Wow, this is near where I am right now. I play a Lakland Skyline JO with Lindy Frailins also, through an Ampeg SVT4Pro at church. We take an XLR to the snake from the back of my amp. While the sound is good, it is not quiet. When I put my hand on the strings it is quieter, but not quiet. My goal is to be quiet to the board, and if I can sound better/warmer in the process, I would be happy, and if I can be quiet to my amp also, then even better. I am thinking separate di, or separate pre/di. My goal is quiet output to the board, and "better" sound or "just as good" sound. I have been thinking Radial JDI (it is passive), BBE DI-1000 (it has sonic max'er), Sadowsky pre/di (good reputation), Aguilar DB 900 (warm good sound). I have searched and read everything here I can find. I have read the "Favorite D.I. Box" thread a dozen times.
First I dont' know if I can answer everything....
Question1: Do I need an active DI to make me quiet? Or will the passive JDI do the trick?
Response: Not that I'm aware. When you say quiet I'm assuming you mean the hum that non-phase canceling pickup have. The Lindey's are great sounding, but are also traditional with the hum. Have one volumn knob at a different postion and it will eliminate a lot of hum.
Question2: Is the 1/4 out to my amp effected or affected from the internals from any of these, or is the 1/4 out a "bypass" to the amp?
Repsonse: Check you manual I don't have your model. With 1/4 jacks that usually unbalanced, you cannot have to great of a length or you will lose some signal, hence balanced cable is better. There is balance 1/4 also. Any really quality Passive DI will have a 'Jensen' transformer, not to say the others are quality, but not as good IMO. The Jensen is what keeps you signal quiet and pure.
Question3: It seems that some pre/di's are liked because of where they put the bass in the mix, others are liked because they are transparent, and others are liked because they add warmth. It is difficult to read here when a person likes something what their reason or goal is. Which pre/di is liked best for where it puts the bass in the mix?
Response: All that is pretty true. YOU must find that out for yourself.
Question4: I have read that the Aguilar sounds good and adds warmth, but it needs 115v power and I have read that its output is low, so I am starting to not include this in my thinking. Is that a mistake?
Response: I went with a passive and the Radial had the Jensen and was priced right for me. I still took a chance not ever trying one. The BBE looked good too. I had a Sadowsky and returned it. It made my bass sound wonderful, but it didn't cut in the mix I'm in. I had it off most of the time....probably my old ears.... most people love them.
My perfect solution would be a small DI box sized thing, with 9 volt battery, with 1/4 in, and effected/affected 1/4 out, effected/affected XLR out, with a good strong output, with fairly transparent sound or it puts the bass in a good place in the mix, and black. Is that the Sadowsky?
tim99.
