There are several reasons other than just tone to use a DI-box. The ability to use ground lift in case there is grounding problems (very common live), the pad to make the signal quieter if your preamp is clipping even with gain at minimum, and being able to put the stinky bass player, who hasn’t showered in a week, away from the same room as you. Those are all valid reasons to use a DI box.
My amp and b7k ultra both do ground lift on di out my amp has a direct level out. Even with my active emgs and 18 volt darkglass tonecapsule i dont have any clipping but i also know how to set my gain stages and make sure most everything is at unity gain.
kimseniorb well, that is the point of using a pad. If your signal is distorting in unwanted ways, it’s unusable. Pad (short for ”passive attenuation device”) attenuates the input signal by adding a resistor to the signal chain, so that you don’t get too hot signal coming in.
Thanks!!! I have the 2i2 2nd generation I was worried about my 2i2 quality because I don't have anything else to compare also I was worried about the pad that the first generation has and this one doesn't have. Thanks I will record without any worries!!
3:36 Yup i agree.My primary use for DI box is splitting the signal so that I can record a dry track but also listen to the wet track running thru my amp and pedals.
This is gonna be crucial for me because I can't direct monitor with the scarlett without an insane amount of buffering/crackling. Has anyone else had this problem?
How do you record your dry track? Do you just plug into the computer's mic/line in from your DI's xlr balanced output using adapted cables? Or do you still plug the DI out into an audio interface like the scarlett?
@@bainmack would it also work if you skip the scarlett and plug directly into the pc's 3.5mm input from the DI's xlr balanced out (with an adapter)?? Just checking my options because i just wanna learn using my DAW and practice guitar too. Cheapest way to a usable (listenable, if that's a word hahah) recording is the goal for now.
I find the DI box helps with stepping down a hot output on a guitar. Even with the gain on my interface set to its lowest setting, I get some extra noise when the guitar is plugged in and not being played. The DI box eliminates that.
Thanks for this. I've been having the same problem with my setup and was wondering if a DI box would be a good solution, but so far almost no one has mentioned it being used that way.
I came here to see if this might be a good option for me. I have a Scarlett Solo 2nd Gen. My guitar has Fishman Fluence Moderns in it and it seems to have a really high output. When I plug into the Solo and play through a Neural DSP archetype plugin, all the supposedly clean tones are getting a ton of distortion. It doesn’t seem to matter if I dial the interface gain all the way down to zero and lower the input gain in the plugin, nothing I do lets me get a clean tone. I don’t know what else to try except possibly investing in a DI box.
My general philosophy on gear is if it doesnt make enough of a difference to be heard on crappy speakers or add additional functionality you should really consider if that is where you are putting your money, in this case as mentioned a di allows you to split your signal so if you need that its worth it, but if you want it purely to improve your sound i would say spend that money on a mic, pedal or plugin that will make a much bigger improvement to your sound
Yeah on my crappy computer speakers there is no audible difference between any of the DI's. They sound good but they all sounded exactly the same in the context played.
Gonna chime in rq, the DI box does make a difference, I could even tell that the scarlet one was worse off, still sounded good and you could make a solid recording with it. But the DI box is going to help. The scarlet pre-amp is fairly decent and probably better than my ssl2+ pre-amp. But it doesn't do well in turning a high impedance signal into a low one like is needed. A recording with the scarlet would be harder to get to fit right into the mix than one with a DI box into the scarlet.
and Im meaning this more in a, if you're going to do it as a job, get the DI Box, if you're doing it for fun and putting your own music out there. You probably don't need it unless you have issues with humming or other things that a ground lifter will fix.
Been using the 2i2 to record my own heavy guitars, I record each individual guitar part 4 times (4 separate takes) and pan each one accordingly which allows me to get this massive wall of sound like Devin Townsend (biggest influence for me). The 2i2 is a must have interface especially for bedroom recording artists like me. Thanks Glen, as a result of this video I knew I made the right choice.
Keep in mind: there's a huge difference between interfaces. My interface instrument inputs have always been muddy garbage with lots of noise, and using a Countryman type 85 made a huge difference in my case. Less noise, brighter clearer tone.
Thanks for the shootout. IMO you can really hear the DI quality in the low end/low mids cleared up in the countryman. I agree that it’s good enough, but I also think that once the DI tone is the weakest link in the chain that it should be upgraded.
Thank you for this one Glen! I’m in the middle of a big home studio upgrade at the moment and already had a 2nd gen 2i2. Was getting ready to invest in something a lot more expensive that I obviously don’t really need after watching this!
The main reason for a DI box is so you can hear an amp signal without latency and so you can hear if you properly played the harmonics etc. I thought this was why everyone did this. Other than so you can track the DI and cab for editing purposes pre amp sims.
nice. I have a 18i20 as well. I've tested w/ both direct to the 18i20 and a DI box. The results are negligible IMO. The effect of tone is far more dependent on so many other variables. cheers!
yeah i've never had any clipping problems with my gen 1 18i20 either for guitar direct in. only when i built a 6" subkick was the pad on the interface not enough. (for how close i ideally wanted to place the subkick to the drum head anyway). the type 10 direct box i have now probably would've solved that problem though with the -30db switch.
@@user-vv7gt2hu7p Yeah bro that’s the point of the comment it’s called sarcasm, seven people got the joke, but don’t worry it doesn’t mean you’re not sharp it just means that you’re probably not someone who is often sarcastic which means you’re not a pretentious jerk like me, peace
This is what I really want to clarify! Does it really help to clean up the tone? Cause I prefer as clean signal as possible, but I always have some hum/hizz even with a humbucker guitar. Are you also on Focusrite 2i2? What DI are you using?
@@seekeyk it adds hiss. I have a countryman 85, but it still has a little buzz. It sounds glassy though and it does indeed sound cleaner, but again, it does add a little hiss.
Beat channel around. No beating around the bushes here. The explanation are fast and clear...... like some other channel. They talk and talk and talk and little about explaining about the stuff we need to know. Perfect score with this channel!
Ditched my Gen 1 2i2 for an Audient iD22...best decision I've made in years! I do Voice Overs for a living and one of my recurring clients noticed the difference IMMEDIATELY! I turned in my typical narration, they took a listen then hired me again the same day to record a super important fundraising script. My guitar tones sound amazing now as well. No more bizarre knob tweaking on my 2i2 and seeing the Red Ring Of Doom no matter what. Now I get crystal clear DIs, way less noise and static and Helix Native sounds soooo good. Pro Tip...always have your Cab LAST in the chain! Just like in real life you mic the Cab with the effects signal coming through your speakers. It makes a big difference!
I’ve been rocking the Focusrite and I felt like I was cheating but to my ears I get a nice clean signal with my Strat going straight in. I prefer it usually over miced for clean but the overdrive I think you need an sm57 on an amp because I like the sound of the tube amp breakup. Now if I were rocking a metal zone that shit would go straight in and probably sound perfect for these kinds of metal riffs. I think the coolest thing about the country man is you can plug the speaker out of amp into it and record the amp sound straight in which to me seems ideal for cranking a tube amp recording direct at 3am in my apartment while listening on headphones.
DI boxes are necessary if you need to run a long cable from your guitar or pedals to your recording setup. Instrument cables (ie unbalanced 1/4 inch) experience signal loss, degradation as the length is increased, whereas as balanced signals (ie xlr) don’t. Try to use shorter instrument cables when recording into your interface, but also take account the quality of instrument cable. If you think cable quality is BS, do a test yourself.
If someone is on a super tight budget and wants to split their signal for a DI track, they can also go with a stereo stomp box like a Behringer UC200 Chorus. One output goes to the amp and the other to the instrument input on the interface just like they were plugging their guitar straight in. Then just leave the UC200 in OFF mode (no effect) and the signal is split. $25 DI! Plus they get an effect pedal that can also do something else if they want.
The one thing most people don't know or realise is that one of the main if not the main spec to look for on a DI for recording guitars direct (especially if you are looking to reamp later) is the input impedance. Something around 1M ohm is ideal for guitars. The 2i2 is infact 1M ohm, while the radial J48 is only 220k ohm. The countryman on the other hand goes above what's needed with 10M ohm. Some passive DI boxes will be even lower at maybe 50k ohm or 100k ohm. Basically a higher impedance will result in a clearer and more lively sound, while a lower impedance while still ok, might be described as sounding a bit dead or muffled, especially when reamping with this compared to something recorded on a box with a higher input impedance.
I know it's probably been filmed before we discussed putting spectrum analyses to avoid relying on our feeble senses, but isn't the Signal Art DI box missing?
Hey Glenn, don't know if you'll ever read this, but after having torn my hair for 1 year trying to sound decent with my 2i2 and calling for help, I gave a shot to a simple cheap Behringer Ultra-G GI100 DI box. That definitely gave me the crisp "growly" distorsion typical of tube amps, instead of a "flat" grittle. Brought to life basically. So on my side it did make a great difference. (That, and recording in 48kHz instead of 44.1, samplerate is really crucial when it comes to using an IR)
I'm no expert and I'm not trying to contradict anything said here, but I have the Presonus Audiobox USB 96 and you definitely need something, otherwise you get clipping. I use a simple volume box between the interface and the guitar and it works great for taming the signal without losing tone.
@@AbhiBass96 An electric guitar has impedance in MΩs, line in input (which doesn't say HiZ) runs in kΩs range. If you just connect them directly the audio tends to lose it's bite - high frequencies & sustain gets suppressed. Might be ok if you want that, but usually it's not a desired effect.
I use a buffer pedal for that, it preserves the high end when plugging in 4 or more pedals....I’ll even connect my guitar into the buffer than the di box when playing amp sims
If you dial it in just right you can get some amazing guitar tones. I run my Zombie in to a 2i4 and love it. Awesome for an at home apartment style studio. Also if you get a great cab simulator you are set for days.
In live audio use direct boxes are a god send for isolating equipment that's on different phases (electricity vise) to prevent any possible 50/60hz hum that can creep in even with fully balanced connections. They're also absolute necessity for hooking up unbalanced equipment (computers, dj-equipment, consumer stuff in general) to your fully balanced pa-equipment and mixer. Wouldn't do a show without at least pair of them with me. They can also help with long cable runs by ensuring the correct impedance matching since bad matching can lead to very noticeable signal degradation on long runs :)
A DI only seems necessary to reduce signal noise in a situation where you have long stretches of cables, otherwise you just don't need them unless you record a with an amp at the same time. You always want that back up just in case the amp sounds terrible.
If you do this test with Bass and throw a Rupert Neve Design RNDI in there, you will hear a big difference. The Neve smokes the J48. It adds tons of depth. Well, at least on German Warwick it does.
Lots of pedals tend to clip the DI input on my Audient interface when I try using real pedals with amp sim plugins. I figure the pad function on a direct box will solve that? Otherwise I guess a volume pedal might do it, but the box is more useful. I want the tone of the pedals, but I will have to boost the signal back up in DAW before it hits the amp sim (for the classic Dist+ into a JMP kind of thing, e.g., Iron Maiden etc).
I've been using the Strymon Big Sky HW with speaker simulate and then post processing as needed with various amp sims in my DAW, seems to work well most of the time - but sometimes only an amp has the secret sauce (at least for now). REALLY looking forward to Strymon coming out with a more sophisticated Amp sim than the Iridium, maybe with larger Big Sky enclosure - the Iridium has many good settings but I do think there is still room for realism improvement.
Great video Glenn. I haven’t used a di box in years. I use a Sapphire Pro 24 and get great results especially using Bias Amp & FX. As a rule of thumb I try recording without the “must have” bits of gear that are coming out all the time. You can spend shitloads of money chasing the bleeding edge technology and most of the time you don’t need it. I have found a set up that I am happy with and now ignore the sales emails constantly hitting my inbox. My wallet is much happier for it too! Really digging your Bad News t-shirt man. Peace out everyone ✊
I don't think the scarlet will handle an amp going directly to it which is why I wanted one because my amp does not have a line out so I want to run the head into a di box then to my audio interface.
Couldn't hear a lot of difference between the others, but the Countryman definitely has a bit more clarity. I was able to pick it out in the last video. However, with current technology, if you don't have a Countryman, going straight in is certainly a valid option.
The only thing I care about for recording direct signals for amp sim use is; whatever makes the least amount of noise. Straight into the interface pre wins. And, it's just so much easier.
i have a first-gen 2i2 that i've recorded with since i bought it in 2013... and YES the signal was always very hot (that never stopped me from making music though!)but i just recently got a passive Radial Pro DI and it fixed the problem alright....
Does the type of DI box you're using effect how things sound ? Lately I've hated how things sound through my amps, and I have good amps, Fender Blues Jr. and a Soldano head. I have good speakers, I can chose between an eminence and a celestion (I Set Up An A/B switch). I have a radical active re-amp box. I live in a apartment, I'm a night person, so I have to re-amp during the day. Until now I've been using this Samson SAMAD 1 I for my DI that I paid all of $34 for, now I've gone and ordered a Radical pro DI. Am I going to hear any kind of difference or am I just throwing my money out the window ?
just bought the Focusrite Solo for like 95€ and i´m absolutely sadisfied with it. I´m kinda new to hoerecordind and trying to wrap my headaround cubase 1ß atm. Recording guitar and bass using amp sim ofc and MT powerdrummer2 (thx for the advice btw Glenn) fucking love your channel. great tips and shorzcuts to good sounding records. hope you live a million years to keep goin this
I'm using amp sims, guitar into Behringer Q802, USB to sound card and get a great sound. I've been using the Behringer for a couple of years now and Glenn reviewed and talked about it a few times.
I have a whirlwind imp2 di box and really help with the background noise of the high gain guitars, I put it vs my focusrite only and the imp2 maintain the signal clean and consistent, not a great deal but helps!
I have been doing practice recordings/vst tests for the last 2 1/2 years, and only have the Focusrite 2i2 (or my Boss Katana DI) to do so. It's a reliable little audio interface that will get the job done, and it's relatively inexpensive for the standard of quality that you get. If you have a limited budget for a home studio, the 2i2 the second thing to go on that list (the first being acoustic treatment and a pair of Kali LP6s).
@SpectreSoundStudios ~ For me having something like the radial makes more sense when you need to split your signal. Say you have a real amp, and you want a clean DI to reamp...that's really what's it's needed for, so thanks for being honest about that part. I've had a Radial DI for something like 15 years and it still works like new (and I use an MW1 Studio tool in my rack/patchbay for reamping too).
Thanks for clarifying Glen, this vid alone convinced me to purchase the countryman. I A/B’ed my new audient evo4 by itself and the country man running into the audient and the difference was quite startling. The countryman added so much depth and character that audient missed. The Audient is great for on the go recording but for serious work when at home it will always be in line with the T85. Remember folks the countryman is purpose built and has a larger Transformer and better components than budget built all in one interfaces for the most part.
I have a 2i2 2 gen. It is distorting the signal a bit using active pickups. The passive ones are fine. I have the gain turned all the way down and tried both the line and inst option. Why is that? Just started this stuff so bear with me if its a stupid quiestion 🤪
I have an old VHT valvualtor, not the new thing with the same name that is totally different. I wonder how that would compare? It’s a line buffer with a tube and it splits the signal although it’s just quarter inch outs. I’ve used it for recording bass direct and it sounds great for that anyway.
after watching one of your videos I’ve bought a direct box “Radial J48” And I can’t thank you enough for recommending it Yes it made a huge difference ( at least for my ears ) + I’ve bought scarlet focustrite 2i2 2nd gen while ago right after watching your review And I’m very happy with it So far so good Thanks again 🤘🏻
Would be interesting if you could take that Countryman Di signal and Focusrite Di signal, (exactly same guitar performance through them) put them side to side in reaper and flip the phase on other. That would tell us immediately how much there actually is difference
not really a fair comparison. With periodic signals the result would depend equally on both phase and magnitude over the entire spectrum. In reality, phase is just a lot less significant of a factor.
I meant that if you put them to seperate tracks and make them start at the same time, then phase flipping on other would cancel everything out, except for the tinyest differences in the two tracks. And if the only difference in the tracks would be the DiBox, then we would get some interesting
Really late to the party, I know. I have a Behringer UMC204, which costs about the same as the Focusrite 2i2. I honestly believe the Focusrite here sounded just fine for a home recording. I feel like dropping more money on a DI Box is a bad idea. What do you guys (or Glen, if you see this) think?
Great video for folk out there thinking they need a DI box for home recording. As others have said as well as glenn, unless you're splitting the signal then perhaps not really required. Live though, they are almost a necessity, especially on bass. Doing it pre-amp basically takes your bass amp out of the equation and you'll have a flawless front of house sound regardless of how flakey/shit/farty/etc the house bass amp is. Id also recommend getting a top notch tone out of a pedal pre DI. It also means you've got a consistent tone to give the FOH engineer everytime, and you wont be relying on the tone of the amp. You might still sound shit on stage, but ultimately that won't matter too, as long as the perceived sound out front is A+
I have to recommend The Brick DI/Preamp from Groove Tubes. They're based on an Ampeg bass amp pre. I have two of them. One has been modded with higher gain tubes. They are used on almost all of my studio sessions.
I haven't done blind test, but radial seems to roll the treble off a little bit, and when listening to dry signal, maybe "glue" or compress the signal a bit? It seems ever so slightly compress or keep the thing more even/average, eliminating some of the volume deviation ?
212 because it does more. It's good to have a DI box hanging around, you never know when you'll need one. I think it's "impedance miss match" that we are trying to stay away from, that sounds squishy and irritating?
To me that was expected: If you are in the linear range of your gear and your source isn't too picky, there shouldn't be any problems. Too loud signals can be a problem that has to be adressed (Focusrite Gen 1...), too quiet signals may need a high quality preamp (some microphones) and some sources may be picky about the impedance of the interface. But those are edge cases you are going to notice right away. In all other cases it might even decrease the signal if you insert a Direct Box, just because you got another link in the chain.
Clip B from A clearly brighter, C close, D pretty much the same. However, Two Notes Tornado! I know, it costs. But loading and still playing, going in head and DI at the same time and reamping. Nothing beats it. I have an original 5150 head and 4x12 I can play sitting 6 feet away. And the tone doesn't change.
if i have a cheap DI box, the parallel output could be sent to the Focusrite input and the XLR out to a reamp box --> amp, to not screw the signal quality with the crappy DI? I'm considering to buy a Behringer DI400p
pardon my ignorance, im just starting back up me home set up. I currently use a 2i2 2nd Gen. My main guitar for tracking is my Jackson ET7. The pups (stock) arent the hottest output, but its enough to keep my gain meter on my 2i2 constantly red. If i were to throw a countryman before my 2i2 and after my guitar, would that "tame" that signal a bit?? and advice would be super appreciated! loved video thanks!!
I've been recording the headphone signal on my Zombie (clean and OD) and adding your free IR for guitar and an ampeg IR for bass (clean channel) into my Scarlett (18i20) and I think it sounds awesome. Gotta use a 1/8 to 1/4 converter and I don't need to hook up a cab. Also a great way to practice or track quietly.
Never gonna not say it Glenn's honesty is fucking legendary and if all reviewers tried to be as unbiased and real about it the world would have much better gear
Oh thanks a lot Glenn for this comparison. I definitely could hear some differences between my Behringer DI100 and my M-Audio M-Track MK II, but maybe it's time to get one of those 2nd gen Scarlets and just use it without any DI box. As always, your channel is a goldmine 🤘
A DI box is great for long cable runs. It converts an unbalanced signal into a balanced signal. If you pick up noise along the long cable run, definately try using a DI box.
I have a first gen 2i2 and never had the problem with the signal being too strong? The only issue I have with it is the memory, if I'm using bias amp and have the buffer lower it eats up the memory and everything starts lagging. I find if I set the buffer to 5ms then it just has enough memory to run smoothly. I heard the 2nd gen is better for this.
The problem was the Hi-Z input. You couldn't turn it down and you'd always be clipping. What you may have done is you may have switched it to "Line" , but that basically chops off the high-end of the tone of the DI (which makes it sound much worse and very dark), but does drop the gain. Hence the need for a DI box with a pad to go into the mic preamp. This was a known issue and even Focusrite themselves said that you're shit out of luck and just have to get a DI box. 2nd generation fixed that.
@@ChernobylAudio666 Yes, It turns out I've been using line, didn't realise it affected the tone, hmm, might have to look into getting a second gen. Thanks for the info.
I run my PRS Holcomb through a passive JDI direct into my ensemble. The difference is Huge!! Alone the distortion is fuzzy and a bit out of control. The JDI tightens the sound into a wicked modern metal tone with little need for compression. Wouldn't record without it
I still prefer the DI route because of the exact reasons you said. I can get a dry signal and split off to go to the amp and I could get a mic's cab if I wanted to as well. I do agree that it's not absolutely necessary but my years of being an engineer kind of have me fixed in certain ways. I'm definitely not against going right into the interface, it just won't ever be my first choice.
For my use I definitely need one. My audio is presonus is almost maxed out without one when I try to line out of my katana into the presonus and use two notes wall of sound
This is what I figured, never was confident enough to proclaim that di was unnecessary for metal, but I'm really glad you did this test. No more blaming lack of di for my guitar tone. I wonder if this is the case for bass and how much passive vs active pickups would affect this. Also curious what levels you use on the input. I usually try to go as loud as I can with a little room for heavier strokes
i would like to see this revisited with the tonex going to a mixer for FOH use, since it has instrument level outputs. i personally dont use a DI to the board i just use the TRS to XLR and have no issues.
If I am plugging like this: Guitar -- dist/preamp pedal -- audio interface and use impulse response in DAW Do I need a DI Box between the pedal and the interface??
There are several reasons other than just tone to use a DI-box. The ability to use ground lift in case there is grounding problems (very common live), the pad to make the signal quieter if your preamp is clipping even with gain at minimum, and being able to put the stinky bass player, who hasn’t showered in a week, away from the same room as you. Those are all valid reasons to use a DI box.
My amp and b7k ultra both do ground lift on di out my amp has a direct level out. Even with my active emgs and 18 volt darkglass tonecapsule i dont have any clipping but i also know how to set my gain stages and make sure most everything is at unity gain.
pad changes the input impedance. so no, you shouldnt hit it if the signal clips. incase with guitars/basses at least
kimseniorb well, that is the point of using a pad. If your signal is distorting in unwanted ways, it’s unusable. Pad (short for ”passive attenuation device”) attenuates the input signal by adding a resistor to the signal chain, so that you don’t get too hot signal coming in.
The reason he doesn’t shower is because you don’t let him take any solos.
@@kimseniorb lol no
Thanks!!! I have the 2i2 2nd generation I was worried about my 2i2 quality because I don't have anything else to compare also I was worried about the pad that the first generation has and this one doesn't have. Thanks I will record without any worries!!
When he said "FUCK NO, NO YOU DO NOT" I subbed
Same 🤣☠🤣☠
3:36 Yup i agree.My primary use for DI box is splitting the signal so that I can record a dry track but also listen to the wet track running thru my amp and pedals.
Shouldn't there be cheaper ways to split signal?
This is gonna be crucial for me because I can't direct monitor with the scarlett without an insane amount of buffering/crackling. Has anyone else had this problem?
How do you record your dry track? Do you just plug into the computer's mic/line in from your DI's xlr balanced output using adapted cables? Or do you still plug the DI out into an audio interface like the scarlett?
@@mylesdlm XLR out from the DI box into the mic in for the scarlett.
@@bainmack would it also work if you skip the scarlett and plug directly into the pc's 3.5mm input from the DI's xlr balanced out (with an adapter)??
Just checking my options because i just wanna learn using my DAW and practice guitar too. Cheapest way to a usable (listenable, if that's a word hahah) recording is the goal for now.
I find the DI box helps with stepping down a hot output on a guitar. Even with the gain on my interface set to its lowest setting, I get some extra noise when the guitar is plugged in and not being played. The DI box eliminates that.
Thanks for this. I've been having the same problem with my setup and was wondering if a DI box would be a good solution, but so far almost no one has mentioned it being used that way.
I came here to see if this might be a good option for me. I have a Scarlett Solo 2nd Gen. My guitar has Fishman Fluence Moderns in it and it seems to have a really high output. When I plug into the Solo and play through a Neural DSP archetype plugin, all the supposedly clean tones are getting a ton of distortion. It doesn’t seem to matter if I dial the interface gain all the way down to zero and lower the input gain in the plugin, nothing I do lets me get a clean tone. I don’t know what else to try except possibly investing in a DI box.
My general philosophy on gear is if it doesnt make enough of a difference to be heard on crappy speakers or add additional functionality you should really consider if that is where you are putting your money, in this case as mentioned a di allows you to split your signal so if you need that its worth it, but if you want it purely to improve your sound i would say spend that money on a mic, pedal or plugin that will make a much bigger improvement to your sound
Yeah on my crappy computer speakers there is no audible difference between any of the DI's. They sound good but they all sounded exactly the same in the context played.
Gonna chime in rq, the DI box does make a difference, I could even tell that the scarlet one was worse off, still sounded good and you could make a solid recording with it. But the DI box is going to help.
The scarlet pre-amp is fairly decent and probably better than my ssl2+ pre-amp. But it doesn't do well in turning a high impedance signal into a low one like is needed.
A recording with the scarlet would be harder to get to fit right into the mix than one with a DI box into the scarlet.
and Im meaning this more in a, if you're going to do it as a job, get the DI Box, if you're doing it for fun and putting your own music out there. You probably don't need it unless you have issues with humming or other things that a ground lifter will fix.
The countryman just has that consistent bite, love it. Thanks Glenn!
Yes, they'rea all pretty good, but the Countryman rules.
It’s subtle but there
I’m getting a few
Definitely one for bass
Been using the 2i2 to record my own heavy guitars, I record each individual guitar part 4 times (4 separate takes) and pan each one accordingly which allows me to get this massive wall of sound like Devin Townsend (biggest influence for me). The 2i2 is a must have interface especially for bedroom recording artists like me. Thanks Glen, as a result of this video I knew I made the right choice.
Thanks for saving me money, Glenn. You rock! I really appreciate everything you've done for us lowly bedroom studio newbies.
Hell yeah my mom's basement too.
Keep in mind: there's a huge difference between interfaces. My interface instrument inputs have always been muddy garbage with lots of noise, and using a Countryman type 85 made a huge difference in my case. Less noise, brighter clearer tone.
Thanks for the shootout. IMO you can really hear the DI quality in the low end/low mids cleared up in the countryman. I agree that it’s good enough, but I also think that once the DI tone is the weakest link in the chain that it should be upgraded.
Excellent, have been wondering this for a long time. I love my scarlet solo and it's been great for all my recording needs.
Thank you for this one Glen! I’m in the middle of a big home studio upgrade at the moment and already had a 2nd gen 2i2. Was getting ready to invest in something a lot more expensive that I obviously don’t really need after watching this!
The main reason for a DI box is so you can hear an amp signal without latency and so you can hear if you properly played the harmonics etc. I thought this was why everyone did this. Other than so you can track the DI and cab for editing purposes pre amp sims.
wow, I wanted J48, now on market for countryman! Thank you for simple side by side eyeopener!
@meow bastard -Fuck's wrong with you ?
Or rather, ear opener 😊
@@Texturas75 technically speaking, yes
I like j48 better
I like J48 best. It sounds transparent and natural to me.
Hey ..in that last line where you say "Stay metal my friends." You should drop that a whole octave for effect.
Spectre breakdown?
I've been plugging straight in to my Scarlett 18i20 for over a year now and it always does fine for me. Active and direct pickups.
nice. I have a 18i20 as well. I've tested w/ both direct to the 18i20 and a DI box. The results are negligible IMO. The effect of tone is far more dependent on so many other variables.
cheers!
Totally agree man. I use a SansAmp Bass DI on my bass, but that's more for color than necessity.
yeah i've never had any clipping problems with my gen 1 18i20 either for guitar direct in. only when i built a 6" subkick was the pad on the interface not enough. (for how close i ideally wanted to place the subkick to the drum head anyway). the type 10 direct box i have now probably would've solved that problem though with the -30db switch.
It’s amazing when you hear the guitarist clean it sounds like a completely different part
Well, maybe it is.
Lol that's because it's totally different riff
@@user-vv7gt2hu7p Yeah bro that’s the point of the comment it’s called sarcasm, seven people got the joke, but don’t worry it doesn’t mean you’re not sharp it just means that you’re probably not someone who is often sarcastic which means you’re not a pretentious jerk like me, peace
8! :)
For my purpose ...di box just serve as a ground lift ...and it really cleans the tone
Tbh yes, and the harmonic range was better, especially in the low mid frequencies.
This is what I really want to clarify! Does it really help to clean up the tone? Cause I prefer as clean signal as possible, but I always have some hum/hizz even with a humbucker guitar.
Are you also on Focusrite 2i2? What DI are you using?
yeah even a cheap samson di box helps clean the tone also increase low to high frequencies
@@seekeyk it adds hiss. I have a countryman 85, but it still has a little buzz. It sounds glassy though and it does indeed sound cleaner, but again, it does add a little hiss.
Beat channel around. No beating around the bushes here. The explanation are fast and clear...... like some other channel. They talk and talk and talk and little about explaining about the stuff we need to know. Perfect score with this channel!
an active box improves the tone of my Casino/Behringer UMC 204hd combo significantly.
Ditched my Gen 1 2i2 for an Audient iD22...best decision I've made in years! I do Voice Overs for a living and one of my recurring clients noticed the difference IMMEDIATELY! I turned in my typical narration, they took a listen then hired me again the same day to record a super important fundraising script.
My guitar tones sound amazing now as well. No more bizarre knob tweaking on my 2i2 and seeing the Red Ring Of Doom no matter what. Now I get crystal clear DIs, way less noise and static and Helix Native sounds soooo good.
Pro Tip...always have your Cab LAST in the chain! Just like in real life you mic the Cab with the effects signal coming through your speakers. It makes a big difference!
I hate that I actually feel "validated" using just a 2i2 because of this video. But that countryman really does shine, holy shit
Same here. I'm relieved that Clip D was the focusrite. I liked B the best, and D a close 2nd. Clips A and C were the worst of them imo.
I’ve been rocking the Focusrite and I felt like I was cheating but to my ears I get a nice clean signal with my Strat going straight in. I prefer it usually over miced for clean but the overdrive I think you need an sm57 on an amp because I like the sound of the tube amp breakup. Now if I were rocking a metal zone that shit would go straight in and probably sound perfect for these kinds of metal riffs. I think the coolest thing about the country man is you can plug the speaker out of amp into it and record the amp sound straight in which to me seems ideal for cranking a tube amp recording direct at 3am in my apartment while listening on headphones.
I really appreciate giving up the recordings so we can decide by ourselves! THANK YOU!!! ❤
You def don't need a DI nowadays but I have to say in most tests I preferred the sound of the J48. They do sound different.
i just like the DI boxes because they have a input then a through. So you can record DI and the amp with the cab miced.
@@hammerhead729 That is exactly how I use them.
really? its 220kOhm and it really rolls off some of the high end, its obvious on demos. I really dislike how it sounds compared to type 85
Ahhh. This video was a relief. I just got a 2i2 and was getting anxious that I should have shot higher.
DI boxes are necessary if you need to run a long cable from your guitar or pedals to your recording setup. Instrument cables (ie unbalanced 1/4 inch) experience signal loss, degradation as the length is increased, whereas as balanced signals (ie xlr) don’t. Try to use shorter instrument cables when recording into your interface, but also take account the quality of instrument cable. If you think cable quality is BS, do a test yourself.
Came here to see if I needed to add a DI box to my 2i2. Couldn’t have asked for a better answer than that. Thanks Glenn!
If someone is on a super tight budget and wants to split their signal for a DI track, they can also go with a stereo stomp box like a Behringer UC200 Chorus. One output goes to the amp and the other to the instrument input on the interface just like they were plugging their guitar straight in. Then just leave the UC200 in OFF mode (no effect) and the signal is split. $25 DI! Plus they get an effect pedal that can also do something else if they want.
The one thing most people don't know or realise is that one of the main if not the main spec to look for on a DI for recording guitars direct (especially if you are looking to reamp later) is the input impedance. Something around 1M ohm is ideal for guitars. The 2i2 is infact 1M ohm, while the radial J48 is only 220k ohm. The countryman on the other hand goes above what's needed with 10M ohm. Some passive DI boxes will be even lower at maybe 50k ohm or 100k ohm. Basically a higher impedance will result in a clearer and more lively sound, while a lower impedance while still ok, might be described as sounding a bit dead or muffled, especially when reamping with this compared to something recorded on a box with a higher input impedance.
I think how it effects the signal level is more important than how it effects the tone imo
This 5-minute video just saved me $300AUD - thanks Glenn!
I know it's probably been filmed before we discussed putting spectrum analyses to avoid relying on our feeble senses, but isn't the Signal Art DI box missing?
I think activating the pad on the 2i4 did the trick for refraining from clipping. Tracking with 3127rgd (DI boxless)
Hey Glenn, don't know if you'll ever read this, but after having torn my hair for 1 year trying to sound decent with my 2i2 and calling for help, I gave a shot to a simple cheap Behringer Ultra-G GI100 DI box. That definitely gave me the crisp "growly" distorsion typical of tube amps, instead of a "flat" grittle. Brought to life basically. So on my side it did make a great difference. (That, and recording in 48kHz instead of 44.1, samplerate is really crucial when it comes to using an IR)
I'm no expert and I'm not trying to contradict anything said here, but I have the Presonus Audiobox USB 96 and you definitely need something, otherwise you get clipping. I use a simple volume box between the interface and the guitar and it works great for taming the signal without losing tone.
I only use DI Boxes to equalize input levels. It's good for that.
nasanction how so? Can you explain?
@@AbhiBass96 An electric guitar has impedance in MΩs, line in input (which doesn't say HiZ) runs in kΩs range. If you just connect them directly the audio tends to lose it's bite - high frequencies & sustain gets suppressed. Might be ok if you want that, but usually it's not a desired effect.
Alex So, the high frequencies can be annoying in the overall mix, huh?
@@AbhiBass96 It's an artistic choice. You just need to use (or not) it with an intent.
I use a buffer pedal for that, it preserves the high end when plugging in 4 or more pedals....I’ll even connect my guitar into the buffer than the di box when playing amp sims
"stop worrying, go rock the world"
Love ya Glen
Thank, man. This a very useful video.
I have the Focusrite 2i2 and just got a Joyo Zombie. Can't wait to mess around with it!
If you dial it in just right you can get some amazing guitar tones. I run my Zombie in to a 2i4 and love it. Awesome for an at home apartment style studio. Also if you get a great cab simulator you are set for days.
In live audio use direct boxes are a god send for isolating equipment that's on different phases (electricity vise) to prevent any possible 50/60hz hum that can creep in even with fully balanced connections. They're also absolute necessity for hooking up unbalanced equipment (computers, dj-equipment, consumer stuff in general) to your fully balanced pa-equipment and mixer. Wouldn't do a show without at least pair of them with me.
They can also help with long cable runs by ensuring the correct impedance matching since bad matching can lead to very noticeable signal degradation on long runs :)
A DI only seems necessary to reduce signal noise in a situation where you have long stretches of cables, otherwise you just don't need them unless you record a with an amp at the same time. You always want that back up just in case the amp sounds terrible.
If you do this test with Bass and throw a Rupert Neve Design RNDI in there, you will hear a big difference. The Neve smokes the J48. It adds tons of depth. Well, at least on German Warwick it does.
What song is playing during 3:35 under the dialog? It sounds awesome and want to check it out
Lots of pedals tend to clip the DI input on my Audient interface when I try using real pedals with amp sim plugins. I figure the pad function on a direct box will solve that? Otherwise I guess a volume pedal might do it, but the box is more useful. I want the tone of the pedals, but I will have to boost the signal back up in DAW before it hits the amp sim (for the classic Dist+ into a JMP kind of thing, e.g., Iron Maiden etc).
I've been using the Strymon Big Sky HW with speaker simulate and then post processing as needed with various amp sims in my DAW, seems to work well most of the time - but sometimes only an amp has the secret sauce (at least for now). REALLY looking forward to Strymon coming out with a more sophisticated Amp sim than the Iridium, maybe with larger Big Sky enclosure - the Iridium has many good settings but I do think there is still room for realism improvement.
Focusrite blew me away. I thought it was one of the DI boxes. Cool stuff.
Great video Glenn. I haven’t used a di box in years. I use a Sapphire Pro 24 and get great results especially using Bias Amp & FX. As a rule of thumb I try recording without the “must have” bits of gear that are coming out all the time. You can spend shitloads of money chasing the bleeding edge technology and most of the time you don’t need it. I have found a set up that I am happy with and now ignore the sales emails constantly hitting my inbox. My wallet is much happier for it too!
Really digging your Bad News t-shirt man. Peace out everyone ✊
I don't think the scarlet will handle an amp going directly to it which is why I wanted one because my amp does not have a line out so I want to run the head into a di box then to my audio interface.
Another great video! 🤘
Couldn't hear a lot of difference between the others, but the Countryman definitely has a bit more clarity. I was able to pick it out in the last video. However, with current technology, if you don't have a Countryman, going straight in is certainly a valid option.
The only thing I care about for recording direct signals for amp sim use is; whatever makes the least amount of noise. Straight into the interface pre wins. And, it's just so much easier.
i have a first-gen 2i2 that i've recorded with since i bought it in 2013... and YES the signal was always very hot (that never stopped me from making music though!)but i just recently got a passive Radial Pro DI and it fixed the problem alright....
Thank you so much. Was just about to pull trigger on a Radial PRO passive DI, but it looks like I can hold off.
Does the type of DI box you're using effect how things sound ? Lately I've hated how things sound through my amps, and I have good amps, Fender Blues Jr. and a Soldano head. I have good speakers, I can chose between an eminence and a celestion (I Set Up An A/B switch). I have a radical active re-amp box.
I live in a apartment, I'm a night person, so I have to re-amp during the day. Until now I've been using this Samson SAMAD 1 I for my DI that I paid all of $34 for, now I've gone and ordered a Radical pro DI. Am I going to hear any kind of difference or am I just throwing my money out the window ?
just bought the Focusrite Solo for like 95€ and i´m absolutely sadisfied with it. I´m kinda new to hoerecordind and trying to wrap my headaround cubase 1ß atm. Recording guitar and bass using amp sim ofc and MT powerdrummer2 (thx for the advice btw Glenn) fucking love your channel. great tips and shorzcuts to good sounding records. hope you live a million years to keep goin this
I'm using amp sims, guitar into Behringer Q802, USB to sound card and get a great sound. I've been using the Behringer for a couple of years now and Glenn reviewed and talked about it a few times.
Di's are essential onstage because of the long cable runs and ground loops.
I have a whirlwind imp2 di box and really help with the background noise of the high gain guitars, I put it vs my focusrite only and the imp2 maintain the signal clean and consistent, not a great deal but helps!
I have been doing practice recordings/vst tests for the last 2 1/2 years, and only have the Focusrite 2i2 (or my Boss Katana DI) to do so. It's a reliable little audio interface that will get the job done, and it's relatively inexpensive for the standard of quality that you get. If you have a limited budget for a home studio, the 2i2 the second thing to go on that list (the first being acoustic treatment and a pair of Kali LP6s).
I personally could almost not see a difference between and besides clipping your signal a little bit on your di can give a cool agressive sound
Thanks for this dude. I know I need the DI for vocals (got the Cloudlifter), but was wondering about metal guitars.
@SpectreSoundStudios ~ For me having something like the radial makes more sense when you need to split your signal. Say you have a real amp, and you want a clean DI to reamp...that's really what's it's needed for, so thanks for being honest about that part. I've had a Radial DI for something like 15 years and it still works like new (and I use an MW1 Studio tool in my rack/patchbay for reamping too).
Thanks for clarifying Glen, this vid alone convinced me to purchase the countryman. I A/B’ed my new audient evo4 by itself and the country man running into the audient and the difference was quite startling. The countryman added so much depth and character that audient missed. The Audient is great for on the go recording but for serious work when at home it will always be in line with the T85. Remember folks the countryman is purpose built and has a larger Transformer and better components than budget built all in one interfaces for the most part.
Always good to have one for just in case a guitar is running super hot pickups.
I have a 2i2 2 gen. It is distorting the signal a bit using active pickups. The passive ones are fine. I have the gain turned all the way down and tried both the line and inst option. Why is that? Just started this stuff so bear with me if its a stupid quiestion 🤪
I have an old VHT valvualtor, not the new thing with the same name that is totally different. I wonder how that would compare? It’s a line buffer with a tube and it splits the signal although it’s just quarter inch outs. I’ve used it for recording bass direct and it sounds great for that anyway.
after watching one of your videos I’ve bought a direct box “Radial J48”
And I can’t thank you enough for recommending it
Yes it made a huge difference ( at least for my ears )
+ I’ve bought scarlet focustrite 2i2 2nd gen while ago right after watching your review
And I’m very happy with it
So far so good
Thanks again 🤘🏻
Looks like I'm buying a Countryman Type 85; I loved Clip B, dry and gained, it just had a little something extra in the lows and mids.
Would be interesting if you could take that Countryman Di signal and Focusrite Di signal, (exactly same guitar performance through them) put them side to side in reaper and flip the phase on other. That would tell us immediately how much there actually is difference
not really a fair comparison. With periodic signals the result would depend equally on both phase and magnitude over the entire spectrum. In reality, phase is just a lot less significant of a factor.
I meant that if you put them to seperate tracks and make them start at the same time, then phase flipping on other would cancel everything out, except for the tinyest differences in the two tracks. And if the only difference in the tracks would be the DiBox, then we would get some interesting
Love the 2i2. Sound good and built well in my opinion.
they all have that crackling problem, i hate mine because of that.
@@pablom2274 why i dont have that issue then? I have a very good pc btw and run 96k with 128 without any problem
@@pablom2274 Crackling when listening to playback in the DAW is due to CPU or RAM running low.
Really late to the party, I know. I have a Behringer UMC204, which costs about the same as the Focusrite 2i2. I honestly believe the Focusrite here sounded just fine for a home recording. I feel like dropping more money on a DI Box is a bad idea. What do you guys (or Glen, if you see this) think?
Great video for folk out there thinking they need a DI box for home recording. As others have said as well as glenn, unless you're splitting the signal then perhaps not really required. Live though, they are almost a necessity, especially on bass. Doing it pre-amp basically takes your bass amp out of the equation and you'll have a flawless front of house sound regardless of how flakey/shit/farty/etc the house bass amp is. Id also recommend getting a top notch tone out of a pedal pre DI. It also means you've got a consistent tone to give the FOH engineer everytime, and you wont be relying on the tone of the amp. You might still sound shit on stage, but ultimately that won't matter too, as long as the perceived sound out front is A+
I have to recommend The Brick DI/Preamp from Groove Tubes. They're based on an Ampeg bass amp pre. I have two of them. One has been modded with higher gain tubes. They are used on almost all of my studio sessions.
I'm using my 2i2 so it was a relief to hear its decent 👌 😌 ty for sharing your experience.
I haven't done blind test, but radial seems to roll the treble off a little bit, and when listening to dry signal, maybe "glue" or compress the signal a bit? It seems ever so slightly compress or keep the thing more even/average, eliminating some of the volume deviation ?
212 because it does more. It's good to have a DI box hanging around, you never know when you'll need one. I think it's "impedance miss match" that we are trying to stay away from, that sounds squishy and irritating?
Now I'm curious about how the Behringer audio interfaces DI quality
To me that was expected: If you are in the linear range of your gear and your source isn't too picky, there shouldn't be any problems. Too loud signals can be a problem that has to be adressed (Focusrite Gen 1...), too quiet signals may need a high quality preamp (some microphones) and some sources may be picky about the impedance of the interface. But those are edge cases you are going to notice right away.
In all other cases it might even decrease the signal if you insert a Direct Box, just because you got another link in the chain.
Clip B from A clearly brighter, C close, D pretty much the same. However, Two Notes Tornado! I know, it costs. But loading and still playing, going in head and DI at the same time and reamping.
Nothing beats it.
I have an original 5150 head and 4x12 I can play sitting 6 feet away. And the tone doesn't change.
Another excellent video. Have you done a video of where you run the direct box in between the amp head and the cabinet, and mic'd up cabinet?
if i have a cheap DI box, the parallel output could be sent to the Focusrite input and the XLR out to a reamp box --> amp, to not screw the signal quality with the crappy DI? I'm considering to buy a Behringer DI400p
pardon my ignorance, im just starting back up me home set up.
I currently use a 2i2 2nd Gen. My main guitar for tracking is my Jackson ET7. The pups (stock) arent the hottest output, but its enough to keep my gain meter on my 2i2 constantly red. If i were to throw a countryman before my 2i2 and after my guitar, would that "tame" that signal a bit??
and advice would be super appreciated! loved video thanks!!
The other advantage of a DI is for performance while recording, while just having a DI signal for reamping
And of couse there is a problem with noize floor on 2i2 - xlr line level inputs on it have much lower noize btw, DI box can help.
They all sound good to me... BUT, the countryman is a clear standout and for me personally it produces the best clarity.
I've been recording the headphone signal on my Zombie (clean and OD) and adding your free IR for guitar and an ampeg IR for bass (clean channel) into my Scarlett (18i20) and I think it sounds awesome. Gotta use a 1/8 to 1/4 converter and I don't need to hook up a cab. Also a great way to practice or track quietly.
Never gonna not say it
Glenn's honesty is fucking legendary and if all reviewers tried to be as unbiased and real about it the world would have much better gear
Oh thanks a lot Glenn for this comparison. I definitely could hear some differences between my Behringer DI100 and my M-Audio M-Track MK II, but maybe it's time to get one of those 2nd gen Scarlets and just use it without any DI box.
As always, your channel is a goldmine 🤘
Thanks, glad you found this useful!
Welp, I'm getting myself a Countryman Type 85. Thanks Glenn! Glad I waited to hear the results
A DI box is great for long cable runs. It converts an unbalanced signal into a balanced signal. If you pick up noise along the long cable run, definately try using a DI box.
Fair enough, I’m speaking strictly in terms of home recording... not really a lot of huge cable runs!
Thank you Glenn. This was very helpful.
I have a first gen 2i2 and never had the problem with the signal being too strong? The only issue I have with it is the memory, if I'm using bias amp and have the buffer lower it eats up the memory and everything starts lagging. I find if I set the buffer to 5ms then it just has enough memory to run smoothly. I heard the 2nd gen is better for this.
The problem was the Hi-Z input. You couldn't turn it down and you'd always be clipping. What you may have done is you may have switched it to "Line" , but that basically chops off the high-end of the tone of the DI (which makes it sound much worse and very dark), but does drop the gain. Hence the need for a DI box with a pad to go into the mic preamp. This was a known issue and even Focusrite themselves said that you're shit out of luck and just have to get a DI box. 2nd generation fixed that.
@@ChernobylAudio666 Yes, It turns out I've been using line, didn't realise it affected the tone, hmm, might have to look into getting a second gen. Thanks for the info.
I run my PRS Holcomb through a passive JDI direct into my ensemble. The difference is Huge!! Alone the distortion is fuzzy and a bit out of control. The JDI tightens the sound into a wicked modern metal tone with little need for compression. Wouldn't record without it
I still prefer the DI route because of the exact reasons you said. I can get a dry signal and split off to go to the amp and I could get a mic's cab if I wanted to as well. I do agree that it's not absolutely necessary but my years of being an engineer kind of have me fixed in certain ways. I'm definitely not against going right into the interface, it just won't ever be my first choice.
J48 for the win. it had more higher frequencies present then the rest.
For my use I definitely need one. My audio is presonus is almost maxed out without one when I try to line out of my katana into the presonus and use two notes wall of sound
This is what I figured, never was confident enough to proclaim that di was unnecessary for metal, but I'm really glad you did this test. No more blaming lack of di for my guitar tone. I wonder if this is the case for bass and how much passive vs active pickups would affect this. Also curious what levels you use on the input. I usually try to go as loud as I can with a little room for heavier strokes
i would like to see this revisited with the tonex going to a mixer for FOH use, since it has instrument level outputs. i personally dont use a DI to the board i just use the TRS to XLR and have no issues.
If I am plugging like this: Guitar -- dist/preamp pedal -- audio interface and use impulse response in DAW
Do I need a DI Box between the pedal and the interface??