To DI or not to DI, that is a question.....?

[Skybone]

Currently in a bit of a muddle as to whether to go DI or invest a few quid into my amp/cab setup, and getting nowhere quickly.

I mainly use my B3 for the amp sound, a bit of boost/dirt when needed, and either EQ or Reverb. At home, with headphones, at the rehearsal space with a Peavey amp & 2 4x10's, also have a Hartke HA4000 & a 250w 2x10 at home. Might start using the PA at the rehearsal space, just to hear how it sounds in comparison.

Been thinking about upgrading the speakers in the cab to 2 Celestion BL10-200x's, but for similar cash, I could either get another B3 (to add effects to the core amp sounds from No.1 B3) or track down a Line6 Bass PODxt/PODx3 Live, or another floor board type multi-effects unit (Zoom B9.1ut?), and then go for an amp-less setup.

Feeling a bit "Confused dot com" about it, as being a bit "old school", there is a part of me saying thay you really can't beat an amp behind you. But, there are huge advantages of having less gear to lug about, and less to worry about at gigs.

I suppose I'm looking for the Pro's & Con's from people who've gone Amp-less, people who've returned to Amps, and people who use digital multi-FX units for their "sound".

[Maude]

In the last band I DI'd from my X3 Live into the PA and ran an out from the X3 to my PJB Suitcase for monitoring purposes. All my sounds being generated by the X3.
The band I'm in now I play doublebass so no effects but I DI from my preamp pedal to the PA and amp in the same way.
Three main benefits, one is that I can turn up or down my volume as needed without altering the front of house mix, two, I can put my monitor amp wherever I need it facing forwards, back or sideways, whichever suits my needs at the venue, and three, less stuff to carry and set up.
No real downside for me at all.

[0175westwood29]

Something about having a amp behind you, my 810 is a pain sometimes but i forget that when i hear it.

Andy

[Byo]

Having an amp on stage is always great but nowadays a small pedal board and a DI (if the venue has a good monitor system) will get you a great tone.

Some FX boxes like the Zoom B3 have amp & cab simulator that work wonders on PA's.

I tend to gig with my pedalboard + DI and if possible I bring my Markbass + Aguilar DB112 with me for on stage monitor purposes and have never needed anything else. But mainly I travel light and use whatever stage amp there is so DI is the only way for me to maintain a consistent tone from gig to gig.

I agree with Maude too, with a DI you cannot really mess up with the FOH's sound (that is up to the Sound Tech unfortunately...) and you can control your levels independently without affecting the band mix.

To DI or not DI is a tough question sometimes, especially if your "sound" comes mainly from your amp+cab configuration but there are some lovely high end ones (REDDI, AVALON, etc...) that have a killer tone.

Some of the cats over at Talkbass have been using Low Pass filters (filter cut off) to roll the nasty high end past 5-10k area to achieve a more natural "speaker" sound and they seem very happy, I still have to get around that idea so cannot comment.

[Tonteee]

As others have already stated here, once DI-ed your amp setup effectively becomes your on-stage bass monitor.

I don't know the size of band you play in, the quality of the PA or whether there's an engineer on board. Of the three bands I regularly play in, only one has an engineer on board - everything else is own PA, self-managed. Rarely do I play somewhere with a venue PA. So, my point? I would never forgo an amp entirely because:

a) my bass amplification ensures I can hear myself
2) my bass speakers are a much better monitor for bass frequencies than otherwise available and
iii) For when PA support might not be available, or if it leaves a little to be desired.

I suppose it does depend on how good the available monitoring is, too - and whether you're using IEMs.

In truth, I think I'd probably feel a bit daft (and exposed) without an amp at all.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Tonteee

[Guest FretNoMore]

I see the amp on stage mainly as a monitor and don't worry too much about its sound; acoustics on stage are often horrible anyway plus we want to keep the volume down on stage so no place for a fridge and thousands of watts. What's more important is the FOH sound the audience hears, and I think a good DI/EQ/LPF setup is easier to control than a mic. Others will disagree and will want a big stack pushing air behind them.

My approach is a full range speaker on stage and a DI on the pedalboard, thinking if I get a pleasing sound from my monitor (e.g controlling the top end from dirt pedals) it will be similar to what then goes out in the PA.

[cheddatom]

I've gone ampless, but I'm playing venues with big PAs and decent monitoring. I certainly don't miss lugging the amp around!

[BigRedX]

Going amp less makes you entirely dependent on the PA monitoring.

IME unless you are playing on big stages with good full range foldback, your bass (if you can hear it at all) will sound pretty nasty through the average vocal-biased monitor. Also the more things you put through vocal foldback the less useful it becomes for the vocalists who need it the most.

[Guest FretNoMore]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1453816357' post='2963003']
Going amp less makes you entirely dependent on the PA monitoring.

IME unless you are playing on big stages with good full range foldback, your bass (if you can hear it at all) will sound pretty nasty through the average vocal-biased monitor. Also the more things you put through vocal foldback the less useful it becomes for the vocalists who need it the most.
[/quote]

Some have their own in-ear systems, that's another option. Ideally with a feed of the other channels from the PA, but it works without that too.

[EBS_freak]

A cool solution is to carry your own monitoring rig around with you... (digital mixer, IEM systems and a bank of XLR splitters - so you can split the signal between your monitoring rack and front of house).

Your sound is entirely under your control... and for those looking after front of house, nothing changes and you save them the hassle of doing monitor mixes.

Edited January 26, 2016 by EBS_freak

[Skybone]

Does anyone know how a Zoom B9.1ut compares with a B3 sound-wise?

[adamg67]

I've gone the DI / amp modelling route for bass now, with a Markbass Multiamp so fair enough there is a class D amp in there as well to use for backline / monitoring, but that's really just amplifying the sound I have. It means that what people hear out front and what goes down when I record are the same thing I hear out of my amp. At home I always DI into my DAW and practice that way, done that for years with guitar and bass as it means I can record new ideas and never lose them.

Had the opportunity to listen to it from out front the other day when the bass player from another band borrowed it and it sounded awesome. Also, because everything's on presets it was ok for the other guy to change all the settings and I still had my exact sound at the touch of a footswitch. I don't think I could go back to something without presets now.