Double Bass What Direct Boxes are You Folks Using

[godoze]

somehow i got Rapco DI and it is working really well...

 

[tombowlus]

I recently received a Millennia TD-1. Once I get my Summit TD-100 back, I'll try a little shootout. These are both sweet boxes.

Tom.

 

[bribass]

I have used an LR Baggs Para Acoustic DI for several years in small rooms and large arenas using many different types of PA set ups. Clean, easy to use, lots of control. Reliable. And it still makes my bass sound like my bass.

same here...

 

[Brad Maestas]

I recently received a Millennia TD-1. Once I get my Summit TD-100 back, I'll try a little shootout. These are both sweet boxes.

Tom.

That's awesome. Can't wait for the results!

 

[tombowlus]

That's awesome. Can't wait for the results!

Yes, and I can't wait for Phil to see my TD-1, or pick one up, and call it a "heavy pig."

 

[bassame]

Yes, and I can't wait for Phil to see my TD-1, or pick one up, and call it a "heavy pig."

It is 8.5"Wx13"Dx3.5"H, and 15 lbs. Let the public decide.

 

[tombowlus]

It is 8.5"Wx13"Dx3.5"H, and 15 lbs. Let the public decide.

Oh, it IS a heavy pig. I just find Phil's flair to be so much more entertaining.

 

[bassame]

Oh, it IS a heavy pig. I just find Phil's flair to be so much more entertaining.

+1

 

[brianrost]

I use the following:

1: LR Baggs Paracoustic DI direct to PA, no amp

2a: DI out of SWR Baby Blue amp

2b: 1/4" out from WW amp into whatever DI box the sound man hands me, if he has no box I carry a 1/4" female to XLR male transformer in the amp bag.

As you can see, my focus is on CONVENIENCE rather than sound. I don't believe that using a higher quality DI would matter on most of my gigs.

Some guys want to mike the amp and I always request they don't.

 

[tombowlus]

I don't believe that using a higher quality DI would matter on most of my gigs.

I would be inclined to agree.

 

[PB+J]

I dunno about that--A high quality Di can have a pretty stunning sound. I'm partial to the Avalon U5, but there are a lot of excellent (and pricey) Di's out there. I hear a big difference between the Avalon and, say, the sansamp or the fishman proplat, both of which I own and have used. I suppose the audience doesn't really care, and convenience is great. For around two years now I've been using the avalon as a di and a preamp, because I like the sound so much better than anything else I've tried. It's true, though, that any simple di box will, get the signal to the board, where it's out of your hands anyway

 

[SteveC]

I posted before I realized that this was on the DB forum. Back when I played DB I used an Avalon U5. It just was the best sounding DI/preamp I heard for DB. It also worked well for my electrics.

I have since given up the DB and just play electric and the Radial JDI works fine. When I listen to the samples of the 2 on Basstasters (for what it's worth) they sound very similar and the Radial is 1/4 the price and 1/8 the size.

 

[PB+J]

I believe that--I wasn't arguing that one particular box in the best, just that a high quality di produces a notably better sound

 

[Andy Allen]

I'm having great results from my D-Tar Solstice - it really is a fine piece of electronics, and while not in the realm of the expensive specialist tube pre's, it's very usable (particularly its portability).

Now of course it's not just a DI box - I bought it as a pick-up/mic blender for DB, but its DI/pre-amp quality is better than my other solid-state DI box, particularly for piezo-buffering, and it's extremely versatile.

So I guess the Solstice sits somewhere between the big, heavy $500+ premium DIs and the day-to-day $100 DIs. And at about $325 it's priced accordingly.

Andy

 

[Showdown]

I'll just put on my flame retardent coat.

I recently picked up a Behringer V-tome acoustic ADI21 and it's great! $30 US delivered. It's a DI and a pre-amp. In DI mode it's dead quiet and in pre-amp it's still quiet and the controls really shape the sound if I want. The "blend" adds characteristics to really even out the sound but a little goes a long ways.

I expect some might berate this little box, but don't dismiss it until you try it.

No flames from me. I have one and it sounds good. It works well for guitar and mandolin too.

 

[excane]

For years I would just use the DI on my SWR SM900 and it sounded great.
For live use, I've had great results using either the DI from the Sansamp BDDI, MXR M-80, or the DI on my amp.
When I recorded recently, an Aguilar DI sounded fantastic.

 

[winston]

D.I.s I've used on DB:

1) SansAmp BDDI. Not the best box for uncolored tone, but useable. Usually I'd bypass the box for pizz tone and kick it in with a volume/mid cut for arco. 1 Meg impedance was fine.

2) SansAmp Acoustic DI. Added sweep-mids, no drive knob or foot switch. (Approx) 4 Meg ohm input.

3) Sans Amp Para Driver--sold the other two SansAmps to get this one--has swept mids + drive + footswitch and line/mic level switches for both outputs. Same input impedance as the Acoustic DI. No phase switches on any SansAmp--bummer.

4) Fishman Pro Platinum Bass DI--a very useful box, though npt perfect. Really wish it had a couple semi-parametric bands instead of a 5-band graphic EQ. High-pass filter, phase switch and compressor are useful for loud-volume playing. This one seems noisier than the other active DIs I've used and I wish it had a higher output level. 10 Meg impedance.

5) LR Baggs ParaDI--More musical-sounding than the Fishman or SansAmps. Preset highpass filter, plus notch filter and semi-parametric. Good output level. Phase switch but no ground lift.

To tell the truth I don't find a huge amount of tonal difference between the 1 Meg impedance and the higher ones. There's a much bigger difference between a device with a low input impedance (like the active input on an SWR amp, or a passive DI) and 1 Meg than between 1 and 10 Megohm. Just my observation with BassMax, Underwood, Revolution Solo, and Realist pickups.

This is comparing these active DIs with all tone/volume controls set flat or the unit bypassed. I actually find that the Fishman's ultra-high impedance just makes a scratchy Underwood sound scratchier than the 1 Meg BDDI's input. I also found that the Fishman did very little to brighten up a Realist.

I'd really love a 2-channel preamp/DI with semi-parametric bands, phase switches, and variable high-pass filters on each channel, plus mono/stereo mic/line/outputs. Maybe variable input impedances and footswitchable mute, too. I've seen a lot of devices with some of these features but not all. The Raven Labs Universal Preamp came pretty close but alas they're no longer made.

 

[flatback]

I dunno about that--A high quality Di can have a pretty stunning sound. I'm partial to the Avalon U5, but there are a lot of excellent (and pricey) Di's out there. I hear a big difference between the Avalon and, say, the sansamp or the fishman proplat, both of which I own and have used. I suppose the audience doesn't really care, and convenience is great. For around two years now I've been using the avalon as a di and a preamp, because I like the sound so much better than anything else I've tried. It's true, though, that any simple di box will, get the signal to the board, where it's out of your hands anyway

Yea, I've had a bunch of Di's and I have not heard anything like the U5. It's a whole other meaning of DI. What it sends is the very best sound a piezo can get.It is so apart of the SC I'd sooner change pickups or amps then the U5.

 

[Uncletoad]

Hey. Who you callin pig?