cab sim versus di box

[dorothegreat]

it would be really neat if you could help me out guys.
i want to record with my sound card and im not sure if what i need is a cab sim or a di box. 
thanks for any input to clarify things. 

[Mark Hammer]

Possibly both.

The DI is for impedance-matching the signal source (guitar) to the sound card.  Since direct recording tends to have more top end to it than sticking a mic on a speaker cab, some folks find that a cabinet simulator of some kind makes the recording sound more "natural".  Note that there is also a difference between how a mic 10 feet away from a speaker cab sounds, and what a cab simulator sounds like.  The cab sim is merely a filter, and provides none of the "air" that mic-ing does.

Having said that, if you are recording with the aid of some sort of plug-ins that can digitally emulate a cabinet, then there is no real need for an analog cab-sim box unless it does something the digital stuff won't.

[dorothegreat]

thanks mark.

so it would be: guitar>fx (dist for example)>cab sim> di box?

also, if this is correct, would it be better to use this setup going to the mixer if a venue doesn't have any guitar amplifiers?

[petemoore]

so it would be: guitar>fx (dist for example)>cab sim> di box?
  That's good, any way around'll probably work.

also, if this is correct, would it be better to use this setup going to the mixer if a venue doesn't have any guitar amplifiers?
  You'll need an amplifier in any case, Mixers often are connected to PA [woofer and tweeter] speakers, sometimes it sounds good if the highs aren't so much, no tweeter is the choice I generally make for guitar.
  But it depends on the signal of course, if the HF's aren't too 'zizzthy', coming out of the horn.

[Top Top]

A lot of clubs will mic amps anyway for mixing through the PA, so it wouldn't be that much different from playing through a cab sim into the board...

That said, I also prefer to have a real amp for various reasons, including being able to have a little more control over the sound I hear as a performer (though most places will have monitors too).

Going direct you are more at the mercy of the sound guy/girl, which in my experience is not who you want to be at the mercy of.

[bancika]

I really like my palmer pdi-09. It's cab sim + di-box that works with pedals and amps (amps need external load box or a speaker though). Great little box. New clips on my site were recorded with it.

Cheers

[dorothegreat]

thank you very much for the inputs.

[DougH]

thanks mark.

so it would be: guitar>fx (dist for example)>cab sim> di box?

also, if this is correct, would it be better to use this setup going to the mixer if a venue doesn't have any guitar amplifiers?

That will work. I've DI'ed into the mixer before with just my pedal board and speaker simulator and it sounded good. You will need speaker simulation for this to sound good though, not just DI.

[cab42]

I have always thought that DI-boxes were quite expensive devices, but searching for info on Bancikas Palmer pdi-09 I found DI boxes down to 10€ (14$) on thomann.de and even cheaper on ebay.

There is even an online guide to DI-boxes http://www.thomann.de/dk/onlineexpert_154.html

Regards

Carsten

[T1bbles]

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/behringer-gi-100/8395

Check that link out, I know it's Behringer, but it's good! I know, I've got one

It's a DI box for your guitar with a 'cab sim' button which makes your direct signal much more natural sounding. Will sometimes shave a little too much high-end off, but you can always counter-EQ that, plus it has two -20dB signal pads so you can record from your amp output to get the sound of your amp in there too. That's assuming that you use a solid-state amp, if you use a valve amp you'll need to connect a cab via the speaker cabinet output as well or you can damage your amp.

It's more than worth the price tag anyways, something to think about.