. We lost 6 at our last 3-day Festival and I can assure you, all crew members are more than judicious and alert about corralling our equipment.
To be fair, that only happens at Festival gigs with multiple bands moving off/on to the stage. It's easy to "acquire" such devices in the hustle and bustle and all the band "help" moving gear around.
For single-band events.. we've not yet lost a single piece of kit.

PS: yes, we build a loss leader into our contract(s) price.

 

[Bassworship1]

Oh totally... which is why we don't bring them anymore.

We also lose mics - mostly 58's and/or Beta58's.. . even tho' they are labeled and identifiable, ALL have had their silver Shure screw-on windscreens replaced with black ones for easy line-of-sight identification. We use RED or BLUE foam windscreens if the weather warrants - again, for easy recognition. And still.. they disappear. We lost 6 at our last 3-day Festival and I can assure you, all crew members are more than judicious and alert about corralling our equipment.
To be fair, that only happens at Festival gigs with multiple bands moving off/on to the stage. It's easy to "acquire" such devices in the hustle and bustle and all the band "help" moving gear around.
For single-band events.. we've not yet lost a single piece of kit.

PS: yes, we build a loss leader into our contract(s) price.

Have you had any dealings with the Rupert Neve RNDI? I was wondering your impressions of it?

 

[s0c9]

Have you had any dealings with the Rupert Neve RNDI? I was wondering your impressions of it?

Not for live use.. no.. Only seen it once (in church) and it sounded clean, warm and clear.

 

[zombywoof5050]

When people say that a passive DI is not so great with a passive bass for long cable runs (because of loading issues), I was always under the impression that the 'long cable run' they are referring to is the 1/4" cable between the bass and DI (and that a long cable run between the DI and FOH would not be a problem because that line is balanced). Is this thinking correct, or not?

Also, isn't the whole issue moot if you're using pedals (because the pedals act as a buffer)?

 

[s0c9]

When people say that a passive DI is not so great with a passive bass for long cable runs (because of loading issues), I was always under the impression that the 'long cable run' they are referring to is the 1/4" cable between the bass and DI (and that a long cable run between the DI and FOH would not be a problem because that line is balanced). Is this thinking correct, or not?

Also, isn't the whole issue moot if you're using pedals (because the pedals act as a buffer)?

True... a balanced XLR feed from DI to FOH should not impact the signal.

 

[walterw]

Understood. I have a Classic 50's P with a pretty hot output but my MIM Jazz not so much.

a passive bass having a "hot" output doesn't solve the impedance thing with passive DIs, in fact the hotter the pickup coils are wound the more high end loss you get!

isn't the whole issue moot if you're using pedals (because the pedals act as a buffer)?

should be, as long as the pedals are in fact buffered (boss tuner, say) or are always on, like say a compressor pedal.