PodStudio DI vs Countryman DI, do I need to invest?

[drope934]

Hello folks,
after reading Splat88 telling how the countryman 85 changed his life here I was wondering if such DI would improve the sound I got when recording with vst (muddy as fuck...).

Splat88 said that "I literally felt like I had wasted 4 years of my life trying to get a proper tone from sims, especially trying to remove the muddiness that is commonly encountered." so I was

I've read a few topics on the countryman 85 here:
1st (just Joey asking about DI)
2nd (guy asking about the new type 10, no answer on the difference between 85 and 10 )
3rd
4th (countryman vs saphir DI)
5th (relative to the use of EMG with the countryman)
6th (finally one comparing the 85 to a line6 interface but the thread don't tell too much...).
7th
(the sticky about reamping, a lot of informations about the impedance and such but more for passive pick ups)
I first was thinking of getting a cheap DI for my next band recording but if it improve my DI "at home", I'll considering buying a good one like the 85.

I still couldn't find any good answer to these questions:

1: is the line6 instrument line DI so bad?
2: if the sound of the countryman is better, I'll plug it into a line6 Mic input... is it going to re-degrade the sound?
3. what the hell is the difference between the type 85 and 10?!?
4. I mainly use emg 81 on 18v at home with my esp eclipse but also got a passive pickups on my charvel when I play in my band. I know that the countryman will do a great job with the charvel but how will it react with the EMGs?


There is maybe a few more questions but they don't come in mind right now...


Thank you guys for the time you'll spend on this for me

PS: sorry for my poor english, still learning every day by my own..

 

[DanLights]

I can't answer all, but I can say that the usb drivers of the line 6 have a pretty bad reputation and even though they will sound better with the countryman, the conversion isn't really good enough, you might want to look into getting a better interface.

 

[Nick M]

I use to DI guitars and bass through the type 85 a long time ago. It can distort easily with active pickups. I actually hate the sound of the country man now, ever since getting the REDDI by A Designs. I didn't know how bad all these DI's were until I used that for the first time. Do not worry too much about the pod DI - The countryman is barely better. Save your pennies until you can get a REDDI.

 

[Nick M]

and definitely get a better interface. until then work what ya got

 

[drope934]

thx for your answers!
well, my interface costed like 350euros (line6 kb37), it's a pain in the ass if I have to buy another one... The REDDI is way out of range for my budget (700$ )


Change the interface... why not! Now that I can (I think) run PODfarm without the interface I can buy another one, one day (like the motu ultralite mk3 ultra or a focursite saffire pro, but don't know really how much better they are compared to mine).

Since I'm going to recorde my band (not on my interface but on our TASCAM 2488 NEO) I wanted to buy a DI box (even a shitty one, just to keep the DIs juste in case) but considering that it could be usefull for my own use I though about gettin a nice one (but not 700$, wtf )

if other people here can answer to my questions, they are welcomed!

 

[Fbarre]

You could have a look at the little labs redeye 3d phantom which also has a reamp function.

 

[drope934]

You could have a look at the little labs redeye 3d phantom which also has a reamp function.

Looks like a nice device but I'll probably not use my DI for reamping, or at least not myself with my own amps so I don't need to spend extra cash for a reamp box at the moment.

 

[TheDriller]

A better interface with a nice instrument input would probably be the smartest option (Focusrite Saffire range springs to mind).
you could get the best DI in the world, but the pod will always be the weakest link in the chain.

 

[drope934]

A better interface with a nice instrument input would probably be the smartest option (Focusrite Saffire range springs to mind).
you could get the best DI in the world, but the pod will always be the weakest link in the chain.

you kinda answered my question #2. If I got a good DI but plug in into my pod... it will improve nothing. Don't know much about what interface will do the trick for around 400-500$ (this will ruin me ), will do some search on the forum but if you guys have some suggestions...

 

[DanLights]

Saffire, for less than that you can get an LE if you're not recording drums. It's been mentioned a million times, now go get it!

 

[drope934]

Saffire, for less than that you can get an LE if you're not recording drums. It's been mentioned a million times, now go get it!

The Saffire LE looks great, but it seems to not be produced anymore. Maybe the PRO 24 DSP is the "new version" ? (since I'm not going to record drums at home)


But still, with those interfaces, need a DI box (don't looks like they have a Hi-Z input or such ) so my questions about running a emg 18v into a DI are still there.

Otherwise fuck it all and I'll save to buy a definite Liquid Saffire 56 and a DI box and will be ok for the rest of my life

 

[TheDriller]

I'm using the saffire 24 DSP at the month and it slays.
The two combo-jacks on the front can be switched to be instrument inputs and they sound nice and clear.
I've got emg 18volt mod in on my main guitar. If you keep the pickups lowered a bit and maybe back off the volume control on the guitar a bit then it works fine with the 24 DSP. My only complaint would be that I'd like to have a 'pad' switch on the first two channels like on the saffire pro 40

 

[drope934]

So I'll go for the saffire pro 24 dsp. This could be a great improvement to my sound and it has connection that I miss on my actual interface (midi in/out and optical in to plug a bunch of mic preamps wich is great if I have one day to rec drums at my basement). Will get maybe a cheap DI to do the trick with my band just in case I need the DIs.

 

[DanLights]

All saffires have a hi-z input, its called instrument input, and it's awesome

 

[drope934]

Ordered the saffire pro 24 dsp. I'll post some clips comparing the DIs of it vs. PodStudio when I got it, this could be helpfull for some people.

 

[~BURNY~]

Nick, I have no doubts that the REDDI is fantastic (it better be considering the price) but saying the type 85 isn't a substantial improvement over a pod is inaccurate.

 

[DanLights]

Ordered the saffire pro 24 dsp. I'll post some clips comparing the DIs of it vs. PodStudio when I got it, this could be helpfull for some people.

Great, please do it!

 

[Nick M]

Maybe you're right and the pod DI is even worse than I thought. Either way you will still be playing around with stuff that is not up to par. So say his DI gets him 50% to where he wants to be. Then say the type 85 takes him to 75%. Still not where he needs to be and just wasted the money. Save up and do it right.