-
The recent thread about playing through a house PA system got me thinking about DI boxes. Most of the best, with multi-band EQ etc. like the Fishman Platinum seem to be aimed at acoustic instruments, typically amplified with a piezo pickup.
I'm curious about experiences and impressions (from actual use experience!) of active DI boxes with decent EQ for use through PA systems, i.e. with XLR out.
Any experiences, positive or negative, out there?
-
03-14-2016 09:11 AM
-
I have an ADA GCS-2 and have tried other analog "cab simulators" - they sound decent but once you try a digital Impulse Response you get to know what real cab emulation is.
The DI part is easy, any 30$ DI will do it.
-
Unless you absolutely have to have an XLR output, I've been very pleased with the Empress Para EQ. I switched over to the Empress after years of gigging with the old standby LR Baggs Para. About a year and many gigs later I still have the Baggs, but it sits in the box. The Empress has MANY more EQ options and my take is it's more friendly to magnetic pickups than the Baggs, Fishman, et al that are primarily used for piezos.
There is a rather steep learning curve on the Empress at first however once it's dialed in she's magic. I sometimes go direct into a PA at some venues and not having a XLR output really hasn't been an issue as most mixers will accept the 1/4" line out from the Empress.
-
lawson-stone,
Thanks for starting the thread...
SierraTango,
Thanks for your report on the Empress.
I want one, now, more than before.
Tee-Hee
-
+1 on the Empress ParaEq... found one used for $160. A powerful tool for tone shaping.
-
Look at the Grace Felix or new Alix, recording studio quality.
-
Wow. Way way out of my price range!
Originally Posted by boatheelmusic
-
The acoustic lead player in one of my bands uses this:
LR Baggs Para DI 5-Band EQ and Direct Box
It sounds fine to me.
I've been tempted to get Fishman Aura Spectrum for my flattop acoustic gigs. Don't know if they have modelling for famous archtops, but they should, and one would hope that Fishman would work with you on this.
-
Well, the thread does say best..... Originally Posted by lawson-stone
-
Touché sir! Well played! Originally Posted by boatheelmusic
Well, the thread does say best.....
-
Anyone seen the Headway EDB-2? It has two channels and even an input for backing tracks, as well as a nice EQ section.
http://www.amazon.com/Headway-PA1001...headway+guitar
-
+1 on the L.R. Baggs. That is a quality piece of eqipment and it sounds great into the PA.
-
Anybody try the SansAmp (Tech 21) Para Driver? This looks like it could be good and has both XLR and 1/4" outputs.
Tech 21 SansAmp Para Driver DI Preamp Pedal V2 | Musician's Friend
Where I live (in Beijing) I often have to go through a PA. The LR Baggs I use works ok but I was wondering if there are better options too.
-
he Sansamp Paradriver also sounds good into a PA. The L.R. Baggs is more like an acoustic amp. The paradriver is more like a tube amp. They have that tube emulation circuit and you can add grit. It is very versatile pedal that can create a wide range of sounds. I have never tried it with an archtop into a PA though.
-
Many low priced amp modelers with eq and multi-fx, reverbs, etc., can do the job of a DI. Seems like joyo makes some popular units, as does zoom, line6, and many others.
-
Doug, The Sans Amp Paradriver was recommended to me by a pretty well known tech here in New Jersey as a solution for preamping the Barbera Transducer. He also recommended the Red-Eye Instrument Preamp too.
As I understand it they are not only for acoustics.
Joe D
-
So I bought some time back a Digitech RP360 which I thought was pretty much only for rockers and people wanting crazy distortion and delay, but have been playing with it and think this might be just fine for what I want to do. Anyone else have experience with this?
-
I use the Radial PZ-Deluxe. It has a button to change the input impedence from 500k (for magnetics) to 1mohm for acoustic. Semi-Parametric Mids, mute, boost, High pass filter, and a great clean DI. Gets the job done for all my gigs, no matter which guitar I'm bringing.
-
The Digitech should be more than enough for your needs.. and you could always get a cheap passive di if you really need xlr out. Originally Posted by lawson-stone
-
Thanks! With some experimentation I'm finding it's exactly what I need, and a simple passive XLR converter will work when I need to go into a PA. The Patch 60 "Wipe Clean" is really great for my archtops. Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
-
At NAMM, everyone I spoke to about the Headway raved about them, but we only talked about using with acoustic instruments, and especially with something like a DPA4099. Originally Posted by lawson-stone
-
Good to know. I love those multi fx toys and the RP360 seems great - tuner, parametric eq, lexicon reverbs, plenty of fender emulations.. if the amp and cab modelling is decent it has everything to sound great! Ejoy it
-
Does anyone have experience with the Ethos Clean? Can it be used as a DI between an archtop and a PA? Thanks.
-
Yes, I have one. My experience was a bit similar to Jim Soloways who sold his right on after he got it.
It is a very versatile unit, but it did not do it for me. It did not sound sparkly, a somewhat lifeless tone for IMHO. I did not try it with archtops though. In the direct comparison I liked the AMT SS11A clean channel a lot better. My Ethos Clean is collecting dust.
-
I am bit confused here. Is shaping the tone with cab simulators/impulse response boxes/DI boxes the same thing as using EQ devices like the Empress ParaEq? Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
Reply With Quote
I found this Ibanez rarity
Today, 03:05 PM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos