DI Box 101: Active vs Passive - Which is Best for Your Setup?

How do you know if you should use a passive DI box or an active DI box? In this video, you'll learn the main differences and a general rule for choosing the right one for your situation.

- Passive DI Boxes -

Whirlwind IMP2

Radial ProDI

Radial ProD2

Radial ProAV2

- Active DI Boxes -

Countryman Type 85

Radial J48

Rupert Neve RNDI

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[audioglenngineer]

It’s funny how long I’ve been doing audio and I still learn something new with each of your videos - I always assumed DI stood for Direct Input… lol. Nice work as always.

[djsmokey]

It's been so long since I've played in a band - I'm about to DJ a wedding and have to sound mix 2 vox + 1 guitar + 1 keyboard. This video was quick and extra helpful, thank you so much!!

[ceejayfarley]

Thank you for this useful information, I have currently a behringer ultra DI20 (active DI box) and been using this for active pickup bass guitar and electric guitars with effects pedals. My thought that it might have an issue later on, but as I heard that an active DI box is more versatile, I got relieved.

[JeremiahHartmanPhotography]

you can also use passive DI's for reamping or using guitar pedals for vocal effects while recording.... both have their place like you said. If funds permit I highly recommend having both... why pay over $100 for a "reamping" box when you can pay $40 for a passive DI? LOL It's also awesome if the guitar player or you....want a particular amp's sound but it doesnt have a DI built in...so you can't record both the mic'd amp and a clean instrument track at the same time...enter the DI box! They have tons of uses..If you're just starting get whatever you can afford that will actually work. Later on you'll find things like the Neve DI and my fav the REDDI have a sound of their own that's amazing.

[shermsquarepants]

Thanks for your vids! This is the seventh one on the channel I've seen so far and they clear up a lot of things for me! Thanks again for such clear and to the point explanations.

[brendanmcewen]

Small detail - at 1:33 when you give the example of a bass guitar as a passive signal to pair with an active DI, you actually show a Fender Precision Deluxe which is an active instrument (onboard EQ; check the number of knobs!)

[korkenknopfus]

That nice RN DI of yours allows passing the speaker cable at the output of your amp, too, so as my Countryman Type 10. By the way, I didn’t know that was possible until I purchased mine.

[KepoArtStudio]

Thanks for the information, this is what actually I need to know. Your channel is gold for me. Love you..!

[YiPSKiPP]

BTW Radial says the only exception to this rule is for an acoustic guitar with an onboard preamp, in which case you should still use an active DI

[johnjoysabale]

youre so cool! Thanks for educating me with dis video!

[samisaac]

Please could you explain the best way to connect a mixer, an equaliser, a crossover to amplifier to achieve the best sound.

[Gogs]

So would it be correct to say I would use a passive di if i was grabbing the signal after effects pedals for guitars?

[fredericsicsic]

Is there a passive direct box that has RCA line input and XLR output with line-level signal, not microphone-level signal?

[seattlevegas]

Another very helpful video. Thank you! Here's a related question... do cable connections degrade performance? I need a right angle coming off my guitar so I use a pigtail. That creates a junction. Then, when I have needed longer cables at a gig, I have used a 1/4" coupler - another connection point (actually two). I have not heard any significant issues, but am interested in your comments about this. Thanks again - your material is extremely valuable to me.

[hoosierdaddy]

Great video's.. I've been wondering about the difference. I subscribed.. So, if your using active pickups in your guitar you'd always use a passive DI? I'm wanting to use an effects board with distortion pedal(s), delays, modulation, etc, and go direct and I'm thinking that I'd need a DI. I have both active pickups in some guitars and passive pickups in others. Would I need two different DI's? I'm confused..
Thanks in advance.. Great channel..
Regards from the heartland.. South Central Indiana. USA
Tim

[nathantadena]

Some amplifiers have DI's using op amps, after the preamp just before the power amp, but how do they differ? Are they considered active DI's? How bout its impedance and signal level?

[josdurkstraful]

Should I use a DI running the headphone output of a laptop into a mixer?

[HappyChillmore]

Sometimes my bass or guitar signal into the interface seems weak then I barely turn it up and it starts distorting, even despite having small waveforms. I’m wondering if an active DI box would help. I’m running guitars and bass into an Apollo solo and focusrite sometimes

[anthonywhite]

Is noise cut when using a di box when recording in protools

[TLguitar]

Your content is great and to the point.

You probably haven't gotten through all of the comments on your last video, so I want to rephrase some question I left there:

Do you think somehow connecting a DI box directly to a guitar's jack using 0 cable length (let's say by just "hanging it" on a pedal coupler) and then sending the signal to the interface practically only over balanced XLR, will noticeably reduce the level of noise in the signal? Or should the interference picked up by a cable no more than 2m/6ft long be negligible compared to that getting into the guitar pickups?