ART ZDirect DI for Profiling ....... *really, really* dumb question about hooking it up to the Kemper :) :(

    Hey all


    This is embarrassing - I've had a brain snap.


    I have this DI -> http://artproaudio.com/artcess…di_boxes/product/zdirect/


    It has :-


    -> 1 x 1/4" Input
    -> 1 x 1/4" Input Through
    -> 1 x Male Canon Output


    I will [hopefully] be doing a DI profile of my Matchless DC30 [ DZ30] clone in a week or so, but just wanted to double-check the wiring order.


    So ....... I presume that


    A -> I plug the Amp Head Speaker Out into the 1 x 1/4" Input

    then


    B -> I go from the 1 x 1/4" Input Through to the Kemper input


    then


    C -> I go from the 1 x Male Canon Output to the Speaker Cab


    Or, do I have B + C the wrong way around ?


    My sincere thanks in advance.


    Ben

    Edited once, last by benifin ().

    To me it looks like the Art ZDirect can't handle the speaker signal. You need a special DI box that supports "between amp and cab" operation. I might be wrong though - just did a short google search.

    MJT Strats / PRS Guitars / Many DIY Guitars -- Kemper Profiler Rack / Kemper Remote / InEar

    It says its supports speaker levels.You defo have B and C the wrong way round. I tried it last night and the cab made a squealing noise. I dont know if i needed to press the ground switch or not!

    Quote from mDan

    To me it looks like the Art ZDirect can't handle the speaker signal. You need a special DI box that supports "between amp and cab" operation. I might be wrong though - just did a short google search.


    Hi mDan.


    From the website/manual " ..... The Zdirect is a high quality totally passive interface that lets you connect instrument, line, or speaker level signals to a mixer or other balanced input thru a high performance audio isolation transformer ..... "


    To assist with this it offers a -20db setting for lower wattage amps and -40db setting for higher powered amps.


    Thanks,
    Ben

    Quote from Drapes

    It says its supports speaker levels.You defo have B and C the wrong way round. I tried it last night and the cab made a squealing noise. I dont know if i needed to press the ground switch or not!


    Thanks Drapes - so just to confirm for my own soggy brain, its:-


    A -> plug the Amp Head Speaker Out into the 1 x 1/4" Input


    then


    B -> go from the 1 x Male Canon Output to the Kemper input


    then


    C -> go from the 1 x 1/4" Input Through to the actual speaker Cab


    Have I got it right now ?


    Ben

    Hey,


    I bought the same DI and I just wanted to be sure too. So what about if I don't have the Cab around to connect to the DI? Will my Amp blow, or is it fine since the DI got 40 db attenuator? Or do I still need the load of the speaker cab?


    Thanks!

    Quote from shooby

    Hey,


    I bought the same DI and I just wanted to be sure too. So what about if I don't have the Cab around to connect to the DI? Will my Amp blow, or is it fine since the DI got 40 db attenuator? Or do I still need the load of the speaker cab?


    Thanks!


    nobody? please?

    Quote from benifin

    Many thanks Drapes - sometimes my brain goes weird :) - just found the schematic too:-


    [Blocked Image: http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p482/gtrotunno/art%20zdirect%20schematic_zpswkq27ci1-1.jpg]


    Ben


    Not meaning to be too picky here, but there is no way this schematic can work, as the primary winding is shorted by the connection between the Input and Thru jack. The lower pin of the primary (to the Thru jack) should be connected to the common ring terminals of the input/thru jacks.

    Quote from MKB


    Not meaning to be too picky here, but there is no way this schematic can work, as the primary winding is shorted by the connection between the Input and Thru jack. The lower pin of the primary (to the Thru jack) should be connected to the common ring terminals of the input/thru jacks.


    And what does that mean according to my question?

    Quote from shooby


    And what does that mean according to my question?


    Sorry, that wasn't really an answer to your previous question, just an observation.


    Concerning the question whether your amp will blow or not.. If you are using a tube amp, you must have a speaker connected to the Input/Thru jack or your amp will certainly have major issues. All tube amps must have a speaker load of the proper impedance on their output transformers or big problems will happen quickly. Some very small amps might have internal loads but those are not in the majority.


    If your amp is solid state, most of them will work without loads, but some will not. So in any case you should use a speaker load unless you are 100% certain that the amp is fine without a load.


    The direct box only reads the voltage the amp is sending to the load as well as the return voltage from the speaker. The attenuator in the direct box reduces that voltage to one the direct box and downstream electronics can handle (a 100W amp can put out around 40VAC into a 16 ohm load, many equipment signal inputs can only handle 2VAC or so, hence the need for an attenuator). This attenuation does nothing to absorb the power the amp is trying to send to a speaker.


    Hope this helps.