Do You NEED A DI Box? Let’s Compare The Best
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- čas přidán 27. 06. 2024
- Miami dives into the most popular DI boxes and compares them to see which one will help give you the perfect guitar tone. Which DI box is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
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Tags:guitar setup,audio production,mixing tutorials
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Wow… Now I know why Countryman DI boxes are the studio standard! That thing sounded the clearest cross the frequency range, and it seemed to have some of the best low end and High end extension out of all the boxes!
Always know what I have my eye on. Literally looming at do boxes and external mic pres for guitar tracking this past week. Great info man!
Hope it helps out dude! That new single SLAPS btw!
-Miami
Funfact: An Instagram post by JST, some time ago, was the reason I bought my first DI-Box. Just before that, I watched a video by Glenn Fricker doing a DI-Box/Non-DI-Box comparison, coming to the conclusion that you don't necessarily need a DI-Box, so I was unsure what I should do. I decided to listen to JST, just because I like to try things out myself. I bought the active version of that Radial Pro 48 and I never looked back since. It works flawless for guitars and basses with active or passive pickups. The sound definitely became more...high-fidelity. Hard to describe. Like recording with fresher than fresh strings. :D
Glad that it helped you out brother!
-Miami
@@joeymusic Hellyeah it did! :D Moral of the story: Don't listen to anyone, just try things out for yourself. Good things might happen.
Yes I have the Radial Pro 48 as well, i'm very satisfied with the sound sound for bass and guitars !
I just ordered the exact same one. I'm so glad to hear some confirmation that I'm not wasting my money haha.
@@davea18 I've compared the Pro 48 with my scarlett 18i20 Hi-Z input and with the BSSAR133 and this is the best sounding result I had. It has a more dynamic and clear signal. I also have the Radial Pro RMP to reamp bass and guitars, perfect balanced and clear signal going through the amp, no background noise even with lot of gain and effects. Those are the best 200 euros i've spend for bass and guitars tracking/reamping !
Great video
Hey, Miami - so what's the routing? You're coming out of the DI box and into the XLR inputs on the back of the id44? I ask because the id44 has the dedicated instrument inputs on the front that are supposed to be enhanced for guitar and bass. Just curious. THANK YOU for the awesome videos!!
I've been using the countryman for many years and been very happy, but the last year I've starting using plug-ins and just plugging straight into my interface for the simplicity. But after watching this I need to check out how the plug-ins sound with the Countryman, because the difference in this video was huge compared to plugging straight in.
Yes, there is certainly a bite from using the countryman, but the on board hi z inputs of interfaces are more than usable! I tend to like the audient very much
-Miami
finally, went through 3 years of audio engineering at college and i never bothered asking why we used di's before the desk/interface
Hope this helped out!
-Miami
If the input impedance of the di’s differs the guitar will sound different. Making this test a little flawed because a different guitar will have different results. A di won’t have much of a sound at all (that’s kind of the point of them) but loading a guitar differently will.
Ha ha! I’ve got a Little Labs IBP, that also has an active DI. Sold my Boogie MK3 to fund it. Still have it too..I find active pickups work better with passive di’s, and the opposite for passive pickups. Not sure if the Chandler had a Hi Z input, but that’d be interesting to compare too. Have a good weekend :)
Everything little labs makes is amazing!
-Miami
I have a Rupert Neve RNDI and I can hear a difference in the lows and high's it's a must to have a di
I had that at one point but it got stolen😩. Was an awesome Di box for sure
-Miami
Di or no di if the guitarist sucks it sucks
I have a Radial Active Pro 48 DI that is absolutely awesome 🤘🏻
Wish I had that on hand to include in the comparison 😩
-Miami
@@joeymusic your comparison was great, and only added credence to my eventual choice of the radial 48 pro DI 🤘🏻
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
When recording guitar -> countryman 85 DI box -> Audio interface (RME FIREFACE 800), I set the front of the DI box on pickup and the back on "open". What does grounded (GND) switch do and should the back of the DI box be on this when recording guitars or am I right with how I am currently using it on open?
Passive sounds more real imo there is an edge to the active ones that just sounds harsh to me vs a person playing a guitar
If you have a Kemper is it recommend to use one still?
I use radial pro48, active version of the pro di ! Really great !
I wish i had the active one on hand! Would have loved to include it
-Miami
@@joeymusicIt works well with both active and passive guitar and bass !
Hey great video again! Learning a ton of good stuff with theses! I'm just wondering how would it compare with the D.I input that I have on my Audient id44 audio interface directly?
That example is in the video
-Miami
@@joeymusic Sorry Miami, just heard the segment literally like 20 seconds after writing this down... haha. Anyway, I'm definitely finally puling the trigger and buying a good di for my next recording this time. Thanks dude!
@@joeymusic but yeah what I meant is that there is two Di specialized input on that particular interface and I was wondering if you used those or just the 4 normal pre behind? Thx
Oh! No worries! Watch the last video which showed off preamps! I show the difference between the combo jack and the Jfet di in the front
-Miami
Ive been debating picking up the Warm Active/Passive Di box since it can do both. But now i may look at that little labs redeye since for another 100 bucks its also a reamp box.
A big question i have for the Warm and the Countryman are the Amp in settings/option, I cant really find any demos using that (but i may be blind). Do you run the FX send to it? Do you run a speaker cable to it and a speaker cable from the thru to your cab since it isnt a load box?
I have the countryman and the redeye 3d. If your are looking for a ultimate tool get the redeye 3d (active, passive and reampbox). The redeye also sounds fuller than the T85 which is tighter sounding. The T85 when the switch is set to speaker it can take a signal directly from a poweramp (you will still need to connect and cab or load box to not damage the amp)
Should I still use an active DI box with passive pickups? My guitar keeps clipping my Focusrite.
I was surprised at the difference between Countryman 85 and Little Labs. That said, it sounded like the Little Labs was slightly louder. Would you agree?
That Radial just SMACKS that signal good lord
Hey Joey! A new viewer here and a total beginner. I'd appreciate it if you could show the whole signal chain starting from the guitar to finally what we are listening. Thank you sir 🙌🙌
It’s a classic vibe telecaster, going into Toneforge Jeff Loomis via the audient id44 interface and direct input boxes shown in the video
-Miami
@@joeymusic Do the DI Boxes then go to the Input in the in the front, back or xlr back?
So you can choose to use the hi-z input of the sound card (without DI box) or use the microphone input of the sound card with the DI box? If someone is happy with the hi-z input, would you also recommend trying the DI box? What about the reamping? Should the dry signal from the sound card be sent to the Kemper/Axe Fx/amp via a DI box? And the reamped signal from Kemper/Axe Fx/amp also via DI box back to sound card?
Yes, D.I box will turn your signal into a mic level signal. D.I box will provide you a cleaner signal, and with the good impedance for reamping, where hi-z will generate some noise and lose some signal.
For reamping you need a reamp box, wich turn your d.i into guitar signal and replicate the way the electric signal react when it comes out of your guitar. Then you record your amp with microphones or with a loadbox if you don't want to use real cab. Kemper or Axe Fx got some xlr output.
Great video! One question: Are you connecting the DI Box between the guitar and the preamp or between the preamp and the interface? Thanks!
Thanks Nicolas! Guitar>di box>preamp
-Miami
@@joeymusic Thanks for the answer! I'll try it with my Presonus RC500.
@@joeymusic Okay let me get this right, Guitar dry signal into Active or Passive DI, then into a Mic Pre, ( 1073, 312,etc) but,... which input of a mic pre of the mic pre do we use, the front DI input or the back XLR Mic input? And then next in the chain either to a Comp, or go directly to AD Converters correct?
@@philmartin7474 Di boxes use a XLR out. Any 1/4 are pass-through or for other purposes (like re-amping) than Di.
As a fellow ID44 user, I've always liked its Hi-Z input. Can't say I thought any other DI box I've used sounded better. Maybe they're on to something with its circuit replicating a valve amp input?
I really do like it as well, especially on bass!
-Miami
I have the same experience with my RME's DI. I bought a countryman thinking I "needed it", then A/B'ed them and they're pretty much indistinguishable. Maybe some budget I/O's have shit DI's, but anything quality seems to have a quality DI these days.
Should we chose passive vs active DI boxes based on guitar pickup ?? I always thought that if guitar has EMG active pickups I should be using a passive DI box
Yeah would someone be able to tell me if an EMG85 would be alright through a countryman to a focusrite scarlett 2nd gen 2i4
Honestly think It doesnt matter as long as you use one. All the differences can be fixed with an EQ or some comp imo. Its so minimal even through monitors. Yes the active is a tad juicier but I feel like you can get that juice later in the chain as well.
What if you have something like an Apollo that already has a Hi-Z input on it?
That would be similar to just plugging into the audient interface di section or the Chandlers on board di on the preamp which are both demonstrated here😀
-Miami
isn't there like a rule? passive DI for active pickups, and vice versa?
Passive = mud apparently. Something about the entire low end just tightens up with the active boxes. I feel like I liked the Audient more than the passive boxes as well lol.
Yeah, a lot of people enjoy them though! Personally, I wouldn’t use a passive di box unless I was using an active guitar/bass
-Miami
I just got the cheap Behringer ultra di400p. Works well the 2i2 1st gen lol.
As long as it’s working for you, that’s all that matters
-Miami
Hey Miami, is there a rule of thumb for an active/passive di box when recording active/passive guitars? I have both types of guitars so I'm wondering moving forward if one is better than the other based on pickup choice. Thanks for any input.
If the source is active I recommend passive, and if the source is passive I recommend active! This will reduce the gain stages which leads to less noise
-Miami
@@joeymusic so maybe the redeye would be good cause I can switch it. That helps cause I have been meaning to buy the countryman for the past year. And if you see this, I've wanted to know if you are in a band or have any original music I could support 🤘🏻thanks for everything bro
You actually lose nothing by going active guitar/bass into an active DI. Might need an input pad, though, as the signal might be a bit too hot.
Active D.I work well for both !
The radial caught my ear for some reason. Maybe depth of the low end?
Maybe you dug it because it was rounder and darker overall? Some people really prefer that!
-Miami
Honestly I barely hear a difference, if at all. I think the active was a little brighter, or maybe just louder? I don't use a DI box currently. I just run my pod go direct to interface. This video just kinda convinced me I don't need one unless I want a clean signal to play with later.
It's definitely brighter, and bass response is tighter as well. Passive ones sound a bit "mushy". Active DIs tend to have a much higher input impedance, so that makes sense.
Yeah, me neither. I also don't understand what good changing line level to mic level will do to the quality of your signal.
Passive sounded more rounded/"darker to me.....Some people would call that muddier, but the word I would use is rounded or balanced.
The Active DI boxes had more bite and brightness to them....More aggressive attack while still having a punchy and tight low end.
Caleb, you totally nailed the thought process lol.
-Miami
If your using the output of your pod you are already recording a amp signal, with amp and cab emulation. D.I box are useful to get a guitar signal, to reamp it later.
Does a DI box get plugged right in the computer via USB or is plugged into an audio interface first ?
A di box is plugged into a microphone preamplifier. Most interfaces have these on board and you would connect a di box through use of xlr/combo jack!
-Miami
@@joeymusic thanks for the answer man.
little labs active DI is my favorite.
I'm not going to disagree. I was a bit surprised how much i liked it myself...
-Miami
So...what about the Axefx? Does its ability to record a DI signal and Reamp hold up to stand alones?
I would say the axe fx on board input/reamp options are not going to be as good as the di on a solid interface or a dedicated reamp box.
-Miami
I can confirm with JST. Axe FX DI input is not on the same level as the dedicated boxes, including the Radial ProDI
👍
Not having a DI box or an external preamp is probably not the reason a guitar tone sucks. Correct me if I'm wrong, DI boxes are primarly used to allow you to run a long cables from instruments without adding noise. Preamps are used to to amplify signals in a clean way for them to be used in other hadrware. None of these are a problem when pluging an electric guitar while using a decent interface and a short guitar cable..so adding a piece of hardware won't magically fix your tone. Of course introducing a piece of hardware to your chain can impact a tone and add a certain character, but I wouldn't it make more sense to reach for an eq or other plugin (some emulate certain pieces of hardware, and would sound practically the same for about 1% the price of the hardware) instead of spending so much money on hardware? Just wondering here
It really comes down to the transformer adding some weight to the source of the signal most of the time
-Miami
I found that Active DI work better with passive pickups and Passive DI work better with Active pickups !
I’ve always agreed with this concept too
-Miami
what if I'm using pedals?
In the first 10 seconds…he was totally talking to me.
Do you need one of these if you are using something like a quad cortex?
not if your recording the quad cortex tone only
@@alienateTHEignorance so it'd be useful in case I want to use the quad cortex as an interface and dial in a tone using STL or neural plugins?
@@alessandrotorres3537 yeah. the quad cortex might also work like the helix, where you can record the di and the helix tone simultaneously through the unit itself
It would be great if we could check the raw wav files
I can upload those if it will help you out!
-Miami
@@joeymusic it will! especially if you upload the DI tracks
for the total broke enthusiast, is this really a need to nail tool or i can still get away with just my audio interface? I have to admit the good ones are priced more than my old audio interface that im still using till now (fast track audio v2 i think)
Cheers from the PH!
It will definitely improve the sound of that interface! But as an enthusiast, I wouldn’t say it’s necessary. Your money would be better spent buying the audient id14 or id4
-Miami
If you use amp sims and you have all of your home studio basics covered (interface, monitors or headphones as you prefer, mic if you sing, midi controller if you play keys), a good DI is the next great purchase IMO. If you get a Countryman Type 85 now it will last your whole life and it will make every guitar track you ever record sound better than it would have direct to the interface. To me that's money well spent, but it's not like you can't create good recordings without one.
@@scottnelle thanks for this! will def get that in the future
@@joeymusic gotcha Miami! thanks bruh!
Should I get the radial passive or active?
I suggest the active
-Miami
@@joeymusic Thank you!
The passive DI and the interface DI all sound the same. The active ones do add a bit of sparkle to the signal. I would say it's not necessary to use a DI but if you want that really zippy top end then the active ones are good for that.
2:01 The signal coming from a guitar isn't considered line level, right?
Should have worded that a bit better. Guitar is instrument level but di boxes convert from line level to mic level
-Miami
based on your testings... the Passive is much smoother to my ear...
Yup, smoother doesn’t equal better tone with aggressive guitars tho!
-Miami
2:04
The main functionality of a DI box is not to bring it from a line level to a mic level
It is to turn unbalanced signals (TS cables) to balanced signals (XLR, TRS)
And a guitar signal doesn't run at line level. It runs on instrument level, in between mic and line level
Good video regardless, but this is fundamental information for audio engineering.
radial passive was best imo tighter with enough size you should have done ridiculously expensive all the way to cheapest DI boxes
Maybe another time!
-Miami
Can someone please explain in a little more technical details why you need one when you can just plug straight into an audio interface?
I had a j48 and I find it was too hifi and brittle sounding. When I re-amped it felt like I was sending a different guitar to the amp. I’ve ordered a countryman
Just had a gig recently and can confirm. I usually use the ProDi, but this one gig I was at the mercy of the venue and used a J48 and oh man was it bad. Beefy tone gone and was hi-fi and brittle like you said
Honestly, I know everyone keeps saying "interface hi-z's are fine" but I'm finding again and again that they're just not. My ID14 mk1 input clips constantly when playing and it sounds muddy as hell. A really good DI box will outlast your recording interface and will sound so much better. Active DIs especially.
Hard agree! That’s why I only use these
When getting my signals these days
-Miami
would like to hear some clean examples?
I’ll upload the dis today so you can mess with them yourself 😀
-Miami
Into CHANDLER (Chug)
Chandler DI 3:41
Radial 3:51
Countryman 4:00
Little Labs 4:10
Into CHANDLER (Strum):
Chandler DI 3:47
Radial 3:57
Countryman 4:06
Little Labs 4:16
Into AUDIENT (Chug)
Audient DI 4:47
Radial 4:57
Countryman 5:06
Little Labs 5:16
Into AUDIENT (Chug)
Audient DI 4:53
Radial 5:03
Countryman 5:13
Little Labs 5:22
WHat if you had just plug into the focusrite scarlett ?
I’ve already done this comparison in my last video shooting out preamps and interfaces😀
-Miami
Dude, I have a focusrite as well, get a D.I. box the difference is huge, maybe first sounds the same, but when u start mixing u realize the difference. Get a warm audio or radial or countrybox just buy it once and never have to bother with it anymore.
@@joeymusic Ok so you confirm no need for DI in front of Scarlett :P But preamp can be used.
@@norbzys430 hmmmm DI and Preamp ?
@@XRaym Well, depends I have passive pups, so Ive got an active box, make sure the di box input impedance is around 10 times bigger than the guitar pickups. If u have active pups get a passive one.
I don´t understand...Do I really need a DI BOX? Can I just record directly to the instrument input of my interface? Yes...the preamps stuff and that thing changes the sound, but... there are any other benefits to spend lot of $ and buy a DI Box that I cannot do with my interface? Yes, active more bright and passive more warmer...but I didnt heary a great difference between passive and the interface
If you track guitar or bass and plan on those tracks being used in a professional manner, I would say yes you need one. If you’re just making demos at home and they never make it into the world, no.
If you want to reamp your signal, HI-Z input do not have the good impedance and you will lose some part of the signal and get a let of noise while reamping.
@@AndJesusSayWTF mmmh...that's should be correct with High end DI Boxes...but you think that a cheap DI Box can substitute a DI or HI-Z from a decent interface?
I think that a nice onboard Hi-Z input is a good substitute for an inexpensive (vanilla) DI box.
It's not a substitute for a specialty DI box that significantly enhances the signal (Neve DI for example)
@@alejandrovarey679
A D.I box don't enhance the signal. It just adapt guitar impedance to mic impendance. Interface got Mic and Line input, neither correspond to signal guitar. Hi-Z input is just a gain boost. Everything is about impedance.
If you work only with amp sim, Hi-Z can give you a decent sound, but not as clean as D.I (especially with bass low end). If you want to reamp with real amps, the signal recorded with Hi-Z input will be noisy and lose a lot of high end.
Of course, if you use the beringher D.I on a really expensive interface, you will ruin your signal. But a decent active d.i box is not so expensive (radial pro48 is less than 150€ in europe). A good passive D.I box will cost more, due to the way it works.
Watch "there a great disturbance in my reamp" by Khristian Khole (I think it's on urm academy channel).
@@AndJesusSayWTF thanks for clarify me about this things with impendance bro, I'm really confused about it!
>Omai wa mou shindeiru.
>NANI!? 3:12
COUNTRYMANNNNNN
Can you an active DI BOX with a active bass?
I would suggest a passive di box with an active bass. It will be less noisy
-Miami
4:47 5:06
countryman all day and night
Meh, the differences aren't pretty wild but pretty small. This just proves that DI boxes aren't needed for most people, because most people are just fiddling around and not recording seriously. For them, the built in DI inputs on their interfaces are all they will ever need.
I’ll never understand why these videos don’t have a null test showing the guitar plugged straight into the amp for comparison.
thats cool, but i would say they all were pretty same, not in solo but in a mix context no one can tell the difference 😂, so i actually don't care much about it😂
No, you dont, does it help? yeh it certainly can, but you can just use any Boss pedal in bypass as a DI box as they have really good built in buffers that does the exact same job