D.I. box into HI z Input or Interface mic preamp?

[Kaptain K. Rool]

So I recently ordered a little labs redeye 3D. I tried one out the other day and though it didn’t drastically affect my guitar tone it did make a difference. My questions (because it was at a studio downtown so I don’t remember the setup exactly) I know I have a HIz input on my interface but also the input for the mic and the guitar Input in the center of that.

Do I use the HI’Z with a direct box because I also heard that the center input of the mic/DI input for instruments on the preamp tells the interface not to use the preamp (if you're using the instrument input) so I’m just curious?
Also in regards to interface built in preamps, if I buy an external mic preamp do I use the mic to guitar and plug it into that same center input or is there another option?

Thanks again guys

 

[Melodeath]

The Hi-Z inputs ARE essentially a DI box. You would plug your guitar into that. If you're using a DI Box instead, like the Redeye, you go from the Redeye into the Mic Pre with an XLR cable

 

[Kaptain K. Rool]

Thanks for the response Melodeath. Only thing is I heard by sending an instrument (guitar) cable to the center of the dual Mic/D.I input on an interface it bypasses the mic pre so why would I use an XLR cable if i'm using a D.I. box?

 

[KimJongPir2]

the mic preamp is for a microphone (that only work when you plug an XLR cable in), you don't need it when you enter a Line/HiZ input (Jack).
The HiZ input IS your built-in DI box, using a Di box plugged into the XLR/mic should normaly do the exact same thing.

 

[Kaptain K. Rool]

Hey kim thanks for the reply! what I was mentioning is that I have a hiz input but also my mic preamps have the dual Mic/Line in the same slot you can plug a mic cable or guitar in the center of it. So wouldn't it make more sense to skip the Hiz and skip the mic pre and go into the line input cause wouldn't the built in mic pre color the singal?

 

[Trevoire520]

DI boxes get plugged into mic preamps so you have the ability to adjust the input level going into your DAW, the preamp bypassing line input in the center is for when you're plugging in external mic preamps or other line level sources.

 

[Melodeath]

Hey kim thanks for the reply! what I was mentioning is that I have a hiz input but also my mic preamps have the dual Mic/Line in the same slot you can plug a mic cable or guitar in the center of it. So wouldn't it make more sense to skip the Hiz and skip the mic pre and go into the line input cause wouldn't the built in mic pre color the singal?

A DI box turns instrument level and impedance into mic level and impedance. That's why you run it into a mic pre with XLR. It's much lower than line level.

 

[Kaptain K. Rool]

Trev and Melo that makes 100% sense thank you! My only question would then be, does the Mic pre on my interface color the D.I. signal at all? if so how do I stop that and/or which one would be the best for metal guitars? or would it be just a completely clean preamp?

 

[KimJongPir2]

Hey kim thanks for the reply! what I was mentioning is that I have a hiz input but also my mic preamps have the dual Mic/Line in the same slot you can plug a mic cable or guitar in the center of it. So wouldn't it make more sense to skip the Hiz and skip the mic pre and go into the line input cause wouldn't the built in mic pre color the singal?

Yeah, I totally understood your previous message, like I said it would be better to plug dirrectly your guitar in your HiZ input, because even if you have a combo connector, if you plug a mic into it, it will go dirrectly to the mic preamp, but the HiZ (the jack) won't use it, got it?

So for the Di box, you will have to plug it into the XLR which mean the signal will be processed by the mic preamp (like I said just before)... but I don't know if it will color the sound that much and I highly doubt it.

For the line input it's a little bit more complicated, you can plug your guitar straight into that port, but your signal will have a lot of noise and it will sound a little bit muddy (from experience) there is a trick to correct that, but kinda useless since you already have a HiZ port.

 

[Trevoire520]

Trev and Melo that makes 100% sense thank you! My only question would then be, does the Mic pre on my interface color the D.I. signal at all? if so how do I stop that and/or which one would be the best for metal guitars? or would it be just a completely clean preamp?

Realistically most interface preamps these days are VERY clean and transparent, they won't give you any problems.

 

[Kaptain K. Rool]

I understand completely guys thank you so much for the info! I guess I'll use my D.I. box into the mic pre cause I trust it's quality more than on my interface.

 

[LeSedna]

Yeah basically unless you really really know what you are doing and are lookg for that extra % of purity, it's as simple as Di Box into mic pre and adjust the output level with them.

 

[KHE]

for the sake of completeness i think its important to note that the behaviour with passive di-boxes is different, they will load down a passive pickup if pluggend in into an low-Z-input such as line or mic (even with "hi-z"-transoformers such as Lehle LTHZ)