DI boxes part 1: What does a DI box do, and when do I need one?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ส.ค. 2024
- Essential knowledge for all audio professionals who wish to keep their systems running noise free! Also includes brief discussions of how a DI box is connected and how ground loops can be dealt with.
00:00 Intro
00:47 What does the term "DI" mean?
01:33 What does a DI box do?
01:50 Connector matching
02:48 Impedance matching
05:21 Signal balancing
06:50 When do I need a DI box?
08:23 Dealing with ground loops
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Dude, You explained it in a way that a dummy like me fully comprehended the use of the DI Box.
Roland Galindo Glad to hear that. If you can understand this sort of thing you are no dummy, you just need a teaching approach that is simple and step by step ;)
@Shangrilla _ No they are not - a re-amper or reamping kit consists of two parts, one of which is a DI box.
I guess im asking the wrong place but does any of you know of a tool to log back into an Instagram account..?
I was dumb lost the password. I would love any tricks you can give me.
@Gage Jerome instablaster =)
@Anders Ronan it worked and I finally got access to my account again. I am so happy!
Thanks so much you really help me out !
That was excellent. First time I've actually sat and taken notes while watching a TH-cam video. Many thanks.
You're most welcome, thanks for watching.
The clarity of your delivery is perhaps the best I have ever heard. No ifs, ands, ehhhs, or buts. Very well done!
Ah, the power of a good set of notes ;) Thanks for watching!
Fantastically broken down and covered all bases of questions I had, and then the questions I had as I was listening.
Thank you for such a well crafted video!
That's great to hear, thanks for watching and supporting the channel! Let me know if you have further questions.
You are the genius! Your explanation is the best then any other videos!
Thanks for watching! Glad the video was helpful.
Thank you so much for this video series. You are an excellent narrator and have explained things so succinctly, with a clear voice, good recording, and thankfully NO BACKGROUND MUSIC.
I had ordered a second Radial Pro DI by mistake but after watching this video I realized that I can use it for my Martin 000-16E Granadillo acoustic-electric guitar as well, not just my passive Stingray by Music Man bass.
Thank you. :)
You're most welcome, very glad the videos were helpful!
I work on stages, and I really like how you explained the DIs. Everyone uses them, but i don't know how many know how they actually work. It seems that the DI is something you need to have because it makes you look professional. Thanks again for your videos!
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
I want to gladly add to the noise on here and just say thank you! We are using DI Boxes at our church, and as we are a mobile church, we set up and tear down each Sunday. I am taking some inventory on equipment right now and needed to know why we even use these! This is great and God bless you!
You're welcome Jacob, thanks for watching!
Such a solid video. Thank you very much.
+Ziltoid TheOmniscient You're welcome, thanks for watching.
Outstanding as Always Bruno. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I'm a old musician and use music gears since a few decades... Today you give me the answer to my interrogations since all these years :
- What is balanced/unbalanced,
- What is a DI box
- What is this hum sound in my speakers (ground loop)
- Why i'm hearing people and phone calls in my monitoring speakers
Your channel is a golden pepite, very helpful, even for a french, because you're speaking clearly, slowly and it help :)
Thanks for that !
You're welcome Eric, very glad the video was helpful!
Hi GLB, I could not pass by without leaving a word to thank you very much for your lecture. I didn't expect to watch the whole thing in its entirety, but I DID watch it all. It was so informative, so clear and useful. Understanding the purpose of these boxes make people use them better. Thank you again and I have subscribed, even though that was the only info I was after. I am going to watch others of your videos for the sake of "learning". Thank you!
You're welcome Renes, very glad the video was helpful. I suggest that you watch the entire series on DI boxes as there is lots of useful information there :)
Thanks for this! I have to mic up a set on my own as part of an assessment tomorrow and I've been watching your videos to re-jig my worried mind. Thank you so much! Really helpful mate 👍🏻
You're welcome, hope the assessment goes well!
Thanks a lot for the info! Extremely helpful.
I understand finally wat di box for.
Thank u so much for tis useful explaination..
Greetings from Singapore ;)
Joe Fazer Hello neighbour :) Thanks for watching and getting in touch!
I've been trying--without much success--to understand this stuff all evening (by reading explanations on various web sites and message boards). Finally, a presentation I can grasp. Thank you, sir.
You're most welcome. Feel free to ask any follow-up questions you might have.
Your explanations and information contained in your tutorials are invaluable, not to mention very concise and well explained. Keep up the great work.
Thanks for watching Ness!
The best explanation ever👍👍👍
Damn! that was a lot of information in a short amount of time! thanx!
You're welcome!
Nice clear explanation. No waffle, no distracting music. Great job.
Thanks for watching :)
Simply awesome! You are a seriously good teacher.... You explain things perfectly so I could understand. I have listened a few times to others about DI boxes and really did not understand fully. Thank you!
You're most welcome :)
This was so helpful thank you so much !
This is very helpful stuff keep'em coming please.
- You're welcome, thanks for watching!
This is the first time i have been able to follow and understand all the technical explanations 100%. Thank you!!!!!
That's awesome! Thanks for watching!
I've watched a stack of vids on DI boxes. THIS is by far, the best. Thank you.
You're most welcome, glad the video was helpful 😊
Very informative. Im subscribing and pls make more more more more more videos.
also called Direct Input
The series of lessons on DI boxes you've showcased is very advanced and interesting to watch.
I have already subscribed to your channel some time ago, and every video I watch of yours gets alike without fail. Thanks for sharing your high-tech engineering tutorials.
You're welcome! Thanks for watching this series of videos, it's a long one!
Incredibly helpful information. I'd basically already figured out the information in vid 2 on my own through trial and error, but this first vid explained a few things about DI's for me on the ground level. I really appreciate this upload.
Really glad the video has been helpful, let me know if you have any further questions!
Best explanation I've heard so far. Especially useful for a dummy like me! Is one DI box sufficient or do you need to get one with eg 4 ins and outs to cover all the instruments going into the PA?
You need one DI box for each signal source that you are going to DI. So in a typical band you would need one for bass, one for each keyboard and one for acoustic guitar. Electric guitar may or may not be DI'ed depending on the player's setup and preferences.
I normally play electric or acoustic guitar and sing with backing tracks, all going straight into the PA (usually via a TC Helicon Voicelive 2 for vocals and a TC Electronic Nova for the electric.). Hopefully one should do the job, if my understanding is correct. Thanks for your prompt reply.
You're welcome. Yes the Voicelive has a balanced output so it doesn't need a DI box. For the Nova you'll need to decide if you want a mono or stereo DI box, I recommend the latter so that you can have stereo effects in the PA system.
Just watched your 2nd video and it was extremely helpful. I realised after watching it, that my Voicelive 2 actually has a ground loop button on it. Also my Nova goes into the Voicelive 2 and comes out the through to provide chords for harmony. I'd forgotten that the lines out were balanced on the Voicelive 2. The Nova has left and right out, but I'm not sure if it's balanced. Both go into a little behringer mixer which I now realise has too low gain - as in your example at the end of Video 2. From that I take the output of the mixer into a Zoom UA-3 audio interface for streaming. I've got my son's passive behringer DI box somewhere, so that might do the job. I'm a bit concerned as to why my gain is so low on the mixer master. You see, I really am clueless.:-)
Sorry, ground lift button. This is the same setup I plug into my power mixer for live shows.
My girl like both direct insertion and direct injection.. usually a bit of the first leads to the latter.. god love her.
+kujawat Hahahaha!!! Ok I'll let that comment stay up for pure creativity ;)
+kujawat best comment I've read in a while.
+kujawat Does she like it in the input or prefers the in the output, Or she does she prefer input the most and prefers the output for the happy ending before shower the bed. :D
duuude :))
Would that be considered Low Impedance.
This explanantion is very clear. It has given me a great idea in solving our ground loop problem. The answer: Use a DI box.Thank you very much.
Great explanation of DI boxes. Vids like this are what make TH-cam indispensable.
+jburtonca Thanks for watching!
Instantly subscribed. Absolute solid quality video. Nothing unnecessary, no watch-time fishing. Thank you.
You're welcome Elias, welcome to the channel 😊
Thanks so much! I've been using the term ground loop for a while now, but now I understand why it is an actual loop!
You're welcome Dion, glad the video explained that for you :)
Thank you for this very informative video! Makes me appreciate my DI even more now. Especially if it prevents my untimely demise!
Absolutely! Safety first as they say.
Thank you so much, I am a newbie to amplified music and its so daunting to look at all these pieces of equipment with all these fancy names for components and you explain things so eloquently. "tip of the hat to you sir!"
Nick M You're welcome, feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions :)
Bruno ... this is amazing ... stuff I did not really know ... but you explain it so well. What a good communicator you are!
Glad the videos have been helpful :)
Thank you these are extremely helpful. Great job keeping it simple!!
This is so so well done. You were able to get me throw the few parts I was still not getting. Amazing!
Thanks for watching!
Incredibly informative and helpful! I'm very grateful!
This is the best tutorial on DI boxes.
Thank you so much for your valuable information. It really helped. Appreciate!!!
Dear sir.I have just found this video.a superb video indeed.butifull explained,crystal clear.with clarity.this has helped me loads.thankyou.
You're most welcome Stephen.
This is the clearest explanation I have ever experienced on this subject matter. Congratulations !
MrRdp123 Thank you, and thanks for watching!
I finally understand this thanks to your clear and considerate breakdown. Thank you for helping the world!
You're most welcome, always love feedback like this!
Thank you for this video. Very well-explained. You answered all my questions as to whether or not I should buy a DI Box.
That's great, thanks for watching and all the best with your music!
Bruno, Thanks. That was an extremely helpful and informative video. VERY understandable and made total sense.
You're most welcome, thanks for watching!
Cheers for the explanation mate. You made it so simple to understand. Much appreciated!
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
Wow , you are a real teacher. Well done video. Thank you.
You're welcome :)
amazing, thanks for this, the last part was one of the most important function of the DI.
You're welcome :)
I was thinking of not using this gear until I listened to your video. I have also saved it for later. I am going ahead with the purchase. Thanks for helping out.
You're welcome, glad the video was helpful.
I'm a professional songwriter/performer/teacher and have tried to explain to my students the function of a DI box. Until watching your video no-one had managed to explain to me (or maybe even tried) the ground lift function, and although I knew what high impedance meant I didn't *understand*. The 'third' function was the 'main' one I taught students, since at our college the practice is 'DI the amp or mic it' - no-one except keys and acoustic guitars gets a DI box.
For this, thank-you; however, there's another thing I want to thank you for:
Low-end hum has been appearing on my passive acoustic guitar pickups - they're all the same but don't suffer to the same extent. Here's my signal flow:
passive piezo - short lead - belt preamp with EQ - 5 foot trs lead - then either desk, or Vocalist 5 pedal/through on trs to desk. I also normally use an external mic which is 'suckered' on the shoulder of the guitar.
The buzz stops (or is at least reduced to an acceptable level) by putting my bare foot on the metal casing of the Vocalist 5.
The buzzing happens more in some venues and not at all in others, leading me to the conclusion that dimmers might be the culprits.
I'm going to try using my behringer DI box in the signal chain and using the ground lift as you illustrate. I'm also seriously considering two cheap radio systems for the guitar('s') pickup and mic. I'll let you know about the DI box solution, but do you think the radio systems would also solve the problem?
Thanks again - is there a donation option?
Cheers
Dan Plews
danplews Hi Dan, thanks for getting in touch, and I'm glad that you and your students were able to benefit from the video :)
The first thing to do is to determine whether you are dealing with buzz or hum: Buzz is noise caused by things like lighting dimmers, ballasts, poorly designed power supplies etc. Hum is the sound you get from ground loops, and is always at 60Hz or the harmonics thereof (I assume you are in the US - in countries with 230V systems it's often at 50 Hz). Lifting grounds will help with hum but will often make buzz worse.
You say that the noise is reduced when you put your foot on an metal object which is grounded - this suggests that you have a grounding issue rather than a group loop issue - ie lack of a ground rather than too many grounds. In this case, lifting grounds may not help - however by all means try it and see, because these factors often interact in unpredictable ways. How is the Vocalist 5 grounded? Does it run on battery or get its power from an AC adapter?
Seeing as your set up is quiet is some venues and noisy in others, it may be worth experimenting to determine the cause of the noise - turn lights and circuit breakers on and off, try different power outlets and see if one particular switch or circuit causes the noise. This will all help us to solve your problem. Let me know how you get on :)
I don't actually have a donate button, helping people is a reward in itself, and in any case I teach paid classes in Singapore where interaction and communication are easier.
Great video!! Filled in the gaps in my knowledge about DI-boxes. Perfectly explained.
- Thanks for watching, glad the video was helpful.
Wow, one of the best explanations I've seen. Great job.
Thanks for watching Isaac!
The most comprehensive lesson about DI box!! Thanks!!
You're welcome Gelo, thanks for watching!
Made a lot of sense! 9:25 with the diagram. Explained What a ground loop actually is really well.
I left this video with a better understanding. Thanks!
+D.J. OGIROD You're welcome, thanks for watching!
+GLB Productions I can only agree with DJ Ogirod. This is the first time I really understand what that thing does for me... Thanks!
Fireforce You're welcome!
Thank you so much for breaking this all down to me. Been hesitant to buy a DI Box but this humming is driving me nuts.
You're welcome! Remember that a DI box may not solve your humming problem if the source of the noise is before the DI.
@@GLBProductions Will keep that in mind, thank you again!
Great post, very informative. Thanks
Now, I absolutely understand, simple and yet very informative! Thank you
That's wonderful! Very glad the video was helpful 😊
The best ever video to understand...Thank you so much
Fantastic video series. Learned so much!! Thank you for your great work.
You're most welcome, let me know if you have further questions!
very informative video and a very solid way of explaining it :)
bravo bravo Bruno ! yet another beautifully explained video.. thank you sir for sharing your knowledge !
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
As a teacher and lecturer and guitarist I have to say that this explanation was excellent.
As a fellow educator, I appreciate your support 😊
Wow. This was an incredibly clear and well thought out explanation.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks so much. This information is worth its weight in gold.
You're welcome, very glad the video was helpful.
Great video, you sound very wise, and humble. Thanks for sharing, this is literally, life saving information ;D
+Leo Méndez México You're welcome, thank you for watching and supporting the channel :)
Great video! High quality and very informative. If you could, I'd like you to help me with a somewhat unique question: I want to know how to mic an amplifier, convert it to an unbalanced quarter-inch, then run it through my time-based (reverb, delay, etc.) guitar effect pedals, convert it back into balanced xlr, and finally run it into the snake.
I am an electric guitar player and I use a pedal board with several pedals for all my effects. For my style, time-based effects like reverb and delay are important. As a general rule, most guitar players run their reverb and delay last and the whole signal chain comes through the amp and is then miked. The inspiration came to me one day, while reflecting on studio experience, that when you mic an amp in studio, the amp is kept completely dry and reverb/delay is added in post, so I thought, "Why can't I do that live?". My thought was that I would either need a small line mixer or an all-in-one direct box that has both in/out for .25in and in/out for xlr to do the conversions.
The whole point, to finish, is to create a more natural spacious sound, since in real life, echoes of reverb and delay come after the sound exits the speaker cone and bounces off of walls and other surfaces; the standard live setup (reverb/delay thru the speaker, then miked) actually does this inside out. I'm sure some famous guitar players (like the Edge) and others do it all the time; I just don't know how.
Jacob Morris Hello Jacob, thanks for getting in touch. As you know, the process that they use in the studio is called re-amping: the signal from the amp is recorded dry and then the recorded signal is sent from the recording equipment back through the amplifier and re-recorded with effects added, hence the name re-amping.
If you are doing this live, you will need two pieces of equipment:
1. A line matching transformer to convert the balanced, low impedance signal from the mic in front of your amp to an unbalanced, high impedance signal which can be run through your pedal board. For this I would recommend the Shure A85F: www.shure.com/americas/products/accessories/microphones/microphone-problem-solvers/a85f-line-matching-transformer
2. A quality passive DI box to convert the signal at the end of your pedal chain to a balanced, low impedance signal that can be run into the mixer. For this any good quality DI box will do, although I personally use and recommend Radial DI boxes.
Hope this helps. Note that you may need to adjust the settings on your pedals when using this method, as the signal from the mic via the transformer will not be exactly the same as the signal out of your guitar.
Thank you for an excellent video, complete concise explanation. A most professional production
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
Great Video. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, for your very clear explanation, I value the time and effort you put in to this video.
You're welcome Richard, thanks for watching!
Very very good explanation. Excellent elocution of the English language!
- Thank you, glad the video was helpful :)
This was incredible! Please keep doing such superb instructional videos. Your accent rocks, too.
- Thanks for watching and for the encouragement :)
That was a great explanation on the purpose of a DI box! Thank you.
You're welcome, thanks for watching!
The best video on DI boxes. Thanks.
You're welcome Neil 😊
excellent information explained in a simple and efficient manner! thank you sir
You're welcome, glad the video was helpful!
Man, you are a classy teacher, thank you!
Thank, glad you appreciate the lessons.
Excellent imparting of knowledge..Thank You..Keep going👍👍👍
You're welcome :)
Finally a video explaining in detail! Thanks!
- You're welcome, thanks for watching!
excellent demo and video , you are so kind and a great teacher , so clear explanation !!!
Thanks for watching :)
Great explanation
i love your videos. you have the best explanations, my friend. keep up the great work
+Brendan Olivieri Thanks for watching! If you would like to support the channel please consider signing up to become a patron at www.patreon.com/glbproductions?ty=h Every little bit helps!
Best explanation of all time. Thanks a lot!
You're welcome taithays!
Textbook informative video. Thumbs up, this is exactly what I wanted to know!
Colten Milford That's great, glad the video was helpful!
Wow! Thank you SO MUCH for uploading this invaluable informative video!
You're most welcome :)
Thank you so much for your pearls of wisdom! much highly obliged ! you are just wonderful! God bless!
You're most welcome, very glad that the videos have been helpful!
A great video! Now I understand the mystery of DI.
Glad it's no longer a mystery to you :)
A beautifully explained video. Thank you
You're most welcome.
thank you very much friend, it has been really useful and valuable info, many blessings to you for giving this much needed info .
Agent Shiva You're welcome, thanks for watching.
Very useful. Thanks you.
Great job!
Thank you for the explanation!Really easy to understand and quite interesting!
elektrodenio You're welcome, thanks for watching :)
Brilliant ..Sorted out…I will get one of them….Thank you!
Frank Silval You're welcome, hope your new DI box serves you well!
Very clear presentation. Thanks!
You're welcome, thanks for watching! You have a great name!
So well explained! And it hopefully prevented me from becoming the ground..
Indeed, that would not be good...
Very well explained and informative. Thank you!
You're welcome, thanks for watching Gordon.
Thanks so much for this lecture; i really appreciate it.
You're most welcome.
it's so nice to find someone who doesn't try to bullshit their way through stuff.
I couldn't agree more 😉
Awesome video my man!!
Glad it was helpful!
wow am so happy abt th Di box Bruno u hv explained it so nicely.
You're welcome, thanks for watching :)