Question: What sits on the studio floor all night long, and doesn’t even hum?

Answer: Joe’s DI box !!

Y’all (I’m just back from Texas) know the basic :

  • mics
  • recorders
  • mixers
  • monitors
  • compression
  • effects

But there’s couple of unsung heroes tucked away (probably) that should be on top of every engineer’s essentials list:

Whirlwind IMP 2 Standard Direct Box[tag]Recording Studio Equipment[/tag] – Direct Injection Boxes

No flashing LEDs, no mass of knobs. Plain-jane compared to most audio processors, the unassuming DI (Direct Injection) box just sits on the floor doing its job.

And what is it’s job? Two jobs, really…

  • match impedances
  • change unbalanced inputs into mixer-friendly balanced outputs

And when will you need a DI box for these tasks? One of the most common DI box applications is to record bass guitars without amps or mics.

Also useful for synths, guitars, and other unbalanced, hi-impedance sources.

Aguilar DB 900 Tube Direct BoxDI boxes range from simple, unpowered lo-Z in/hi-Z out, to powered DIs including effects, and multiple channels. Keep a two channel DI box available to connect a stereo keyboard, for example.

For general use I have a couple of super-inexpensive Whirlwind IMPs, and an Aguilar DB 900 Tube Direct Box for the top quality projects.

Tomorrow: Studio Equipment – Cables

Filed under: Uncategorized

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!