Reasons for DI boxes @ a club

[digitaltaper]

Ok so my friend opened up a bar and spent $11,000 on a sound system and didn't get any mics or DI boxes. He expects the bands to provide mics ... yeah he is an idiot, I already know that. I wanted him to get a cheap ass drum kit and some universal shures. He spend tons of money on intel-lights and all that shit but is skimping on the live sound gear ... what a jackass.

Anyways ... I tried to tell him to get DI boxes, but the "DJ" who ordered the gear told him he didn't need them.

Will some of you pros who know what the hell your doing provide me an explaination of why DI boxes are an essential piece of gear for live sound. I want to print your responses and give them to him.

Thanks guys,

DT

[TyRip]

Wow, that is nuts. A sad story for sure.

DI boxes are necessary to convert 1/4" connected instruments to a balanced XLR line so that they can go into the snake and to the console at the correct signal level and with the right connection.

DI boxes are used for:

Keyboard

Acoustic Guitar

Direct Bass Guitar


Some people probably bring their own, but I definitely would not count on it.

Please convince him to get some sm57s and sm58s too, at the least.

[Remoteness]

...What TyRip said plus…

Unless you expect to attract national recording acts on tour the chances that the musicians will carry their own mics and direct boxes are very small.

Buy some mics and DIs before we all come up there to file a petition for you to loose your cabaret license.

[Gerax]

Agree with the above comments, and ah....tell the DJ to shut the f#@& up: I've been into discussions with DJs several times (untill I decided it's really not worth it to waste my time that way) and belive me, with the exception of a few very rare cases they are representative of the very last gap in the evolutive stairs when audio technology (and maybe even music) is involved...so tell your friend to get advice from someone who is knowledgeable and that knows his thing in this business...a DJ is no engineer (God bless... )

Hope this helps

L.G.

[txgator]

What they said. I'm just posting because my sig has links to bands I work for live. I also work at www.thesocial.org when I'm not on the road. Just to add to your case.

[mesh boogie]

i'm actually a dj and engineer

but anyways, this dj sounds like a jackass. has he ever dj'ed on a stage with a mixer with rca outs? what does he do then?

[audioez]

Unbalanced sources are not suitable for long cable runs; The direct input changes the impedance so you can take advantage of common mode rejection(balanced line).

ie. DJ is on the stage...The House sound system(FOH) is at the back of the club, about 150 feet of cable in between.

Unless your DJ mixer has a Balanced Line Level Output, you need a DI.

[Jim vanBergen]

he's either:

1) way ahead of us because he purchased a DJ mixer with balanced quality outs, some isolation transformers (jensen or lundahl) and some pin 1 lift adaptors

2) too full of himself to listen to reason, making him an idiot.

The killer is, they don't have to cost a lot. Decent DIs can be had for CHEAP!

[edwinhurwitz]

This is why as a musician I travel with mics, stands, cables, DIs, etc. It's amazing what you run into out there.

Edwin

[aussie_techie]

at very least every venue needs 3 57s, 4 58s and a kick mic, then comes tom mics
DIs are essential for bass and for the DJ, so at least 3, besides converting to a balanced signal you should ALWAYS lift the ground. even if the DJ has balanced outputs its unlikley he has a ground lift. tell this guy to never listen to a DJ