Is this an okay DI box? (Page 1 of 2)

DI boxes don't colour the signal in a very noticeable way, not even the very worst ones*. they just convert the signal from unbalanced to balanced and attenuate gain if you need to (there's usually a switch next to the input). and some other things. that said, it'd be probably more useful to get a cheap mixer with RCA and 1/4" outs if you don't already have one. this "pyle pro" brand isn't listed on any pro audio website's catalogue, but it's sold at walmart n stuff. so that's probably something to think about in the long run :v

if you're just doing chip stuff live you could probably get away with a behringer ultra-DI - some sound guys give them a bad rap cause the brand has a reputation for being shitty but really there's nothing particularly wrong with the ultra-DI if it's not a faulty unit. if you play bass or keys and would ever play live  or session regularly, or even do home studio stuff then save up for something nice like a radial J48.

*personal experience; individual results may vary

Last edited by Victory Road (Mar 16, 2013 11:31 pm)

what do you need the di box for?

i don't think it would really do anything, making the signal balanced doesn't get rid of the hum from a gameboy.

okay I see, thank you. How many cables should I need if I have 3 gameboys, a 4 channel mixer and a kaoss pad?

it aint the best but I use it

The way I've always seen it, anything before the mixer/kp is your problem, so if you want a DI in there somewhere it's yours to buy. But anything after that point is the sound guy's problem. For your particular needs, a mixer will do fine and 99% of all sound techs are capable of dealing with a line level rca output. Most venues/bars that have DJ nights are already setup this way, and if you play a more traditional stage, the sound techs will have tons of little DIs on hand should the need for one arise.

That mixer however will probably add some noise and hum to your signal. I used to have the "realistic" version of this a long time ago, and the AC would bleed into my signal all the time. You don't notice it to much at home, but when plugged into a large sound system...it's damn annoying. You have to remember, Balanced signals basically just mean that your cables won't pickup interference between the balanced output source, and balanced input destination. Any noise/interference/goblins you have in your signal before converting to balanced will remain.

And finally, for your specific setup and cables... it depends on how you plan to make your music. This is a 4 mono channels mixer so if you want 3 gameboys in there at the same time, at least two of them are gonna have to output in mono (ie, no panning effects). You could use channels 1/2 for two mono gameboys, and channel 3/4 for a stereo one. Then take the ouput of your mixer, violently send that to the KP and give the KP's output to the sound tech.

If your GBs are prosounded, then you need 2 stereo RCA cables to plug all three in the mixer (two in mono sharing a cable, one in stereo using its own). If they're not prosounded, then use two 1/8" stereo jacks to stereo RCA to hook them up to the mixer. Then you'll need a stereo RCA cable for sending the mixer into the KP and then one other stereo RCA to send the KP's output to the sound tech. To record your setup, you'll need a stereo RCA to (whatever you need) cable. Most likely 1/8" jack if you are using the built in soundcard in your computer.

But to answer the original question.. a 12$ DI that doesn't sell in music stores...probably not a good choice

Last edited by n00bstar (Mar 18, 2013 5:34 am)