Which DI box / instrument input are you using and why? Do you wanna see me comparing more DI boxes? Let me know! 🤘

@CrushingAxes

Жыл бұрын

Yes to comparing DI Boxes, and some dance moves too!

@leonidaspapanikolaou3165

Жыл бұрын

Radial JDI Stereo Duplex (passive). It sounds fantastic and I never had a problem. It works perfectly well with both active and passive pickups. It is expensive but it rocks!

@rnhtube

Жыл бұрын

Warm Audio. It does active/passive, has a variable pad, and can go in between an amp and a speaker as well. All this and it can be phantom powered. Sounds very good compared to your run of the mill $40 DI box, though it is quite large.

@MarcBecker_Music

Жыл бұрын

I use the Audiowerkzeug MoDi for everything but guitar. For a DI guitar tracks, I split the signal with the Lehle P-Split III and route the signal from its isolated output into the Hi-Z input of my UA Apollo Interface. And yes, please, do more DI comparisons.

@jorrickthole6505

Жыл бұрын

I use the Audient Sonos. It has 2 mic inputs, a seperate DI input, and a DI output to send to your amp. An extremely easy to use and versatile interface. Test it: Id love to see how it holds up 😁👍

One of the best videos on the subject ever! Great work Kristian!

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Glad you kike it! Thanks a lot!

@Producelikeapro

Жыл бұрын

@@KohleAudioKult You Rock!

One of the only audio channels worth anything in 2023. Discussing impedance? You are on the good side of the universe.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Haha! Thanks! Welcome to the nerdy side!

BEST Di box comparison on KZread! Thanks for all you did to show the differences!

This is why I like my IK Multimedia Axe I/O interface. It has switches for active or passive and JFET or Pure. Plus, it has the "Z-Tone" knob which lets you dial the impedance from 1 MOhm to 2.2 kOhms.

@tootory9506

11 ай бұрын

I Just Checked Out The IK! It looks Awesome But For My App. I Need XLR Out To RunI Into My Snake From Live Room To Control Room. :(

Really great and helpful information. Finally able to wrap my head around what to look for. Thanks!

I watched a very in depth DI vid a couple years ago that compared 20, or so, DI’s and the Telefunken TDA-1 was my winner. It’s good to see it stands the rest of time. Great vid! Thanks for explaining so I’m depth the why’s of the different sounding types and impedances.

This is such a detailed an in depth look at DI boxes! probably the most comprehensive look into different DI boxes that I've ever seen! I have the Rupert Neve DI box and I can't begin to stress how good it sounds! I would love to see how it stands up to these other DI boxes! Cheers!!

@KohleAudioKult

11 ай бұрын

Thanks man! I’d love to see that too!

Thank you for this lesson!

This was amazing!! I really dig your comparisons!!

Currently wondering If I needed a DI box, so this video came out at the perfect time. Thanks Kristian!

Great video, learned a lot!

Great idea. Personally, I woulda loved to see stuff that most people use and not 2 boutique DI's. For instance, Radial Pro D2/D1, Neve RNDI-and the RNDIS, Radial JDI(which is my preferred generic DI), ADesigns Reddi, BAE PDIS 2, and the creme of the crop Avalon U5. Keep the Telefunken as that's also one of the go too's, however IME, the Telefunken rounds off everything above 15k a bit.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

I think that the ADT is in the same price range or even cheaper than some of the stuff you mention. But yeah, a low end vs high end comparison sounds like a good idea!

@threepe0

Жыл бұрын

“Not boutique…” mentions Neve… 🤔 wut

@ObeseChess

8 ай бұрын

@@threepe0the Neve can be had used for under $250 USD. That’s not a boutique price despite being a boutique piece of gear!

I just compared a passive DI box (PRO CO) to an active one (RADIAL) and afterwards a passive Reamping box to an active one. Similar differences as you have shown. Thanks again for the great content buddy.

I like the idea of distorting the singal using the DI box. Great video! :-D

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

It’s fun too!

i didn't watch the video yet, but i wanted someone to dive into this topic for years, so thanks!!!!!

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

You’re welcome!

Over the years I've definitely noticed the differences between plugging into the instrument input on the interface, using DI boxes, or even the instrument input on certain preamps. Great demonstration! I'd be interested in seeing a video where you test out the instrument input on a number of other mic preamps. 🤘🏻🤘🏻

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Good idea!

This has been very helpful to understand the concept. I have always assumed the expectation for a DI would be that when the recorded signal was re-amped it could closely match the sound of the same recorded guitar plugged straight into the amp. This would also mean properly matching levels of the guitar and the DI signal being reamped. I have been thinking to set up a test with a looper pedal to record my loop through the DI. I would then send the recorded track back looped from the daw and re-amp it and then switch the amp input between the re-amp signal and my looper pedal and see how close I could get the 2 sounding through the amp. If I could get them sounding close I would be happy to stick to that DI setting for all recordings.

Thank You !

Dropped a sub, what a great vid. That Lightning Boy does everything well.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Thanks and welcome! The Dark Storm is a real winner, from clean to dirty!

Take a shot everytime he puts down that Telefunken di box😂

When this man says something, matters. It is time to listen! Havent heard you say this or compare products like this since the speaker video through the URM academy.

Excellent video thanks you

Frikkin amazing video man. ty

This is very interesting, now I will tests my Audient's DI input and some other DI box I have lying around!

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Enjoy! 🤘❤️

Just what I was looking for before the next record :D Gutes Timing Bruder!

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Hab ich gerochen 🤩😇

I have an ART MPA II. It has an independent Impedance knob. It definitely makes a tonal difference when adjusted to each mic....Great Video! Good information for those "non-techy" viewers.

Countryman vs Mackie vs Berhinger would be cool to test.

I use the radial J48 active and I've had great luck with it into a BAE 312 preamp. 312 has a nice upper mid boost and the mic input is like 1400 ohms. I've compared it to the Camden 500, and a BAE 1073. The Camden was the flattest pre and the 1073 had a but of low / top boost. I'd be interest on your take on the Radial!

This is a great video and more people should watch it! I'll definitely send it to my bandmates. Btw., I like to use the analogy of a door and something trying to go through it to describe input and output impedance. The higher your input impedance, the bigger the door. The higher your output impedance, the larger the thing trying to go through it. If the door is too small (i.e. the input impedance too low) your signal won't be able to fit through it without losing size. I hope that makes sense.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

That’s a good analogy too!

Thanks for the info and demo on DIs! I must say, I wish I knew this info sooner as I own a couple of DI boxes I thought should be appropriately equipped for this application, but their input impedance is 220k! (Rhymes with Sadial) Now to resell and pick up a new DI box.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

They make good stuff! 🤘

Props for your alliterative use of “telephonic” and Telefunken in the same sentence.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

🤣🤪

Very cool! I'm interested to see how different all mine are. (I do a lot of live sound) Acoustic guitars are where I think this info could come in extra handy! Could brighten or darken the signal before it even hits the board if it was needing it. Excellent demo!! Cheers from the shores of Lake Ontario just out side Toronto!🤘

One thing guitarists can do is pick a buffer on their board they really like (or an always on boost or something) and use that both live and recording even when recording a DI signal as it'll do the impedance conversion and therefore the DI will have less affect on the sound (transformers and output impedance affect tone too). You can often even use a normal line input (low impedance) with a good buffer if the levels are fine (this still depends on output and input impedance of course). The reason you'd do this is to know exactly how the signal will react when reamped because usually a guitarist is not playing through a studios DI. Also reamp makes a difference because it does the other way and sometimes might be too low for the sound a guitarist once. I personally love very high impedance jfet circuits but they are brighter and higher impedance than my amps but allow more top end to come through and change how the volume and tone controls react.

I'm using the Radial JDV mk3 active Class-A direct box for years now... and now I want the Telefunken 😎

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Go for it! I'm now in love with the Dark Storm because it sounds sooo metal!

It's couple years now I have the ADT, sounds great but I never understood why it doesn't have a link/thru output, now I finally got it! Thanks Kohle! (and thanks to Mr. Tauber for this great piece of gear)

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

It's basically to record a DI track and play your amp at the same time.

@ChronicHateBand

Жыл бұрын

@@KohleAudioKult Sure, my old DI box had it, but I didn't know that using also the thru output, the tone changes.

Fantastic! Thanks for the efforts! I would be curious how the Radial boxes compare to some of these.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Indeed! More to come!

Enjoying the Demos and Chugging! I’m using active acoustic pedal chain into Warm passive DI for Zoom H6 loops. Gain staging challenges.

Thanks for teaching the pronunciation of Telefunken.

@KohleAudioKult

5 ай бұрын

Bitte schön!

Great comparison bravo Kristian! One thing you forgot to mention about DI is "ground lift". It probably seems not so important while studio recording, but for live use it's necessary. Good luck🤘

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Yeah you’re right, that came to mind when the video was already filmed. 🫣

With passive pickups, as you reduce the InZ, the first thing that happens is the resonant peak at the top of that pickup’s frequency response gets reduced. The cutoff frequency stays about the same, you just get less boost right at that frequency. This is usually in the range we would call high mids. As that Z gets much smaller, the whole filter shifts downward. (It’s actually exactly the same thing that happens turning down the guitar’s T knob until that knob gets down about halfway and starts doing something a little different) NOW 30K is a very low impedance for a passive pickup. The passive DI into a decent pre looks probably 10 times bigger and the others are 30 times bigger. It’s only like 3 times bigger than the Line In. I think what we’re hearing in that TF is the suppression of that resonant peak. It’s still not rolling off the frequencies above cutoff much more, but it’s boosting high mids around cutoff a lot less. Those higher frequencies are a bigger part of what we’re hearing, and we are less distracted by that twangy part. I think that box is more made for situations where the DI guitar or bass will be used on its own in the mix, and frankly not suitable for the sort of tracking - for amp sims or reamping - that we’re talking about. It is nothing like what you’re amp would actually hear from your guitar unless you regularly keep your T knob down halfway.

Really cool collection you get there! I made a little DI comparison on my channel, comparing accesible active DI box, my DIY passive DI box with fancy transformer and two Hi Z Inputs of my audio interfaces. I found that for my application active DI works best: great high's, decent lows, not as coloured as going through passive DI, sounds faster and more clinical, probably closer to the source.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

I agree. In general an active DI should be more transparent. On the other hand there ADT is a good example that passive can sound great even with passive PUs

@demondrive147

Жыл бұрын

​@@KohleAudioKult to be fair, FE2 di box sounds great, but just different. It naturally cuts some lows, which for CHUGGAH CHUGGAH tone is what you want, but has less gain, I need to crank a microphone input to make it more lush and less dry sounding.

I've been using a lot of ampsims lately, so I go straight to the interface, but If it's a reamp or recording with real amps, then DI-BOX are a must.

Pls compare all you can get! :) For di.

Wait up What i got from that was we can possibly have a Impulse response of different DI's yeah . Great idea . Kinda like the amp speaker or guitar circuitry thing .

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

IRs only capture the frequency response, so unfortunately that’s not gonna cover the behavior of a DI

Been waiting for this video since I mentioned to you that Telefunken has DI's that you didn't notice behind you on your NAMM video. Would love to see it compared to Rupert Neve DI, Audioscape Classic DI, possibly Radial for reference, and if it fancies you check out the KHAN DI. It's a Tube DI made by the original designer of the Ampeg SVT DI. What's interesting about it is that the THRU output of the KHAN is effected as well and meant to make solid state heads sound more tubey.

Having experience with the 498T in DI and clean amps, that Telefunken DI is very colored. The somewhat honkey tone you hear in the DIs is what the pickup sounds like and what makes it good for passive high gain tones (the tone of a tube screamer is a mid hump, after all). I have done DI shootouts, including level matching and frequency analysis. I'll add on to others saying the Radial J48 is a very uncolored option and is conveniently powered by phantom power. I recently shot it out against an old GT passive DI box, the HI-Z input on the Apollo x8p and on another API clone box HI-Z. The Radial seemed to be the most true to the tone of the pickups. The GT was pretty good, but started rolling off the tone in the high mids, which came off sounding "warm" but was probably too colored for most applications. The Apollo seems to have a harsh bump in the high mids. The API clone had a very unsurprising API color.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Thanks! Great information. I’m using the Radial passive reamp because it sounds great. Gotta check out their DI boxes still!

Hi Kohle! Great content as usual dude, thanks for the effort and the useful information you're sharing with us. I use the RME Babyface Pro. On the Line/Instrument In it has an input inpedance of 470 kOhm. Do you think that's good enough for recording metal guitars? I also use that Inout for Bass guitar. I'd be glad for your valuation. Greeting from Germany, brother!

@sqlb3rn

Жыл бұрын

yea the first thing my guitar hits is 500k input impedance with 11k output passive pickup... I wonder if this is noticeable tone difference

Here is what I noticed, harmonics. Each input flavored the signal differently. I could hear the harmonic difference, but could not pinpoint the frequency(ies). The darker the signal, the muddied the liw end got. So my thinking is that the high end is getting rolled into lower freqs, compressing to an extent without increasing sound level accordingly. On a side note, modellers have an advantage here. The higher end ones can set the output impedance with separate outputs as well. A bonus if it also cleans up the signal prior to a pedal chain.

I mostly use ISA One of Focusrite and 1073 for another channel as alternative - for clean guitar/bass channels, then reamp in real or VST amps. Also have a Redbox of H&K but don’t really use it much.

@johnheery7473

11 ай бұрын

I use the ISA One too but I find it is very gentle on everything. I'm thinking of getting a different preamp to complement it, maybe an API.

@evgenyvikki1138

11 ай бұрын

@@johnheery7473 it is gentle! Or I better say it's clear. That's why I use 1073 of Goodfly and UA LA610, for instance.

I compared instrument input of my Steinberg UR242 to Simpleway DI - was amazed by difference. Also, I tried my Darkglass b7k as DI - it works cool as well 😀

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

So the Steinberg was bad?

@DmitryPuffin

Жыл бұрын

@@KohleAudioKult In comparison with SimpleWay and Darkglass it sounds duller. You also gave me an idea to try out SE DM2 mic launcher as buffer between guitar and soundcard. Idea sounds stupid, might not work, but I will try that just because I am curious 😁

I always the DI's on my Audient but seeing this video I might want to use the DI on my Golden Age pre. You can also dirty up that single going in. Would be an interesting experiment.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Pretty sure the AUDIENT DI will sound quite a bit more transparent. But yeah, the GA might sound interesting too!

For bass, I like to use a valve preamp / channel strip as a DI. I was introduced to this in the early 2000s and never really looked back. I now can't see any reason to use a DI box when tracking bass. My TL Audio preamps and compressors have unbalanced outputs on 1/4" jacks, as well as balanced XLRs, so they work well as reamp boxes too. The C1 stereo compressor, sadly discontinued, is an amazing bit of kit.

Nice comparison sir, I'll buy a Telefuuuuuunken for sure

I use a Country Man. Bullet proof, and sounds just fine :)

So funny I was just looking at DI's. Ended up by a cheap Rapco D-100 which seems to have really flat performance, for $15. If it sucks no big deal. But the one I almost bought was the Neve RND, which can take a load from your speaker out of your amp to capture power amp goodnessI. I'm glad I didn't buy anything higher end yet though, this seems like something you would want to take some time to figure out which is the right one for your use case.

Hot take: I dont like using DIs to reamp guitar unless it is for a secondary "character tone" where the detail doesn't matter as much. I have shot out my radial active DI, a two notes torpedo reload, a radial reamp box, direct to line on interface versus my guitar recorded through a miced amp directly (no reamp). I always seem to prefer the tone going directly into the amp... I've also tone matched these DIs with fabfilter pro-q and they all have pretty significantly different eq curves. I know many producers love messing with DIs and tone matching or compressing them. To me it just seems like adding more variables than necessary. I'd rather spend the time dialing in my amp and microphones. Just one man's opinion... That preamp sounded kick ass though. Sounded like a JFET style fuzz or something.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

If you can record with an amp and skip the whole DI / reamping process that’s great for sure, but on most productions these days people record DIs and guitars are getting reamped. Many guitarists record DIs but let a pro studio reamp. And this is why DIs matter more than ever!

@aheadofmetal

Жыл бұрын

@@KohleAudioKult I completely understand the convenience factor. Im sure your reamps would sound better than my miced tones (based on many other factors than simply the DI box) :) A lot of my bias might just be the feel of a live amp usually results in a better picking performance.

This is really important. I use the radial jdi passive di. I would never use a preamp inst input. They sound harsher to mee always. The jdi to mee gives a smooth buttery sound to me

I would like to share my thoughts: Over the years, I have experimented with numerous DI boxes, both well-known and obscure ones, encompassing low and high impedance, as well as tube and clean options..... I have never been fond of tube DI boxes for guitars(but bass are another story). While they may work well for clean tones, they tend to make palm muting muddy and soft no mater how you cut the lows. Ultimately, I have found that Type 85 DI boxes suit me best. very high impedance, offering a clean and transparent tone. provide a sharp attack that suits my preferences. Another one is the IK Axe DI. I think it does introduce its own distinct "IK color" in comparison to the Type 85, but in most cases, this coloration is desirable and adds to the overall sound. The DI input on the Kemper is exceptionally "tight," and the DI on the AXE FX II is also commendable for its clean and clear characteristics.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

You bring up a few very interesting topics. First of all it would be interesting to explore the DI inputs of different hardware modelers, secondly the new IK pedal seems to come with a variable impedance which sounds like a very powerful feature. With Type 85 you mean the Countryman DI?

@mengskenon8090

Жыл бұрын

​@@KohleAudioKult Sorry I didn't make it clear yes I mean Countryman Type 85. and yes the IK AXE IO, which features a "Z-TONE" knob, allows for a maximum impedance of 1M Ohm. I don't know if I should but I adjust it depending on what guitar I recording. always gives me very good results. Conversely, the Type 85 has an impedance of 10M Ohm!! which is significantly higher than most DI box. I don't even know should I plug a guitar on it🤣. Despite this, I personally enjoy using it. super sharp picking attack! sometime maybe too sharp for a clean tone but it works for me since I don't play clean tone much. I personally highly recommend it!

Great content. I would love to watch how to connect a pedalboard with amp pedals (Dream65, HX Stomp, etc) and why LI is more important than a DI.

Cool video! I’m curious how the DI’s from most modelers sound compared to a separate DI. 🤔 Most modelers let you record the DI via USB simultaneously. I’m curious if they’re on par with these, or if they have a noticeable difference in quality.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

That’s actually a very good idea

I was wondering how much of these differences can be compensated for with the amplifier settings, booster, IR, preamp, and post-processing. All of these boxes sound different, but with the complete setups, you can surely make them all sound similar. Maybe the only thing that would change are the transients. What do you think?, i can put saturn before any amp sim and add some saturation to my D.I like you did with sand storm, is just different i know but, i dont know.

I’ve shot out 8 or so different DI boxes and ended up more confused than really figuring out which was better. One DI box would sound better than another depending on passive or active pickups but the same di box would sound worse reamping through a modeler like an axefx compared to the di captured from the axefx , then reamping through an amp the opposite would be true. So it all seems to be very dependent on the circumstance.

@dougleydorite

Жыл бұрын

Standard rule of thumb is run active pickups into a passive DI box so you don’t have an extra OP amp in the signal. And passive pickups into an active DI box

Man, all this stuff is complications I wish weren't there 😅... I Currently run my Kemper's "Direct Output" for capturing the DI, 6.3mm patch cable straight to my Scarlett Clarett 8pre, but I have no idea if that is a good method or not. I can't say I've ever trusted it, but the convenience has made me not look into alternatives. That aside, the Dark Storm is the clear winner out of these in my book. Added some nice grit to the guitar and made the bass clanky and clear.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

I agree that the Dark Storm is a winner because it’s so versatile. If the mic pre is just as great it’s gonna stay here!

You should definitely check the instrument input on Focusrite isa one (especially when it goes thru main transformer) and the passive version of the Telefunken.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

I do have both of them here 🥳. So how DO they compare?

@AdamZiokowski666

Жыл бұрын

@@KohleAudioKult I've used passive Telefunken only once and I liked it. I love the open sound of Isa One and the Lundahl transformer adds a bit of nice colour when pushed. Funny thing - I fried my passive ART DI while using it as an reamp ;p Thanks for the great comparison 🤘🍻

When you explain technical information I feel use of diagrams is easiest to get your point across (specially if you are going to A/B ideas). Your audience will absorb a lot more information.

Great video man! If I have to choose only one di box to work with both active and passive pickups, witch one you reccomend? Active or passive di?

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Active if there can only be one 🥶

Great video, thanks a lot! :) Personally, I'm most interested in RNDI vs Telefunken and maybe vs some radials as they seem to be very popular with people. I tried using Warm Audio DI and Audient's interface DI, but I wasn't too happy with them. A lot of amp simulations, especially Marshalls, make them sound like they hate the whole world and want to drill a hole in my brain, brrr :-O Speaking of built-in DI interfaces, I liked what RME had. And in the past, before he died, call me a freak, built-in DI Behringer FCA610. In the amp simulations, it sounded darker, with a much nicer sound.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

There’s no right and wrong if you are looking for a more colored tone. But I’d you looking for „transparent“ I’m pretty sure you don’t wanna use the Behringer. 🥶

Hi Kohle, This has been very helpful to me - My dedicated guitar amp IS basically my Macbook/iPad +plus a DI input. I have a Focusrite iTrack Solo (basically a Scarlett 2i2, but with 1 '48V ghost power' mic input and 1 instrument input. (It's pretty decent.. I think...? 500 kilo ohms instrument input...) However, I also have 2 passive inputs (for iPhone/iPad). The iRig. And the "improved" iRig 2. Now these... Are shit. Had an Apogee Jam a few years back. (Active). That one was amazing. Anyways - this video has been very helpful. The impedance thing actually makes sense to me with this analogy. And now I know what to look for when I investigate the specs of the iPoop and iPoop 2. (I mean... Maybe it's obvious they wouldn't be AS good as my Focusrite thing. But they were advertised to me as decent products at some point in time... And, in my experience, they're really not. (Also, thx for crushing my dream of "...so maybe if Iet the gain knob go into the red, I get this Dark Storm sound...? 😮" . [I say this, while being accompanied by sad gypsie violin music, of course] . But for real - the explanation of that made sense to me as well. (And as you know, I don't exactly have a background in playing tonal instruments, and stuff I know about audio I taughy myself... So very much a lack of knowledge.) This whole tutorial/discussion was very clear, easy to follow BUT very in depth. Cheers from Amsterdam Igor / MCB

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Thanks man! Those cheaper Focusrite instrument preamps don’t have a good reputation. They’re also known for NOT taking hotter PU levels well, but I haven’t tested that myself.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Oh damn, that’s you Igor! Best wishes! 🤘❤️

If you do more DI shootouts i'd love to see the Warm audio DI that can switch between active and passive (think it has an amp setting too?) think its the "WA-DI-A"

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Didn’t know that one was both active and passive! I’ll check it out

Hi there I have watched your video and was wondering a question... I have a RNDI.... can I say use this as a signal path... guitar into say 10 effects pedals then go into the INS on the DI and use the XLR output signal into a audio interface? would using the effects pedals damage the RNDI by using it this way meaning can you overload one if you set up a signal path like this. I ask this as the set up they have is for amps and not for small home studios.... I want the RNDI to colourize the sound and apparently if you use the thru for the effects the signal is actually unaffected by the RNDI which is not quite what I want. I can add later the amps/cabinets/reverb room simulations later via my software... what do you think?

my Toneking Ironman II attenuator has an output impedence of 10k ohms and it sounds really dark when I connect it to any input of my audio interface UA Arrow. Should I use a DI box to adjust the impedence?

To me, it's easy to be impressed with the aggressive, upfront sound of the Dark Storm but it seems like the ADT seems the most (I don't know the right word) versatile? Useful? It seems like it hits the sweet spot of not being too bright or too dull.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

That might be true

I think how you explained impedance was a bit confusing. A lot of thruth, though. Guitar signal from a passiv pickup is a high impedance signal, with all the negaitve effects of long cable runs (basically you apply a low pass filter with cables over 3 to 4 meters lenght). An active pickup has a built in preamp and will give you a low impedance signal! To convert a high impedance to a low impedance guitar signal you use a buffer or a buffered pedal as early in your signal chain as possible (sometimes you need to use older fuzz pedals or wha pedals before a buffer to not sound like shit). A buffer just makes a "copy" of your signal and converts the impedance. A "good" buffer has a imput impedance of around 1 Mega-Ohm and a output impedance of around 100 Ohm. But don't just run out and buy a expensive buffer pedal, a stinking old Boss pedal in bypass will do the trick, as all Boss pedals have a buffer (or sometimes multiple) built in. 1 M-Ohm impedace is around the same impedance a guitar amp has, so if you use a buffer after a 3 m cable length your passiv pickup will react as if you are plugged into your amp with a 3 m cable (no loss in high end or dynamics). A good rule of thumb is to use a buffered bypass pedal as the first and last of your pedal board and use true bypass between them. So it won't change the tone when you play. Only using true bypass pedals might seem a cool idea at first, but as soon as you turn one on it will be a "buffer" in your signal chain and depending on your rig can change the tone. With sandwitching your pedalboard it will sound the same, no matter what pedal you use. PS.: I built my own buffer pedal a while ago, to get all the benefits. The schematics were from my brother, who is a HiFi enthusiast, and was based of a JHS little black buffer. He just improved the headroom and also did a V2 version witch improves the headroom even more and you can use it with 9 - 18V of power without damaging the pedal. @Kohle, if you want one, I can build one for you. ;)

Thank you for u, I use a bss ar133 active, pluging to focusrait 2i2, i dont feel the difference i have style mutch noise and hum ... there is a trick to eliminate noise from my interface audio Thanks!

put a buffer in front of a cheap passive DI for a clearer sound.. I use the waza tuner

Forget comparing DI-boxes - please compare re-amp boxes!!! I'm super confused what re-amp box i should get because your friend Glenn Fricker bashed Radial re-amp box(es) and he swears by Signal Art reamp box... Which is not so easy to get in Europe. And please try to include the new Walrus Audio Canvas Re-amp if just possible! Thanks! 🤘😘

@KaddysJamKave

Жыл бұрын

I would ignore Fricker, Radial dis and reamp boxes are industry standard all these decades for a reason. They are awesome... Fricker just likes to intentionally ruffle feathers for clicks.

@kristofdevlamynck4786

Жыл бұрын

Jens Bogren uses the Radial X-Amp. Who is this Fricker guy again?🤭

@KaddysJamKave

Жыл бұрын

@@kristofdevlamynck4786 Spectre Sound Studios on YT.

the fact that some big soundman youtubers actually point out "tone difference, so do you need it?" more than "balanced and low impedance" is quite cute. well yeah if we're playing at home where we are the only listener, yes we don't need it. but for someone like me who plays for church and some stages, having it is important. thank you for the explanation, great video

I wonder how the Telefunken compares to the Undertone Audio GB Tracker. Or if there's anything else in the sonic universe of that Telefunken DI. I really dug it.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

I wasn’t aware of the existence of the GB tracker until some comments mentioned it. Looks like I should check it out!

Can the dark storm's Hi-Z output be used for reamping? I don't see a line level input.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

No. The idea is that you can color your DI or mic signal and send it to an amp or pedal.

Awesome vid Kohle -- DI boxes = not sexy -- but super useful. Question -- what is the pretty, light blue 500 series preamp module you're using for the vocal mic in this vid?

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

That’s a rather affordable Midas preamp going into the Tegeler vocal leveler!

Now you have me wondering what happens if you play an overdrive pedal into a DI. Would you get the same effect?

i have a rack of apollos and an RNDI and the Neve has a great sound. I had a Radial and it was ok but wasn't as good as the Apollo, the Neve blows them both out.

It would've been cooler if you added the GB tracker to this list as Eric valentine went to great lengths to make it the most transparent. Cool video nonetheless!

When i directly plug into interface , my vst (Amplitube 5) picks up a lot of ground noise as m using unbalanced TS cable ... Will using DI box help in removing that grounding noise (continuous hiss) ?? I can clearly say its loud grounding hiss because it reduces as soon i press my volume knob or touch tone knob .... please help ... also to be noted that I tried using 2 different guitars ,still the noise was there which indicates nothing wrong with my guitars... Theoretically i dont need DI box since for bedroom my unbalanced cable length is hardly 6 feet still i dont know from where the creepy hissing noise is coming !! Thanks

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Pretty much all DI boxes have a ground lift. So if the noise is a grounding problem, it should solve it. There can be other reasons for the hum though like other electronic devices getting picked up by your pickups.

@07dhiraj

Жыл бұрын

@@KohleAudioKult u r lucky charm man 💐💐 ... after ur video i did read about ground loop and found out that culprit was my laptop which was connected to charging thus creating noise loop... as soon i disconnected charging cable and it came to battery mode ..the problem got solved 👍 ... still very minute noise is thr which i controlled using pad button on my m audio interface ...thx for help 👍💐 ...

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

There you go! 🤘

Man, the bridge explanation was great thank you! Something I'm missing in the analogy though: If high impedance means a "more solid" connection with better treble and transient response, why is more not always better? Why isn't everything 1meg or 1.5meg for example?

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

You gotta ask the designers! I can’t tell. But it might be them going for a certain tone that is less transparent.

@threepe0

Жыл бұрын

@@KohleAudioKult thanks for the reply! I'm A/Bing the Telefunken against my Redeye 3D that I had, and I gotta say the Telefunken is a bit darker. I noticed you said the input impedence is 30kohm, while most amps are 1megohm. Looking at the Redeye 3d manual, it seems they think 30kohm isn't enough for passive pickups, which kinda lines up with what I'm hearing. The following is a quote from the manual, referring to their passive input. They've got both a passive and active input, the passive is 30kohm while the active is 1megohm: "the load presented by..." (this input) "...is very high at approximately 30k ohm, but not high enough for passive devices which are much more sensitive to loading." Wondering what your thoughts are here. I'd be really curious to see what you think of the Little Labs Redeye 3D phantom, or another DI with an input impedance of 1megohm. To my ears, it sounds better, almost boosted with a biting (but not harsh) top end, and a bit of a less chubby/round/congested 200hz area. On one hand, I was hoping I'd like the Telefunken as much as you seem to here. On the other, trying it out has made me appreciate the Redeye that much more. Sorry for the wall of text here, but looking at the Neve RNDI, the input impedance on that is 2.2megohm wow! I have access to that one too, and I will be doing more A/B testing, but I think I like the Red Eye more. It might be the buffer, and it might not be as transparent as the Neve, but there is something about it that I like. The Neve definitely has more top end than the Telefunken though.

This is an interesting video. Do you have any opinion on the MW1 Studio Tool? A lot of metal producers love it but I'm not smart enough to quite understand the technical aspect of why the sound is cleaner. 😰

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

It really looks cool, but I’ve never tried it. I don’t even think there’s a EU distribution.

@Jazzguitar00

Жыл бұрын

@@KohleAudioKult I think they can hook you up; you're a pretty influential person in this corner of the internet after all.

Ich spiele oft zwei Amps in einer Daisy Chain, der zweite brummt natürlich wegen der Erdungsschleife obwohl beide jeweils einzeln durch ein optimiertes Erdungsschema super leise sind. Ich werde mir vielleicht mal den Lehle P-ISO Signal Isolator zulegen obwohl das mich das relativ leise Brummen ja nicht wirklich stört. Kennst Du Alternativen zu solchen Geräten ? Es wäre für mich natürlich total interessant zu wissen ob Lemmy das Brummen hingenommen hat oder ob es da etwas ähnliches zwischen den beiden Stacks auf der Bühne gab.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Bei Lemmy im Studio hat es gebrummt wie Sau. Der hat dann einfach die Erde an einen Kabel entfernt, wenn ich mich recht entsinne. Da kommt bald mein Kurs raus. Aber ja, Kauf dir ne Splitterbox mit nem Groundlift. Das ist super!

@LemmyBass

Жыл бұрын

@@KohleAudioKult War das ein Amp oder zwei als Daisy Chain ? Das Brummen bei mir entsteht nur wenn ich zwei Amps hintereinander durchschleife, da ist Durch das Instrumentenkabel die Masse beider Amps verbunden, das mit dem Groundlift habe ich glaube ich schon mal ausprobiert, check ich aber vielleicht auch nochmal. Bei dem Lehle P-Iso wird ja das Signal über Induktion mit zwei Spulen weitergeleitet und somit ist die Masseverbindung physikalisch getrennt.

I`ve never considered any DI box (because why anyway?), but in my country I`ve seen only Behringer, DBX and Radial

Radial, Palmer, BSS and Whirlwind would be a great comparison.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

At least I got a BSS here

Please review the Beyerdynamic MC840 as there is no proper review dedicated to this amazing mic!!!

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Oh yeah! I’d love to. I heard a lot about it and Beyer mics are legendary

Interesting video, thanks, I just got a BEHRINGER DI400P Ultra-DI .. anyone could provide some comment on this one?

Radial Pro DI here.

my focusrite sounds 1:1 as my countryman 85. thats the gold standard for me. generally you don’t want any tubes or transformers in your di box, it should be clean. so if that dark storm sounds like a tubescreamer. ehh do you really need that? it should be compared to the guitar plugged in straight into the amp ideally.

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

I think I went a little fat with that TS comparison. It just sounds „in your face“ which makes it a great DI for metal guitar and bass DI sessions.

Why does any of the direct box videos I see not show me how much gain to use once the direct box converts to mic level into the interface. Do we just leave the gain at zero or how much gain do we use to record it correctly?

@KohleAudioKult

9 ай бұрын

Close to 0bBfs on your converters but without clipping them!

@braxal6983

9 ай бұрын

@@KohleAudioKult Thank you so much. I went through video after video on this subject and not one I found showed how to adjust the direct box gain into the mic preamp to get the right level into the DAW so you can re-amp it. I am so appreciative that you answered my question fast. I love your videos!

Which speakerstands are you using?

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

Those are the adjustable Zaors. Highly recommended!

It feels like the DI's are affecting the stereo field differently as well...

Have you ever used the Avalon U5? I love that Box.

@assshakerstudios549

Жыл бұрын

It's my absolute Numero Uno for Bass DI, and pretty much everything else! Haven't found a better one yet!

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

I have used it and it sounded great. But I used it only on active PUs and without being alle to compare it on that session. Would be great to try!

@maennermusik

Жыл бұрын

@@assshakerstudios549 Yes, unbelieveable Box. It sucks everything out of the Instrument.

Ok that dark storm sounds wicked. But thats quite the money, compared to most DI Boxes out there, tou would have to dish out for it. I would love to grab it, but have to pass

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

It’s basically a hand built mic preamp. The DI part is a bonus. You should rather compare it to a single channel Neve micpre or something similar.

how abt some mic pre blending on mixing guitar mics

@KohleAudioKult

Жыл бұрын

I don’t understand the question. Come again!

@metalfather8139

Жыл бұрын

@@KohleAudioKult different mic pre amps for guitar cabs blended or single . you know like a shootout for brutal guitars