XLR or DI for recording ?

  • Hi all, just a quick question, do you guys use an XLR cable coming out of the Kemper into your Laptop or whatever you use to record, or do you prefer using a DI box in between ? which give you a better signal ? I guess with the release of the firmware 3.0 best to use a DI box ?

  • with all due respect:
    it sounds like there is some confusion about what a DI box does, when to use it and what Direct profiles (and now out merged ones) are about.


    Hey DonPetersen, I am not gonna lie, yes there are some confusion, I don't think I fully understand what a DI box is exactly for or when it's needed. I must google it.

  • Hey DonPetersen, I am not gonna lie, yes there are some confusion, I don't think I fully understand what a DI box is exactly for or when it's needed. I must google it.


    from wiki
    "The Direct Input box takes a high impedance, unbalanced signal and converts it to a low impedance, balanced signal.
    This allows the signal to be sent over long cable runs with significantly less signal loss (especially in high frequencies) due to the lowering of the impedance, and greater rejection of interference due to the benefit of common mode rejection in a balanced signal."


    what is often called a DI profile is a profile taken from the fx send of an amp. while this signal is obviously not coloured by the speaker and microphone, it also lacks the power amp of the amplifier and the interaction of that power amp with the attached speaker.


    What we call a Direct profile, is taken from the speaker output of the amplifier by connecting a DI box that can work with speaker levels (!) and is also routing the signal through to the speaker (to get the beforementioned interaction) while also providing a line level signal that goes back into the profiler.


    This way the 'normal' Studio profile and the Direct profile are completely authentic, giving you optimal results when playing over studio monitors (or FRFR systems) as well as over traditional guitar cabs.
    At the same time, if you want!
    And I can personally only recommend this - playing over monitors and a cab at the same time is very much fun. :)


    So if you want to make Direct profiles you need a DI box that can manage speaker levels, but if you only want to play, no additional hardware is needed.


    hth

  • There are two types of Direct Input boxes. One is designed to accept a guitar's output to a console. The other is designed to take a tube amp's speaker level output and send it to a console.


    An example of the first kind of DI is the Radial JDV.


    I'm old school, with an analog heritage. I always use a DI box when recording an analog amp. I never know if I want to re-amp later on. So I always connect my guitar to my JDV in the signal path before my KPA and analog rig. I use the JDV for a few reasons.

    • I may (or may not) want to re-amp. Yes, I know I can use the Kemper to provide my console with the same dry signal. The JDV is a great DI and I trust that I'll get a pristine dry signal when I use it.
    • The JDV has two outputs. In their path is a pot (which Radial calls drag) that compensates for the characteristics of my pickups, guitar cable and analog amp's input load. Since I like to run my analog rig and my Kemper simultaneously, the JDV works for me. I'm effectively using the JDV as an amp splitter this way. And the drag control lets me dial in my guitar's loading when I am playing my Mesa rig.

    If you are planning on doing a Direct Amp Profile, you will need a different kind of DI box. As Don Petersen wrote, you need a "DI box that can work with speaker levels ". A Radial JDX will fit that bill. It is an example of the second type of DI box. It is designed to take a speaker output from your tube amp, and split the signal. One side goes to a guitar speaker cab. Think of it as a "thru" bus for speakers. The other side of the split signal is output at microphone level. It provides the equivalent of a mic'd up guitar cabinet's microphone output to the KPA, so it can create a Direct Amp Profile.


    If you don't plan on creating any Direct Amp Profiles, you can avoid this additional purchase. And you can re-amp with the KPA, so you don't have to buy a guitar level DI. Just plug your guitar into the KPA and go wild.

  • Hi all, just a quick question, do you guys use an XLR cable coming out of the Kemper into your Laptop or whatever you use to record, or do you prefer using a DI box in between ? which give you a better signal ? I guess with the release of the firmware 3.0 best to use a DI box ?


    xlr out to laptop/audio board.............nothing in between since the kpa was meant to generate a killer tone in virtually every situation (more or less tweaking).


    check the sounds in my signature: all done with kpa xlr out to cheap audioboard to a cheap pc..........you'll be the judge!


    michael

    "...why being satisfied with an amp, as great as it can be, while you can have them all?" michael mellner


    "Rock in Ecclesia" - new album on iTunes or Google music

  • paults wrote:


    Quote

    One clarification - the JDX is the right TYPE of direct box (it accepts amplifier level signals), but it is not a good choice for Profiling. It has a Speaker Simulator EQ on tXLR output


    I missed this very important fact about the JDX. I stand corrected. It is not the device we need for Direct Amp Profiling. Thanks for catching this. You saved me $200 on gear I can't use and don't need.

  • paults wrote:



    I missed this very important fact about the JDX. I stand corrected. It is not the device we need for Direct Amp Profiling. Thanks for catching this. You saved me $200 on gear I can't use and don't need.


    Well, for that kind of money (if you shop around), you could get one of these



    Cheers,
    Sam

  • Shure are the distributors, but the link isn't actually mine. Another forumite posted it in one of the 3.0 threads, as he uses one and gave it a very favourable review. The specs on it look fantastic.


    Cheers,
    Sam