DI boxes...

[andersen]

Hi folks...

first post here, so i don't really know if i'm in the right ballpark here, but here goes:

I need a DI box but dont know which one to get, all information i can find is SO technical! My purpose is to track guitar for later reamping. My guitar is an electric with active emg's in it setup with 18V (2 batteries). My interface is the presonus audiobox 22vsl which has built in preamp. Not that good i guess dont know...

So passive or active for my setup? Id love a link to the model(s) your guys are happy with... and also which ramp boxes will fit in... there is a big difference in price on these things. Its not really that big of an issue.. i want good gear!

any help is much appreciated...

Andersen

 

[wetpenny]

The Countyman type 85 is a popular choice here.. As are the Radial DI's

I got a great one for cheap from Orchid Electronics in the UK but use my Countryman 9 times out of 10

 

[bryan_kilco]

I could be really wrong here, but from my experience with built-in interface DI's compared to a DI box, it depends on how good your interface is. If you have a shit interface and a good DI box, your DI box is only as good as your shit interface.

I use a Profire 2626 and I also have a Little Labs Redeye and I can't tell the difference between going Redeye -> Interface or straight into my interface.

 

[andersen]

well i saw the fluff vid about these things and he said: the presonus audiobox 22vsl does not have "pads" so if i go direct to that, my signal will peak. Thats why im pretty sure i need a DI box...

radial was my first choice, but they alone have several models on the market... so which one??

Also i have an axe fx 2 which can record a di and reap it back through the axe fx 2. However that di signal is somewhat lowered or whatnot, so that it basically "only works" back through the axe... smart engineered right there Fractal
At least that was what i was told over at the fractal forum...

 

[Scottxx]

The Palmer PAN 01 Pro is a great DI box "Made in Germany" too. In Thomann €84.- I own one.

 

[Old Man Doom]

well i saw the fluff vid about these things and he said: the presonus audiobox 22vsl does not have "pads" so if i go direct to that, my signal will peak. Thats why im pretty sure i need a DI box...

Correct, the Presonus VSL22 does not have pads. However, its instrument input gain range starts at -30db, so it's almost like having a pad engaged already. I've been using the VSL22 for 4 years now and I haven't had any problems with my super hot passive pups or my active bass.

The only interface instrument inputs I've ever had problems with for clipping are the Focusrite ones. Some of them have pads (I just worked with a saffire pro 26) but their gain is already jacked up on the input, so it makes life difficult.

 

[andersen]

The Palmer PAN 01 Pro is a great DI box "Made in Germany" too. In Thomann €84.- I own one.

thanx... thats a passive box.. do you use with active pickups and everything is all fine and dandy?

and which ramp box do you use with it?

 

[RiF]

thanx... thats a passive box.. do you use with active pickups and everything is all fine and dandy?

and which ramp box do you use with it?

I have the PAN-01, too. It lists for €45 currently.
It works and sounds great into my BAE 1073 preamp. The BAE has a DI as well built-in, but somehow I don't like it as much for my guitars.
Compared to the PAN-01/1073 chain, the Profire's own DI sounds more clinical/hifi and a little thinner to me.
And I am using it with passive pickups and active EMGs without noticing anything I should care about.

For reamping, I am using a Palmer Dacappo. Also reasonably priced. Can't tell about the quality, because I did not compare it to anything else. So far it seems to do what it is meant to do. I find the reamped signal to be a little noisier compared to a "guitar-plugged-into-the-amp"-signal, but that may be an operator problem due to improper gain staging or something.

 

[Scottxx]

RIF, PAn 01 is not the same as PAN 01 Pro. PAN 01 Pro is far better and it costs € 84.

I use it with actives and passives pickups (EMG and Seymour Duncan)