"the high notes lose their bottom"....... never heard that one before. But anyway I was talking about a studio situation. In a live situation I would think the differences in DI's would even be less. But I still stand to what I said and it would be great for some name studio engineers to share there opinions here. I still feel a good engineer can still get the sound he wants and be equal if a bassist used a Reddi, Firefly, countryman or Radial. I talking about a named engineer in a good studio. I do not feel the differences are so drastic. Im not saying you are wrong or right. Just my own opinion. i think the prices for what they are making can be debated. The Evil Twin is said by many to be the best, then the cooker, than comes the reddi which people advertise it as a B15 in a box which is rediculous. If you had a b15 nothing in a box can compare to it. If you had someone like Rich Breen or Ken Wallace as an engineer I believe he can get the same sound from the bass with either one of the direct boxes stated. Or any other instrument.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
The best DI box for bass
- Thread starter jdubbass38
- Start date
"the high notes lose their bottom"....... never heard that one before. But anyway I was talking about a studio situation. In a live situation I would think the differences in DI's would even be less. But I still stand to what I said and it would be great for some name studio engineers to share there opinions here. I still feel a good engineer can still get the sound he wants and be equal if a bassist used a Reddi, Firefly, countryman or Radial. I talking about a named engineer in a good studio. I do not feel the differences are so drastic. Im not saying you are wrong or right. Just my own opinion. i think the prices for what they are making can be debated. The Evil Twin is said by many to be the best, then the cooker, than comes the reddi which people advertise it as a B15 in a box which is rediculous. If you had a b15 nothing in a box can compare to it. If you had someone like Rich Breen or Ken Wallace as an engineer I believe he can get the same sound from the bass with either one of the direct boxes stated. Or any other instrument.
Not in my experience. I felt a huge difference live with the REDDI. And when I say huge, I mean HUGE. I don't like DI's ordinarily, and until I got a REDDI I insisted on putting a Heil PR40 on a cab. Once I got the REDDI, I stopped micing.
Matter of opinion. I haven't played through the Evil Twin or the Gas Cooker, but I've heard several recordings done with them. Great DI's, but I'd still rather have the REDDI.
Heh...I can only assume you've yet to try the REDDI. I started the Portaflex Club on here and I have a primo 64 B-15N and used to have a primo 77 B-15N, and I've compared the REDDI and 64 B-15N with a speaker DI extensively. While you don't get the tone controls or the ability to overdrive power tubes, you absolutely get the same quality of clean sound with the REDDI as the B-15N. So not quite as ridiculous as you think.
I'm sure they could. But I'll also bet that if they heard the REDDI, they'd want to use it.
Just my opinion of course...and if you're happy with what you're using, thumbs up from me. But I've had a lot of experience using the REDDI in situations ranging from cheap club PA's to state of the art line arrays in big arenas, and it always makes a big difference, and I'd go back to a mic if it didn't.
I use only passive basses and several different DI devices. I have never used IEM's. Personally, I use a mic most of the time to avoid any ground loop/electrical noise.
In your situation, a pre-amp pedal with a DI will offer the most control over the sound everyone hears.. be it FOH or IEM. Another viable consideration is a compressor with a XLR out.
For live use a passive DI works fine most of the time; what with all the other sources (drums, guitars, vocals, etc) and volume levels at a live gig. I cannot distinguish the audio differences between Jensen and non-Jensen transformers at live gigs, so I would recommend the cheapest but most durable passive unit you can find; that way if it is damaged or lost your not out too much $$$.
In a studio I would use whatever active units they have to offer. If you record a lot at many different studios and want a consistent sound, then maybe spending several hundred dollars for your own DI is the way to go. If you get one with a tube remember that the tube itself has some effect on the audio characteristics.
In your situation, a pre-amp pedal with a DI will offer the most control over the sound everyone hears.. be it FOH or IEM. Another viable consideration is a compressor with a XLR out.
For live use a passive DI works fine most of the time; what with all the other sources (drums, guitars, vocals, etc) and volume levels at a live gig. I cannot distinguish the audio differences between Jensen and non-Jensen transformers at live gigs, so I would recommend the cheapest but most durable passive unit you can find; that way if it is damaged or lost your not out too much $$$.
In a studio I would use whatever active units they have to offer. If you record a lot at many different studios and want a consistent sound, then maybe spending several hundred dollars for your own DI is the way to go. If you get one with a tube remember that the tube itself has some effect on the audio characteristics.
I understand. Never said I did not respect your opinion which everyone has the right to have. I was fast with my mouth as I do not have a reddi and never compared it to a B15. So I was wrong wrong yet I still have my belief.
Here's what I have been using and I think it sounds great. I run through a Zoom B3 using its compressor, Ampeg B15 model and a parametric eq- then into an Avalon U5 that goes to FOH and my IEM setup. The signal also passes through to a Markbass TA501 that feeds a GK Neo 112 for ambient sound onstage for anyone without IEMs. I have gotten some good responses from engineers on the quality of sound.
Try a REDDI with IEM's, a mic'd b15 is exactly what comes to mind. Also, I couldn't agree more with Jimmy about the higher notes. I've used a Countryman, a JDI, a Cable Factory, (my favorite passive DI ever) and none of them sound as thick as the REDDI with IEM's. The notes are not boomy, but instead have a slight girth to them which sound like a well mic'd 15.
Everyone does seem to love them. Never been a huge "Ampeg" guy so I'm not sure it's for me.
I use an EBS Micro Bass II. Lot's of tonal options and has an earphone output for practicing as well as input for mp3 player. Bass sounds awesome through the house system with this preamp/DI
While it does sound a lot like a speaker DI'd B-15, I think it has a broader appeal than to just Ampeg lovers. It's not a dirty or mooshy sound like a tube amp on the verge of distortion. It's very tight.
I'm going IEM so something that sounds good for that - as well as FOH of course - is something I'm looking for. Was thinking Radial JDI or maybe Avalon U5. I'd like it to be portable (so I could do a DI board) but I don't know if that'll happen. It's mostly for church so I guess it doesn't need to be that portable.
Try your rig direct into the board plugged into it next to it during a practice to see what you sound like in the FOH and out in the room, make your adjustments there, get your sound and tell the Pastors daughter not to mess with it, record the settings and check them often and record your bass control settings when you do it so you can get a similar sound each time. Teach her what you want as your sound to be and let it roll. That said I use passive DI's from the end of the pedalboard signal and generally get a good sound ( I THINK!).
Last church I played with did this. I understand your sentiments about it being a "meh" sound through a straight DI.
I ended up using various bass preamps over the years just to keep it interesting.
Avalon U5, Demeter HBP-1/VTBP-201S, Eden Navigator, BBE B-Max SS, etc..
Had the Eden WTDI been available back then, I'd have more than likely nabbed that. The U5 sounded bast, naturally.
I agree the Avalon is one of the best DI's.
Justin, some may laugh over this but I use an ART Tube MP Studio instead of the church's DI boxes. It ran me $29.00 when Musician's Friend had a sale on them a couple of years ago; I think they are $59 now. It uses a 12AX7 as the preamp and has a selector to dial in different EQs, or one can set the switch in a position where there is no EQ. It sounds decent, seems to have a very clean output, and has loads of gain (+6 dB at the low setting with the input and output controls turned all the way up, and can be switched to +20 dB), though too high a setting could overload the church's PA input. Hope this info helps.
I love mine as well for just great tone overall. Simple, versatile, phantom powerable. It's all I have used for many years now.
Sorry Jimmy,
hiding but I'm one of those guys. I've owned Ampegs over the years, and while they have set a standard over time, I look for a different tone on stage. I lean much more to a SS kind of tone, but with that said, the REDDI, just sounds good! VERY good!!Latest posts
-
-
Anyone been to the current David Byrne tour - Who Is The Sky ?
- Latest: aarono2690
-
-
-
