• 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.

Which DI to Chose?

#21
I have Countryman Type 85s and Radial JDIs and J48s, and I use the J48s more than any of the others. I use it with my active basses in my trio, going direct to the board. It all boils down to whether you want to use higher or lower input gain at the board. I just feel that the active J48 gives me that little extra push over the cliff when I need it.
 
#22
Munjibunga said:
I have Countryman Type 85s and Radial JDIs and J48s, and I use the J48s more than any of the others. I use it with my active basses in my trio, going direct to the board. It all boils down to whether you want to use higher or lower input gain at the board. I just feel that the active J48 gives me that little extra push over the cliff when I need it.
Click to expand...
does it go to 11?
 
#23
Hi.

In all these years on both sides of the mixing desk, I really haven't found much difference between quality DI's. In either direction.

The Countryman has been the industry standard for as long as I can remember, but other makes, even the dreaded cheapos have performed adequately.

The built in DI's on amps have had huge differences, and unless I can test it properly beforehand, I wouldn't use it regardless of whether I'm playing or doing FOH.

That said, I've been more than pleased with the NOS SVTDI I bought a few years back.

Regards
Sam
 
#25
I've used a Tech 21 Paradriver (newer model) going straight to the board several times. What I figured out:
If you set the XLR to "Line" it pushes your output and tends to slight distort when oushed really hard. Set to "Instrument" it is of course lower without distortion. But then again with a lot less volume. Turning up the Level does help a bit but it misses that slight "over the top" sound from the "Line"-Level. Somehting in the middle would be just great! ;)
I was therefore scared to use a JDI only because I think it may just react like the "Line"-Level on the Paradriver (low output) where a Countryman could push things forward a bit...
?
 
#28
I think the active passive di thing is another topic that has been subject to TB forum "hair splitting". I have used everything with a countryman and it always works great. Of course tone is subjective. I think a good di should be fairly neutral sounding which the type 85 is.
 
#29
metron said:
I think the active passive di thing is another topic that has been subject to TB forum "hair splitting". I have used everything with a countryman and it always works great. Of course tone is subjective. I think a good di should be fairly neutral sounding which the type 85 is.
Click to expand...

I agree, i have used my JDI with passive basses all the time with no issues. Even with my low output Ric the JDI preformes flawlessly.
 
#30
smgga said:
I'm pending between a Countryman 85 and a Radial JDI. However, I read a lot of comments like "passive bass prefers an active DI" etc.
I know that many factors may have an impact upon the signal chain etc. but maybe you can help me / share your experience on the following:
Passive Fender > VT Bass or similiar 9V powered preamp > which DI?
It sounds logic to me, that the outboard preamp converts the passive instrument into an active one which will suit the JDI best. Or am I wrong?
Any disantvantages in using the Countryman with this setup (like overpowering the DI input > distortion / clipping)?

All I need is sending a strong signal to the board (or let's say feed the DI with a good enough signal).
I'd rather like to have more headroom / gain without distortion on the PA than being too calm with a passive DI.

VT Deluxe is no option, I want to have (single) interchangeable components in my chain.

Thanks for your input!
Click to expand...

How about sending your VT to Mike Putnam for some DI mods? My modded VT sounds incredible through the DI!
 
#34
Did you experiment more with your G.K. XLR's?
While I mostly use an E.B.S. Microbass (for bringing 2 basses), I have used those stereo XLR's too (when playing the fretless only) and got no complaints from soundengineers.
Just make sure that (when they use phantom power on all channels) you DON'T ground-lift!
That could destroy the output instantly... D'oh!
 
#35
Funny no one mentioned the DI 1000 from BBE, active and passive circuits. I don't care much for the maximizer, though I have used it in some occasions.
I carry this box with me at all time as I am a sound man and it is always put to good use with a ratio of 5 out 6 times with the bass. Often Passive even with passive basses. It has a good jensen trany that is bullet proof.
I am not sure why people don't like it. I know I do

Oli
 
#37
I had a chance to try out several DI's in the meantime and wanted to share my experiences with you...
(all DI's tested with a passive P-Bass in the studio with a Toft ATB24 Analog Mixer and on a neutral sounding Yamaha PA).
Pls note: these are just my subjective impressions :)

BDDI
Well known and discussed a lot...
With the Sansamp emulation de-activated the box is a simple DI without much coloration. Sounded a bit whooly / soft to me (in comparison to all other DI's).
Much better sound with the Sansamp emulation of course. Still you have to dig the sound (best to play with the bland knob!). Nevertheless I was a bit disappointed in the power & sound of the DI out (I played a ParaDriver for several years) in the studio.

Radial JDI
Passive bass with the passive JDI. I was excited to hear this combination.
In comparison to the active DI's you definetely notice a loss in level and frequencies. The JDI does load the passive pickups as far as I understood, which causes a difference in sound.
But I have to say that the JDI wins in terms of "sound" (although this is some sort of "coloration" in the end). As s.o. stated above P-Bass + JDI = great match (unfortunately I had no comparison with another bass). The P sounded really smooth and a bit "woody" in the mids. The highs were rolled off (compared to the active DI's), but didn't sound lifeless or muddy. What I didn't like was the sound of the bass frequencies. They were to much highlighted. Nice for some people but not for me. Too bassy in the end.
If you like a classic vintage orientated sound (which I also like sometimes) you may prefer the passive JDI with a P (will for sure sound different with an active bass). When it comes to preamps in front of the signal chain we are talking about a whole different sound. I didn't like the JDI in combination with some preamps (unfortunately I like to play with them so the JDI was not the best choice for me in the end).

Countryman 85 / 10
I ordered both of these units because I was curious if you would hear a major difference in terms of sound / level etc.
The Type 10 is supposed to be some sort of devolopment of the trusted Type 85 I guess. According to the data sheet you'll get less distortion etc. bla.
When I compared the two DI's I heard a difference in the shaping of the sound. It's difficult to say, but the Type 10 sounded a bit more hifi than the Type 85. Noticeably more lows, a bit more "high end highs" and overall a bit more output.
In the end I liked the Type 85 far more! It is still very "active" sounding (compared to the JDI for example) but there is something going on that makes it sound really tight. Bass frequencies are not as strong as the Type 10 (which I prefer) and the highs are getting smoothed out a bit (not as much hifi-sounding). Don't get me wrong, it is still very neutral sounding, but with a slight touch of tube flavour (compared to the Type 10). I guess this is the overload-behavior of the class A FET amplifier in the Type 85. Behaves just like a compressor in some way I think...
Paired with preamps the Type 85 still sounded very good and I liked the overall sound a lot (better than with the JDI).

SPL Gainstation
Actually this one was sitting on the desk of the studio. I tried it out and really liked it so far. But hey - I would never take it out on a filthy stage for that price! :)
But I get the whole tube-preamp-REDDI-TheBrick-thing...

In the end a DI should provide a good clean signal to the console / PA.
I expected that you would only hear major (sound) differences in the studio. On stage this is is a whole different story. Nevertheless you can also hear the differences in a loud live environment. For example the Type 10 sounded extremely clear and bassy (best for modern tones and 5-6 strings I would suppose) where the JDI was a bit more shy and colored due to the passive circuit.
I guess it all depends what you want to achieve with your whole setup...
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back