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Which DI for my direct/IEM board?

SteveC

Supporting Member
Nov 12, 2004
31,665
46,802
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NE ND
Hey all. We're going IEM at church. I have everything for my little IEM/DI board except the DI.

I'm using a Boss TU-2, a Rolls PM50 amp and Yamaha EPH 50 ear buds. Not super high end but does the job.

Anyway, I'm playing a passive Geddy Lee these days and am wondering if I need to have an active DI. The cable runs aren't very long.

Thoughts?
 
Countryman Type 85 or the J48 would be a great option. I'd go for the Countryman personally. I've got one and it sounds great. It can take phantom power or a battery, I believe the J48 is phantom only.

I agree with this 100% - the J48 and Countryman are both great active DIs, but the 9v option was the deciding factor for me - I use my DI as a "backup amp", and didn't want to be dependant on phantom power if I needed to press it into service... If you shop around, a used Countryman 85 can be had for around $100 - it's tough to spend better money than that as a gigging bassist, IMO...

Lastly - I used a JDI quite a bit for over a year, and switched to active DIs because the JDI didn't work as well with a couple of my passive Fenders - the Countryman works great with my passives and actives...


- georgestrings
 
J48 or Pro48 for a passive bass, JDI or ProDI for an active bass.


Although I feel the J48 and JDI are industry standards for good reason, I'm less than impressed with the Pro48 or ProDI - IMO/IME, those aren't any better than DIs by Whirlwind, Rapco, EWI, or even Behringer - and not worth the additional cost... I'll take my used Countryman 85 for $100 over a Pro48 for nearly the same money, every time...


- georgestrings
 
So I played at church and a "corporate" gig yesterday. Used the wired IEM System of Boss TU-2, Rolls PM50 and Yamaha EPH50 single driver buds. Sounded pretty darn good. Better at the corporate gig - had a better board and a better (Radial JDI) DI as well.

The experience with the better board (PreSonus which we will have at church - my main gig - soon) and DI got me thinking I shouldn't skimp on my DI. I was thinking of a Radial JDI or J48, but after using a JDI with my passive Geddy with great results, I'm thinking I could go JDI without worry.

I was originally thinking of using a small board that would have my Tuner, Rolls and DI all wired up/powered up ready to go so I'd just have to plug in the DI out, Monitor In, my bass and earphones and be ready to go in 2 minutes.

Now, I have also liked using an Avalon U5. It's big and not travel friendly, but I really only play at church so it's not in the band van getting roughed up. A little board would be easier and more convenient, but if I'm using IEM I want to get the best sound I can to my ears. I also want to get as good a sound as possible sent to the FOH.

Any ideas how I could use the Avalon but in a convenient way like a small pedal board? I know it's not possible, but thought I'd ask.