Great test! We have some of the DI tested (neve, ampeg, darkglass..). but there isn’t what we use :-) Transformer UTC LS-10X in Bruce Sweden's bass-box scheme :-)
You are not wrong but there are other important facts that are not taken into consideration here and might justify some of the price gaps. For starter, the fact that some of these are preamps that do much more than just DI but going more clinical: some DI's actually make you loose some signal and you have to compensate by pushing the preamp gain and that adds noise. Some cheaper DI's work amazing with active circuits, being put after pedals or with an active bass and simply crumble with passive basses.
I agree the differences can seem mild at first but they tend to get more and more explicit the more you get your ears used to these differences. Try listening to this shootout again, but jumping the time slider between an Avalon and a Behringer, then the differences aren't mild at all, and they get even more explicit in the mixed tracks, where the best DIs "find" the exact place the bass should sit in a mix, while cheap DIs give you a struggle or just sound bad in the final mix. Now I could agree the differences between an Avalon and a SansAmp can be more subtle, as both are well constructed and aren't low-end.
Was the bass recorded and then run back out through these various preamps ? because that would explain the very subtle tonal character changes from the original preamp used to record the bass in the first place. If so , what preamp was used to record the original bass recording before ran through various preamps ? …. They all sound like a basic buRBrown interface preamp being “better bur browned”.
Excellent shootout! Very elucidative and thorough! If possible, please do the same using a PJ or a Jazz Bass, best if passive, I'd love to see these beauties doing their work and showing what they can do with the bass signal and harmonics. Thanks!
Wow, some crazy stuff in this video, pedals Ive never even seen or heard of. Thats one hell of a DI collection though! Im still sticking with my SansAmp 😎
@@BassStuffI will always stick with the good old SansAmp. I basically use it to shape my clean bass tone perfectly before I add any other effects pedals, it just works so well. Hope to also see a Darkglass ADAM review in the future! Great work with these videos, this channel has become my go to for checking out bass pedals 🤘🏻
@@BassStuff no problem, this video is really helpful, If you want, you can copy that timestamps and put them in the video description, so they become video chapters.
@@BassStuff oh sorry, the time interval should be in front of the text to appear as a video chapter, anyway I think it's useful to have this information in the video description.
Behringer, JDI Radial and ACME MTP-66 for me. In your other blind test I ended up choosing the JDI every time. Clearer, perfect mids and not boring like the Rupert Neve! Surprised by how muddy and bland both REDDI and 610 felt to me. Of course you can drive some of the pres more to get more saturation and change the mids, which is harder to do on a DI. Thanks for the shootout! I also recommend the Thermionic Culture Vulture, as a DI. Just amazing.
The Neve felt the most balanced and up front. The low frequencies on the RNDI had the biggest sound while remaining clear and intelligible, same across the mid frequencies. The RNDI had a flatter EQ, but to me that shows how great of a balance it gave the signal. Even with the flatter EQ, the Neve still had the biggest and clearest sound. That DI felt like it didn't have to boost mids to hear them, they were warm but really up front which made them stick out plenty IMO. When I scrub around quickly on the samples with drums, that Neve just really stood out with punchiness and clarity across all frequencies. The RNDI combined with the right preamp would be something special for sure. Most of these samples sounded great and i'd be happy with any of them, but there were a few that definitely stood above the rest.
This is the purpose of DIs, to connect instrument level into mic pre. Wikipedia: " A DI unit (direct input or direct inject) is an electronic device typically used in recording studios and in sound reinforcement systems to connect a high-output impedance, line level, unbalanced output signal to a low-impedance, microphone level, balanced input, usually via an XLR connector and XLR cable. "
@@BassStuff Ahh gotcha. My mic-pre has an instrument (hi-Z) switch for this purpose, and sounds great. I'll have to try a DI before and see how it alters my output.
The Neve also sounded great (probably the best for bass) to me, which wasn’t a surprise. The only place where this video falls short is with the larger practical concerns with the difference between passive (JDI and T10, both of which also sounded great) and active DI boxes (like the Neve). If you’re using them live with unfamiliar systems, sometimes active DIs can present logistical problems. The Neve MUST have 48v phantom power to work. There is no other way to power it! The Behringer, although not as good of a sound, runs on a 9v battery if needed. If you’re playing an active bass or using pedals before the DI, you’ll save yourself and the sound engineer some time by using a high quality passive box like the Radial or Countryman.
Well, it sounds mostly the same. Some sounds a bit " fuller " and some has subtle differences in their midrange but that's pretty much it. The Ampeg and Sansamp also had their on character. But I guarantee you that absolutely no one will notice any differences in a Band context or a live situation.
For me theres a few that sounded pretty delicious, and one of those is the Universal Audio Solo 610, the REDDI, the Ampeg (arguably you could get the same sound if you already have their amp), and a couple others.
The Acme MTP-66 wasnt too bad either....seems like i have expensive taste. For a relatively affordable one though the sansamp or the klark teknik dn100 didnt sound half bad
The Toasted Project gear is awesome and most of the stuff are made to order. Just write to the guy on Facebook or anywhere. This DI was custom made for me and I really like it and use it all the time.
This is a super legit video. Personally, I'd take the REDDI, though this video really accentuates the reality that all these things are just so subtly different. Plus, Power Rangers are awesome lol
Would have liked to hear what they sound like turned up. They all sound basically the same in this video. Still giving this video a thumbs up cuz its a lot of work making videos and I definitely appreciate the work. Gonna go look for a part 2 rn 🤘😉
These are just photos of the gear, not necessarily in the position the test was done. This one was probably taken 2 weeks before the actual test. The eq was flat for the test.
Yeah all the pedals seem here have the knobs willy nilly…and they have no cables attached lol not hard to see the photos and recordings were done at diff times
The pedal was On, so the signal go into the EQ section (all knobs at noon) but the blend is at 0% so the signal doesn't go through the "amp sim" section and the presence knob.
Epic shootout man! Super subtle differences in a lot of those... what was the signal chain? What mic preamp? Also was it reamped? Because it would be running through whatever transformers in your reamp box and your mic pre as well, which could explain the subtlety... They pretty much all sounded good except for the Ampeg, yuk.
Hello Mike. I worked on a lot of methods and this one is by far the best I've tried. 1. Bass direct to Antelope DI input. 2. Reamp from Antelope with JCR studio reamper. 3. DI/Preamp 4. Shadow Hills Mono Gama preamp in discrete mode to Antelope. The thing that convinced me to go that way is this one test I made. I recorded a bass track direct and reamped it in the same input at the exact same level. Make sure the volume is perfectly the same and flip the phase of the reamped track. So when I play it back, I can only listen to the difference between the "pure" DI sound and the reamped one. I was shocked to discover that the signal was 99.99% canceled 😮. Just a very very far and quiet high pitch noise, barely audible. So this method is not exactly the best to hear the full 100% potentiel of each DI, but the best I could think about to compare them.
@@BassStuff That explains it. You are going through 3 DI's and multiple transformers in that chain... I would have recorded a loop on a loop pedal and went straight into the DI straight into the your mic preamp on your interface, that would be a much more accurate way to do it...
I think the loop pedal will do the same as the reamping but with cheap components with less accuracy. And like I said, the reamped signal is so near the original that it cancel itself when you flip it. I don't think a lot of loop pedal can acheive that.
@@BassStuff a Tc Ditto pedal for example has pretty good ad da conversion, I use one for my music... I would say running the signal through too much gear pollutes the test, makes the behringer for example sound better than what it is, adds more compression and transformer warmth from the radial...
With all respect, I'm not sure how a 150$ Ditto pedal ADDA can be compare advantageously to a 4000$ professional Antelope interface and JCR Reamper in any way. A loop pedal was definitely not a serious option for me for this shootout.
Personnaly I think it's a great preamp/DI but it's really pricey. In that video I try to compare it with basic DIs so I kept it very neutral but I think the EQ is what makes this unit powerful. Very juicy lows and nice crispy top. You can do very sweet Pulltec style stuff with the low boost and the low cut. I have a video of the Noble : th-cam.com/video/W_Xbr85695s/w-d-xo.html
@@buildingwithtrees2258 Agreed that the Radial JDI is an awesome value for the money. I own one myself. Also agreed that an additional $1k is steep. Obviously from a customer's perspective you have to balance that value equation. But going strictly off sound, I agree that the Noble sounded best. This video is the first that clued me into the Noble, and I've done a lot of additional research since then. Other videos & forums say basically the same thing, that the Noble has incredible sound, but it all comes down to what you are willing to pay. I think there are some other features of the Noble that need to be considered though, mainly that the Noble is meant to be mounted on a pedal board, and has the capability to power other pedals. When you take that into consideration and the potential to offset the cost of a separate power supply, the fact that it has onboard EQ, that $1k price differential eases a little bit because it can replace other things on your board.
Thank you for doing this shootout. Cant say I could hear much any difference for most (except the effect box type di's). What did you think? Could you pick any of these out in a blind test, when running flat, os is it not much influence?
I prefer to let the listeners have their own conclusions. I can say I was really impressed by the quality of some mid range DIs though. After this test, some people said to me that they hear huge difference between these DIs and some people think it's all the same 🧐.
@@BassStuff what would you consider midrange on these? Im not aware of max cost but i did hear some differences, and would be curious as to what id shell out for them. Cause there were definitely differences heard in brands id never heard of.
There didn’t seem to be any dreadful ones there. Some gave a little more warmth or character than others. And was about it. A lot would be down to whatever Bells and whistles we might want.
… which can quickly turn into harshness or hollowness with an active or really hot bass. But yeah, if you’re just plugging in a passive Fender direct… a nice active box like the Neve can be a game changer.
@@BassStuff Sure, I understand.. can you better appreciate the subtleties between one another in hires? I have to say that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference of many of the units, so I'm wandering if youtube compression could be part of the reason..
@@denzemenFor sure, TH-cam compression doesn't help to hear the small subtleties between those DI. Doing this test, I felt that the difference was even smaller than I thought between them.
Good shootout. It really depends on what you're trying to do. I felt that, as classic DIs, only the Behringer (too noisy), the Darkglass (too colored) and the Ampeg (too colored) were lacking. Everything else sounds good, and transparent enough. My favorite was the ACME Motown WB-3 simply because I liked the sound on this particular loop, but there were any number that were just as good. A Radial JDI would be fine. If you're expecting your DI to provide your own distinctive bass sound for gigs and such, you're on your own. Among the pedal styles, the Sansamp BD sounds the best flat. I use it that way all the time and it works. I'm not in love with most of the effected sounds on that one, but I do like the flat sound, which isn't 100% particularly transparent, but is close enough, and is functional and punchy. The Ampeg and Darkglass do Ampeg and Darkglass, if that's what you want, but the flat sounds are too colored for flexible DI use.
En tout cas, ça donne de la belle info sur la différence entre les DI de tous les ranges. Pour le Aguilar, j'ai du m'arrêter quelques part. J'en ai taper de plus mais je trouvais qu'il y en avait déjà beaucoup !
These are the biggest snake oil trick in the industry. Besides those with options for tone shaping, there is absolutely no reason to spend more money on these over the basic models. Boxes like the NEVE and REDDI are huge wastes of money. It's the emperor's clothes of audio snobs.
Hello, while i do appreciate the review A LOT, i've got to say that playing the bass line with the drums doesn't really count as "IN A MIX". For us to get a true idea of how the pedals will sound in a mix, a demonstration should have all of these, in my OPINION - Green Day, Iron Maiden, Rush and Primus, or due to copyright reasons, at least such types of short riffs/songs. Bass and bass gear reviews are some of the worst because most of the times it's just the player demonstrating his/hers slapping technique. This doesn't apply for this video, i am just ranting
@@plamenmilanov3009 Okay, then go gather up thousands of dollars worth of gear and take the time to make your own video, since this guy couldn't tailor it to you properly
No luck...none of my bass DI preamps are amonst any of these..NU-X Melvin Lee Davis (fantastic), Laney Digbeth (great live or studio) & my Shift Line Bass Cabzone X (brilliant for studio as 10 ir bass amps & 10 ir bass cabs, great to practice with as has a real headphone amp & 3.5mm input for mp3 player, phone etc)....sounds fantastic through my PJB headphones...the DI's with tarroidal transformers & the ones with tubes are slightly better sounding but switched mode power supply'd DI's are catching up in build & sound quality..., it ain't worth paying for a tube DI if playing live..better for studio work as more fragile,though the REDDI is built like a tank but not cheap...some great DI's but still my NU-X MLD preamp/DI pedal sounds great to my ears when playing live or recording.... good demo
They are all sound almost the same, but only Ampeg give you that oomph in low end 😊 like it a lot
Love the shootout! Bonus points for the dancing montage!😂
Great test! We have some of the DI tested (neve, ampeg, darkglass..). but there isn’t what we use :-) Transformer UTC LS-10X in Bruce Sweden's bass-box scheme :-)
The very mild sonic differences do not justify the massive price gaps. That being said, I liked the SansAmps and the Avalon. I've used both.
You are not wrong but there are other important facts that are not taken into consideration here and might justify some of the price gaps.
For starter, the fact that some of these are preamps that do much more than just DI but going more clinical: some DI's actually make you loose some signal and you have to compensate by pushing the preamp gain and that adds noise. Some cheaper DI's work amazing with active circuits, being put after pedals or with an active bass and simply crumble with passive basses.
I agree the differences can seem mild at first but they tend to get more and more explicit the more you get your ears used to these differences. Try listening to this shootout again, but jumping the time slider between an Avalon and a Behringer, then the differences aren't mild at all, and they get even more explicit in the mixed tracks, where the best DIs "find" the exact place the bass should sit in a mix, while cheap DIs give you a struggle or just sound bad in the final mix. Now I could agree the differences between an Avalon and a SansAmp can be more subtle, as both are well constructed and aren't low-end.
Was the bass recorded and then run back out through these various preamps ? because that would explain the very subtle tonal character changes from the original preamp used to record the bass in the first place. If so , what preamp was used to record the original bass recording before ran through various preamps ? …. They all sound like a basic buRBrown interface preamp being “better bur browned”.
Excellent shootout! Very elucidative and thorough! If possible, please do the same using a PJ or a Jazz Bass, best if passive, I'd love to see these beauties doing their work and showing what they can do with the bass signal and harmonics. Thanks!
Useful comparison. Probably best to go with the DI / Preamp combos. Best overall price and quality for me is Tech21.
Wow, some crazy stuff in this video, pedals Ive never even seen or heard of. Thats one hell of a DI collection though!
Im still sticking with my SansAmp 😎
Really impressive to hear how the good old SansAmp BD is still awesome compared to the fancier stuff.
@@BassStuff Yes, it's not neutral, but it sits in the mix nicely. Great video and great fun to watch the second part 👍
@@BassStuffI will always stick with the good old SansAmp. I basically use it to shape my clean bass tone perfectly before I add any other effects pedals, it just works so well.
Hope to also see a Darkglass ADAM review in the future! Great work with these videos, this channel has become my go to for checking out bass pedals 🤘🏻
--------BASS ONLY-----------
Digiflex DPDI - 0:34
Behringer Ultra di - 0:52
ProDi Radial - 1:10
JDI Radial - 1:28
J48 Radial - 1:46
K.T. DN100 - 2:04
K.T. LBB100(black) 2:22
Coutryman T10 - 2:40
Toasted P. Double: 2:58
Ampeg: 3:16
Samsamp 3:34
Darkglass - 3:52
Noble - 4:10
GK Fusion 550: 4:28
Antelope Zenstudio: 4:46
Neve RNDI - 5:04
ACME Mowton Wb3 5:22
REDDI - 5:40
Focusrite ISA one - 5:58
Shadows Hill Mono Gama(nickel) 6:16
" " (discrete) - 6:34
" "(steel) - 6:52
Lachapell 583s - 7:10
Avalon - 7:28
Universal Audio solo610 - 7:46
ACME mtp-66 - 8:04
-----BASS + DRUMS-------
Digiflex DPDI - 8:26
Behringer Ultra di - 8:46
ProDi Radial - 9:06
JDI Radial - 9:26
J48 Radial - 9:46
K.T. DN100 - 10:06
K.T. LBB100(black) 10:26
Coutryman T10 - 10:46
Toasted P. Double: 11:06
Ampeg: 11:26
Samsamp 11:46
Darkglass - 12:06
Noble - 12:26
GK Fusion 550: 12:46
Antelope Zenstudio: 13:06
Neve RNDI - 13:26
ACME Mowton Wb3 13:46
REDDI - 14:06
Focusrite ISA one - 14:26
Shadows Hill Mono Gama(nickel) 14:46
" " (discrete) - 15:06
" "(steel) - 15:26
Lachapell 583s - 15:46
Avalon - 16:06
Universal Audio solo610 - 16:26
ACME mtp-66 - 16:46
Thank you very much 🙏 , never taken the time to make it.
@@BassStuff no problem, this video is really helpful, If you want, you can copy that timestamps and put them in the video description, so they become video chapters.
Already done ! Thank you !
@@BassStuff oh sorry, the time interval should be in front of the text to appear as a video chapter, anyway I think it's useful to have this information in the video description.
Maybe this way:
----BASS ONLY ----
00:34 - Digiflex DPDI
00:52 - Behringer Ultra di
01:10 -ProDi Radial
01:28 - JDI Radial
01:46 - J48 Radial
02:04 - K.T. DN100
02:22 - K.T. LBB100
02:40 - Coutryman T10
02:58 - Toasted P. Double
03:16 - Ampeg:
03:34 - Samsamp
03:52 - Darkglass
04:10 - Noble
04:28 - GK Fusion 550:
04:46 - Antelope Zenstudio
05:04 - Neve RNDI
05:22 - ACME Mowton Wb3
05:40 - REDDI
05:58 - Focusrite ISA one
Shadows Hill Mono Gama *
06:16 - (Nickel)
06:34 - (Discrete)
06:52 - (Steel)
07:10 - Lachapell 583s
07:28 - Avalon
07:46 - Universal Audio solo610
08:04 - ACME mtp-66
----BASS + DRUMS------
08:26 - Digiflex DPDI
08:46 - Behringer Ultra di
09:06 - ProDi Radial
09:26 - JDI Radial
09:46 - J48 Radial
10:06 - K.T. DN100
10:26 - K.T. LBB100(black)
10:46 - Coutryman T10
11:06 - Toasted P. Double
11:26 - Ampeg:
11:46 - Samsamp
12:06 - Darkglass
12:26 - Noble
12:46 - GK Fusion 550:
13:06 - Antelope Zenstudio
13:26 - Neve RNDI
13:46 - ACME Mowton Wb3
14:06 - REDDI
14:26 - Focusrite ISA one
Shadows Hill Mono Gama*
14:46 - (Nickel)
15:06 - (Discrete)
15:26 - (Steel)
15:46 - Lachapell 583s
16:06 - Avalon
16:26 - Universal Audio solo610
16:46 - ACME mtp-66
Great video! very usefull. My favorite is the Radial - J48
(I was the 1420's viewer)
great test! now i know that they are all the same! 🙃
Lol... I just started going direct, pulled out an old Seymour Duncan "PARANORMAL" preamp/di box I got on-sale many years ago... sounds wonderful. :)
Yes, I'll have the cheapest one please
The Noble preamp is the only one where I can tell a difference. It was definitely warmer and less clicky.
Behringer, JDI Radial and ACME MTP-66 for me. In your other blind test I ended up choosing the JDI every time. Clearer, perfect mids and not boring like the Rupert Neve! Surprised by how muddy and bland both REDDI and 610 felt to me. Of course you can drive some of the pres more to get more saturation and change the mids, which is harder to do on a DI. Thanks for the shootout! I also recommend the Thermionic Culture Vulture, as a DI. Just amazing.
The JDI sounds kill on a P Bass!
The Neve felt the most balanced and up front. The low frequencies on the RNDI had the biggest sound while remaining clear and intelligible, same across the mid frequencies. The RNDI had a flatter EQ, but to me that shows how great of a balance it gave the signal. Even with the flatter EQ, the Neve still had the biggest and clearest sound. That DI felt like it didn't have to boost mids to hear them, they were warm but really up front which made them stick out plenty IMO. When I scrub around quickly on the samples with drums, that Neve just really stood out with punchiness and clarity across all frequencies. The RNDI combined with the right preamp would be something special for sure. Most of these samples sounded great and i'd be happy with any of them, but there were a few that definitely stood above the rest.
I have the Neve RNDI S and I can confirm about your comment. It just makes the bass sound sweet, with tight and full bottom end.
WHat do you mean combined with the right preamp? DI into preamp? I never thought you needed to use a DI with a preamp?
This is the purpose of DIs, to connect instrument level into mic pre. Wikipedia: " A DI unit (direct input or direct inject) is an electronic device typically used in recording studios and in sound reinforcement systems to connect a high-output impedance, line level, unbalanced output signal to a low-impedance, microphone level, balanced input, usually via an XLR connector and XLR cable. "
@@BassStuff Ahh gotcha. My mic-pre has an instrument (hi-Z) switch for this purpose, and sounds great. I'll have to try a DI before and see how it alters my output.
The Neve also sounded great (probably the best for bass) to me, which wasn’t a surprise. The only place where this video falls short is with the larger practical concerns with the difference between passive (JDI and T10, both of which also sounded great) and active DI boxes (like the Neve). If you’re using them live with unfamiliar systems, sometimes active DIs can present logistical problems. The Neve MUST have 48v phantom power to work. There is no other way to power it! The Behringer, although not as good of a sound, runs on a 9v battery if needed. If you’re playing an active bass or using pedals before the DI, you’ll save yourself and the sound engineer some time by using a high quality passive box like the Radial or Countryman.
Thubs up for the dog.
Well, it sounds mostly the same. Some sounds a bit " fuller " and some has subtle differences in their midrange but that's pretty much it. The Ampeg and Sansamp also had their on character. But I guarantee you that absolutely no one will notice any differences in a Band context or a live situation.
Any suggest for humming pickup solution, please ?!
For me theres a few that sounded pretty delicious, and one of those is the Universal Audio Solo 610, the REDDI, the Ampeg (arguably you could get the same sound if you already have their amp), and a couple others.
The Acme MTP-66 wasnt too bad either....seems like i have expensive taste.
For a relatively affordable one though the sansamp or the klark teknik dn100 didnt sound half bad
And i forgot to mention the Toasted Project Double....but problem is that one i cant find. Lol
The Toasted Project gear is awesome and most of the stuff are made to order. Just write to the guy on Facebook or anywhere. This DI was custom made for me and I really like it and use it all the time.
Massive 🔥 @bassstuff what is/are your favourite ?
The Toasted Project Double leaped out of the pack for me. Where can I find that?
You can message him directly here:
facebook.com/ToastedProject
There’s also the Boss Bass Driver BB-1X digital preamp/DI
This is a super legit video. Personally, I'd take the REDDI, though this video really accentuates the reality that all these things are just so subtly different. Plus, Power Rangers are awesome lol
Would have liked to hear what they sound like turned up. They all sound basically the same in this video. Still giving this video a thumbs up cuz its a lot of work making videos and I definitely appreciate the work. Gonna go look for a part 2 rn 🤘😉
I’m surprised no one pointed out the Klark Teknik LBB100. It sounds better than the Countryman and you can find it for about half the price.
The Ampeg was the one with the most character to me. It sounded the most interesting :)
Noble flat is Bass and Treble knobs all the way down - they’re boost only.
Exactly, both are boost only.
@@BassStuff the graphic shows the knobs at 12 o’clock
These are just photos of the gear, not necessarily in the position the test was done. This one was probably taken 2 weeks before the actual test. The eq was flat for the test.
Yeah all the pedals seem here have the knobs willy nilly…and they have no cables attached lol not hard to see the photos and recordings were done at diff times
Hey with the SansAmp Bass Driver does "flat" mean that the footswitch is not engaged or that that every knob is in noon?
The pedal was On, so the signal go into the EQ section (all knobs at noon) but the blend is at 0% so the signal doesn't go through the "amp sim" section and the presence knob.
@@BassStuff Cheers! Great solid and even sound
Great editing man hahaaha
Toasted Project: their website is gone. Please put up a link to the schematics for the Double?
Toasted is still doing amazing things: facebook.com/ToastedProject/
Great video 👍🏽. I use the Darkglass Vintage Deluxe V2. The best of my pedalboard.
Epic shootout man! Super subtle differences in a lot of those... what was the signal chain? What mic preamp? Also was it reamped? Because it would be running through whatever transformers in your reamp box and your mic pre as well, which could explain the subtlety... They pretty much all sounded good except for the Ampeg, yuk.
Hello Mike. I worked on a lot of methods and this one is by far the best I've tried.
1. Bass direct to Antelope DI input.
2. Reamp from Antelope with JCR studio reamper.
3. DI/Preamp
4. Shadow Hills Mono Gama preamp in discrete mode to Antelope.
The thing that convinced me to go that way is this one test I made.
I recorded a bass track direct and reamped it in the same input at the exact same level. Make sure the volume is perfectly the same and flip the phase of the reamped track. So when I play it back, I can only listen to the difference between the "pure" DI sound and the reamped one. I was shocked to discover that the signal was 99.99% canceled 😮. Just a very very far and quiet high pitch noise, barely audible.
So this method is not exactly the best to hear the full 100% potentiel of each DI, but the best I could think about to compare them.
@@BassStuff That explains it. You are going through 3 DI's and multiple transformers in that chain... I would have recorded a loop on a loop pedal and went straight into the DI straight into the your mic preamp on your interface, that would be a much more accurate way to do it...
I think the loop pedal will do the same as the reamping but with cheap components with less accuracy. And like I said, the reamped signal is so near the original that it cancel itself when you flip it. I don't think a lot of loop pedal can acheive that.
@@BassStuff a Tc Ditto pedal for example has pretty good ad da conversion, I use one for my music... I would say running the signal through too much gear pollutes the test, makes the behringer for example sound better than what it is, adds more compression and transformer warmth from the radial...
With all respect, I'm not sure how a 150$ Ditto pedal ADDA can be compare advantageously to a 4000$ professional Antelope interface and JCR Reamper in any way. A loop pedal was definitely not a serious option for me for this shootout.
I'm really surprised at the lack of comments about that Noble Dual Tube Pre. That thing sounds incredible!
nope
@@vomid_club Really? Why do you feel that way? Not being rude, just curious if my ears are off.
Personnaly I think it's a great preamp/DI but it's really pricey. In that video I try to compare it with basic DIs so I kept it very neutral but I think the EQ is what makes this unit powerful. Very juicy lows and nice crispy top. You can do very sweet Pulltec style stuff with the low boost and the low cut. I have a video of the Noble : th-cam.com/video/W_Xbr85695s/w-d-xo.html
9:25 or 12:30 is not much different or at least not $1,000 better. But I do like the noble the best personally.
@@buildingwithtrees2258 Agreed that the Radial JDI is an awesome value for the money. I own one myself. Also agreed that an additional $1k is steep. Obviously from a customer's perspective you have to balance that value equation. But going strictly off sound, I agree that the Noble sounded best. This video is the first that clued me into the Noble, and I've done a lot of additional research since then. Other videos & forums say basically the same thing, that the Noble has incredible sound, but it all comes down to what you are willing to pay. I think there are some other features of the Noble that need to be considered though, mainly that the Noble is meant to be mounted on a pedal board, and has the capability to power other pedals. When you take that into consideration and the potential to offset the cost of a separate power supply, the fact that it has onboard EQ, that $1k price differential eases a little bit because it can replace other things on your board.
Thank you for doing this shootout. Cant say I could hear much any difference for most (except the effect box type di's). What did you think? Could you pick any of these out in a blind test, when running flat, os is it not much influence?
I prefer to let the listeners have their own conclusions. I can say I was really impressed by the quality of some mid range DIs though. After this test, some people said to me that they hear huge difference between these DIs and some people think it's all the same 🧐.
@@BassStuff I wonder if and how much of that is affected by expectations with seeing the brands and knowing their price tags and reputations.
@@BassStuff what would you consider midrange on these? Im not aware of max cost but i did hear some differences, and would be curious as to what id shell out for them. Cause there were definitely differences heard in brands id never heard of.
There didn’t seem to be any dreadful ones there. Some gave a little more warmth or character than others. And was about it.
A lot would be down to whatever Bells and whistles we might want.
Amazing shootout!
Are these Steven Slate drums?
Thank you ! Yes these are Slates drums.
in general: active DI more rich upper harmonic than passive DI
… which can quickly turn into harshness or hollowness with an active or really hot bass. But yeah, if you’re just plugging in a passive Fender direct… a nice active box like the Neve can be a game changer.
Radial J48
Amazing shootout, thanks for that!
Any chance to get hires audio files?
I am not planning on releasing the files for now. I will think about it.
@@BassStuff Sure, I understand.. can you better appreciate the subtleties between one another in hires?
I have to say that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference of many of the units, so I'm wandering if youtube compression could be part of the reason..
@@denzemenFor sure, TH-cam compression doesn't help to hear the small subtleties between those DI. Doing this test, I felt that the difference was even smaller than I thought between them.
Ampeg or Sansamp for me
Passive or Active DI for P Bass?
Thank you
Both can be great. Active tends to be more transparent and passive sometimes have more character.
To me, I much prefer the passive JDI on a P bass even though people say use active.
SImpleWay Audio - BEST DI BOX !
So useful, thanks! Great groove, also...
Good shootout. It really depends on what you're trying to do. I felt that, as classic DIs, only the Behringer (too noisy), the Darkglass (too colored) and the Ampeg (too colored) were lacking. Everything else sounds good, and transparent enough. My favorite was the ACME Motown WB-3 simply because I liked the sound on this particular loop, but there were any number that were just as good. A Radial JDI would be fine.
If you're expecting your DI to provide your own distinctive bass sound for gigs and such, you're on your own. Among the pedal styles, the Sansamp BD sounds the best flat. I use it that way all the time and it works. I'm not in love with most of the effected sounds on that one, but I do like the flat sound, which isn't 100% particularly transparent, but is close enough, and is functional and punchy. The Ampeg and Darkglass do Ampeg and Darkglass, if that's what you want, but the flat sounds are too colored for flexible DI use.
12:01 Did not expect Duane to make an appearance
Everything is possible !
Je pense que tu viens de briser plusieurs mythes sur les DIs mec! But what about the Aguilar TH DI? :P
En tout cas, ça donne de la belle info sur la différence entre les DI de tous les ranges. Pour le Aguilar, j'ai du m'arrêter quelques part. J'en ai taper de plus mais je trouvais qu'il y en avait déjà beaucoup !
Reddi
ISA
Acme, Avalon, Klark Techniq sounds the best to me.
5:22
Haha the dog 😆
1. REDDI 2. ACME Motown 3. Darkglass B7K 4. Avalon 5. Sansamp
J48 vs klark dn100 i hear no difference
Countryman sounds best to me.
These are the biggest snake oil trick in the industry. Besides those with options for tone shaping, there is absolutely no reason to spend more money on these over the basic models. Boxes like the NEVE and REDDI are huge wastes of money. It's the emperor's clothes of audio snobs.
You used the same sound clip for all DIs.
🧐
Hahaha that’d be hilarious actually
Hello, while i do appreciate the review A LOT, i've got to say that playing the bass line with the drums doesn't really count as "IN A MIX". For us to get a true idea of how the pedals will sound in a mix, a demonstration should have all of these, in my OPINION - Green Day, Iron Maiden, Rush and Primus, or due to copyright reasons, at least such types of short riffs/songs.
Bass and bass gear reviews are some of the worst because most of the times it's just the player demonstrating his/hers slapping technique. This doesn't apply for this video, i am just ranting
Jeez... the entitlement generation really needs to dial it back a notch
@@Thurgor_Supreme Jeez... the boomers only accept their own OPINION
@@plamenmilanov3009 Okay, then go gather up thousands of dollars worth of gear and take the time to make your own video, since this guy couldn't tailor it to you properly
Soooooo……… get the cheapest one…….
haha.....so Q
don't use samples of sociopaths, its a bad look
🤔 what?
No luck...none of my bass DI preamps are amonst any of these..NU-X Melvin Lee Davis (fantastic), Laney Digbeth (great live or studio) & my Shift Line Bass Cabzone X (brilliant for studio as 10 ir bass amps & 10 ir bass cabs, great to practice with as has a real headphone amp & 3.5mm input for mp3 player, phone etc)....sounds fantastic through my PJB headphones...the DI's with tarroidal transformers & the ones with tubes are slightly better sounding but switched mode power supply'd DI's are catching up in build & sound quality..., it ain't worth paying for a tube DI if playing live..better for studio work as more fragile,though the REDDI is built like a tank but not cheap...some great DI's but still my NU-X MLD preamp/DI pedal sounds great to my ears when playing live or recording.... good demo
1:09
1:28