Which DI for heavy electric guitars (alongside an amp)?

[musictech]

I've got a project coming up at some undertimed time in the future where I need to record some heavy distorted guitars and they want to have a mic'd amp setup going to one or more tracks, and also a track of the guitar output straight through a DI so they can play around with different amp modelling plugs and compare the tones to the real amps.

So, I need a basic, but good sounding DI to split the guitar signal so I can drive the amps/cabs and also go through a pre for the direct track.

Usually, the only time I use a DI is for certain bass tracks, and I just plug right into my ME1NV, which works fine. When I worked at the big studio, they had some custom made DI units in plain gray boxes that used Jensen transformers, were non-powered, and also had a simply ground lift switch on them. Those worked fine for bass, guitar, keys, etc.

Looking for something similar with a decent sound. Since I don't have a decent stand alone DI in my home based project studio, a good one would be a nice addition, but I don't need to break the bank with something really expensive either.

Suggestions?

Thanks!

Steve

[Jay Kahrs]

It's hard to go wrong with the standard Countryman or BSS active DI's. I dig my GT Ditto a lot...that's a fairly thick sounding DI for bass & synths. After that point, none of 'em totally suck but they get different.

I'm not too hip on the idea of taking a DI on guitars for reamping later. It seems like whenever someone does that they get super lazy about getting great guitar tones and they end up tracking poo because there's this mindset that "the DI can save us" and that isn't always true. Sometimes the DI & reamping saves the day but usually it leads us down a path where the new tones aren't fully intergrated with the rest of the sounds. Or, the vocals and overdubs are tracked to fit with the guitar sounds and when they change later on, nothing fits together. That's especially true when using amp simulators, they can't get the sound & feel of moving air molecules and that whole guitar/amp interaction and they always seem fake to me.

Being a guitar player myself I have to have the guitar & amp working together as one instrument. It's really vital because the way the amp is set greatly affects my playing. Not only note choice, but feel, palm muting, feedback, and all kinds of other things. I'd rather spend the extra 20 or 30 minutes to get a really great tone dialed in at the start and go with that.

YMMV.

[musictech]

Thanks for the suggestions Jay.

That's one reason why I've never done the DI thing with an electric guitar before... I prefer the sound of real amps recorded with microphones, and that's how I always do it.

But, this is a special project for a different kind of client, and they want us to spend the time to get the best recorded sounds with amps and microphones the best we can, but then they also need the DI so they can see how close they can get with some plug-in type modelling. That's about all I can say about that.

I'm sure a good DI will come in handy for other things as well, since I doubt I'll use it again for guitars after this specific project.

Steve

[GPl]

Countryman 85 DI, Radial J48, JDI. That's what I use mostly. All sound great but in a different way. I don't mind using a DI when I can't get that "special amp" I wanted at the time of tracking, but that's about it. Also use the X-amp for re-tracking later. Amp modeling just doesn't do it for me.......

[figur8]

I just used a Stageline DI BOX for about 40 € because i had no expensive one left and i was really surprised by its sound. when i A/B it with the other DI signals there are no big differences. Funny.

[TonyBelmont]

Originally Posted by Jay Kahrs

It's hard to go wrong with the standard Countryman or BSS active DI's.

He's right!

[bobmirage]

"I don't need to break the bank with something really expensive either."

The Countryman and BSS are top of the line and excellent DIs, but if I read correctly you don't want the best and for guitar you don't need it.
Any DI will work really well for what you need to do.

[logicll]

Steve,

I use an Avalon U5 It is my deal for Bass, Guitar est...there not cheep, I got lucky pulled it right out of the Guitar Center rack $350...so
Used gear is our friend

[musictech]

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions.

I'm thinking of going with the Radial JDI duplex 2 channel passive DI, which I can get for a decent price, and would give me two channels so I can mess around with running keyboards through it as well on occasion.

I've used the Hi-Z in on the Great River ME1NV that I have for bass and guitars, and it works fine for that, except that I'll be using that for microphones when recording the guitars for this project, so I still need a DI that has the output for the guitar amp as well.

[Curtis Franklin]

im really liking my active radial di for tracks that may end up reamped or for using stuff like amplitube.

if i am using a dry di sound ill use a mic pre with an instrument in per color.

[maskedman72]

i think little labs makes a box for this .

[frans]

Errr...another way would be a SWR Interstellar Overdrive for a D.I., it´s basically a bass/guitar-tubepreamp with tone, 5 watts output@8ohms via a single ended EL84 into a transformer and a little loadbox. You can get the signal out just after the pre, or after the poweramp transformer,balanced and unbalanced. It even has a unbalanced insert. You can hook up a cab and mike that also. Like a miniature amp!
Well, it doesn´t come cheap...and by the way, splitting the guitar output before the amp always messes with the impedance of the pickups, has anybody ever heard a D.I. that does NOT change the sound into the amp if hooked up inbetween guitar and amp?

[Ben Walters]

One more vote for Radial! I have a JDV mkII, and it is awesome for this application! Since I got it most guitar takes split to two amps through the box and record the DI as well. Even if you aren't going to reamp, adding a touch of DI into the blend can add some attack and/or sparkle - just don't use too much.

[paterno]

If you think you may want to blend in the DI to your amp signal, i would seriously look into a Little Labs IBP.

I did a 12 string overdub on a project last year, and I plugged in to IBP and then sent the buffered out to a combo amp out in the room. I brought up the mics, but needed more jangle. So I brought up the IBP output. The phase was funny in both polarity positions, so I used the IBP to dial it in and it was great! DI gtr lightly blended in with an amp signal is a pretty cool sound as well...

Cheers,
John

[kendog]

I use the Framptone splitter. One side goes to my amp and the other goes into 1 of my mic pres (Millennia or Chandler) that functions as a DI. It works really really well.