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What is your favorite DI for live use?

#41
I recently sold my True Voice. I kinda regret it. An incredible sounding box. The DI is wonderfully "tube-y", and that big ol' 6S*7 tube has both a unique and wonderful "voice", but tons of headroom to boot!

I loved recording thru it...and even using live as a pre (tho it does seem a bit fragile....), but when interfacing it with other devices, such as my looping rig, there would some ground hum probelms which I could not remedy. Running by itself, tho, it was hard to beat that tone. I guess that is what we could call "Instant Vintage".
It made my AI Contra sound VERY much like a flip-top B15.
And...soundmen went gaga when I would pull that baby out!

I am actually giving some consideration to having a custom DI/pre made on those similar lines. Using 6A*7 tubes, but perhaps opting for a Jensen trans. as opposed the UTC....a little better shielding and star point grounding........

Max
 
#44
pickles said:
After a gig last night with a frustrating DI scene, I'm looking to add a killer active external DI to my gig kit. I'm thinking of going with something tube since I'd like to deliver a signal to the board that sounds great right out of the gate. I've been listening to the basstasters clips, but I'm looking for real-world feedback out there about these.
Click to expand...

HI

Sometime ago I made a passive, very simple DI box. The xformer is a very good quality Lundahl LL1530. The box has the normal ins and outs and a line/speaker pad (a switch).
This makes it very versatile box. I can take the feed from the speaker output or from pre amp or from my (active) WAL-bass. Never need to worry the phantom or battery: it is a true plug-it-in-and-play box.
 
#45
Hi,

I have both the U5 and Summit TD-100. For me, the Summit gets more use due to it's size/weight, and warmer sound (to my ear). The U5 has a great big huge sound, very wide, but is clean, clean, clean. I like the extra dimension that the TD-100 imparts.

If I have the need for passive DI box, I prefer the Radial JDI.

Peace,

Matt
 
#46
I'm really excited about the tube buffering that the Demeter and Aguilar would provide for the signal to my amp as well as the PA. Combined with a winning form factor for strapping on to a pedalboard, I think I'm down to those two. Reviews I've read about the 900 have been very positive, so I'm a bit puzzled by the negative comments here on it.

Would love to hear more feedback on Demeter vs. Aguilar. On basstasters the Aguilar seems like it might sound a bit closer to the holy grail Evil Twin.

I know we're splitting hairs here in a big way, but these are $600 DIs ... so :help:
 
#47
KJung said:
The U5 is amazing as a DI, but is big, expensive, and doesn't seem to sound significantly better to my ear than the small JDI if you are just looking for a quiet, relatively 'flat' dump to the board. IMO.
Click to expand...

I know that is just your opinion...but as someone who owns U5 and JDI (i've tried other radial boxes too)...the JDI is flat, but the U5 is not flat. The U5 has preset EQ curves with a boost...sounds amazing, but DEFINITELY colors the sound. If you are setting it flat, there is no point to getting it.
 
#49
pickles said:
On basstasters the Aguilar seems like it might sound a bit closer to the holy grail Evil Twin.
Click to expand...

I think that points exactly to the disparity in peoples' comments about the Aggie. What I mean is, I think the Evil Twin sounds crummy in the Basstasters clips; hearing those clips, I have no idea why anyone would "waste" their money on it. Yet clearly others think it sounds ideal. So the Aggie is probably equally fantastic/disappointing/etc. to various people's ears.
 
#50
The Evil twin sounds great to me on a lot of the basses on there ... really fat. Its not nearly as bright as the demeter or aggie, but the low end and midrange is great, and then you can use the 3k and 9k shelves to brighten it up if necessary ...
 
#51
If the budget is tight or you enjoy diy you can purchase the exact same Jensen transformer as used in the Radial direct from jensen. They even have a little kit of all the other bits you need (other than the jacks & a box to put it in) and a schematic.

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#53
pickles said:
The JDI is passive, and I'm looking for an active box.

Missing the summit was an oversight ... I'm adding that to the top contenders list after listening to basstasters! Though it doesn't sound quite as fat as the other two.
Click to expand...

Hey Pickles,

What were the factors that led you to choose an active DI over a passive unit?
 
#54
I'll be finally picking up a Radial JDI in the very near future. It's just too valuable a thing to have around for those ocassions where an amp's DI won't quite cut it or if there is no way to eliminate ground loop noise. I don't mean to imply that it will merely be a spare as the JDI is an amazing sounding unit in its own right! Since I'm feeding it exclusively with active basses (or floor pedals) the lower input impedance of the JDI compared to most active DI boxes won't be an issue.
 
#55
Jazzdogg said:
Hey Pickles,

What were the factors that led you to choose an active DI over a passive unit?
Click to expand...

I use passive basses from time to time, and effects, and am looking for a DI that will help preserve my tone over long cable runs, as well as provide a tube sound for the FOH.

If I give up on the tube tone, then really a JDI would probably work fine for me, since I'm using a Barge Concepts looper that buffers my signal to some degree (this has made a huge improvement in my overall tone). But I think putting a tube stage right as the signal comes out of the looper would be another step in the right direction.

Just looking for the best possible tone from both my stage amp and the PA.
 
#56
pickles said:
I use passive basses from time to time, and effects, and am looking for a DI that will help preserve my tone over long cable runs, as well as provide a tube sound for the FOH.

If I give up on the tube tone, then really a JDI would probably work fine for me, since I'm using a Barge Concepts looper that buffers my signal to some degree (this has made a huge improvement in my overall tone). But I think putting a tube stage right as the signal comes out of the looper would be another step in the right direction.

Just looking for the best possible tone from both my stage amp and the PA.
Click to expand...

Thanks. OK, so the idea is to use an active device that provides a buffer or op-amp when the possibility of tone-suck caused by long cable runs needs to be taken into account.
 
#57
bongomania said:
I think that points exactly to the disparity in peoples' comments about the Aggie. What I mean is, I think the Evil Twin sounds crummy in the Basstasters clips; hearing those clips, I have no idea why anyone would "waste" their money on it. Yet clearly others think it sounds ideal. So the Aggie is probably equally fantastic/disappointing/etc. to various people's ears.
Click to expand...

I don't mean to diss basstasters, I appreciate all the effort they put in, but some of the playing is so ordinary that some clips are next to useless imo. GIGO as they say in computing. Personally I wouldn't use basstasters to make a purchase decision. ymmv etc.
 
#59
I have tried and tried and tried to like the sound of the SABDDI...I have had 6 of 'em of the course of the past several years. They just don't do it for me. I have also tried the SAADI and a fe others (the classic, that rack mount thingy, a RBI, a RPM and even that compactor they marketed a while back. I don't care for the sound of them with my basses......
On the other hand, I really like using them to muck up digital tracks...an ersatz "re-amping" with a twist of sonic mutation. Running a drum submix thru a SansAmp is quite cool...especially if you run, say the hi hat thru a different one. Sort of a Tchad Blake trick....and the only thing I use SansAmps for.

Max
 
#60
I dig BDDIs as an effect, but I hear a bit of "tone suck" on the uneffected side whenever I use mine. So I do use it, but it stays in an effects loop so its not in the signal path when bypassed ... for me its not going to be a great choice as a full time DI.

A good choice, but not a great one ... IMO/IME/YMMV.
 

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