# Di box with electric guitar



## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Do I need a D I box to go through my mixer board for live playing? Not talking about recording. Need to know if this will help me get more performance out of my Strat when i'm plugged in my board.
I was practicing the other day with a few guys and they wanted me to go through the board at all cost. It sounded pretty thin so they let me use my amp.
Thank you for any info on this matter.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

If you want to go directly into the board, you will want to use some kind of emulator rather than a pure DI. It _will_ sound thin with just a DI, but there are some very good emulators out there - and the sound guy will love you if you use one rather than your amp.


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## Guest (Feb 27, 2013)

Fractal Audio Systems Axe-Fx II Guitar Processor, Preamp, effects processor, amp modeler, guitar effects



You could think of it as a DI box plus a few other nice things to have.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Thanks guys for the info.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I really like using my Tech 21 Character series pedals for going into the board. They don't have XLR outs, which is a bit of a hassle, but they DO have speaker emulation. You can either run a 1/4" TS cable from it to the board, or a plug them into a DI and then into the board using a balanced TRS or XLR cable. Sounds great.

Another option is the Hughes and Kettner Red Box. It's a DI with speaker emulation for not too much money. Never tried it myself, but have heard great things about it.


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## Dannypop (Oct 2, 2012)

I use a A/DA GCS-2 on my pedalboard which has an XLR out which is then sent to FOH. I always get the soundguy to mix it in with my mic'd amp and he says it sounds good! Its a little hard to notice when your playing because I use my amp as my monitor as well so thats all I hear..Its also great that you have the ability to adjust some parameters - Modern/Vintage, Open-back/Closed back, and also mic placement.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Dannypop said:


> I use a A/DA GCS-2 on my pedalboard which has an XLR out which is then sent to FOH. I always get the soundguy to mix it in with my mic'd amp and he says it sounds good! Its a little hard to notice when your playing because I use my amp as my monitor as well so thats all I hear..Its also great that you have the ability to adjust some parameters - Modern/Vintage, Open-back/Closed back, and also mic placement.


Cool! I didn't know about this device. I'm checking it out!


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

The Fractal stuff is Ferrari level.

If you would like something at the say Ford Mustang level, try a Vox Tonelab LE.

You can get one of those used for around $200. I used one both for live gigs and to record an album.

Sounds good to me.


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## Merlin (Feb 23, 2009)

I'll second the Tech 21 Character pedals. Even with a 1/4" into the board, they're great. The Blonde model lets you dial in some good Fendery sounds.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Merlin said:


> I'll second the Tech 21 Character pedals. Even with a 1/4" into the board, they're great. The Blonde model lets you dial in some good Fendery sounds.


Putnam guitars can mod your character pedals to have an XLR, accept phantom power, etc.

I've been tinkering with the idea of getting my British modded.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

This clip shows my direct setup.

I lked it a lot.
Tonelab set up - YouTube


Tonelab clean
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ckRapa3vFLM

Tonelab crunch
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3B3l6W-Edd4

Tonelab Lead
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K4zEyBG-BNc


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