Matt Wahl On-Line | DI Box Test 2 (Direct Recording)

Not long ago I posted a web page describing my test to determine if using a Radial JDI passive direct box made any difference in the sound of my acoustic guitars when run through my Bose L1 sound system. You can read about that here: DI Box Test.

My conclusion was that it didn’t make enough difference to justify putting the JDI in the signal chain. I will still carry the JDI with me to use with house systems, etc. and I could end up using it with my Bose if I need to lift the ground or take advantage of some of the other features of the JDI.

It was suggested to me, and probably rightfully so, that there were a few too many variables in my first DI box test to really determine if the DI made a difference. The only adjustment I made between the DI box recording and the no DI box recording was an adjustment to the trim level but I decided to conduct another test.

In this test I recorded two tracks using my Apogee Duet Firewire Audio Interface. One track is recorded with the Radial JDI plugged directly into the Apogee Duet. The other is with my guitar plugged directly into the Duet without the DI in the signal chain.

The Guitar: The guitar in this test is my Cole Clark Angel with a bunya top and blackwood back and sides.

Cables: I used a Planet Waves 1/4” Circuit Breaker cable in both recordings. In the JDI recording the JDI is connected directly to the Apogee Duet via the Duet’s Breakout Cable.

Recordings: Both recordings were done in GarageBand and nothing was done to the recordings. (no EQ, no effects, etc.)

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Variables: With the Apogee Duet, I had to use 2 different inputs to make the two different recordings. With the DI box in the chain I used microphone input 1, without the DI I plugged my 1/4” cable directly into instrument input 1. As a result, I had to adjust each input level to ensure that both recordings were tracked at the same volume. To me that is the same as the trim adjustment I had to make with the Bose T1 during the first DI box test.

Please use the .mp3 player to play the recordings:

Conclusion: As with the first test I don’t notice enough difference between the two recordings to justify putting the JDI in the signal chain for the tonal qualities alone. If I needed to lift the ground or take advantage of some of the other qualities of the JDI, then I would use it for those reasons.