Author Topic: Direct Box Advice (Read 764 times)

svlilioukalani · « **Reply #15 on:** January 14, 2013, 01:52:13 AM »

I just spent the last month searching for a new DI. I have used SansAmp for years but have grown to dis-like it. Colors the tone too much. SansAmp will make cheep gear sound good. But we play Alembic basses around here.

Check out the Aguilar Tone Hammer. It is very close to sounding like an F-1X. To me is't the best of the bunch. The MXR M-80 is great if looking for something less expensive.

s_wood · « **Reply #16 on:** January 14, 2013, 07:26:02 AM »

The SansAmp can be useful, but it will color your tone somewhat as that's what it's designed to do. I used an A Designs Reddi Tube DI on a recording project last year and I liked my tone a lot. There was a subtle but pleasing degree of tube warmth imparted to my tone that was similar to what the F1-X produces. A less expensive, lighter weight and more roadworthy option might be the Demeter VT-DB2. It's also a tube DI but to my ears the effect of the tube is more subtle. Put it this way: The Reddi sounds more like a tube amp. The real point is that DI's don't all sound the same so you need to hear them and decide.

Hope this helps.

5a_quilt_top · « **Reply #17 on:** January 14, 2013, 10:34:25 AM »

Hey all - thanks for the responses, input and advice.

After a fair amount of research, I've decided to go with the Tech 21 Sans Amp Bass Driver Deluxe.

All things considered, it appears to be the most economical, straightforward way to accomplish what I need to do.

It will accommodate 2 different basses (channel A or B) with the ability to footswitch between them. In addition, it allows 3 different footswitchable tones for each bass that are automatically made available upon selecting the desired channel.

It has an XLR line out (feeds PA mixer) and a 1/4 line out (feeds stage amp return FX loop jack) so I should be able to run through the PA with no stage rig (smaller venues) and still use a stage rig for lager stages.

It also has an FX loop - unfortunately not footswitchable.

I realize that there will be some coloration to the tone, but the simplicity of operation - select either bass A or bass B and then select one of 3 separate custom tones - is very desirable in live performance settings.

It will arrive later this week and I'll post a performance review after I use it for a few gigs.

5a_quilt_top · « **Reply #18 on:** January 14, 2013, 10:50:54 AM »

Pauldo -

Yeah, I've thought about the consequences of getting involved with a seat of the pants project. Been there before & eventually needed an ulcer intervention to cope. Hopefully, this one will settle down before that happens again.

Here's what's attractive so far:

Opportunity for lots of work in front of decent-sized crowds

Talent and high energy level

They are focused and professional when performing

MOST IMPORTANT:

They are not hung up on note-for-note, just like the recording. As long as I execute the important signature riffs and bass lines with a danceable low-end groove, they allow me a great deal of freedom with the rest of the material.

jazzyvee · « **Reply #19 on:** January 14, 2013, 01:13:49 PM »

If i'm gigging with a series bass and feeding the bass rig in mono from the Ds-5, are there any pros and cons for giving the sound man individual outs from the ds-5 into DI boxes or should it be just the mono out?

What is the best way to go.
Jazzyvee

edwin · « **Reply #20 on:** January 14, 2013, 03:58:56 PM »

I think it depends on the sound man (or woman). If it's someone who understands the nature of these basses, then send them a stereo line, if they are not, a mono signal can work best. It also depends on how you use and blend the pickups.

Some people like to really accentuate certain aspects of each pickup and if that's where you are going, then stereo can be a good option and you can explain to the soundman that you want to roll off the lows of the bridge pickup or whatever you want. Or, if you run each pickup more or less flat but use the blend to create different tones, then mono will be fine. Personally, I go back and forth between both approaches, but if I am treating each pickup differently, I'll use an F2B as a submixer and still send a mono output to the PA. It tends to confuse sound men less. YMMV and all that.

gtrguy · « **Reply #21 on:** January 16, 2013, 01:00:32 PM »

Yeah, don't confuse the sound person or piss them off, they can make or break your sound and they are usually rushed and sometimes interesting to deal with. They usually have a idea of how they want to get your bass signal in the first place too and probably (but not always) have the gear to do it with. Remember, they have to deal with singers, which makes them cranky enough already!

A DI box is handy to have in your gear bag in case you need one.

I use an SWR amp that has a direct out built into it to get a signal to the board.

5a_quilt_top · « **Reply #22 on:** January 16, 2013, 02:54:54 PM »

I am currently using the XLR line out on the back of my SWR 750X to feed the board and it works fine, except I've been cautioned that I may not always have room on stage for a traditional amp rig.

Considering this, I've decided to permanently incorporate a DI into my signal chain to ensure that the PA receives as consistent a signal as possible from two different basses - regardless of the venue and regardless of whether or not I am able to use a traditional amp rig.

In this project, an amp rig is ALMOST unnecessary because I have my own powered monitor wedge blasting me in the face with as much bass as I want (which is pretty cool).

So it's more important to me that I avoid the typical small venue issues like limited stage real estate and bass amp volume overpowering the PA, etc.

I figure using the DI will accomplish several things:

1. make my bandmates (esp. singer) happier
2. allow me as much flexibility and control as possible over my tone when using multiple basses
3. make life easier for the sound person
4. simplify my set-up & tear-down

gtrguy · « **Reply #23 on:** January 17, 2013, 10:36:48 AM »

You are gonna laugh, but I also have a SWR 550 head plus the 400 and all the big cabs, but now I actually gig with a small SWR Workingmans 12 combo.

That little amp rocks and it also has a built in line out and you can add an extension cab to up the power output. I have played pretty big outdoor in-the-park type gigs with it (using my 2X10 goliath jr cab as an extension) and it cranks out clean powerful bottom end while the line out gets a great signal to the PA. I also owned a SWR Workingmans 15 and it sounded even slightly better but weighed a lot more, so I sold it. I don't like the rest of the Workingman series except the 10, 12, and 15 combos, which I have played them all with great result. PLUS, they are cheap!

5a_quilt_top · « **Reply #24 on:** March 01, 2013, 10:08:46 AM »

Here is the performance review of the Tech 21 Sans Amp Bass Driver Deluxe I promised earlier:

I've had it for about a month and have used it at home, at rehearsal and live.

The three separate channels are easy to program. As a starting point, I used the suggested reference control settings in the owner's manual and tweaked them as desired until each patch was optimized for the instrument and the 3 output levels were balanced. If you are like me, this will take some trial and error, so I suggest making notes so you can quickly re-create previous settings if you need to edit them.

Since I am partial to tube amps, I chose Fat Tube, SVT and Slap and modified each as desired for a MusicMan Sting Ray 5 (Alembic Europa 5 on order - can't wait). When a channel setting was ready to save, I pushed the corresponding switch twice quickly (click/click) and, presto, it was programmed.

Trial test was performed using my AER Amp One. I plugged the 1/4 output jack of the DI into the effect return on the amp and by-passed the amp's tone controls. Master and compressor were still operational. Worked like a charm. All 3 tones sounded like I expected.

Next test was at rehearsal. I plugged the 1/4 DI output jack directly into the padded input of my SWR 750X, set the tone controls flat and was rewarded with 3 punchy (and different) tones from the DI that sat nicely in the band mix.

Final test was live, direct into a PA mixer via XLR output with no stage rig. Once gain, the DI worked great, however, the 3 individual tones through the powered monitor wedge did not seem to retain as much of their unique character as they do through an amp. I attribute this to the quality of the monitor speakers. But each tone was punchy with just enough high-end bite to cut through without being harsh or clacky.

All-in-all, this product is a winner. Reasonably priced, light weight, built like a tank, easy to use and intelligently engineered.

Will it replace thousands of dollars worth of stage gear? Probably not, but the comments I have received from my bandmates and the audience thus far have indicated that the bass is prominent and distinct in the mix without being overpowering and that is what I'm looking for in this project.

svlilioukalani · « **Reply #25 on:** March 04, 2013, 01:09:13 AM »

On this subject; Check out the 3 Leaf Audio, The Enabler. It sounds dam close to my F-1X. Also the Darkglass electronics the B7K a DI/EQ, great if you are into overdrive. The guys who make these boxes, have taken effect boxes to the next level.
Check out how young, yet bad ass, the maker of 3 Leaf Audio products is. This is a clip of him selling his Proton. Notice what Spencer's office looks like. But don't let that fool you. The drive and mind on this kid is unreal. And he can play the bass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_5IMP_8kO0&feature=player_embedded

0vid · « **Reply #26 on:** March 08, 2013, 09:13:56 PM »

A designs REDDI or Jules Amps Monique. Either one of these will satisfy.

worldfamousandy · « **Reply #27 on:** March 24, 2013, 06:35:39 PM »

I like the DBX db12. Price is right ($99.99), and it sounds great. For most of my gigs these days, I don't even bring my rig. I just bring the db12, a JBL SRX712M monitor, a QSC 2502 which I bridge, and a 1/4 TRS-XLR cable. I ask for an aux send from the board, and I've got my own monitor mix. Plenty of power, too. Of course, I love it when the stage is big enough for me to bring the F-1X/QSC/Schroeder rig, but I don't do it unless I know I have enough room. I hate being accused of overdoing it.

811952 · « **Reply #28 on:** March 25, 2013, 11:53:53 AM »

I hate being accused of overdoing it.

That made me laugh out loud.

John

izbadd · « **Reply #29 on:** March 27, 2013, 02:23:37 PM »

I know it sounds ghetto but for situations like that I use a bass POD XT (Bean shape) with a basic clean tone and flat eq into a Radial passive DI. The combination sounds insane either through my power amp into my Eden 410 or straight into front of house. The key with the POD though is that it acts weird if it isn't getting proper voltage. Once addressed it sounds better than anything I have played through ever. Although Demeter is making their Bass Pre's with an 800 watt power section now. Sigh...