OK, just going a bit further for those interested. There are commonly 2 different analogue audio signal types. 1. In domestic audio, we have unbalanced or single point audio. This is where there is one signal conductor per channel and a common ground shield. The signal is like low voltage AC of varying frequency and wave shape that emulates the sound waves. The ground shield is the reference voltage for the signal. While the reference voltage is often referred to as zero volts, there is no such thing. It's just that the difference between the reference and the signal is what gives the signal it's voltage. Therefore, it is essential that both of these be connected between unbalanced components or they won't work at all. Typically RCA or Tip Sleeve (TS) phone connectors are used for a channel or a Tip Ring Sleeve (TRS) phone connector having both a Left & a Right signal conductor and a ground shield may be used for stereo (2 channel) connection. 2. In professional audio or PA, a balanced or multi point signal type is preferred. This is where each channel has 2 signal conductors, in phase signal notated as + (hot) and inverse phase notated - (cold). There is also a ground shield and sometimes there is a drain as well. So each channel plug has to have 3-4 connecting pins. The ground shied has not signal path function but is used to drain away excess induced noise from adjacent cabling or radio interference. However, as the cables in PA are often very long some of this induced noise can significantly infect the signal conductors. The noise though is in phase on both conductors but the signal is phases are inverted (opposite) of each other. Connected equipment exploits this to cancel out the noise by inverting one line and combining it with the other. In this way, we can carry a very clean signal a long way with balanced cabling but unbalanced cable is only good for about 5 metres. As mentioned, XLR connectors are often used, especially for microphones. However TRS phone connectors may also be used which can be confusing as they are also used for unbalanced stereo and you can't tell if a sockets is TS, TRS, unbalanced or balanced just by looking at it. You have to check manuals or test the connector and signal electrically. As the ground shield has no signal path function, it may be lifted at one end to break ground loops though connecting that end via a significant resistor retains better noise grounding. DI boxes come in 2 forms (passive or active) and with varying levels of complexity and features but essentially, signal is transmitted from input to output via induction commonly using an audio transformer. Therefore the Input signal conductors are not directly connected to the output signal conductors leaving the balanced and unbalanced signal paths electrically isolated from each other yet able to pass signal by induction. There may be additional electronics to help keep the tonality of the signal intact, there may be attenuation switches (-6 dB etc), gain controls, filtering, ground lift, stereo channel merging etc. Some DI boxes are passive (un-powered) others are active (powered) if there are functions like amplification or DAC (You can get USB DI boxes). Depending on the complexity, flexibility and quality you require, they can range from about $30 to $400 or so. An important function of DI boxes is impedance (Z) matching. In audio, impedance matching is most important. The rule is that a source output impedance must be many times lower than the receiving devices input impedance, often by 1000 fold or more. If this is wrong then the tonal quality will suffer due to frequency based filtering. Electric guitar pickups have Hi Z and mixing desk XLR inputs have Low Z, directly connecting them will suck all the richness from the guitar's tone. Many desk's have a HiZ TRS phone input for this reason but still may not be high enough. It is usually best to use a DI to connect HiZ sources to a mixing desk. Usually audio gear sorts this for you so you don't have to think about it, except for instruments and Amplifier / speaker connection where cable impedance (gauge and length) is important. Possibly too much but budding audio engineers may be interested.
I keep seeing the Fender Micro DI in my local shop and abroad! I’m glad I didn’t get it because I thought DI stood for Distortion! Ugh I’m pretty dumb! Glad I found this video thank you for explaining!
Awesome finally someone made this clear and cover the variety of user for this di box thanks for saving my time searching through a lot of tutorials that just wasn't giving me the information that related to my issues.
Essentially, these are impedance matching transformers. They convert the high impedance unbalanced output from most instruments (guitar, bass, etc.) into a low impedance signal carried on a balanced line. The benefit is twofold. You turn your instrument's output into a low impedance signal that can run over much longer cables without significant signal loss -- especially in higher frequencies. You also get a balanced output which rejects RFI, EMI and other types of interference introduced through the cable itself.
Thanks a lot. My audio interface has only 1/4 inch outputs and during a concert last week I had that line hum (I had no idea cable length causes that). Well, thank you!! Will get a D.I box!
Bryan ***** , thank you for this informative video. 2 questions if you would have time to help. 1. If an electric guitar is plugging into the box with a quarter inch plug, should it go into the "In" line or "Out" line? 2. What is the difference between the 40, 20, and 0 DB? Which should be used? Thank you so much for the video and help answering these two questions!
I've ignored buying DI's and about a month ago, I went with my band to a gig where they had professional sound equipment but they didn't know a rock band was going to the event so they didn't bring any DI Boxes. They ended up putting mics even to the bass amps...
I play really loud rock music (usually gigs are from 500-1000 people). And I almot always mic my bass cab (whilst using a DI box at the same time). Been doing it for 8 years. Wider tonal option to choose from.
There are different DI boxes as well. Active and passive. Which one do you need? If your source/guitar is passive meaning no battery or powered eq then an active DI is in order. If you have a powered source/guitar meaning there is a battery or some sort of inserted power such as a stomp box then a passive DI is what you need.
Hello, I'm interested in knowing if the TYPE 85 is working with a tube amplifier directly connected to a sound card in the home studio without connecting the speaker to the amplifier. Can the amplifier be damaged? Thank you Avi Mandalevy
Which type do you recomend??passive DI or Active DI.. I see most pros using passive DI boxes. It is my understanding that the active choice gives you a larger impedance inputs than a passive DI.Therefore using a passive DI...wouldn't you be limiting your input choices. Great videos by the way..I watch all the Studio One recording ones...I have 16.4.2 and Studio one 2 Pro. Cheers;
You only have 1 input. The other Jack plug is a parallel output for linking to for instance another DI box. You would need to DI boxes in order to obtain a stereo signal(lets say you have stereo RCA (red white) to 2 mono jacks.
Yes, I plug the drums into the PC via MIDI and then output through an external sound card and then I can use RCA out or connect the RCA into a DI box. I hope it's the right way.
Yes you can connect the line out of a bass amp to a DI and then the DI to your interface. You can also connect the line out direct to the interface though this is an unbalanced signal and you might get some noise issues because of the cable. Line level is a much stronger signal than you would find in an XLR and is the strength we like to use for audio gear such as interfaces, eq`s,compressors etc. When an XLR balanced cable reaches its source, we bump up the signal to line level using "gain"
I have also seen some come with optional BALANCED 1/4 TRS cables, basically the same wiring scheme as XLR, just different connector. Some cheaper ones also have RCA connectors which is great for hooking up your boom box or TV to your DAW when a great concert is on the tube.
what’s the difference between a basic DI box and just using a pigtail cable that adapts a 1/4” to XLR (aside from the ground lift, dB switch capability)?
Some have 9v tips, and others do not, just depends on which one you get, really. You don't have to use the DI box to run the guitar in, but it might improve signal quality, depending on what you're working with. Best of luck! Call if you need one on one help.
Hi Thanks for the fantastic explanation.. I now have a lot clearer understanding of what DI boxes do.. In my band we have two electro acoustic guitars; could I run these two into one DI box? & what would be the best (& most economical) one to get? Thank you...
hi i'm recording my electric guitar straight into my mixer line input...should i be using a DI box with XLR to my mixers MIC XLR then?....also is there a DI box with a 9V tip - socket built in, or do they only run on battery? cheers, good explanation man.. ;)
Thanks, this was helpful. I am learning about this stuff. I got a FocusRite 6i6 interface. It has 4 inputs but only 2 have pre-amps. I need at least 3 inputs. Would getting a DI box allow me to boost and use my guitar signal in one of the non pre-amped inputs? Or would it be a better idea to shell out more money for the 18i8 with more pre-amps.
I have been recording into my computer direct, using a 1/4 inch jack to usb (from a Rocksmith game) and then adding fx in my DAW.it works but I notice a slight lag and it makes recording fast parts just a bit off. Will getting a DI box take help? Either way I guess hearing it through a amp in real time might fix the problem in itself.
so pretty much they work as noise reduction boxes? I have a Noise reduction pedal in my pedal board and my guitar sounds pretty clean, makes me wonder if I still need a DI.
Great info. Thanks. If I wanted to bring a BALANCED signal out of my DAW soundcard (VST Synth) to a mic pre amp and back into my DAW to color the sound, would I need a direct box or an inline attenuator? In this situation I'd be padding the input to the mic pre.
Hello. Nice video. I have a question,,it may seem a stupid one, i don't know. If i use this for playing my backingtracks from my soundcard (let's say Focusrite or something similar), would'nt it be necesarry that the DI have 2 stereo outputs? I mean, i bring the stereo signal from the sound card via the two jacks from it s output to the two jacks from Di's Input, and then I see it's just one XLR output from the DI. Will the sound on the mixer arrive panned and stereo as it should be, or will it be a big and unfortunate centered mono?
Subscribed, informative video :) Quick question, if I use it for stereo acoustic guitar recording- with 2 mics and all. I will need a Stereo DI Box (dual channel) right? I heard 2 mono DI Box won't be the way to go with stereo acoustic guitar recording?
Do they make these DI boxes with 1/4" out? I have a guitar amp with a 1/4" out that I'm running into my monitor speakers. My concern is that I don't know if the resistance or wattage is on par with the speakers. Should this be a concern? I just don't want to damage my speakers. Everything sounds ok, but I do hear a bit of fuzz (probably from my stratocaster pickups).
After rocking back and forth in a foetal position, sobbing and dribbling for a while, I did a bit more research. I'm pretty confident the G5 will do the trick as it has a selector for active or passive input, a balanced XLR output and various output settings in the menu. I now ask out of interest, are there DI boxes designed for both active and passive pick-ups? I read that a general rule of thumb is active pick-ups with a passive DI box or vice versa (although active and active will work)
it's all about ONE path to ground. if you eliminate all the ground pins from every interconnected piece of gear, except ONE, no hum, no problem. however, doing so, can expose musicians, to potential electric shocks, if an amplifier develops a problem. the balanced d.i. converted box eliminates the danger.
@1pilotsteve Many thanks! I would go with a Passive, I believe, because it should technically reduce your noise level. You shouldn't be limiting yourself, as most places you'd use a DI should be able to play nicely with a Passive.
Got a question for you. My church has the house system but the band has its on system. Meaning church mixer used to sound the singers but me and the band havs a mixer used for keys, drum mics, bass and play click tracks.Is it possible to bridge the 2 systems together with the di box and if so what is the proper way to connect it.
So basically this is the same thing as a line-out box for an Amp that doesn't already have one built-in? I remember I had a Peavey Amp awhile ago and I actually made one of these boxes myself. But I think there must be more to it because the one I made was super simple and only cost me like 5$ to build. I think it was just a few jacks and a capacitor...? I did not need an XLR output though I just used a 1/4" TRS output and then went from that into a USB recording interface that had 1/4" TRS input. Now that I think about it, it probably sounded like shit, because there wasn't any cab simulation or anything going on. LOL. I guess you could always run it through a software cab sim later on after it's recorded though.
I've been banned by a sound man to plug guitars directly to the mixer 2 years ago, but I've tried many times before to plug guitars directly without any problems as I mute the channel whenever I plug and unplug. I know DI box can protect the mixer, but is it guilty to plug the guitar without using DI box in a practical point of view?
Very informative video. I just picked up a DI and happens to be the SPDI model as show in your video. Would you elaborate more on the Ground Lift and dB settings? I read somewhere that the ground lift could actually cause the cable shields and metal connectors, and possibly metal guitar strings, to become energized. Is this true? Also, is the 0dB essentially "normal" or "actual" sound level, with -20dB and -40dB being 1/20th and 1/40th less than the "actual" level? Thanks you.
Great video man, one question, if my bass guitar amp has already an XLR balanced output do I need to use a the DI or it's not necessary? (so the path would be: bass guitar to amp head with balanced XLR to interface to DAW) Thanks!
Todos Vuelan, amateur sound engineer here, if you are using an amp, some engineers prefer to mic the amp for a more natural sound, especially for electric guitars.
leah777 That is not correct. DI's don't turn inst level into line level. That's what pre amps do. DI's primary purpose is to turn unbalance signals into balanced signals. Blanaced signals have the benefit of being able to cancel out any interferance that is picked up along the way and so are better suited for longer runs (eg: long snake run to a mixer at the other end of the room). It will ampifiy the signal simply because of the nature of balancing it (-10db to +4db) but those levels are always relative to the input signal.
Mario Paul an active di box would be powered via the phantom power on a balanced line. The passive version would operate via a 9v battery that is fitted inside the do box.
Ive had a db1 for like 7 years...no clue how the fuck i use it it was a high tech beer coaster...but now i have very fun studio so now i get it. Bad ass.
My Roland TM-2 Drum Trigger Module has (2) 1/4 jack outputs, R and L. How do I get them back to the PA board while keeping stereo without running (2) 1/4 inch cables all the way to the board?
so iv been using a DI at church with my bass for years. tone not great but it works. should i shell out money to get a bass one like a mxr DI or something good? or will it not change anything really? the church has some sick subs and speakers but i still sound like a cardboard box sometime
Is there a difference between plugging the XLR cable from a DI box into a mixer versus plugging it into a speaker? I ask because my acoustic amp has a DI Out and I’d like to plug it into my keyboard amp, which has an entry for an XLR.
I have a PA System and too much noise when I Plug almost anything into it. Have been wondering about these DI Boxes for a long time. I see them in the Pawn Shops a lot. No I Know. I'll buy one right away. Thanks so much. {:-)
I am getting a bad hum from my studio interface. My studio has 8 keyboards, turntables, computers, TVs and more... (All plugged into power strips which are then plugged into Furman power conditioners and ending up in one socket in the room - not 2 separate sockets). My question is: WHERE DO I PUT THE DI BOX IN THE SIGNAL CHAIN? I have everything wired into a patch bay which is entirely 1/4" ins/outs My Presonus interface has the dual balanced/unbalanced input jacks on it. So should I use 8 DI boxes between my patchbay & the 8 inputs on my soundcard?
turns out it was the power cable on my iMac - I had to add a ground lifter to the apple power plug. It fixed my problem mostly but I think I need to also do it to one other machine because I still hear it barely now. I understand what electrical ground loop sounds like from this experience :-/ thanks!
I just read a forum thread about high/low impedance and balanced/unbalanced. I am now bleeding from the ears, nose and eyeballs, my brain just couldn't take it. I have an electro acoustic guitar with (I assume, as it has an EQ and takes a battery) an active pick-up. Do I still require a DI box to plug directly to my mixer? Also I own a G5 effects pedal, should I be able to use that as a substitute? I've not incorporated the effects pedal into my act yet which is why I ask.
OK, just going a bit further for those interested. There are commonly 2 different analogue audio signal types.
1. In domestic audio, we have unbalanced or single point audio. This is where there is one signal conductor per channel and a common ground shield. The signal is like low voltage AC of varying frequency and wave shape that emulates the sound waves. The ground shield is the reference voltage for the signal. While the reference voltage is often referred to as zero volts, there is no such thing. It's just that the difference between the reference and the signal is what gives the signal it's voltage. Therefore, it is essential that both of these be connected between unbalanced components or they won't work at all. Typically RCA or Tip Sleeve (TS) phone connectors are used for a channel or a Tip Ring Sleeve (TRS) phone connector having both a Left & a Right signal conductor and a ground shield may be used for stereo (2 channel) connection.
2. In professional audio or PA, a balanced or multi point signal type is preferred. This is where each channel has 2 signal conductors, in phase signal notated as + (hot) and inverse phase notated - (cold). There is also a ground shield and sometimes there is a drain as well. So each channel plug has to have 3-4 connecting pins. The ground shied has not signal path function but is used to drain away excess induced noise from adjacent cabling or radio interference. However, as the cables in PA are often very long some of this induced noise can significantly infect the signal conductors. The noise though is in phase on both conductors but the signal is phases are inverted (opposite) of each other. Connected equipment exploits this to cancel out the noise by inverting one line and combining it with the other. In this way, we can carry a very clean signal a long way with balanced cabling but unbalanced cable is only good for about 5 metres. As mentioned, XLR connectors are often used, especially for microphones. However TRS phone connectors may also be used which can be confusing as they are also used for unbalanced stereo and you can't tell if a sockets is TS, TRS, unbalanced or balanced just by looking at it. You have to check manuals or test the connector and signal electrically. As the ground shield has no signal path function, it may be lifted at one end to break ground loops though connecting that end via a significant resistor retains better noise grounding.
DI boxes come in 2 forms (passive or active) and with varying levels of complexity and features but essentially, signal is transmitted from input to output via induction commonly using an audio transformer. Therefore the Input signal conductors are not directly connected to the output signal conductors leaving the balanced and unbalanced signal paths electrically isolated from each other yet able to pass signal by induction. There may be additional electronics to help keep the tonality of the signal intact, there may be attenuation switches (-6 dB etc), gain controls, filtering, ground lift, stereo channel merging etc. Some DI boxes are passive (un-powered) others are active (powered) if there are functions like amplification or DAC (You can get USB DI boxes). Depending on the complexity, flexibility and quality you require, they can range from about $30 to $400 or so.
An important function of DI boxes is impedance (Z) matching. In audio, impedance matching is most important. The rule is that a source output impedance must be many times lower than the receiving devices input impedance, often by 1000 fold or more. If this is wrong then the tonal quality will suffer due to frequency based filtering. Electric guitar pickups have Hi Z and mixing desk XLR inputs have Low Z, directly connecting them will suck all the richness from the guitar's tone. Many desk's have a HiZ TRS phone input for this reason but still may not be high enough. It is usually best to use a DI to connect HiZ sources to a mixing desk. Usually audio gear sorts this for you so you don't have to think about it, except for instruments and Amplifier / speaker connection where cable impedance (gauge and length) is important.
Possibly too much but budding audio engineers may be interested.
I keep seeing the Fender Micro DI in my local shop and abroad! I’m glad I didn’t get it because I thought DI stood for Distortion! Ugh I’m pretty dumb! Glad I found this video thank you for explaining!
Awesome finally someone made this clear and cover the variety of user for this di box thanks
for saving my time searching through a lot of tutorials that just wasn't giving me the information that related to my issues.
2:39 - actual explanation
Thank you mate. (:
Lol OMG thanks
Hahahahhaaaaaaaaa!!!
I have learned a thing or two from watching these videos. Hopefully Ill never stop learning.Thank you for posting.
I’ve been trying to find this information in lay terms for 2 weeks! Thank you!
Essentially, these are impedance matching transformers. They convert the high impedance unbalanced output from most instruments (guitar, bass, etc.) into a low impedance signal carried on a balanced line. The benefit is twofold. You turn your instrument's output into a low impedance signal that can run over much longer cables without significant signal loss -- especially in higher frequencies. You also get a balanced output which rejects RFI, EMI and other types of interference introduced through the cable itself.
The best DI explanation I've ever heard too - thank very muchly!
Thanks a lot. My audio interface has only 1/4 inch outputs and during a concert last week I had that line hum (I had no idea cable length causes that). Well, thank you!! Will get a D.I box!
I recently found out about guitar di box and this video nicely explains what di box is
This is the best explanation I've heard so far
Thank you for the knowledge! Almost 7 yrs later and it is still doing its purpose!
Hey, thanks for the easy-to-understand tutorial on DI boxes.
Thanks for this straightforward explanation of DI boxes - useful!
Glad it was helpful!
Bryan ***** , thank you for this informative video. 2 questions if you would have time to help. 1. If an electric guitar is plugging into the box with a quarter inch plug, should it go into the "In" line or "Out" line? 2. What is the difference between the 40, 20, and 0 DB? Which should be used? Thank you so much for the video and help answering these two questions!
That's the first video on this kinda of stuff I thoroughly understood .ty!
Thank you, please sub for more!
Thanks for the answer. I'm sure it will. I'll have a chance to test it out in the upcoming months if I get gigs for drumming.
this has been some useful information to me, thanks OBEDIA! peace
Hello. A quick question.. Do D.I Box can retain acoustic guitar sound Including Tapping? And percussion etc.? Thanks for reply..
cheers man, i bought a behringer d120 DI, haven't had time to try it yet...thaks man.
I've ignored buying DI's and about a month ago, I went with my band to a gig where they had professional sound equipment but they didn't know a rock band was going to the event so they didn't bring any DI Boxes. They ended up putting mics even to the bass amps...
Ouch!
I play really loud rock music (usually gigs are from 500-1000 people). And I almot always mic my bass cab (whilst using a DI box at the same time). Been doing it for 8 years. Wider tonal option to choose from.
There are different DI boxes as well. Active and passive. Which one do you need?
If your source/guitar is passive meaning no battery or powered eq then an active DI is in order.
If you have a powered source/guitar meaning there is a battery or some sort of inserted power such as a stomp box then a passive DI is what you need.
Hello, I'm interested in knowing if the TYPE 85 is working with a tube amplifier directly connected to a sound card in the home studio without connecting the speaker to the amplifier. Can the amplifier be damaged? Thank you Avi Mandalevy
Well, you could, but the signal won't really be changed, it simply will output to XLR.
Which type do you recomend??passive DI or Active DI..
I see most pros using passive DI boxes. It is my understanding that the active choice gives you a larger impedance inputs than a passive DI.Therefore using a passive DI...wouldn't you be limiting your input choices. Great videos by the way..I watch all the Studio One recording ones...I have 16.4.2 and Studio one 2 Pro. Cheers;
Thanks for explaining. Needed this for class.
You only have 1 input. The other Jack plug is a parallel output for linking to for instance another DI box. You would need to DI boxes in order to obtain a stereo signal(lets say you have stereo RCA (red white) to 2 mono jacks.
*****
yeah well.. in this case, the DI box shown, the statement above is still true.
Radial engineering ProD2 is a stereo DI box for instance.
Yes, I plug the drums into the PC via MIDI and then output through an external sound card and then I can use RCA out or connect the RCA into a DI box. I hope it's the right way.
Most excellent explanation. Thank you sir!
I believe there are, but I would have to research, to find out.
Thank you. Your explanation is very clear.
Do you know how to setup a feed back destroyer?
***** It is to kill feed back .Behringer model DSP 1124 P
Yes you can connect the line out of a bass amp to a DI and then the DI to your interface.
You can also connect the line out direct to the interface though this is an unbalanced signal and you might get some noise issues because of the cable.
Line level is a much stronger signal than you would find in an XLR and is the strength we like to use for audio gear such as interfaces, eq`s,compressors etc.
When an XLR balanced cable reaches its source, we bump up the signal to line level using "gain"
LOL. He said "Audio Gremlins"
Jim Dale can I get an audio gremlin filter Pedal?
Special Snowfake yes you can! It’s called a DI box. 😈 Gremlin...🙉...Filter
I have also seen some come with optional BALANCED 1/4 TRS cables, basically the same wiring scheme as XLR, just different connector. Some cheaper ones also have RCA connectors which is great for hooking up your boom box or TV to your DAW when a great concert is on the tube.
Thank you for this video, it was very helpful😀👍🙏
Glad it was helpful! Please sub for more.
Nice explanation! thanks for the video.
Thanx for your time !!!!!!!
Thank you so much THIS WAS SERIOUSLY HELPFUL
Hi, congrats for the video very well done, I have a question, can I plug two differents instruments at the same time? thanks in advance.
@deaner18 Usually, although, there is always possibility for noise in any cable, the cable quality is really important.
Thank you for the excellent and very clear explanation. It was very helpful
what’s the difference between a basic DI box and just using a pigtail cable that adapts a 1/4” to XLR (aside from the ground lift, dB switch capability)?
Some have 9v tips, and others do not, just depends on which one you get, really. You don't have to use the DI box to run the guitar in, but it might improve signal quality, depending on what you're working with.
Best of luck! Call if you need one on one help.
Hi Thanks for the fantastic explanation.. I now have a lot clearer understanding of what DI boxes do.. In my band we have two electro acoustic guitars; could I run these two into one DI box? & what would be the best (& most economical) one to get? Thank you...
hi i'm recording my electric guitar straight into my mixer line input...should i be using a DI box with XLR to my mixers MIC XLR then?....also is there a DI box with a 9V tip - socket built in, or do they only run on battery? cheers, good explanation man.. ;)
Thanks, this was helpful. I am learning about this stuff. I got a FocusRite 6i6 interface. It has 4 inputs but only 2 have pre-amps. I need at least 3 inputs. Would getting a DI box allow me to boost and use my guitar signal in one of the non pre-amped inputs?
Or would it be a better idea to shell out more money for the 18i8 with more pre-amps.
I have been recording into my computer direct, using a 1/4 inch jack to usb (from a Rocksmith game) and then adding fx in my DAW.it works but I notice a slight lag and it makes recording fast parts just a bit off. Will getting a DI box take help?
Either way I guess hearing it through a amp in real time might fix the problem in itself.
so pretty much they work as noise reduction boxes? I have a Noise reduction pedal in my pedal board and my guitar sounds pretty clean, makes me wonder if I still need a DI.
So if I' going from my bass to my mixer (1 meter) away it means it is not necessary to buy a DI box? Best ! your video is perfect !
good point.. always be prepared..
Thanks. Very informative
this was the best vid i found on di boxes
Thanks! Please sub for more.
OBEDIA wow you replied fast
We're on the spot! :) Keep us on speed dial for one on one help: 323-319-4051
Thanks very much, very useful and very well explained
Great info. Thanks. If I wanted to bring a BALANCED signal out of my DAW soundcard (VST Synth) to a mic pre amp and back into my DAW to color the sound, would I need a direct box or an inline attenuator? In this situation I'd be padding the input to the mic pre.
Hello. Nice video. I have a question,,it may seem a stupid one, i don't know. If i use this for playing my backingtracks from my soundcard (let's say Focusrite or something similar), would'nt it be necesarry that the DI have 2 stereo outputs? I mean, i bring the stereo signal from the sound card via the two jacks from it s output to the two jacks from Di's Input, and then I see it's just one XLR output from the DI. Will the sound on the mixer arrive panned and stereo as it should be, or will it be a big and unfortunate centered mono?
Two DI boxes would probably suit you best.
Subscribed, informative video :) Quick question, if I use it for stereo acoustic guitar recording- with 2 mics and all. I will need a Stereo DI Box (dual channel) right? I heard 2 mono DI Box won't be the way to go with stereo acoustic guitar recording?
is that a pretty decent DI box??and how much that cost you??
Thanks bro. Very clear. From Singapore
Thank you for this video !
Thank you for watching, please sub for more!
very usefull thanx - now i finally know why i need a DI box lol
Do they make these DI boxes with 1/4" out? I have a guitar amp with a 1/4" out that I'm running into my monitor speakers. My concern is that I don't know if the resistance or wattage is on par with the speakers. Should this be a concern? I just don't want to damage my speakers. Everything sounds ok, but I do hear a bit of fuzz (probably from my stratocaster pickups).
THANKYOU x Great Teacher
Very helpful, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching, please sub for more!
Very very very very well explained much appreciated!
I'm glad it helped! Thanks!
Great explanation. Thanks.
if you perform on a stage (and main mixer is far away facing the stage), you connect your gear as a musician using DI
After rocking back and forth in a foetal position, sobbing and dribbling for a while, I did a bit more research.
I'm pretty confident the G5 will do the trick as it has a selector for active or passive input, a balanced XLR output and various output settings in the menu.
I now ask out of interest, are there DI boxes designed for both active and passive pick-ups? I read that a general rule of thumb is active pick-ups with a passive DI box or vice versa (although active and active will work)
would this item reduce a signal into an 'overly hot' audio interface that is constantly clipping on its lowest setting? thanks.
it's all about ONE path to ground. if you eliminate all the ground pins from every interconnected piece of gear, except ONE, no hum, no problem. however, doing so, can expose musicians, to potential electric shocks, if an amplifier develops a problem. the balanced d.i. converted box eliminates the danger.
Yup, that will work!
thank you for the great information..
Glad it was helpful!
dude this was usefull info but i also need to know if i can use a DI box to record what i am playing to my pc
@1pilotsteve Many thanks! I would go with a Passive, I believe, because it should technically reduce your noise level. You shouldn't be limiting yourself, as most places you'd use a DI should be able to play nicely with a Passive.
Got a question for you. My church has the house system but the band has its on system. Meaning church mixer used to sound the singers but me and the band havs a mixer used for keys, drum mics, bass and play click tracks.Is it possible to bridge the 2 systems together with the di box and if so what is the proper way to connect it.
It all depends on the situation you're in. Sometimes, you have to DI, sometimes you can mic. I like to be prepared ;)
I also hear that thay stop you from getting electrocuted from some thing called a ground loop.
So basically this is the same thing as a line-out box for an Amp that doesn't already have one built-in? I remember I had a Peavey Amp awhile ago and I actually made one of these boxes myself. But I think there must be more to it because the one I made was super simple and only cost me like 5$ to build. I think it was just a few jacks and a capacitor...? I did not need an XLR output though I just used a 1/4" TRS output and then went from that into a USB recording interface that had 1/4" TRS input. Now that I think about it, it probably sounded like shit, because there wasn't any cab simulation or anything going on. LOL. I guess you could always run it through a software cab sim later on after it's recorded though.
I've been banned by a sound man to plug guitars directly to the mixer 2 years ago, but I've tried many times before to plug guitars directly without any problems as I mute the channel whenever I plug and unplug. I know DI box can protect the mixer, but is it guilty to plug the guitar without using DI box in a practical point of view?
Very informative video. I just picked up a DI and happens to be the SPDI model as show in your video. Would you elaborate more on the Ground Lift and dB settings? I read somewhere that the ground lift could actually cause the cable shields and metal connectors, and possibly metal guitar strings, to become energized. Is this true? Also, is the 0dB essentially "normal" or "actual" sound level, with -20dB and -40dB being 1/20th and 1/40th less than the "actual" level? Thanks you.
No he wont *disgusting lip smack* elaborate more
One correction. A good balanced cable should be able to run hundreds of feet without no problem.
Silly question, but gotta ask. Can you plug, say a bass guitar 1/4 inch in and get the processed signal 1/4 inch out using that box?
Great video man, one question, if my bass guitar amp has already an XLR balanced output do I need to use a the DI or it's not necessary? (so the path would be: bass guitar to amp head with balanced XLR to interface to DAW) Thanks!
Should be fine without the DI, as that is essentially a DI built into the amp.
thanks man that's what I thought
Todos Vuelan, amateur sound engineer here, if you are using an amp, some engineers prefer to mic the amp for a more natural sound, especially for electric guitars.
okay, so to sum up, di-boxes are used to cut out interferance like high screeches and buzzing sounds coming from amplifiers if your a guitarist?
Your DI box converts your instrument signal to a line signal, meaning it converts the signal from unbalanced to balanced.
leah777 That is not correct. DI's don't turn inst level into line level. That's what pre amps do. DI's primary purpose is to turn unbalance signals into balanced signals. Blanaced signals have the benefit of being able to cancel out any interferance that is picked up along the way and so are better suited for longer runs (eg: long snake run to a mixer at the other end of the room). It will ampifiy the signal simply because of the nature of balancing it (-10db to +4db) but those levels are always relative to the input signal.
Hey Brian, what's the difference between active and passive DI boxes?
Mario Paul an active di box would be powered via the phantom power on a balanced line. The passive version would operate via a 9v battery that is fitted inside the do box.
I would think a passive box does not need any power supply
making a signal balanced requires phase invertion. It needs a power source and processing board to do that
Not necessarily. A transformer will perform phase inversion.
A passive DI uses transformers and don´t need power. An active DI uses some kind of amplifier so it needs a power supply.
yes..GREAT teacher..I get it thank you !
This DI BOX is the best!
You got it, thanks!
I play guitar direct into a 100w amp and get hum will a DI fix that?
Ive had a db1 for like 7 years...no clue how the fuck i use it
it was a high tech beer coaster...but now i have very fun studio so now i get it. Bad ass.
Why 2 1/4 inch holes on the back, why not just one?
Thanks so much!
My Roland TM-2 Drum Trigger Module has (2) 1/4 jack outputs, R and L. How do I get them back to the PA board while keeping stereo without running (2) 1/4 inch cables all the way to the board?
***** Actually, I got a female 1/4" jack to Male XLR Transformer adapter for $18 online, worked well at the last gig. Only used the L side, mono.
so iv been using a DI at church with my bass for years. tone not great but it works. should i shell out money to get a bass one like a mxr DI or something good? or will it not change anything really? the church has some sick subs and speakers but i still sound like a cardboard box sometime
well i got one anyway haha oh well i needed to get one eventually ha, its got a preamp built in as well. thanks anyway
Is there a difference between plugging the XLR cable from a DI box into a mixer versus plugging it into a speaker?
I ask because my acoustic amp has a DI Out and I’d like to plug it into my keyboard amp, which has an entry for an XLR.
Depends on what kind of hardware you've got.
Good video. Thanks!
I have a PA System and too much noise when I Plug almost anything into it. Have been wondering about these DI Boxes for a long time. I see them in the Pawn Shops a lot. No I Know. I'll buy one right away. Thanks so much. {:-)
Thanks!
I am getting a bad hum from my studio interface. My studio has 8 keyboards, turntables, computers, TVs and more... (All plugged into power strips which are then plugged into Furman power conditioners and ending up in one socket in the room - not 2 separate sockets).
My question is: WHERE DO I PUT THE DI BOX IN THE SIGNAL CHAIN?
I have everything wired into a patch bay which is entirely 1/4" ins/outs
My Presonus interface has the dual balanced/unbalanced input jacks on it.
So should I use 8 DI boxes between my patchbay & the 8 inputs on my soundcard?
turns out it was the power cable on my iMac - I had to add a ground lifter to the apple power plug. It fixed my problem mostly but I think I need to also do it to one other machine because I still hear it barely now. I understand what electrical ground loop sounds like from this experience :-/ thanks!
I just read a forum thread about high/low impedance and balanced/unbalanced. I am now bleeding from the ears, nose and eyeballs, my brain just couldn't take it.
I have an electro acoustic guitar with (I assume, as it has an EQ and takes a battery) an active pick-up. Do I still require a DI box to plug directly to my mixer? Also I own a G5 effects pedal, should I be able to use that as a substitute? I've not incorporated the effects pedal into my act yet which is why I ask.
Useful!