• 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.

What DI box to get?

NZBassman

NZBassman

Jan 25, 2007
5,940
11,473
Auckland, New Zealand
#1
Ok so I posted a few weeks back about some problems I was having with my sound
I was getting a loud 'hissing' sound through FOH when I DI'd my amp
Tried a few things and found the problem was with the treble slider on my Ashdown EVO 900 III - turn the slider up and it hissed through FOH, turn slider right off and no hissing. The DI on my amp has a built in ground lift according to Ashdown, so I don't know why it would be hissing though FOH.
I unplugged my lead from the bass and it still hissed through FOH - even tried different leads. Plugged my bass direct in to the PA and no hissing, so it's not a bass problem.

So I will have to take the amp in to get looked at, but in the meantime I think I will get a DI box, because the bass sounds good coming out of the amp on stage and a DI Box will bypass the amp so there should be no hissing through FOH

with my bass being a passive Squire modified vintage jazz, do I need a passive DI box or do I need an active one?

thanks in advance
 
#2
Let's address the hiss first...

I could be wrong, but I don't think you'll find anything wrong with your amplifier. There is usually some high-frequency noise in the signal that we call hiss . It's usually not too noticeable. But when you push that
treble fader (what you are calling a "slider") up, you are boosting the frequencies where the hiss is found. This is why I doubt anything is wrong with the amp, unless the hiss is louder than the bass signal (and you might want to check the volume of your bass. If it's set too low, you'll have to crank up the amp and the inherent hiss along with it). It could be that your bass amp's speakers don't reproduce the highs as well as your PA, causing you to notice it more in the PA than in your amp. Oh, and the ground lift will have no effect on this hiss. You'll notice a much lower "hum"-type sound if this were your problem.

Might there be a pre/post switch or button on your amp? If so, you should be able to set it to "pre" and this will send the bass signal out of the XLR and to FOH without the effects of the EQ faders ("Pre EQ") on your amp.

If not, a DI will help your situation. Most folks recommend an active DI for a bass with passive pickups such as the ones in your Squier bass.

This subject can get much deeper than this very quickly, but I hope this helps you some.

Good luck.
 
#3
Geri O said:
Let's address the hiss first...

I could be wrong, but I don't think you'll find anything wrong with your amplifier. There is usually some high-frequency noise in the signal that we call hiss . It's usually not too noticeable. But when you push that
treble fader (what you are calling a "slider") up, you are boosting the frequencies where the hiss is found. This is why I doubt anything is wrong with the amp, unless the hiss is louder than the bass signal (and you might want to check the volume of your bass. If it's set too low, you'll have to crank up the amp and the inherent hiss along with it). It could be that your bass amp's speakers don't reproduce the highs as well as your PA, causing you to notice it more in the PA than in your amp. Oh, and the ground lift will have no effect on this hiss. You'll notice a much lower "hum"-type sound if this were your problem.

Might there be a pre/post switch or button on your amp? If so, you should be able to set it to "pre" and this will send the bass signal out of the XLR and to FOH without the effects of the EQ faders ("Pre EQ") on your amp.

If not, a DI will help your situation. Most folks recommend an active DI for a bass with passive pickups such as the ones in your Squier bass.

This subject can get much deeper than this very quickly, but I hope this helps you some.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

thanks for that... have tried post and pre eq and still get the hissing through FOH and never had this problem with this bass / amp until a couple of nonths ago, so I don't know what happend 2 nonths ago to suddenly start getting hissing through the FOH
 
#9
Can you find a used a Countryman Type 85 used down there ? They are sort of the sm-57 of good DI boxes. Impossible to kill and plentiful in the wild. Used ones in the US run $100. It's a great DI.

I recently snagged a new active DI at Guitar Center as a gift to my kbd playing diva. It was cheap. I figure Chinese and ai figure You are somewhat closer to china than me... I paid about $60 retail... The DI sounds fine, is quiet, seems rugged and while I would prefer a Countryman, DBX, Radial, Avalon... ain't going to happen for $60... That one was sold as 'Live Wire' which I think may be gc's new house brand.
 
#10
I use a Countryman 85 in the studio but a Radial StageBug SB-2 live

People have been known to take countryman's around here :spit:

The StageBug is cheap (about $60), built well, small as hell, passive (so no worries about phantom power), and sounds good.

The Countryman sounds slightly better to me ears IMO but in a live setting it does a more than adequate job. The differences live are minuscule.
 
#11
davegt666 said:
I use a Countryman 85 in the studio but a Radial StageBug SB-2 live

People have been known to take countryman's around here :spit:

The StageBug is cheap (about $60), built well, small as hell, passive (so no worries about phantom power), and sounds good.

The Countryman sounds slightly better to me ears IMO but in a live setting it does a more than adequate job. The differences live are minuscule.
Click to expand...

I own several Radial DIs and the one I use at the moment (until I can afford a REDDI) is bolted inside my rack that houses my amplifier. I lost a Countryman back in the day and decided, not again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: davegt666
#13
When you turn up a frequency band, you also turn up the noise floor for that frequency band, and in treble frequencies, it's represented by a hissing sound. There is likely nothing wrong with your amp, although if it has a tube in it, you might want to get it tested or try a replacement since they're not too expensive. Sometimes problem tubes can make stuff like that worse. But I really think you're just boosting treble so much that it makes a hiss.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Geri O and s0c9
#15
Actually it has a single tube in it. Just looked it up. How long have you had it? Might not be a bad idea to try a replacement if it's been a few years. If the hiss has gotten worse over the last two months, it's possible this could be the cause. Also possible it's not, but 12ax7 tubes are cheap enough.
 
#17
I haven't got one of these, but I am thinking about it, reasonable prices for those of us down under: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Classic%20DI%20Box%20cut%20out.jpg


sound on sound review: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back