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what is exactly is a di?

W

wooheehaa

Jul 14, 2013
66
107
#1
what is it used for? i mainly looking a headphone amp, will be a bonus if it could act as a amp simulator, and a interface between my bass and pc.

im looking at the behringer bdi21. am i right to assume it should be doable from bdi21 xlr -> headphone for silent practice, bdi21 xlr-> pc line in for recording, and bdi21 1/4-> amp for amp simulation?
 
#3
A DI sends a balanced signal over long distances to the mixer without picking up noise. It should also provide a proper impedance load to the instrument's pickup.

Headphone output is an extra. Having gain to drive a power amp likewise, then you would call it a preamp with a DI.
 
#4
DI = Direct Injection, or sometimes called 'direct input'.

It means plugging into a recording device without being mic'd up, usually using a DI box to make unbalanced input balanced (mixer inputs are balanced). You can DI an amp, some have outputs for that that don't need the DI box.

Bass is usually recorded DI, with or without an amp, sometimes both mic and DI at the same time.

For example all the bass on 'Sgt. Pepper's' was DI'd without an amp.
 
#7
At it's simplest, a DI converts the high-impedance, unbalanced signal from your guitar to a low-impedance, balanced signal suitable for plugging into a mixing console.

Balanced signals are nearly immune to noise-pickup which make them very suitable for running long distances. The channel strip of a mixing console is designed around the typical source impedance of a microphone, so the impedance is altered to suit.

Many DI's also come with additional functionality such as EQ, overdrive, cabinet simulation which make them more like preamps with a DI output.
 

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