The best DI box for bass

[Doner Designs]

Its a normal 3 pin XLR..... that piece of metal is just a flush mounted piece of the housing. It does not mate with the cable at all
. they are pretty indestructible... Ive had mine since 1977... they can tale about a 250V hit to the front end IIRC

If you flipped the switch? mmm Im sure you will OL something .. Blow something up.. Most likely.. Let us know.... But video it so we can see the Poooof too

Thanks.

 

[ThisBass]

I wonder what happens if you send one of these boxes a speaker level signal and forget to flip the toggle switch on the DI from pickup to speaker. Seems like it could fry the box but maybe they are indestructible inside and out.

Cool option to have when used with a tube amp.

Nothing happens except input stage of mixing console FOH may be clipped.
DI signal means -20dB signal reduction anyway by default.
30 Vrms speaker signal => DI(-20dB) => 3 Vrms at input FOH

Reduction of line level signal:
1Vrms => DI(-20dB) => 100mVrms at input FOH

 

[agedhorse]

Well, something might happen when you do this and piss off the FOH/Monitor guys

Don't use any DI with a speaker out from a bridged or class D amp though (unless it is specifically designed for this) because unlike "normal" amps, these amp's speaker outs are not ground referenced to pin 1 and effectively short the power supply to the mixing console ground which can burn up pcb traces in the console and also damage the amp.

 

[BazzTard]

MXR M80 DI+

or my dbx db12

or my Sansamp pbddi

 

[svtb15]

I use a REDDI... I like it so much i got two. One i leave home the other goes on the road with me in a road case.
For giggles, I tried my XLR out of my Peterson tuner last week . Not even close to the evenness of my REDDI..

Reddi rocks

 

[fretno]

There are some very high dollar esoteric jobbies out there but getting back to Earth a little I like the Sansamp VTDI , the Countryman , The Cable factory Lundahl , which you can get direct from those fine folks and my current rig and pre DI the Summit which is fat and warm and punchy.

 

[taylor16]

Any suggestions for a "simple" speaker-level DI?

 

[agedhorse]

Any suggestions for a "simple" speaker-level DI?

Specifically, what kind of amp?

 

[taylor16]

Specifically, what kind of amp?

Mesa/Boogie Prodigy.

 

[agedhorse]

Mesa/Boogie Prodigy.

Ok, the reason I asked is that different amps present different (or no) options for doing this.

Now on the Strategy/Prodigy, it's a little different because both allow you to access the speaker signal in a different way than most tube amps.

- On the Prodigy, you can use any simple passive DI using the slave out because there is a fixed level shifting network built into this output, the result is that you will get standard line level out. Note that you will also need a speaker load on the amp.

- On the Strategy, again you can use a simple passive DI, but the level shifting network is variable so I would recommend starting with the slave out level control all the way down, set your speaker level, then turn this control up until you get an adequate signal.

On other (non-class D and non-bridged) amps, you will usually need to use a DI with a built in speaker to line level pad.

Hope this helps.

 

[coreyfyfe]

Lot of transistors in that tube DI

I've been using an old Ampeg SVT-DI lately but before that I mostly used my type 85. Picked up the SVT-DI for a pretty low price in need of some repair. Turned out to be some loose connectors, dirty XLR jack, and bad contact on the light bulb. Bulb is a little cheesy, but looks pretty cool in the dark.

 

[Red Planet]

For bass I use this little guy that I buit. It is a passive DI with a transformer (OEP) it has a volume control and a passive tone control (that works). I take the signal straight from my bass to FOH. It will not work with a passive bass due to the loading of the value of pot that had to be used for the tone control/active bass combination. I dont have any passive basses though. I like having the extra added control over FOH with the passive tone control with my Stingray Classic V. The tone control also effects the amp signal when paralleled through it's 1/4 jacks.

 

[fretno]

Lot of transistors in that tube DI

I've been using an old Ampeg SVT-DI lately but before that I mostly used my type 85. Picked up the SVT-DI for a pretty low price in need of some repair. Turned out to be some loose connectors, dirty XLR jack, and bad contact on the light bulb. Bulb is a little cheesy, but looks pretty cool in the dark.

Summit knows what they are doing though and the sound is fantastic .

 

[Slpbass81]

You only live once. Go for a REDDI.

 

[taylor16]

Ok, the reason I asked is that different amps present different (or no) options for doing this.

Now on the Strategy/Prodigy, it's a little different because both allow you to access the speaker signal in a different way than most tube amps.

- On the Prodigy, you can use any simple passive DI using the slave out because there is a fixed level shifting network built into this output, the result is that you will get standard line level out. Note that you will also need a speaker load on the amp.

- On the Strategy, again you can use a simple passive DI, but the level shifting network is variable so I would recommend starting with the slave out level control all the way down, set your speaker level, then turn this control up until you get an adequate signal.

On other (non-class D and non-bridged) amps, you will usually need to use a DI with a built in speaker to line level pad.

Hope this helps.

Thank you kindly for that comprehensive answer. So I'm looking at nothing more complicated than a Radial JDI?

 

[jerry]

Anybody with any experience with the Neve DI in the current Bassplayer magazine? I'm just curious.

 

[Mark Reccord]

Thank you kindly for that comprehensive answer. So I'm looking at nothing more complicated than a Radial JDI?

A JDI will work fine for your application.

I designed and built my own tube DI and as far as I'm concerned it's as good as anything on the market. I've ABed it with the U5 and the SVT-DI with local studio owners and engineers and they all prefer mine to those. Or at least that's what they're telling me. It's just different than the U5 but it's obviously better than the Ampeg. Really stark difference between them. I just added switchable high pass and low pass filters to add some voicing options. It's currently a rats nest of hardwired parts but I'm in the process of doing PCB layouts.

 

[taylor16]

Anybody with any experience with the Neve DI in the current Bassplayer magazine? I'm just curious.

I wouldn't mind some comments on the RNDI as well. I believe it can be used between the amp and cabs as well.

 

[agedhorse]

Thank you kindly for that comprehensive answer. So I'm looking at nothing more complicated than a Radial JDI?

Correct. You might even find that a less expensive passive DI might work just as well because the source impedance is pretty low and flat, I would suggest trying some before you buy (if you can).

 

[Jim C]

I use a REDDI... I like it so much i got two. One i leave home the other goes on the road with me in a road case.
For giggles, I tried my XLR out of my Peterson tuner last week . Not even close to the evenness of my REDDI..

Reddi rocks

View attachment 684501

For most of us that just play bars and smaller clubs, I just can't justify bringing a REDDI to a gig that will have hardly any bass in the PA.

I thought I was the last dinosaur using a dbx 1-knob squeezer; I think they are very under rated!
Another cool feature the Shuttlemax is that the DI sounds great and can be post EQ.