When do you feel it's up to the bassist (or not up to the bassist) to supply the D.I. box for his signal?
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Who supplies the D.I.?
- Thread starter bass12
- Start date
s0c9
Supporting Member
Depends on whether you know what DI you want to use or want to see what shows up.
I ALWAYS carry my own - in case..
But most Festival-or-larger type SR providers will USUALLY have their own.
Not come across one yet that did not..
I ALWAYS carry my own - in case..
But most Festival-or-larger type SR providers will USUALLY have their own.
Not come across one yet that did not..
I expect the house to have one, but I always bring my own because mine (Broughton P15) is better.
If sound system is provided (and especially if backline is) They will have plenty of DI's.
However, if you have a DI of choice, you should tote it around with you.
However, if you have a DI of choice, you should tote it around with you.
Yup .. whatever sound guy drops I will use, unless he is happy with the DI out of my amp ... I also carry a basic DI just in case ...
I have one built in to my amp, and one in my bag. I never have to "hope" the soundguy has one.
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
I've never met a sound guy who didn't have one. I have pretty much always gigged my own though, you just never know. I use the internal one in my Markbass these days.
When i gig, I use the di in my bassbone. Nobody ever complains. When i do sound, I drop 3 countryman type 85's , 3 radial pro's , 2 LR baggs Paracoustics, dbx di12, and a couple of other mutts... Also have a 4 channel Behringer 1 Ru active setup for samplers and keyboard pits...
Not going to be 100% popular here but I try like hell to never, ever use the Di off a Bass amp - unless it's my gk - there are a couple of reasons. Chief among them is tht if we turn phantom power on that channel by accident - I don't want to pay for the repair. I gather that most amps will deal... Problem is that leaves some that probably won't and I don't trust my luck. So... If we use the DI in your amp after i've offered up mine, we do it at your risk... We try like hell not to make mistakes and to my knowledge we've never actually done that but there can always be a first time. I really don't want it to be your amp...
Not going to be 100% popular here but I try like hell to never, ever use the Di off a Bass amp - unless it's my gk - there are a couple of reasons. Chief among them is tht if we turn phantom power on that channel by accident - I don't want to pay for the repair. I gather that most amps will deal... Problem is that leaves some that probably won't and I don't trust my luck. So... If we use the DI in your amp after i've offered up mine, we do it at your risk... We try like hell not to make mistakes and to my knowledge we've never actually done that but there can always be a first time. I really don't want it to be your amp...
as a player, whether it's my guitar rig where i use my own mic, my bass rig where my sansamp DI is all the soundguy needs to get from me, or my acoustic instruments where i have my own DIs on my pedalboard, i prefer to handle everything up to the XLR out, so the soundguy just needs to hand me a mic cable and we're in business.
as a soundguy, i need to be ready to extract a signal from the players whether they have any clue how that happens or not, so i need my own DIs, mics and various adapters and turnarounds.
as a soundguy, i need to be ready to extract a signal from the players whether they have any clue how that happens or not, so i need my own DIs, mics and various adapters and turnarounds.
I carry a Radial JDI with me. I set it up there and point it out to the sound guy of the day. They've never balked at it. Before long, it will be a REDDI . Might have some explaining to do...
I pretty much took 4Mal's position about resisting the use of the amp's XLR out. Besides the phantom power danger, I saw a lot of Low control jacked up 100%, mins totally out, Treble jacked 100%. Bassists might think that sound good hitting a PA console, but being a bassist AND a former pro audio guy of 20 years, I assure it DOES NOT (And how about some of you guys keeping in mind that a bass-playing sound guy is on your side!).
However, after all the years of guff and crap I heard about "My Sound" (oh, that magic sound that's hitting the back of your knees?), I gave up. You want the PA line from your head? You got it. No argument from me anymore. Bigger battles to deal with than "My Sound".
In fairness, most of the time, I got a nice usable sound from the amp DI (but I fail to see why some of them are so noisy, which could be operator error).
Now, of course, MY amps' XLR sounds (an EBS Fafner and a GenzBenz 210 kickback) are as pure and clean as the wind-driven snow...
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I always have my Countryman Type 85 and Ampeg SCR-DI in my gig bag in case I need to supply one in backline situations. Usually the house has their own that they will supply, and I'll use that unless it is particularly awful.
Other times I'm supplying my own PA, so I of course use one of my DIs.
Other times I'm supplying my own PA, so I of course use one of my DIs.
I roll my own DI, I have a lovely DI on my amp, and I bring a Shure SM7 to most gigs, just in case.
The point isn't about who should supply the DI, it's about having a DI that you trust and know, just in case. My DI has been used on acoustics, keys, and most everything else in a pinch. It's about having it and not needing it, instead of needing it and not having it.
The point isn't about who should supply the DI, it's about having a DI that you trust and know, just in case. My DI has been used on acoustics, keys, and most everything else in a pinch. It's about having it and not needing it, instead of needing it and not having it.
I've been burned one too many times by not having my own DI with me. I always used to expect the venue or sound guy to provide one, but after a few gigs of crappy SM58 mic-ing or stage volume only, I will always have a DI on my board (via my Nobel Pre), or in my bag (Radial J48). If you have a pedalboard, invest in a good Pre/DI at the end of your chain. You don't always have to use the DI, but it's nice to have when you need it.
All of my (non-tube) amps have a built in DI, and that's normally what gets used. I cary a Countryman Type 85 with me in my gig bag. It's kind of a worst case scenario back up, AND, I have played a few gigs where the sound guy insists on using a DI box, and not the DI on the amp - usually old grouchy guys. That's when it's nice to pull out your own DI, and not rely on who knows what the club might have. The countryman can also do a speaker-level so you can DI out of the back of your vintage tube amp if that is "part of your sound."
I think the rule is: passive bass = active DI,,, active bass = passive DI. Most clubs will have a DI you can use, but I have rarely seen a club with an active DI. IME, you usually get the cheapest box on the market.
90% of the time, a DI on your amp is just fine, but a good DI that works with your bass is a good investment for a working bass player.
I think the rule is: passive bass = active DI,,, active bass = passive DI. Most clubs will have a DI you can use, but I have rarely seen a club with an active DI. IME, you usually get the cheapest box on the market.
90% of the time, a DI on your amp is just fine, but a good DI that works with your bass is a good investment for a working bass player.
I take a Radial JDI or Countryman Type 85 with me to most gigs, whether we are supplying the PA or there is a house system. If the house supplies one on arrival, mine stays in the bag. And on the gigs where we supply our own PA, the rooms are usually so small I don't even bother putting the bass in the mains anyway.
I also often have a 3Leaf Enabler on me as well, and both my amps have XLR out. I think I'm covered...
I also often have a 3Leaf Enabler on me as well, and both my amps have XLR out. I think I'm covered...
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I run DI off my amp as it is isolated from the amp itself from having this very thing happen (below). I do also have a Radial ProDI just in case though because you never know when you'll need it.
- Transformer balanced Studio grade Line driver output: Quality can vary wildly with built-in DIs, but RH750’s DI is transformer balanced and galvanic isolated from the rest of the amp, which means that you get absolutely no ground loops or annoying humming. And don’t worry about long cable runs – RH750 will draw at least 100m of cable with zero loss of audio quality. Even though the integrated DI in RH750 does not need 48v phantom to operate, it does not get harmed if your sound engineer should happen to leave it on by accident.
