Suffering Heath
32 posts
Mar 28, 2014
5:35 AM
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Mornin’, folks.
Can someone write about the differences in DI Boxes? I have a ’65 Kalamazoo with a Line Out. So, it goes to a DI Box, then to the sound guy to put through the mains.
Is there a particular DI Box I should be using? Some are $30, some are $100. What are the advantages of spending more money?
Thanks harp-people.
Heath
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http://www.reverbnation.com/thebluesprofessors
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rainman
131 posts
Mar 28, 2014
6:24 AM
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Unless you need to go to XLR output I would send signal to sound guy through the 1/4" output. It "Line Level" and should be fine going direct into mixer. If a di box is needed I carry an ART Dual Transformer/Isolator. It's saved me more than once.
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Greg Heumann
2660 posts
Mar 28, 2014
7:39 AM
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All you need is a simple passive DI box. Having a ground lift is a nice feature which many of them have and can solve hum problems when the PA is plugged into a different circuit than the amp.
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***************************************************
/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
See my Customer Mics album on Facebook
BlueState - my band
Bluestate on iTunes
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Suffering Heath
33 posts
Mar 28, 2014
8:41 AM
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Would something like THIS cover me?
Live Wire PDI Double Shielded Passive Direct Box - $39
1/4" high impedance input and output
Balanced XLR output
Ground lift switch
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/live-wire-pdi-double-shielded-heavy-duty-passive-direct-box?pfm=sp
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http://www.reverbnation.com/thebluesprofessors
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HawkeyeKane
2438 posts
Mar 28, 2014
8:50 AM
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That'd work.
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
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Suffering Heath
34 posts
Mar 28, 2014
8:55 AM
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Thanks fellas!
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http://www.reverbnation.com/thebluesprofessors
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HawkeyeKane
2439 posts
Mar 28, 2014
9:15 AM
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One point though on that particular DI Heath....
Remember our conversation before about using a DI to split your Zoo's signal between the PA and a second amp? That Live Wire DI would do that, BUT, it doesn't have the signal attenuators that prove handy when splitting between the PA and the monitor amp. Here's the active DI box I use when I'm doing that. Same price as the Live Wire, and it can run off a 9V battery or phantom power.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/behringer-ultra-di-di100-direct-box
OR....Live Wire also makes a passive DI with the attenuators built in as well. $10 less than the one without. Hmmm...
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/live-wire-spdi-passive-direct-box-with-attenuation-pad?pfm=sp
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
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Kingley
3549 posts
Mar 28, 2014
9:22 AM
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I would recommend you get an active DI box. One that has ground lift and -dB switches. It'll be far more useful in any situation. A passive DI is very good , but may not solve some of the problems you may encounter when using a DI. An active one is more likely to be more useful in the long run. Personally I use a SoundLab DI100 active DI box and have never had a problem with it yet.
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DukeBerryman
304 posts
Mar 28, 2014
9:26 AM
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@Kane It's cool that your Behringer can use a battery instead of just a power plug - I thought these active boxes only came with power plugs. That's what I would try - active DI box but one that uses a battery just like a pedal.
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HawkeyeKane
2440 posts
Mar 28, 2014
9:48 AM
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Yeah...two nice things about the battery supply, the battery lasts FOREVER. I don't think I've had to change it more than once in a year. The other great thing is if phantom power is applied to it, the battery automatically cuts off, saving power.
Also, (and I only just now figured this out), the Behringer can accept an amp's speaker load signal and cut it down to balanced line level, effectively creating a line out all on its own. Just have to make sure BOTH attenuators are activated, and the ground is lifted so the amp won't short circuit.
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
Last Edited by HawkeyeKane on Mar 28, 2014 10:02 AM
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SmokeJS
241 posts
Mar 28, 2014
10:30 AM
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Need to ask a basic question on this subject. If I find myself in a situation where I need need to use the line out on my KZoo to send signal to a PA do I need a DI box because the PA requires a XLR input?
Last Edited by SmokeJS on Mar 28, 2014 11:38 AM
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Kingley
3551 posts
Mar 28, 2014
10:42 AM
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SmokeJS - If the PA only has XLR inputs then yes, you're better off using a DI box. If the PA has line level jack inputs though, you should be fine just using a jack to jack lead most of the time.
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HawkeyeKane
2441 posts
Mar 28, 2014
11:04 AM
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I'd still keep a DI handy even if the PA does have 1/4" inputs. Yes, it's simpler to go one cable between connections. And maybe it's just my Zoo and my band's PA, but it seems I consistently have a grounding buzz through the mains if I just go straight to the board without a ground lift, no matter what room it is we're playing. Better safe than sorry....keep a DI handy.
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
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HawkeyeKane
2442 posts
Mar 28, 2014
11:52 AM
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XLR is balanced and better shielded than 1/4" instrument cable is. Any length should be fine. A lot of DI's should have a 1/4" output on them as well as XLR. If the PA doesn't have XLR connections, then you can run 1/4" cable from the DI's output to the board, and it should still kill any buzz with the ground lift activated.
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
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SmokeJS
243 posts
Mar 28, 2014
2:19 PM
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The Behringer DI400P High-Performance Passive DI-Box specs indicate it has both 1/4 inch and XLR outputs so that sounds like it's what Hawkeye suggests and it has the ground lift feature. The only other question I have is what additional value does an active DI bring? It sounds like some passive units have the same features as some active units?
Last Edited by SmokeJS on Mar 28, 2014 3:01 PM
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Greg Heumann
2661 posts
Mar 28, 2014
2:31 PM
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Active direct boxes can amplify weak signals. You don't need one.
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***************************************************
/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
See my Customer Mics album on Facebook
BlueState - my band
Bluestate on iTunes
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MJ
703 posts
Mar 28, 2014
3:19 PM
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Suffering Heath, After looking at my DI boxes I will amend my previous remark about having a couple like you mentioned. Mine are the Live Wire SPDI Passive Direct Box with Attenuation Pad. They work for me.
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SmokeJS
244 posts
Mar 28, 2014
3:29 PM
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Two last (maybe) questions.
1) Hawkeye mentions using the DI box to send the line out signal to both the PA and a second amp. I mostly use a KZoo and will on occasion send the line out to my much larger Meteor or Masco to increase volume. Do others do that and send the signal to the PA as well in certain venues?
2) The XLR cable to the PA needs to be male at one end and female at the other? Or some other permutation?
Thanks.
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SuperBee
1835 posts
Mar 28, 2014
3:35 PM
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I am amused by the term 'Kzoo'. I know they are good sounding small amps, so it's not really appropriate, just Barley Nrctar was talking about overdriven small amps having 'Kazoo tone'. I don't think he meant 'kzoo tone'...
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slackwater
39 posts
Mar 29, 2014
2:42 AM
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Smoke, 2) Yep, normal m/f microphone lead, but,and here's the thing with passive DI's, if you've got a female to female lead or an adapter you can connect a low impedance mic to the "output" and use it in reverse to give a high impedance signal at the "input" to plug into your amp- HI to Low one way, Low to High the other. AS far as I know no active DI can do that.
I have seen people once or twice with power problems with an active DI too, never happens with a passive
one. I like passive. Maybe I'm too passive, I do suspect that I'm not active enough.
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DukeBerryman
307 posts
Mar 29, 2014
6:53 AM
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According to the manual for the Radial ProDI, you can use it in reverse, and they even describe it as "re-amping". I tried to include the link, but it got caught by the spam filter. Just do a search for the manual and it's available online.
@Hawk Do you have a passive DI to test this?
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HawkeyeKane
2444 posts
Mar 29, 2014
10:55 AM
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Hmmm...my bandleader has a couple. Maybe I'll try and experiment with this concept.
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Hawkeye Kane - Hipbone Sam
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